When you reach a milestone and receive an award, you inevitably think of the past and reflect on your years in the profession. Interview.
The entertainer, who became known through folk songs, recently searched for and discovered new paths - and this resulted in the Petőfi Music Prize. János Csík received the award in the male performer of the year category, with which he was rewarded for the sound he experimented with with his new formation, the band Mezzo, and the fusion of folk music and jazz motifs.
When you reach a milestone and receive an award, you inevitably think of the past and reflect on your years in the profession. – Whatever award a person receives, it comes with the fact that afterwards he feels a kind of expectation, which forces him to always be the best he can be, and this certainly becomes a kind of task. At such times, he thinks about what kind of work he did, what expectations he had, how he did his work, and how he was able to follow his dream path - said János Csík. So let's run along this road with him!
Although the musician was born in Kecskemét, his grandparents lived in a nearby village, so he encountered folk songs and folk music as a small child at family celebrations and gatherings.
There were pork necks, joint dinners, and it always ended with joint notation. This is where I first encountered folk songs, which later turned out to be my grandmother's or even my uncle's songs. They all nurtured my love for folk music
the artist shared his memories. He also got to know many other musical styles through his family, from operetta to classical music. He started folk dancing in elementary school, so over time the heritage he received at home became important to him as well.
He founded his first band, the band Garabó, with his schoolmates when he was still in high school. He revealed that when they were thinking about the name of the band, he thought of his grandmother, one of whose woven baskets was the garabó. After the enthusiastic high school ensemble, he became a folk musician of the Békés Band accompanying the Balassi Dance Group from Békéscsaba. As he recalled, it was there that he learned what real musicianship was.
These are truly human music, as they come from the soul, sorrow, and joy of man. When we play, this honest content must be brought to the stage and delivered to the audience. At home I learned to live honestly
- said János Csík.
He also learned from his colleagues and the more experienced ones, so there were masters, and in the dance ensembles older primas, who taught the younger ones how to behave on stage, what instrument technique method to use for the music of certain regions. In Transylvania, you could experience moments of original orchestral music and meet local musicians; these were all experiences that supported him later on.
This year, it has been thirty-five years since he returned to Kecskemét, and after meeting the viola player Tamás Kunos, they decided to form a band. The Csík Orchestra was born from this decision. In the beginning, the three-member band went to dance halls on a weekly basis to play music, and they also tried to hold similar parties.
According to the musician, more and more people liked this, concert invitations came, and thus at the end of a long process they could become one of the most successful folk music ensembles. The first album of the Kossuth Prize-winning band, which partly uses folk music and elements of folk music and plays light and world music, was released in 1993 under the title Happy Sad Song. From then on, the students were treated to a new record every second year, which was released under the auspices of the Fonó Budai Music Hall. Over the years, the band has been on stage with several others and created a joint work.
We worked together with Mihály Dresch, András Lovasi, Tibor Kiss, Gábor Presser, János Karácsony and many more people, fortunately there are many. Often a folk tune has a similar chord accompaniment to an alternative rock tune and they all help us find the line we want to follow
- recalled the artist, touching on professional topics. There are many types of world music productions, but it is definitely necessary and important for the author to be aware of the musical format bases that define the given genre.
János Csík is known to the public for his folk music performances, but now he is showing a new world of music. Recently, he also started working with a special formation, the band Mezzo. In their songs, the melodies of Hungarian folk music are mixed with the dynamic rhythm of jazz. For concerts with a unique sound, each artist highlights the melodies from his own background. Authentic folk music can be heard here, but they can do many things that might not be possible in other productions, the violinist pointed out. He considers it important that those who devote themselves to performing arts should always try to win people's smiles and love. – I believe that the real joy is when I can see people's faces from the stage or in a club. This always prompts a person to do his job well - added János Csík.
Featured image: János Csík and Mezzo's Facebook page
