Gábor Szabó
| Gábor Szabó | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Gábor Szabó |
| Born | March 8, 1936 Budapest, Hungary |
| Died | February 26, 1982 (aged 45) Budapest, Hungary |
| Genres | Jazz Jazz Fusion |
| Occupations | Musician |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1958–1982 |
| Labels | Impulse! Records Skye Records Blue Thumb Records CTI Records Mercury Records |
| Notable instruments | |
| Guitar | |
Gábor Szabó (8 March 1936 – 26 February 1982) was a Hungarian jazz guitarist, famous for mixing jazz, pop-rock and his native Hungarian music.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Szabó was born in Budapest and began playing guitar at the age of 14, inspired by jazz music on the Voice of America broadcasts.[1] He escaped Hungary and moved to the United States in 1956, a year of attempted revolt against Soviet-dominated Communist rule, and attended the Berklee School of Music in Boston.[1] In 1958, he was invited to perform at the Newport Jazz Festival. Szabó performed with the Chico Hamilton quintet from 1961 to 1965.
In the late 1960s he co-founded the short-lived Skye record label along with Cal Tjader and Gary McFarland.[1] On the Skye label, Szabo recorded his album with Lena Horne in October and November 1969. Szabo had been part of Horne's backup band when she performed at The Nugget in Nevada in November 1966 and when she performed (with Harry Belafonte) at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas in September 1969.
His playing incorporated elements of folk music from his native Hungary and rock music's use of feedback. His composition "Gypsy Queen" became a hit for Santana in 1970 (see Black Magic Woman). Szabo's album for Impulse!, Wind, Sky And Diamonds, features "The California Dreamers", a vocal-ensemble consisting of Ron Hicklin, Al Capps, Loren Farber, John Bahler, Tom Bahler, Ian Freebairn-Smith, Sally Stevens, Sue Allen and Jackie Ward.[1] During his solo career, he performed with artists such as Ron Carter, Paul Desmond, Lena Horne and Bobby Womack.
Gabor felt he was never fully accepted as a jazz artist in the US. During a 1977 engagement at the Catamaran Hotel in San Diego, he complained to the audience about George Benson's success with "Breezin'" (composer, Bobby Womack). He indicated that he had recorded that song before Benson and that Benson had basically stolen the arrangement from him. His version can be heard on the High Contrast album with Bobby Womack.[2]
[edit] Death
He died in Budapest in 1982 from liver and kidney disease while on a visit to his homeland,[1] partly to find treatment for the drug habit he had been battling for years.[3]
[edit] Discography
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This section requires expansion. |
[edit] As leader
- Gypsy '66 (Impulse!, 1966)
- Spellbinder (Impulse!, 1966)
- Simpático with Gary McFarland (Impulse!, 1966)
- Jazz Raga (Impulse!, 1966)
- The Sorcerer (Impulse!, 1967)
- More Sorcery (Impulse!, 1967)
- Light My Fire with Bob Thiele (Impulse!, 1967)
- Wind, Sky and Diamonds (Impulse!, 1967)
- Bacchanal (1968) (Skye Records)
- Dreams (1968) (Skye Records)
- Gabor Szabo (1968) (Skye Records)
- 1969 (1969) (Skye Records)
- High Contrast (1969) (Blue Thumb Records)
- Magical Connection (1970) (Blue Thumb Records)
- Mizrab (1972) (CTI Records)
- Rambler (1974) (CTI Records)
- Macho (1975) (CTI Records)
- Nightflight (1976) (Mercury Records)
- Faces (1977) (Mercury Records)
- Femme Fatale: Fidelity Recording Studio; Studio City, California (1979, some tracks issued on Pepita International in 1981 & Mambo Records in 1999)
- Gabor Szabo Quartet in Montreux, Switzerland Gabor Szabo; Joe Beck; Mike Richmond; Dannie Richmond; with Bobby Womack and Thelonious Monk (16 July 1979) (private tape)
- Gabor Szabo Quartet: Live in rehearsal at Heatherside Studios, California: Gábor Szabó; Richard Thompson; Gregg Lee; Bob Morin. (c. 1980) (private tape owned by drummer, Bob Morin).
- Pulzus: Gábor Szabó (Gábor Szabó's final recorded performance; Attila Garay and Peter Dando; c. August 1981) (Magyar TV-Film; Budapest)
- Memorabilia (Recorded: 1965-1971. Issued: 1982) (MCA Records)
- The Szabó Equation: Jazz / Mysticism / Exotica: The Gábor Szabó Sextet (Recorded: 1968. Issued: 1990) (DCC Jazz, Sound Sol, MMS Classix}
- Cuban Nights: Various Artists (Recorded: 1968-1969. Issued in 1998) (DCC Jazz)
- Latin Lounge: Gary McFarland (nine titles with Szabó) (Recorded: 1964-1968. Issued: 1998) (Motor Music)
- Latin Jazz for Lovers: Various Artists (Recorded: 1968-1969. Issued: 1999 (DCC Jazz (MDF (records))
- Gábor Szabó in Stockholm also as Belsta River (Recorded: 1972-1978. Issued: 2001) (Four Leaf Clover Records)
- High Contrast (Dig): (25 March 2003 CD and MP3 downloads, original release 1970) (Verve)
- Carlos Santana Influences: Gabor Szabo Quintet et al. From Club Date, KPBS TV San Diego, CA: 23 April 1977 (VHS DCI 1995; DVD Warner Bros. 2004)
- Bacchanal & 1969 (Recorded: 1968-1969. Issued: 30 August 2004 (El (records))
- Gary Mcfarland, Lena Horne & Gábor Szabó: Watch What Happens!(Recorded: 1969. Reissued: 16 May 2005) (El (records))
- Gary Mcfarland & Gábor Szabó: Sketch for Summer (Recorded: 1964-1968. Issued: 21 July 2008) (El (records))
- Skylark Paul Desmond (Recorded Nov-Dec 1973 by Rudy Van Gelder) CTI Recording
[edit] As sideman
With Chico Hamilton
- Passin' Thru (Impulse!, 1962)
- Man from Two Worlds (Impulse!, 1963)
- Chic Chic Chico (Impulse!, 1965)
- El Chico (Impulse!, 1965)
- The Further Adventures of El Chico (Impulse!, 1966)
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f allmusic Biography
- ^ available with audio samples at http://www.amazon.com/High-Contrast-Dig-Gabor-Szabo/dp/B00007KMS5 Live clips of performances of Breezin' by Szabó and by Benson may be found on YouTube.
- ^ [[[:Template:Http://groups.google.com/group/rec.music.makers.guitar.jazz/msg/42ce0d974ce5d4fc?hl=en& People in the News AP 31.1.1981]]]
