News archive - 2005

11.28.2005

The Sheafs are Dancing DVD-Audio is nominated for Surround Music Award 2005 in the Best additional features category!

2005 SURROUND MUSIC AWARDS NOMINEES ANNOUNCED DTS Presents Fourth Annual Event on December 15, 2005

NEW YORK, NY (November 28, 2005) - CMP Entertainment Media, producers of the Surround Music Awards (SMAs), have announced the list of nominees for this year's event, which is taking place December 15, 2005 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. The fourth annual SMAs are presented by surround sound pioneers DTS.

The finalists were chosen from more than 100 submissions, and are being judged by a distinguished panel of surround sound journalists and producers.

In addition to the judged awards, there are several awards decided by the SMA Steering Committee and one award chosen by the public. This year, the SMA Steering Committee will award Phil Ramone the Surround Pioneer Award and Jackson Browne the Surround Artist of the year Award.

The public is eligible to vote for the Listener's Choice Award, which is presented by High Fidelity Review. To vote for the nominees in this category, visit www.highfidelityreview.com. The winners will be announced at the gala event taking place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on December 15, the first night of the two-day Surround 2005 Conference and Showcase. For more information and to purchase tickets for the Surround Music Awards, visit www.surroundexpo.com.

This year's nominated titles are as follows:

BEST ADDITIONAL FEATURES
• A High Resolution Music Experience; Various Artists [AIX Records]
• Guero; Beck [IGA/Interscope]
• Rumor Mill; The Carl Verheyen Band [AIX Records]
• Running on Empty; Jackson Browne [Rhino Entertainment]
• Sheafs are Dancing/tancolnak a kazlak; Djabe [Gramy Records]

Additional categories
For more information on the Surround Music Awards and the Surround 2005 Conference and Showcase, visit www.surroundexpo.com.

11.15.2005

Out now: Djabe - Slices of Life

CD - GR-063

The long awaited new Djabe studio album has released. This music based on the Sheafs album's style, but became more dynamic and structured. The main composer is Tamás Barabás again.

Ben Castle beautifully played the saxophone parts on the recordings. The band gives its best on this excellent album again.

Djabe, the Hungarian Music Award, eMeRTon and PRinceAward winners band, which has become one of most popular Hungarian invited bands to foreign festivals in the last years, has published its new CD.

The band has further improved the sound of the successful Dancing Sheafs. The listener can hear a more dynamic material with more momentum. Next to the usual Djabe band's lineup, its' English musician friend, Ben Castle (Sting, Marillion, Jamie Cullumn) can also be heard. A further colourful patch of the CD is the closing piece, which is played by the Echo String Quartet.

Apart from two songs, the whole of the album was composed and arranged by the bass guitar player, Tamás Barabás.

The new album is available only on CD for now, but by February 2006 the DVD-Audio will come out, too.

The new album will be presented on a country tour between 24th February and 4th March, 2006. The Budapest concert is on 3rd March in the Petőfi Hall.

What makes a band a good band?

Its music has to be honest, can give something to the audience. Has a tendency to be original, but its' only aim should not be separation at all cost. The members should be masters of their own instruments with a musical education background; musicians who can professionally perform anywhere and in any circumstances. They should be inspiring towards each other not only as an artist, but also as private people as the unified sound of a band is not the simple sum of the instruments, but it is the musical synthesis, which raises the experience of playing in a band to a higher level.

A good band is able to revive but in a way, that it can deliberately keep its' previous basic values of music and with saving them, refresh them. This is the reason, why Djabe is a good band, as it is able to meet these demands.

I write about the latest CD (Slices of life) of the band in the spirit of maintaining the existing values and also refreshing the music. I feel, even after several sessions of listening, and what is more I feel to a continuing greater intensity, that with this album Djabe has once and for all made it to the international front line. As far as I am concerned Djabe was already there anyway, but after this CD even those who were making faces before will have to admit defeat and replay it.

This record reflects freshness, momentum, intellectual demand and professionalism in the best meaning. After even the first beat of Doromb it is clear for the listener that he has found an extraordinary piece of music material. The original introduction is followed all the way through by vibrating joyful music, beating, dynamic.

To sum up, Djabe can be happily congratulated for this excellent musical performance. Through the personal touch as well, the music atmosphere of Dancing Sheafs is definitely lyrical and especially intellectual. It has certainly set the standard, to a very high level. With this new music material the band has managed to step forward once more. The direction is right, heading for world renown! The cover of the album was made with fine taste, for it fits finely to the music content of the CD.

Critics of Miklós Kovács

10.11.2005

Djabe will play in Czech Republic on 22th of October

Djabe will be guest at the jazzfestival in Hrádec Kralové.

The leader Hungarian jazz/world fusion band will play on the closing day in the Aldis Congress Centre, which is the main stage at the festival.

Djabe is the third performer, and their concert starts around 9 pm.

The Czech television will broadcast the show later on the channel "CT 2" starting at 11 pm. and covering the whole concert in their programme "Noc s Andelem" (Night with Angel) which is special live event of a regular weekly music magazine of the Czech Television.

More information

09.28.2005

Djabe concert will be broadcasted by the Bayerisher Rundfunk alpha

On the 2nd of October, at 21.15 (GMT+1) the Munich BR alpha television will broadcast the Djabe concert which was recorded at the Burghausen Jazzwoche 2005 on 15th of April. Please check your local cabel network provider.

The successful concert was held on the stage of Wackerhalle. This was the last night when Tóth Viktor alto sax player - who had been worked for one year with the band -played with Djabe.

Don't miss this unique performance of Djabe which will be presented in 5.1 surround sound.

BR alpha jazz program

07.29.2005

Finnish and Sweedish jazz fans are fascinated by Djabe

Djabe stepped on the stage of the Pori Jazz festival, celebrating its 40 th jubilee on a bright sunny evening. The momentum and freshness of the one-hour-concert, which started at 8 o’clock in the evening, and its Hungarian characteristic captivated the audience, who welcomed the compositions and solos with continuous frenetic applause.

In the 21 of July program of Pori world class stars like Charlie Haden, Jamie Cullumn and Kenny Garrett stood on the stage.

Stockholm Jazz 2005, the other world wide known festival was a great success as well in the life of Djabe. The huge stage was set up on the Isle of Skeppsholmen, in the heart of Stockholm. In front of it was the auditorium, where approximately 5,000 people could sit down or stand while viewing the concert.

After the stormy concert the audience of Stockholm attacked the CD stand, later a crowd was standing in front of the dedication tent. From among the brand new enthusiastic Djabe fans it was exclaimed that Djabe’s performance was the best, while on the 23rd of July such stars as Johnny Griffin, Toots Thielemans, Lisa Nilsson, Didier Lockwood and Peter Cincotti also performed and the day before the last performance, Lee Ritenour, Roy Haynes, Lauryn Hill and John Abercrombie.

Djabe gives a concert next in Bulgaria at the international Bansko Jazz festival.

Djabe - Pori Jazzfestival photos
Djabe - Stockholm photos

Andreas Ulanowsky's review about the concert

Pori Jazzfestival homepage
Stockholm Jazzfestival homepage

04.11.2005

Djabe further enhances the reputation of Hungarian music at the Swedish Stockholm and Finnish Pori Jazz festivals

After European and overseas successes, the number one representative of the domestic world/jazz genre, Djabe, continues marching into the major European jazz festivals.

The Pori festival, has been performed over the last 40 years, where only 4 Hungarian formations have actually been part of the programme (Aladár Pege, Budapest Big Band, Frigyes Pleszkán and the Rátonyi - Gadó duet).. It is well-know to the Hungarian audience and stands out from among all other musical events.

In 2005 Djabe will be the next. The Pori programme brings out such stars as Jamie Cullum, Charlie Haden, Kenny Garrett, Ronnie Cuber, Roy Haynes, Lauryn Hill, etc.

John Nugent, the artistic director of the Rochester Jazzfestival, following last year's stormy American success of the band, invited Djabe to the Stockholm Jazzfestival, which is also under his art management. The band will perform here on the 23 of July, two days after the Pori performance.

Before the North-European concerts Djabe will perform at the Burghausen Jazz festival in Germany. The Burghausen Jazz festival, which is organized in the region of München and Salzburg is the most significant festival in the area. The German organisers will prepare a DVD recording also of the performances of the band.

It is joyous that finally a Hungarian band, playing exacting music could be successful both at home and abroad. Djabe will be on tour with the following setup: Tamás Barabás - bass guitar, Ferenc Kovács - trumpet, violin, Zoltán Kovács - piano, András Sipos - percussions, Attila Égerházi - guitar, Szilárd Banai - drums.

Burghausen Jazz Festival
Pori Jazzfestival homepage
Stockholm Jazzfestival homepage

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