Songstress Niki Szőke is the brightest singing star on the Hungarian jazz scene. She is one of the very few who is not only adored by the audience but by her rivals too. In view of that it’s not surprising that in 2005 she walked away with the first prize and the audience prize from the vocalists’ world competition at the 2005 Montreux International Jazz Festival.

She brought the house down in New York, London and especially in Japan where already her fourth album is selling by the thousands! In 2010 she performed with Bobby McFerrin in Budapest. She’ll be accompanied on the piano by the brilliant Róbert Szakcsi Lakatos, who won the best soloist prize at the 2005 Avignon International Jazz Festival in France and was also the winner before that of the solo-piano competition at the Montreux Jazz Festival.

Robi is another big seller in Japan. On bass we’ll have Niki’s husband, József Horváth Barcza one of the best and most interesting players in this country which is teeming anyway with virtuoso bassists. Invaluable support will be given on the drums by Márton Juhász who, after winning national first prize for solo percussion in 2005, studied in London and the Berklee College of Music. He performed and recorded extensively both in the US and Hungary. At the 2011 Anglo-Hungarian jazz festival at the 606 Club in London he showed his sensitive and inventive best backing the world famous alto-sax player, Peter King.

Entry fee: 1400 forints

The BJC is in the 13th district at Hollán Ernő utca 7

There is no compulsion to eat or drink but there is a well stocked bar with also cocktails made to order at non-extortionate prices. For food you’ll have to resort to a staple diet of sandwiches, crisps and nuts.

Visit Budapest Jazz Club online