Artist database

Saxophonist and flautist István Grencsó is an outstanding figure in Hungarian avant-garde jazz.

His career started in 1979 with the founding of the Masina Jazz Group, but he became more widely known in the 1980s as György Szabados’s partner.

In 1984 he formed Collective, which has been his main vehicle ever since. With this continually changing line-up he has released ten albums, amongst which the most important are Plays Monk (1996), Villa Negra (1997), Black Bread (1999), Seven Songs to the Last Mohicans (2000) and Dream Car (2003).

Grencsó’s repertoire is extremely varied, and as a composer he is considered the master of formal changes. “I always like to search for something exciting,” as he puts it.

As well as experiments in improvised music he has arranged countless jazz standards, and regardless of current trends and fashions has played pop, rock, and ethno music. He also reinterpreted Hungarian dance music of the sixties, chansons, and composed a suite which veers towards classical music. He plays with Kampec Dolores, is a permanent member of the MAKUZ led by György Szabados and of the electronically inclined Budbudas. Recently he has also appeared several times with the Moroccan-rooted Gnawa Trio, his own neobeat group AMA, and has worked with the noise rock band Pozvakowski.

He has played in concerts and recorded with Paul Termos, Peter Kowald, Tobias Delius, Peter Brötzmann and the Noise Orchestra from Russia.

His ars poetica, to think free of convention, is set out in the portrait film Szabad vagyok (I am free) made by Duna TV.