Elek BACSIK, Hungarian gypsy guitarist/violinist

Steve

Hi,

I am researching the life and works of the hungarian gypsy jazz guitarist/violinist Elek BACSIK (Budapest, 1926 - Glen Ellyn, IL, 1993) .

Virtuose jazz guitarist/violinist, he played with all more important jazz musicians of the 2nd Half of the XXth Century as Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, Warne Marsh, Oliver Nelson, Ray Brown, Grade Tate, Kenny Clarke, Pierre Michelot, Clark Terry, Lou Bennett, Michel Legrand, Stéphane Grappelli, Miles Davis, ...

I have already been in touch with many people who knew him : Daniel Humair, Art Simmons, Michel Gaudry, Bucky Pizzarelli...

Please contact me if you think you can assist. I am searching for certain rare and unreleased recordings, photos, and other documents.

Comments or questions about Bacsik are apreciated.

Quadropenta

Do you have the live recordings of him playing wild
bebop on violin? They're pretty amazing--
Also Anthony Barnett knows a lot about him
www.abar.net

Steve

Quadropenta wrote:

Do you have the live recordings of him playing wild
bebop on violin? They're pretty amazing--
Also Anthony Barnett knows a lot about him
www.abar.net

Yes I have. Anthony is a close friend.
And it seems we are working well together !

Thanks

Barengero

Hi,

I have a recording of Elek Bacsik he made in Budapest in 1943 with the Ensemble "Jazzharmonika: Tabány Mihály és szólistái": It is a recording of "Tipi Tipi Tin".

Do you have this recording? If you have it - do you have other recordings of this period?


Best,
Barengero

Steve

Barengero wrote:

I have a recording of Elek Bacsik he made in Budapest in 1943 with the Ensemble "Jazzharmonika: Tabány Mihály és szólistái": It is a recording of "Tipi Tipi Tin".

Do you have this recording? If you have it - do you have other recordings of this period?

Yes, I have this recording. But I cannot find others of the same period, even if I have the number of release, location, ...
The Hungarian discographies are not very clear, and before the list of the sidemen it is generally written "probably ..."

Barengero

Steve wrote:

Yes, I have this recording.

This recording also features the great violinist Mátyás "Mati" Csány.

The Hungarian discographies are not very clear, and before the list of the sidemen it is generally written "probably ..."

Did you ask Géza Gábor Simon of the "Foundation for Jazz Education and research in Hungary" about this? (Telephone/Fax: (36)221-2291)

Best,
Barengero

Steve

Barengero wrote:

Did you ask Géza Gábor Simon of the "Foundation for Jazz Education and research in Hungary" about this? (Telephone/Fax: (36)221-2291)

Yes, we exchanged e-mails and I have copies of his discographies of jazz in Hungary.
I also contacted László Halper in Budapest who wrote "Zenészlegendák: Legendás történetek, legendás romanazenészekroýl" (2004), including chapter “Bacsik Elek”.

Thanks

Best

Barengero

Hi Steve,

I have one question: In the booklet of the Elek-Bacsik- CD "Nuages" ("Jazz" in Paris Series) Alain Tercinet wrote that Elek Bacsik in 1949 was playing in Berne in the band of vibraphone player Hazy Osterwald.

A few years ago I made an interview with Hazy Osterwald for my radio show "Hot Club". I asked Hazy about his cooperation with Elek Bacsik. I was stunned that Hazy didn´t remember that a guitarist named Elek Bacsik was playing in his band at all. In that interview Hazy did not seem to have problems with a disturbed memory at all - so he gave a detailled description of his meeting with Django Reinhardt.

So can you tell me if it is true that Elek Bacsik played in the band of Hazy Osterwald in Berne?

Best,
Barengero

Steve

Barengero wrote:

So can you tell me if it is true that Elek Bacsik played in the band of Hazy Osterwald in Berne?

Hi Barengero,

I can't confirm that Elek played with Hazy Osterwald in Switzerland. I just found this information in various biographies and articles about him.
Elek is never mentionned on the discographies of Hazy O. and I haven't found photos of their collaboration.
At that time Elek played in restaurants with his friend György Cziffra and he was not only a guitarist but more often bassist or violinist (also cellist or playing cymballum!).

The best would be to show photos of Elek of the 40s-50s to Hazy, it would perhaps help him to remember. But Elek probably played just one night or a few days in the band (replacement).

A still-in-progress work...

Thanks again for your messages !

Best

Steven

brandoneon

I am researching the life and works of the hungarian gypsy jazz guitarist/violinist Elek BACSIK (Budapest, 1926 - Glen Ellyn, IL, 1993) .

Have you come across this website? There seems to be a lot of good info, but you may already know it:
http://www.about-django.com/contemporai ... bacsik.php

Please contact me if you think you can assist. I am searching for certain rare and unreleased recordings, photos, and other documents.

Go to the bottom of the second page and click on 'Commenter cet article'. There are some interesting comments from people with personal anecdotes/meetings, mementos from Elek, etc.

Good luck!

Steve

brandoneon wrote:

I am researching the life and works of the hungarian gypsy jazz guitarist/violinist Elek BACSIK (Budapest, 1926 - Glen Ellyn, IL, 1993) .

Have you come across this website? There seems to be a lot of good info, but you may already know it:
http://www.about-django.com/contemporai ... bacsik.php

Please contact me if you think you can assist. I am searching for certain rare and unreleased recordings, photos, and other documents.

Go to the bottom of the second page and click on 'Commenter cet article'. There are some interesting comments from people with personal anecdotes/meetings, mementos from Elek, etc.

Good luck!

Thank you for your message. I know this page and contacted all the people who put comments.

Best

Steven