Bio + Press Release 

 The Jazz Steps Band is a 6 piece swing formation from Hungary aiming to keep their favourite, enjoyable '30s and '40s swing jazz alive. They tour internationally delighting folks with their enjoyable traditional jazz music.

 "Budapest Swing with Jazz Steps Bands was very good with its wide repertoire. They played at Full speed with high quality, everything from New Orleans jazz to Basie, Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Louis Prima. The evening was memorable and a peak of Falsterbo Jazz Club.”    Tommy Omfors                

The story goes back to 1990, when Zoltán Finok listened to Willis Conover's Voice of America Jazz Hour shows overnights and got infected with jazz music, especially the swing music of Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Lester Young. At the turn of the Millennium he decided with great enthusiasm to set up a band, showing this traditional jazz music to the folks and keeping the swing music alive. He started exploring and bringing musicians together, who likes this genre passionately and play it at a professional level. And the result now…                

Each member of the current lineup are very keen on this early jazz style since their younger days. The trumpet player as a teenager for example listened to the vinyls of Louis Armstrong all day long and instead of doing math homeworks he practised Satchmo's solos. The drummer practiced Gene Krupa's drum style to the neighbors' joy… As adults, they adhere to this genre just as a child, nevertheless they are professional musicians with qualifications and tried themselves in many different genres.    

The uniqueness of the band is not only that hungarien musicians play american music well... but mainly because their repertoire is individual that has evolved into complete rarity over many years. 

„Jazz Steps Band is firmly in the straight-ahead, swing mode and it well along the way to establishing an individual style and identity.”    Joe Muranyi clarinetist of Louis Armstrong Band 1969-73  

However they play the swing era's evergreens on a professional level adding their individual style with the highest artistic demands, but the swinged, humorous versions of many well-known classic pieces make the audience shocked and certainly is not a boring moment on their concerts. They play with great intensity, passion and enchant on jazz festivals, clubs where they perform both in Hungary and internationally.                                                                                                                 

"We are proud, that Copenhagen Harbour Jazz was the first organisation that present Jazz Steps Band in Copenhagen. It is a very well playing band, with really good musicians. The Jazz Steps Band have popular appeal and the audiens stay for the last minute...and longer!!!"   Lotte Lander 

Why Jazz „Steps” Band? 

Steps refers first of all to their danceable jazz style which was so popular in the Golden Age of Jazz.

Steps refers secondly as a transition between traditional jazz styles such as swing, dixieland, jump blues.  

And last but not least they step forward in the quality of their music, in the expansion of their repertoire, in the number of successful concerts both in Hungary and internationally and who knows what other steps the future will bring… 

Since its inception in 2000 the Band has 5 albums release: 

Jump For Me (2002) is the first CD which was born after two years cooperation. This record has been drawn from examples of 30's and 40's jazz arrangements. 

Fifty-Fifty (2003) With this CD the band could experience the musical meeting of a young, Hungarien band and an old trooper, survivor of countless jazz appearances Joe Muranyi. 

New Orleans Feeling (2008) The Jazz Steps Band "Brass" formation intends to revive and keep alive the feeling, melodies, rhythm, variety and happiness of traditional jazz. 

Side By Side (2008) "The accomplished musicians who have asked me to joined them on this recording deliver the music with confidence and they swing as hard as many sextet you'll hear anywhere in the world." Leroy Jones 

Budapest Swing (2014) can be regarded as a wish list. The CD contains a collection of songs played frequently over the last few years that are favourites of not only the audience, but of the band too.