“Hungarians without Boundaries” is the title of a series on Duna TV which featured a portrait of Ferenc Németh, who has lived in New York since 2003 and has come to be known and recognized by the jazz world at large as Ferenc Nemeth. Through a combination of talent, perseverance, belief and hard work, a musician from a village of a thousand souls has “become somebody” – and not just anybody – in a metropolis of eight million, and a figure who is hard to ignore on the international jazz scene. His band contains musicians of the highest calibre, who are not just Feri’s trusted colleagues but friends whose relationship with the drummer goes back a decade. Németh first met guitarist Lionel Loueke at the Berklee College of Music at the turn of the millennium; their list of collaborators since includes Herbie Hancock and Terence Blanchard. Kenny Werner – the favoured pianist of Joe Lovano – employs the Hungarian drummer in his own band, and also provides the rhythm on the latter’s most recent record, which also features Joshua Redman, one of the most important and influential saxophonists today. For some performances of the Ferenc Nemeth Quartet, Redman is replaced by the no less illustrious Chris Potter, including here at the closing concert in the 2013 Jazz Workshop series, where the group will play material from its successful recent album Triumph. The new album features compositions by Németh following one another in the manner of a suite, calling the listener on a journey that is not only musical, but emotional. Although his struggles over the years have sometimes brought pain, most of the pieces in the set radiate optimism, because even if his journey has been long, Feri can now surely call himself a winner.

For a limited time, watch:

Ferenc Németh – drums

Bregory Tardy – saxophone

Kenny Werner – piano

Lionel Loueke – guitar

with special guest: Chris Potter – saxophone

 

Click to watch concert

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Ferenc Németh