Hungarian folk traditions, original compositions and jazz improvisation in a transatlantic quartet.
Since 2007, Eastern Boundary Quartet has brought Hungarian master musicians Mihály Borbély and Balázs Bágyi together with the long-standing New York bass and piano partnership of Joe Fonda and Michael Jefry Stevens. The group combines Hungarian folk rhythms and melodies with jazz harmony to create an original hybrid of composed and improvised music, a cultural bridge built through talent, respect, brotherhood and friendship.
Born in Pécs, Hungary, Balázs Bágyi graduated with honors from the Jazz Department of the Ferenc Liszt Music Academy in Budapest. He has worked across theater music, mainstream jazz, world music and avant-garde jazz, and performs internationally with musicians including William Parker, Hamid Drake and Rob Brown. He directs the Dr. Lauschmann Jazz School, teaches at the Hang-Szín-Tér School of Arts, and serves as president of the Hungarian Jazz Federation.
Mihály Borbély plays saxophones, tárogató and a wide range of folk wind instruments including folk flutes, kaval, dvojnice, fujara, ocarina, bombard and zurna. He has performed across Europe, the United States, Mexico and Australia with artists and ensembles including Paul Bley, Steve Coleman, Herbie Mann, ROVA Saxophone Quartet, the Budapest Big Band and the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra. He has taught at the Béla Bartók Conservatory since 1986 and the Ferenc Liszt Music Academy since 1990.
Pianist, composer and Steinway Artist Michael Jefry Stevens has been active internationally for more than four decades. He has composed over 400 works for ensembles of every size, released more than 100 recordings featuring his own music, and worked with artists including Dave Liebman, Oliver Lake, Dave Douglas, Leo Smith, Matt Wilson, Han Bennink and Dame Evelyn Glennie. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Jazz Performance from Queens College.
Bassist Joe Fonda has built an extensive international career through recordings and touring with Anthony Braxton, including appearances at the North Sea Jazz Festival and Istanbul International Jazz Festival. His collaborators include Archie Shepp, Leo Smith, Dave Douglas, Curtis Fuller, Bill Dixon, Han Bennink, Carla Bley and Barry Altschul. As a composer, he has received grants and commissions from Meet the Composer New York and the New England Foundation on the Arts.
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