"...If you do not know his play, you simply lose colours from the palette of existence and revelation, and they will never get back to you after the moment when the magic fades away..."

Babos Gyula one of the best known guitarists of the Hungarian jazz scene was born in Budapest, 26th June 1949. The first stage of his career as a musician began with the groups Rákfogó and Saturnus. He was hardly 17 when he won the Jazz Competition of the Hungarian Radio in 1966. Since the 1980s he has taught the guitar at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music.

In the 90's he performed some legendary concerts, first in Petőfi Hall with Victor Bailey, Terry Lynn Carrington, Jinda György and Szakcsi Lakatos Béla. Followed by the concert with Frank Zappa in front of an audience of fifty thousand people and later his co-performers were James Moody, Tony Scott and Szabó Gábor.

On recording the album "Sham" the best Hungarian musicians of the era participated. Even in the record title he referred to the world of the popular Jinda György who had been living abroad for long time. He made one of his best jazz album for Sony Columbia in 1994, and Blue Victory (1996) whose participants have already played together in the above mentioned concert in PeCSa (Petőfi Hall). The album was released in twelve countries.

Babos put together a team of brilliant young musicians and in 1997 the Babos Romani Project was born. and since then they have made great success on several festivals at home as well as abroad (Marseilles, Eilat, Bukarest, London, Kassa). SONY released his Project recordings in 1998 entitled "Once upon a time..."

In 1998 with the contribution of Take Four (Pege/Tomsics/Kőszegi) three records were produced.
In 2001 he recorded with the legendary Herbie Mann.

His latest concert album "Seventy-five minutes" recorded with the world famous percussionist Trilok Gurtu was published in a limited edition in 2004.

Since 2005 they have been performing in a new lineup under the name of Babos Project Special. The group released it's latest album titled Variations in 2006.

Babos Project Special
Babos Gyula - guitar
Szakcsi Lakatos Róbert - piano
Patai Öcsi - violin
Hárs Viktor - double bass
Balogh László - drums
Veress Mónika - vocal

Babos Gyula is the most representative guitar player of the Hungarian jazz life, the driving force of the modern Hungarian improvisative music. "...If you do not know his play, you simply lose colours from the palette of existence and revelation, and they will never get back to you after the moment when the magic fades away..." His band, the Babos Project Special represents a peculiar synthesis of electronic jazz and roma music. Babos, as typical to him, selected the most talented young musicians for the band.


Awards:
1991- eMerton Prize
2003- Szabó Gábor Prize
2005 - Officer's Cross Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary

Discography:
1989
Out and In
Solo
Hungaroton

1996
Blue Victory
SONY,
Columbia

1998
Once upon a time...
Sony Columbia

2004
75 minutes
Heart Music

2006
Variations
Heart Music