Hock Ernő
double bass
Place of Birth
Mezőtúr
Date of Birth
1979
Orchestra
Ernő Hock was born on December 22, 1979, in Mezőtúr. He attended a music elementary school and, starting at age seven, studied violin for ten years - with some breaks - at the Lajos Bárdos Elementary School of Arts in Mezőtúr. As a high school student, he began teaching himself to play the guitar and later the bass guitar. During this time, he mainly played in rock bands, but he also continued his studies in folk music on the violin. His first band was Magma, in which he played bass guitar starting in 1997. In 2000, he enrolled at the Erkel Gyula Music School in Újpest, Budapest, to study double bass, where he became a student of Róbert Benkő. In 2004, he was accepted into the double bass program at the Jazz Department of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music.
His musical friendship with Béla Ágoston, which continues to this day, began during his college years; he played for years with Ágoston’s band, Zuboly. He was also a member of the Agostones and the Ágoston Quartet. His acquaintance with numerous musicians who would shape his career also dates back to this period, including Csaba Tűzkő, György Szabados, and his contemporaries: Linda Kovács, Péter Bede, Gábor Weisz, and Hunor G. Szabó. Together with the latter two musicians, he founded the Dzsindzsa Trio. He interrupted his studies in 2007. That same year, he joined the Grencsó Collective led by István Grencsó, and it was also then that the band Ama was formed, in which he played drums.
He has performed in contemporary dance productions set to music—such as those by Gábor Goda and Péter Gerzson Kovács - as well as in Kinga Mezei’s plays at the Bárka Theater: Fabula, compiled from poems by Pilinszky, and We Don’t Bury on Sundays, based on texts by Hrabal, in which he performed alongside Szilárd Mezei and Albert Márkos. It was in connection with the latter that he first collaborated with Mihály Dresch, with whom he still performs occasionally. He was a member of the Krétakör Theater's orchestra. Together with Zubolly, he wrote the music for Kárpáti’s play What Is Love? for the Honvéd Theater, and in 2009 he participated in the National Theater’s production of Hellish Pig Slaughter, where he was able to try his hand at classical-contemporary music rather than the free jazz he usually plays. He played double bass alongside Róbert Benkő in the Vígszínház’s 2026 production of The Glass Slipper.
In 2007, he won the Hungarian Jazz Association’s Jazz Combo Competition with János Ávéd and Bendegúz Varga; a year later, he took second place at the International Jazz Competition held in Siófok alongside János Ávéd, Gábor Csongádi, and Hunor G. Szabó.
His other band, Qualitons, was formed in May 2008, in which he plays bass guitar. The band, which performs dance-oriented, beat-driven funk music from the ’60s and ’70s, has frequently featured Kati Kovács, a well-known pop singer of that era. They have released several albums, and in 2019 they were honored with a Fonogram Award.
In 2012, he founded the JÜ Trio with guitarist Ádám Mészáros and drummer András Halmos. In 2014, he lived in Berlin for a short time with bassist Ernő Hock and his family. With JÜ, they have performed in several European countries and at jazz festivals, developing a distinctive and innovative sound over the past decade that blends the freedom of free and avant-garde jazz, the energy of post-rock and noise rock, experimental noise music, and various folk music influences. Their instrumental compositions are dynamic and multi-layered, with collective improvisation serving as one of their primary guiding principles. Their first album, a collaboration with Kjetil Møster titled Jü Meets Møster, was released to great acclaim in experimental music circles internationally. They released their second album, Summa, in 2017, followed by their third, titled III, in 2021, both on London-based RareNoise Records. Their fourth album, Rudel, was released in 2025 on BMC Records.
The Daveform Quintet, which performs in the modern jazz genre, was founded in 2022 by drummer Dávid Szegő. Every member of the group is a key figure in the Hungarian jazz and pop music scene, both as performers and as creators. Together with Dániel Mester, Gábor Subicz, Krisztián Oláh, and Ernő Hock, the group creates a unique fusion of American, Scandinavian, and Balkan jazz, while also leaving room for sweeping improvisations. From jazz ballads to contemporary classical music to laid-back grooves, they showcase a wide range of musical styles. Their debut album, Arrival, was released in November 2024 and premiered at the Opus Jazz Club on January 9, 2025.
Starting in the fall of 2025, he has been accompanying the Kvadrata Supró trio; their music blends elements of free jazz, folk music, and minimalist music, complemented by elements of jazz, folklore, experimental rock, and free improvisation.
His musical friendship with Béla Ágoston, which continues to this day, began during his college years; he played for years with Ágoston’s band, Zuboly. He was also a member of the Agostones and the Ágoston Quartet. His acquaintance with numerous musicians who would shape his career also dates back to this period, including Csaba Tűzkő, György Szabados, and his contemporaries: Linda Kovács, Péter Bede, Gábor Weisz, and Hunor G. Szabó. Together with the latter two musicians, he founded the Dzsindzsa Trio. He interrupted his studies in 2007. That same year, he joined the Grencsó Collective led by István Grencsó, and it was also then that the band Ama was formed, in which he played drums.
He has performed in contemporary dance productions set to music—such as those by Gábor Goda and Péter Gerzson Kovács - as well as in Kinga Mezei’s plays at the Bárka Theater: Fabula, compiled from poems by Pilinszky, and We Don’t Bury on Sundays, based on texts by Hrabal, in which he performed alongside Szilárd Mezei and Albert Márkos. It was in connection with the latter that he first collaborated with Mihály Dresch, with whom he still performs occasionally. He was a member of the Krétakör Theater's orchestra. Together with Zubolly, he wrote the music for Kárpáti’s play What Is Love? for the Honvéd Theater, and in 2009 he participated in the National Theater’s production of Hellish Pig Slaughter, where he was able to try his hand at classical-contemporary music rather than the free jazz he usually plays. He played double bass alongside Róbert Benkő in the Vígszínház’s 2026 production of The Glass Slipper.
In 2007, he won the Hungarian Jazz Association’s Jazz Combo Competition with János Ávéd and Bendegúz Varga; a year later, he took second place at the International Jazz Competition held in Siófok alongside János Ávéd, Gábor Csongádi, and Hunor G. Szabó.
His other band, Qualitons, was formed in May 2008, in which he plays bass guitar. The band, which performs dance-oriented, beat-driven funk music from the ’60s and ’70s, has frequently featured Kati Kovács, a well-known pop singer of that era. They have released several albums, and in 2019 they were honored with a Fonogram Award.
In 2012, he founded the JÜ Trio with guitarist Ádám Mészáros and drummer András Halmos. In 2014, he lived in Berlin for a short time with bassist Ernő Hock and his family. With JÜ, they have performed in several European countries and at jazz festivals, developing a distinctive and innovative sound over the past decade that blends the freedom of free and avant-garde jazz, the energy of post-rock and noise rock, experimental noise music, and various folk music influences. Their instrumental compositions are dynamic and multi-layered, with collective improvisation serving as one of their primary guiding principles. Their first album, a collaboration with Kjetil Møster titled Jü Meets Møster, was released to great acclaim in experimental music circles internationally. They released their second album, Summa, in 2017, followed by their third, titled III, in 2021, both on London-based RareNoise Records. Their fourth album, Rudel, was released in 2025 on BMC Records.
The Daveform Quintet, which performs in the modern jazz genre, was founded in 2022 by drummer Dávid Szegő. Every member of the group is a key figure in the Hungarian jazz and pop music scene, both as performers and as creators. Together with Dániel Mester, Gábor Subicz, Krisztián Oláh, and Ernő Hock, the group creates a unique fusion of American, Scandinavian, and Balkan jazz, while also leaving room for sweeping improvisations. From jazz ballads to contemporary classical music to laid-back grooves, they showcase a wide range of musical styles. Their debut album, Arrival, was released in November 2024 and premiered at the Opus Jazz Club on January 9, 2025.
Starting in the fall of 2025, he has been accompanying the Kvadrata Supró trio; their music blends elements of free jazz, folk music, and minimalist music, complemented by elements of jazz, folklore, experimental rock, and free improvisation.