From father to son 2026

This programme is held in Hungarian.

The From Father to Son 2026 concert presents the essential Gypsy culture through music. It is an innovative and exciting attempt to blend traditional café Gypsy music with contemporary jazz, as two bands both give concerts and also meet on stage. One of them – led by the father, the elder Géza Jónás on cimbalom – is a traditional café Gypsy band, while the other – led by the son, Géza Jónás Jr. on double bass – is a jazz band. They are joined as guests by violin virtuoso Roby Lakatos and Roma singer-rapper Emilio.

An evening where tradition and improvisation speak from the same heart.

There are melodies that are not born from sheet music, but are inherited. From a glance, a gesture, from a life spent over an instrument. The concert titled “From Father to Son” is not merely the meeting of two bands, but a dialogue between two generations in the same musical language.

In the first part of the evening, cimbalom artist Géza Jónás Sr. and his band evoke a world that has been one of the most important guardians of Hungarian and Gypsy musical culture for centuries: passion, virtuosity, pain and celebration all at once.
In the second part, Géza Jónás Jr. takes the stage with his jazz band, showing how the soul of Gypsy music lives on in the freedom of jazz, in improvisation, and in modern musical thinking.
Because Gypsy music has never been a closed-off genre. It has always absorbed the sounds of the world — from Hungarian songs and classical music all the way to swing and jazz. This evening is precisely about that: how tradition becomes heritage, and how heritage becomes a new language.

“From Father to Son” is not just a concert title.
It is a relay baton.
A sound that remains the same across generations — even when it speaks in a new rhythm.

Géza Jónás Sr. (cimbalom) and his band
Cimbalom artist Géza Jónás is one of the outstanding musicians of our time. In 2020 he was awarded the Pro Cultura Minoritatum Hungariae prize. As a cimbalom player, he is a role model for today’s generation. His exceptionally high virtuosity, his performance style, and his humility toward music are unique. During his nearly 35-year career, he has worked with countless performers and at many venues. At the age of 11, he was admitted to the then justly world-famous and unique Rajkó Orchestra. He then continued his studies privately. He is deeply committed to preserving Hungarian culture and Gypsy music. His students come from all over the world to attend his classes. He has played together, among others, with Miklós Lakatos, Ernő Kállai Kiss, Lajos Boross (the “king of primases”), Roby Lakatos, the world-famous violinist, Lajos Sárközi, and Sándor Járóka. He has been invited to prestigious festivals in numerous countries. Last but not least, he brings good cheer with him every time, to every band. He has lived in Józsefváros since the age of 14.
    
Géza Jónás Jr. (double bass) and his band
The young talent who has already become one of the most sought-after bassists of his generation was noticed by professionals at a very early age. In 2013 he was admitted to the Snétberger Music Talent Center, and a year later, in 2014, as the double bassist of the Egri János Jr. Quartet he received a special prize in Târgu Mureș at the International Student Jazz Competition. At the second “Young Jazz Musician of the Year” talent competition organized by the Hungarian Jazz Association in January 2017, he reached the finals as a double bass student of the Talentum Dance and Music School. In May of that year, at the 1st Downtown Jazz Competition, the band “Young Tigers” led by saxophonist Kálmán Oláh Jr., and featuring Balázs Horváth (piano), Balázs Varga (guitar), Géza Jónás (double bass) and his younger brother Fülöp Jónás (drums), won the prize for best band. In January 2018, during the BJC 10th anniversary concert series, as a member of the Kálmán Oláh Jr. Quartet (Kálmán Oláh Jr. – alto saxophone, János Egri Jr. – piano, Géza Jónás – double bass, András Márkosi – drums), he got a taste of the special atmosphere of the club’s sold-out concerts. In November 2021 he became the winner of the 1st Aladár Pege Jazz Double Bass Competition.