Benkó Sándor
clarinet
25th August, 1940, Budapest - 15th December, 2015, Budapest
Clarinet player, founder of Benkó Dixieland Band.
He started his music studies 1946 at the violin department in the music school of the Hungarian Railway, later he learned to play the clarinet with Kálmán Berkes in the music school of the 11th district. Hes been playing the saxophone since 1953. Sándor Benkó graduated in 1963 at the electrical engineering department of the Budapest University of Technology he performed researches in the computer planning of electric machines, more precisely in the numeric simulation of electro-magnetic spaces. Between 1963 and 1995 he had taught at the electric machines department of the university. In 1972 he graduated in teaching. Being a pioneer in teaching and adaptation of digital computer technology, he wrote his PhD-thesis on The digital simulation of electro-magnetic spaces (1972). Books by Sándor Benkó: Computerized methods in the heavy current electro technique (1977), Calculation of constant magnetic circles (1983).
While visiting the secondary school he founded the Benkó Dixieland Band in 1957 and their first album became a golden record immediately. Their international career began in the 60 in the neighboring countries. They won a number of national and international festivals and contests, like the Jazz Festival of Montreux (1971), and they also received the Grand Prize of the Audience in San Sebastian (1972). The band was honored with the title Stars of the Year in 1976 at the London Music week in England.
Their series of success in America started with the winning of the Grand Prize of the Sacramento Jazz Festival in 1982. In the same year they were honored with the award of the Parliament of California. In 1983 they became the Band of the Year in California and they also received the award of the governor of California. Ronald Reagan, the president of the USA, awarded them in 1987. The Hemingway Group chose Benkó and his band to the members of the Wall of Fame in 2002. In 2007 they received an award from George W. Bush.
Benkó Dixieland gives around 200-250 concerts a year in Hungary and abroad. They recorded more than 70 albums and contributed to more than 130 hours of TV-shows. As expert of pop, rock, jazz and modern dance, Sándor Benkó was member of the jury at the Hungarian talent show (Ki mit tud?) for many years. During his career he received a number of awards: the State Youth Award and the Károly Zipernowsky Prize (1982), the Liszt Prize (1984), the Pro Urbe Budapest Award (2005), the Pro Urbe Europe Award and Kossuth Prize (2006). Together with his band he was awarded with eMeRTon Prize (1987), the Officers Cross of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (1997), the Europe Inter Lyra Prize (1998), the Hungaroton Honorary Award (2001), the Prima Prize and the Pro Urbe Miskolc Award (2004).
Clarinet player, founder of Benkó Dixieland Band.
He started his music studies 1946 at the violin department in the music school of the Hungarian Railway, later he learned to play the clarinet with Kálmán Berkes in the music school of the 11th district. Hes been playing the saxophone since 1953. Sándor Benkó graduated in 1963 at the electrical engineering department of the Budapest University of Technology he performed researches in the computer planning of electric machines, more precisely in the numeric simulation of electro-magnetic spaces. Between 1963 and 1995 he had taught at the electric machines department of the university. In 1972 he graduated in teaching. Being a pioneer in teaching and adaptation of digital computer technology, he wrote his PhD-thesis on The digital simulation of electro-magnetic spaces (1972). Books by Sándor Benkó: Computerized methods in the heavy current electro technique (1977), Calculation of constant magnetic circles (1983).
While visiting the secondary school he founded the Benkó Dixieland Band in 1957 and their first album became a golden record immediately. Their international career began in the 60 in the neighboring countries. They won a number of national and international festivals and contests, like the Jazz Festival of Montreux (1971), and they also received the Grand Prize of the Audience in San Sebastian (1972). The band was honored with the title Stars of the Year in 1976 at the London Music week in England.
Their series of success in America started with the winning of the Grand Prize of the Sacramento Jazz Festival in 1982. In the same year they were honored with the award of the Parliament of California. In 1983 they became the Band of the Year in California and they also received the award of the governor of California. Ronald Reagan, the president of the USA, awarded them in 1987. The Hemingway Group chose Benkó and his band to the members of the Wall of Fame in 2002. In 2007 they received an award from George W. Bush.
Benkó Dixieland gives around 200-250 concerts a year in Hungary and abroad. They recorded more than 70 albums and contributed to more than 130 hours of TV-shows. As expert of pop, rock, jazz and modern dance, Sándor Benkó was member of the jury at the Hungarian talent show (Ki mit tud?) for many years. During his career he received a number of awards: the State Youth Award and the Károly Zipernowsky Prize (1982), the Liszt Prize (1984), the Pro Urbe Budapest Award (2005), the Pro Urbe Europe Award and Kossuth Prize (2006). Together with his band he was awarded with eMeRTon Prize (1987), the Officers Cross of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (1997), the Europe Inter Lyra Prize (1998), the Hungaroton Honorary Award (2001), the Prima Prize and the Pro Urbe Miskolc Award (2004).
| Year | Title | Publisher | Code | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Benkó Dixieland Band: Benkó Dixieland Band | Pepita | LPX 17440 | LP |
| 1975 | Benkó Dixiland Band: Fatty George - Albert Nicholas | Pepita | SLPX 17479 | LP |
| 1982 | Debreceni Dzsessznapok 1981 | Krém | SLPX 17706 | LP |
| 1988 | Benkó Dixieland Band: Just good friends | Krém | SLPX 37166 |
Own LP |
| 1989 | Benkó Dixieland Band: All of me | Videoton | GV 0001 |
Own |
| 1993 | Benkó Dixieland Band: Benkó Dixieland Band And The Banjo Super Stars | Gong | HCD 37679 |
Own |
| 1996 | Benkó Dixieland Band: Good by COMEX | Bencolor | BEN-CD 5407 | |
| 1998 | Benkó Dixieland Band: Best of the Best - Fekete Fehéren | Bencolor | BEN-CD 5425 | |
| 2003 | Benkó Dixieland Band: Chicago Aranykora | Bencolor | BEN-CD 5433 | |
| 2005 | Hungarian Jazz Store | BMC HMIC | BMC PCD 016 | Not for sale - only for promotion / 4 CDs |
| 2006 | Best of Benkó Dixieland Band - 2006 | Bencolor | BEN-CD 5445 | |
| 2006 | Benkó Dixieland Band: A jazz születésétől napjainkig - 5. rész (1953-2005) | Bencolor | BEN-CD 5429 |