www.mihalyborbely.hu

Borbély Mihály studied classical clarinet and jazz saxophone at the Bartók Béla Conservatory and the Liszt Ferenc Music Academy. Through his career in addition to his original instruments (clarinet and alto saxophone) has specialised in playing unusual wind instruments (the tárogató, folk recorders, kaval, dvojnice, fujara, ocarina, bombard, zurna) as well as the soprano and tenor saxophone.

He was one of the founding members of the group Vujicsics, and in addition was equally active in folk and world, jazz and contemporary music, as a member of various line-ups or as a soloist. He has participated in countless recordings, has given concerts in Hungary, throughout Europe, in the USA and Australia as well as having performed at large festivals with Hungarian and international musicians in the above mentioned genres, including names such as: Sebestyén Márta, Sebő Ensemble, Hungarian World Music Orchestra, Tolcsvay László, Budapest Big Band, Dresch Mihály, Grencsó István, Kőszegi Imre, László Attila Band, Oláh Kálmán and Trio Midnight, Ráduly Mihály, Szakcsi Lakatos Béla, Michel Montanaro and his international ensemble "Vents d'Est", Herbie Mann, the Saxophone Summit (Michael Brecker - David Liebman - Joe Lovano), Jirí Stivín, Zbigniew Namysłowski, the Rova Saxophone Quartet, as well as Péter Eötvös, the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, the UMZE Chamber Ensemble and the 180 Group. He gives concerts and makes recordings with Borbély Workshop and Quartet B, both led by him, and plays duet with the pianist Binder Károly, too.

Teaching is an important element of his life and musical philosophy. He has been active in music education since 1979. He has been a teacher at the Bartók Béla Conservatory since 1986 and since 1990 at the Jazz Department of the Liszt Ferenc Music Academy, where between 1997 and 2000 he was the chairman at the Jazz Department of the latter institution. Among these he gave lectures and master classes in his country and abroad (e.g. the Birmingham Conservatory, the Royal Academy of Music - London, Conservatoire de Lyon, Lamantin Jazz Camp, International Clarinet and Saxophone Camp, Szombathely Bartók Seminar, International Creative Music Education Institute, etc.).

The band QB was formed in 1995 by Borbély Mihály who is equally versatile in folk and world music as well as in jazz and contemporary music. Similarly, the members of the band are all-round musicians open to all kinds of musical innovations. The present grouping dates back to September1997. No matter that the motions of the Borbely themes conjured up by the guitarist György Mihály, the double bass player Horváth Balázs and the drummer Sárvári Kovács Zsolt are lull or call for dance, recite or drone they address their music to wide circles of people. The only key to their world is attention. The ethnic influences in their conscious, deliberate but still spontaneous music revealing purified aesthetics and humbleness.

The music of Quartet B is characterised by an amalgam of the various ethno-musicological heritage of the Carpathian Basin and of the Balkans with their interesting melodic variations, with their sometimes subtly transparent and sometimes powerful rhythmic patterns and now and then also with a taste of contemporary music. He derives his music from Bartók Béla with the double attachment to east and weast, tradition and revival of characterising the group, too.

Beside concerts given in Hungary they participated and won success in Paris (Festival d'Ile de France), in Zagreb Jazz Festival, and in Prague and Berlin as well. In 2000 they had concerts with the legendary jazz flute player Herbie Mann in Budapest. Later also a record was made with him and a ten minute long selection of this music can be heard on the CD Herbie Mann & Sona Terra - Eastern European Roots. Herbie Mann's (1930-2003) last project with the band was recorded in October 2002 and the album Carpathia will be released in the USA soon.

The Barber's Shop formed three years ago play an improvisational music which is an amalgam of various styles of jazz and the ethno musicological heritage of the Carpathian-Basin and the Balkans saturated by interesting melodic variations though their tunes are closer to the world of the modern jazz. Members of their latest line-up are: Borbély Mihály - saxophone, clarinet, wind instruments, Szabó Dániel - piano, Horváth Balázs - double bass, Baló István - drums. Their first record "Mihály Borbély Quartet - Meselia Hill" with the participation of Lukács Miklós (cimbalom) and Lakatos Zoltán (violin) was released by BMC Records.

In 2005 Borbély Mihály was decorated with the Knight's Cross Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary.

Main prizes:
1988 - "Best soloist" Karlovy Vary Jazz Festival
1999 - State prize "For Minoritie" as a member of Vujicsics ensemble)
2000 - eMeRTon prize (as a member of Vujicsics ensemble)
2000 - eMeRTon prize (as a member of the Hungarian World Music Orchestra)
2002 - Artisjus Music Foundation Prize
2005 - eMeRton díj - Meselia Hill - Borbély Műhely

Selected Discography:
1980 SEBŐ FERENC - ÉNEKELT VERSEK/SUNG POEMS Hungaroton
1981 VUJICSICS - DÉLSZLÁV NÉPZENE/SOUTHERN SLAV FOLK MUSIC Hungaroton
1987 VUJICSICS - SZERB ÉS HORVÁT NÉPZENE/SERBIAN AND CROATION FOLK MUSIC Hungaroton
1988 VUJICSICS Hannibal/Rykodisc
1989 HEARTBEATS Piranha Music
1990 VENTS D'EST - KELETI SZÉL/EASTERN WIND MG Pekke
1993 VENTS D'EST - MIGRATIONS Auvidis
1996 VENTS D'EST - BALLADE POUR UNE MER QUI CHANTE Vol. 1 VDE/Fonó Records
1997 VUJICSICS - SAMO SVIRAJ R-e DISC,
GRENCSÓ BIG COLLECTIVE - VILLA NEGRA Fonó Records
1998 BINDER KÁROLY - RETROPOLIS BMM
VENTS D'EST - BALLADE POUR UNE MER QUI CHANTE Vol. 2 VDE/Fonó Records
QUARTET B - JELEK/SIGNS Fonó Records
1999 HUNGARIAN WORLD MUSIC ORCHESTRA - THOUSAND YEARS Yellow Records
BOKROS - SZENT GELLÉRT LEGENDÁJA/ST.GELLERT'S LEGEND Periferic Records
TEST JAZZ GROUP - ÖRÖMVÍZESÉS/ WATERFALL OF THE JOY Fonó Records
VUJICSICS "25" R-e DISC
2000 BINDER KÁROLY - FILM... Filmplus
TRIO MIDNIGHT - ON TRACK featuring Lee Konitz Well CD
NAGY JÁNOS TÁNCOK - DANCES featuring Eszter Horgas and Mihály Borbély Cool Tour
HERBIE MANN & SONA TERRA - EASTERN EUROPEAN ROOTS Herbiemannmusic
NIKOLA PAROV- NAPLEGENDA /SUNLEGEND Tom-Tom Records
BINDER - BORBÉLY - HANGOK/SOUNDS BMM
2001 VENTS D'EST - BALLADE POUR UNE MER QUI CHANTE Vol. 3 VDE
HORGAS ESZTER - NAGY JÁNOS - HAZAFELÉ Gramy Records
BOKROS - BOURDON SYNTHESIS Periferic Records
VUJICSICS - Podravina R-e DISC
2002 TŰZKŐ CSABA SEPTET - ZENGŐ KŐ/CLANGOROUS STONE KCG Records
2003 QUARTET B - ÜVEGHEGY/CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN Fonó Records
2004 IMPROVOKATION - STAR MOUNTAIN SESSIONS Forged Records
BINDER - BORBÉLY 7 DUETS
HOMMAGE Á BÉLA BARTÓK BMM
2005 MIHÁLY BORBÉLY QUARTET - MESELIA HILL BMC Records

Before release: HERBIE MANN - CARPATHIA