Artist database

10 July 1955 Budapest

Outstanding representative of Hungarian jazz music, excellent saxophone player with a unique music world based on Hungarian folk music and jazz.

He started to play music relatively late, at the age of seventeen – influenced by Johnny Griffin, he wanted to become a saxophone player. First he visited the pre-school of the Jazz Conservatory, later he was accepted to the Jazz Department of the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music, where he graduated in 1979.

In the beginning he was mainly interested in the classical American black jazz, the gospel and the spiritual. From the early ‘80s he regularly gave concerts with renowned Hungarian jazz musicians. He founded his first quartet in 1984, although the line-up of the band has changed frequently. His music partners were István Grencsó (wind instruments), Róbert Benkő (bass) and István Baló (drums) while making following albums: "Sóhajkeserű" (1985), "Hazafelé" (On the way home - 1987) and "Gondolatok a régiekről" (Thoughts on the old masters - 1990). He recorded his next CD, "Zeng a lélek" (The soul resounds - released in 1993) with Tamás Geröly (drums) and Félix Lajkó (violin). Two years later they released a new album together, titled "..Folyondár..." (...Convolvulus...), but a new member, Ferenc Kovács (violin, trumpet) took over Lajkó’s place. In 1998 the formation recorded its next album, "Révészem, révészem..." (My ferryman, my ferryman).

Since 1998 István Baló has been playing the drums in the quartet again and the young Mátyás Szandai has become the new bass player. The first album of the new formation was released in England with the title Riding the Wind in 2000. One year later, it was followed by Quiet as it is and in 2002 by the Hungarian bebop. Latter album, which was recorded with the co-operation of Archie Shepp, raised huge international attention. Their next album (Straight music, 2004) won the title Best Hungarian Jazz Album of the Year at the voting of the Gramofon magazine.

Mihály Dresch recorded an album with Mihály Borbély in 2006 under the title "Te + Te" (You + You). Their last album, Árgyélus, was released in 2007.

Mihály Dresch has been invited to a number of prestigious festivals and jazz clubs. He performed at the Jazz & Wine Festival in Italy, the Festival Jazzcb in France, the Kalisz Festival in Poland, the Jazz Brugge Festival in Belgium, the London Jazz Festival, the JazzFest Wien, and in the New Morning Club in Paris. Throughout his career he’s performed and recorded albums with such famous artists as John Tchicai, Archie Shepp, Roscoe Mitchell, Chico Freeman, Lee Konitz, David Murray and Dewey Redman. Although Dresch has developed a totally unique world of music, he’s never seceded from mainstream jazz and still plays one or two eternal classics on his latest albums as well.

Prizes:

2005 Jazz Musician of the Year by the Gramofon magazine
2007 Liszt Prize
2011 Merited Artist
2022 Kossuth Prize
2025 György Vukán Jazz Composer Award (Bartók Radio Music Awards)