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...Tamás
Ittzés (1967) - p, vl, Stroh vl, voc, ld, arr...E-mail: tamas@bohemragtime.com ...Portraits of Tamás Leader and founder of the band, graduated from the Franz Liszt Music Academy in Budapest as a classical violinist. He teaches violin and chamber music in the Zoltán Kodály Musical High-School. He was first violinist of the Kecskemét Symphony and the Kecskemét Chamber Ensemble for many years but now can't devote his time to so many things. He has played piano since he was eight. He performed at ragtime festivals in Boulder (Colorado) and Montreal in 1994 and his violin-piano solo recordings (duets with himself) were released by Pianomania (California). He made his second Pianomania album in 1997. This recording, entitled Wild Romantic Blues, came out in March 1998. Tamás won the International Ragtime Composition Contest of the Scott Joplin Foundation (Sedalia, Missouri, USA) in 2001 with his Sedalia Rag. He was doing his doctorate (DMA in the US but called DLA in Hungary) at the Music Academy of Budapest as classical violinist between 2002-2005. From 2006 he also works as Arts Executive for the City of Kecskemét.
'Joci' joined the BRJB in 1994. Graduated as a classical trumpetist, he is the director of the music school in his home town, Albertirsa. Joci married in 2002 and his very first baby (a girl named Réka) was born on the first day of the Bohém Festival in 2003.
'Zoli' has played jazz clarinet only since 1998. He was inspired by the Bohém Ragtime Jazz Band when he started to examine this style, coming to listen to the Bohém Festivals first. He also plays in the Little Jazz Band (led by the Bohém's trombone player, Attila) and the Kecskemét Jazz Orchestra. Zoli is a newcomer but not a beginner. He is a great improviser and plays driving tenor and alto saxophone as well.
The youngest member of the band. As the eldest child of Géza Korb, the former saxophone player of the
Bohém, Attila has been familiar with ragtime and trad jazz
from his early childhood. He is a self-taught pianist and then turned
his interest to the trombone in the fall of 1996 which he also began
to play by himself. He was improving so fast that the
'Bohém-adults' included him in the band already at the
beginning of 1997 (after three months of trombone playing!). Probably
he was the youngest jazz T-bone players ever to appear at major
festivals. His Little Jazz Band, even though as youngest and
unexperienced, received second prize in Saint-Adresse, France, at the
International Louis Armstrong Memorial Jazz Competition in 2001 and
2002 and won the competition in 2003. That was mostly Attila's work
as not only his playing and singing are wonderful but his arrangements are great, too. Attila received first prize at the composition contest of the above mentioned French festival with his brand new dixieland tune 'Snow'. Now he is one of the most sought-after trombonists in Budapest (where he studies choir conducting at the Music Academy and trombone at the Jazz Faculty) and besides being in many bands he also took over the artistic direction of the Kecskemét Jazz Orchestra in 2004.
Miklós has three children (Zsófi, Zsuzsi and Miki) and besides Tamás he is the only founding member who still plays in the band. He works for Bács-Kiskun county's Pedagogical Institute (being responsible for school competitions in academic subjects and such), loves English and violin and also sings in the Teacher's Choir of Kecskemét.
'Gyuri' is the newest Bohém-member as he replaced András Szászi in June, 2001. (András works in Kiskörös and instead of travelling to Kecskemét to rehearsals and gigs, spends the rest of his time with his 5 children and leads his local Grey Sparrow Jazz Band). Gyuri also plays in Attila's Little Jazz Band. Even though he does not play tenor banjo, his rhythmic drive adds a lot to the band's overall sound, no matter what he plays, six-string banjo or guitar. The only problem is with him that his banjo case is enormous (his dad made it) so we all hate him when it comes to packing for a tour.
'Józsi', graduated from the Franz Liszt Music Academy in Budapest as tuba player, widened his bass skills and learnt double bass, too in 1997. Of course, he brings his tuba along as well and the use of two different bass instruments gives a great variety for the band. Józsi was artistic director of the Kecskemét Jazz Orchestra for about five years and now he teaches in music schools in the area. When he is at home he mostly tries to convince his two sons (Dani and Bálint) not to listen to the CD's of the Bohéms so loud and so much.
'Frédi' (Fred) teaches English in a high school in Budapest and he is probably the only drummer in Hungary who is willing to approach the special New Orleans style besides the swing (although his butt sometimes needs to be kicked for this). Because of his good memory and feel for the style, Frédi has never needed written-out music to remember all the breaks and ricky-tickies that the arrangements require. (But he reads music very well as he used to play cello in his youth and was a well-trained musician.) Check out how great he is!
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...József Lebanov (1973) - tp
...Zoltán Mátrai (1982) - cl, ts, as
...Attila Korb (1983) - tb, p, voc, vl, arr
...Miklós Lázár (1960) - vl, voc
...György Mátrai (1981) - bj, g
...József Török (1968) - b, tu
...Alfréd Falusi (1972) - dr
Contents and design by Tamás Ittzés.
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