Kálmán Balogh & The Gipsy Cimbalom Band (Hungary)

Supersonic Carpathian Swing

Gypsy-jazz musician and undefeated cymbal champion: A graduate of Budapest's Franz Liszt Academy, the young musician was awarded "Master of Folk Arts" in 1985. Since then Balogh has come a long way, performing together with jazz musicians, rock bands and symphony orchestras, at Carnegie Hall, in Roskilde and at the Montreal Jazz Festival.

He casually blends the centuries-old Roma music from the Carpathians and the Balkans with swing and free jazz. And fully utilizes all facets of his zither-like Instruments: plucking the strings of the cymbal, sometimes striking it sharply, Balogh rolls out a tapestry of sounds, unleashes cascades of tones that set audiences whirling to a driving rhythm. Off the charts!