Pege Aladár

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A bassist of impeccable technique

Aladár Pege enchanted the audience of a classical concert performed together with Ursula Boller-Schmidt

     On the occasion of the Weinheim Cultural Summer concert series, a rare music delicacy was offered at the town's Lutheran church: a double bass and piano concert. Double bass is seldom used as a solo instrument in chamber music, not so much because of its size as of its low tone, an octave lower than that of the cello.
     Double bass is the largest string instrument difficult to master because of its very long neck and mensura. As the largest string instrument playing the lowest tones of the score, it is a basic instrument, often used also as the jester of the orchestra. Pieces written for cello and piano are frequently performed on double bass as well. At the town church concert these were sonatas of Mozart and Vivaldi, set for the double bass by Aladár Pege, the brilliant virtuoso of the instrument. He is deservedly called the "Paganini of the double bass". His assurance and speed of distributing the seemingly endless mensura among the tiniest tones is perfectly sensational. Pege is doing this without the slightest sign of concentration or effort, like it was the simplest thing in the world.
     Besides the concerto in F major of K. D. v. Dittersdorf and one of the concertos in A major of Dragonetti,. he played his own compositions, among them his important sonata in A minor. Pianist Ursula Boller-Schmidt accompanied the virtuoso bassist in a reliable, diligent and modest way.

Weinheimer Zeitung
July 11th, 1995

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The nice guy at the bass and the docent at the neck of the instrument

Aladár Pege and Larry Coryell in the Jazz Cellar

     The double bass as an unknown being: Aladár Pege looked like a rascal from a Spitzweg painting behind his instrument, which he kept touching in all kinds of positions, either with his hands or with the bow; he was mischievous and chukled over his musical tricks played at a lucky voyeur (Larry Coryell).
     The virtuoso tale of Pege lasted for more than two hours and was equally enlightening and enjoyable, a lesson in jazz, or rather more than that. The Hungarian knows the whole realm of his instrument, including the classical. He manages all bass phrases with enormous joy and dreamlike confidence.
     And all this time, the small man with a full white beard bends close down to his instrument to be able to play a 32 step triola all the way up, like rock guitarist Eric Clapton or Ritchie Blackmore. Sequences requiring such perfect technique fill quite a few bars before Pege realizes that his rock solo is based on blues, the bass processions of which would be rather dull in themselves. Therefore they play around the chromatic parts as well, and all the beer jugs stay in place until the Catwalk goes home with a few sextets and septimes.
     But how does Larry Coryell fit into the picture? Only the greatest fans tend to criticize a certain academism in the style of the extraordinarily talented guitarist; he knew too many styles between Bach and Ravel, Django Reinhardt and John McLaughlin, but did not create his own.
       Humour helps us emerge from this whirl, and the "string father" with the docent looks certainly has lots of it. After a brief tune-up rythm fell to place, and a few small mistakes were only audible because they played nice and soft. Drums were missing, Coryell jerked at his aged half-resonator Gibson without amplifying, or if there was any, it only served to enhance throaty voice: Coryell introduced Pege.
     The audience of the jazz cellar barely whispered while the duo performed countless solos and many pieces with wildly playful conclusion (Twin House, Splendid Isolation and tunes from Monk and Mingus). It was an intimate evening with conversions of wonderful new jazz standards and many funny improvisations. It was a concert that makes you ask your friend the next day: "Why on earth did you miss it?"

Wolfgang Spindler
Frankfurter Rundschau
January 31st, 1994

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World class jazz with a good deal of fun

     Eichstatt - The guest performance of the Pege Aladár Quartet was naturally the musical highlight of Eichstatt. The 54 year old Hungarian artist called the "Paganini of the double bass" who is a world class master of both jazz and classical music was invited by Fahri Kurban. "Musicians play in small clubs with more pleasure and heart than in grand concert halls" - said the Budapest bassist. In the crowded cellar club the audience could feel the pleasure of playing that radiated from the Quartet. Either modern swing or cool jazz, Pege and his colleagues (Dénes Markovics tenor sax, Sándor Horányi guitar, Attila Balogh drums) not only gave a concert, but thorougly enjoyed it, casting playful glances at each other and the public as if asking "How about this?"
       Nothing like the solos of Aladár Pege were heard in Eichstatt on the double bass. He slammed and twitched it, played the bow on it making the impression of dancing with it. At the wilder swing inserts Pege and his instrument were literally singing a duet. The quartet was sincerely glad to see the enthusiasm of the audience.
      Finally, as an encore, Pege performed a piece of his classical repertoire, the "Humoresque" of Dvorák.
     Since he really enjoyed himself in Eichstatt and liked the small cellar stage very much - "It is fun to be just half a meter away from the audience and be able to look people in the eye" - the local jazz fans have a good chance of hearing the Pege Quartet again.

Eichstatter Kourier
October 16th, 1993

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The Pege Aladár Quartet from Hungary offers jazz of the highest quality

     Eichstatt - The finest jazz can be expected by all those who go to the concert of the Pege Aladár Quartet on October 14th, given at 19 Leopold street. Aladár Pege, Professor of double bass at the Franz Liszt Music Academy is known as the Paganini of the double bass.
     His technical skill and virtuoso improvization place him high on the top list of world jazz. The great Charles Mingus gave him one of his instruments, a clear sign that he regarded Pege as his follower. He played, among others, with Herbie Hanckock, Wynton Marsalis and Art Farmer. He performs both jazz and classical music. In August he will be concertizing in Israel, in September he will tour Japan with the Eugen-Cicero Trio, and at the moment he is performing in Germany with his band.
      During the following days he will appear in Munich, Ingolstadt, where on the occasion of the Jazz Days he will play together with a classical orchestra, under the motto "Jazz meets classical music".

Eichstatter Kourier
October 12th, 1993

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Pegenini, the bassist of the devil

Astonishing jazz by the Pege Aladár Quartet in the Passau Hangman's House

     Have you ever heard of Nicolo Paganini? He was called the violinist of the devil owing rather to his excentricity than to his fame as a music teacher (maybe he did not really wish to impart his skill) or as a composer without much originality. Nevertheless "he was much envied for his technique, his extraordinary devotion to art and the rare charm of his personality, as well as his sensational success.
      Have you ever heard of Aladár Pege? He is not excentric at all. He teaches classical music at the Franz Liszt Music Academy of Budapest, gladly and successfully imparting his skills with his pupils. As a composer, he is regarded to be one of the greatest in Hungary. Besides all this, his technique, his extraordinary devotion to art and his witty personality have made him the favourite of the audience. It happened again on Thursday at the Passau Hangman's House.
     Pege simply wished a pleasant time in German to his audience of not more than forty. He did not mind that at all; he played for almost 3 hours. Some of the public are still gaping with surprise.
     All that this man did - who, with his permission, could be easily imagined working at a grill stall or driving a beer cart - was absolutely breathtaking. His mischievous, bulging eyes were constantly observing the public, he was winking, flirting and looking around, like a male bird from the nest. In the meantime, his strong fingers were moving about at full speed and with unabashed ease. One would have thought that he played a guitar, a violin and a double bass at the same time. He went along the neck of the instrument (don't forget, that it was a double bass) fully chromatically, combining it with double clasps and chordal transitions, playing many flagolette tones. With utmost ease. With passion. Abandoning himself fully to the instrument.
     Just a few words about his music. It swelled and fluttered. Some pieces did not let your ears rest, and though they seemed to be standards they were Pege's own invention. Frequent breaks and pauses were so precise and blatant that they took your breath away. The four musicians playing in perfect harmony and without mannerisms, humbly served the public and the music.
     There is rarely such a compact, perfect quartet on stage, that besides playing brilliantly is refined and original. The names we have to remember are: Ferenc Sazabó (drums), Sándor Horányi (electric guitar) and László Makó (sax): three born and bred musicians from Budapest and the surroundings of Pege.
      Who was it I should have heard about? Was it Aladár Pegenini, the bassist?

Ralf Regemund
Passauer Neue Presse
May 25th, 1991

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				- - - o o o - - - A bassist of impeccable technique Aladár Pege enchanted the audience of a classical concert performed together with Ursula Boller-Schmidt On the occasion of the Weinheim Cultural Summer concert series, a rare music delicacy was offered at the town's Lutheran church: a double bass and piano concert. Double bass is seldom used as a solo instrument in chamber music, not so much because of its size as of its low tone, an octave lower than that of the cello. Double bass is the largest string instrument difficult to master because of its very long neck and mensura. As the largest string instrument playing the lowest tones of the score, it is a basic instrument, often used also as the jester of the orchestra. Pieces written for cello and piano are frequently performed on double bass as well. At the town church concert these were sonatas of Mozart and Vivaldi, set for the double bass by Aladár Pege, the brilliant virtuoso of the instrument. He is deservedly called the "Paganini of the double bass". His assurance and speed of distributing the seemingly endless mensura among the tiniest tones is perfectly sensational. Pege is doing this without the slightest sign of concentration or effort, like it was the simplest thing in the world. Besides the concerto in F major of K. D. v. Dittersdorf and one of the concertos in A major of Dragonetti,. he played his own compositions, among them his important sonata in A minor. Pianist Ursula Boller-Schmidt accompanied the virtuoso bassist in a reliable, diligent and modest way. Weinheimer Zeitung July 11th, 1995 - - - o o o - - - The nice guy at the bass and the docent at the neck of the instrument Aladár Pege and Larry Coryell in the Jazz Cellar The double bass as an unknown being: Aladár Pege looked like a rascal from a Spitzweg painting behind his instrument, which he kept touching in all kinds of positions, either with his hands or with the bow; he was mischievous and chukled over his musical tricks played at a lucky voyeur (Larry Coryell). The virtuoso tale of Pege lasted for more than two hours and was equally enlightening and enjoyable, a lesson in jazz, or rather more than that. The Hungarian knows the whole realm of his instrument, including the classical. He manages all bass phrases with enormous joy and dreamlike confidence. And all this time, the small man with a full white beard bends close down to his instrument to be able to play a 32 step triola all the way up, like rock guitarist Eric Clapton or Ritchie Blackmore. Sequences requiring such perfect technique fill quite a few bars before Pege realizes that his rock solo is based on blues, the bass processions of which would be rather dull in themselves. Therefore they play around the chromatic parts as well, and all the beer jugs stay in place until the Catwalk goes home with a few sextets and septimes. But how does Larry Coryell fit into the picture? Only the greatest fans tend to criticize a certain academism in the style of the extraordinarily talented guitarist; he knew too many styles between Bach and Ravel, Django Reinhardt and John McLaughlin, but did not create his own. Humour helps us emerge from this whirl, and the "string father" with the docent looks certainly has lots of it. After a brief tune-up rythm fell to place, and a few small mistakes were only audible because they played nice and soft. Drums were missing, Coryell jerked at his aged half-resonator Gibson without amplifying, or if there was any, it only served to enhance throaty voice: Coryell introduced Pege. The audience of the jazz cellar barely whispered while the duo performed countless solos and many pieces with wildly playful conclusion (Twin House, Splendid Isolation and tunes from Monk and Mingus). It was an intimate evening with conversions of wonderful new jazz standards and many funny improvisations. It was a concert that makes you ask your friend the next day: "Why on earth did you miss it?" Wolfgang Spindler Frankfurter Rundschau January 31st, 1994 - - - o o o - - - World class jazz with a good deal of fun Eichstatt - The guest performance of the Pege Aladár Quartet was naturally the musical highlight of Eichstatt. The 54 year old Hungarian artist called the "Paganini of the double bass" who is a world class master of both jazz and classical music was invited by Fahri Kurban. "Musicians play in small clubs with more pleasure and heart than in grand concert halls" - said the Budapest bassist. In the crowded cellar club the audience could feel the pleasure of playing that radiated from the Quartet. Either modern swing or cool jazz, Pege and his colleagues (Dénes Markovics tenor sax, Sándor Horányi guitar, Attila Balogh drums) not only gave a concert, but thorougly enjoyed it, casting playful glances at each other and the public as if asking "How about this?" Nothing like the solos of Aladár Pege were heard in Eichstatt on the double bass. He slammed and twitched it, played the bow on it making the impression of dancing with it. At the wilder swing inserts Pege and his instrument were literally singing a duet. The quartet was sincerely glad to see the enthusiasm of the audience. Finally, as an encore, Pege performed a piece of his classical repertoire, the "Humoresque" of Dvorák. Since he really enjoyed himself in Eichstatt and liked the small cellar stage very much - "It is fun to be just half a meter away from the audience and be able to look people in the eye" - the local jazz fans have a good chance of hearing the Pege Quartet again. Eichstatter Kourier October 16th, 1993 - - - o o o - - - The Pege Aladár Quartet from Hungary offers jazz of the highest quality Eichstatt - The finest jazz can be expected by all those who go to the concert of the Pege Aladár Quartet on October 14th, given at 19 Leopold street. Aladár Pege, Professor of double bass at the Franz Liszt Music Academy is known as the Paganini of the double bass. His technical skill and virtuoso improvization place him high on the top list of world jazz. The great Charles Mingus gave him one of his instruments, a clear sign that he regarded Pege as his follower. He played, among others, with Herbie Hanckock, Wynton Marsalis and Art Farmer. He performs both jazz and classical music. In August he will be concertizing in Israel, in September he will tour Japan with the Eugen-Cicero Trio, and at the moment he is performing in Germany with his band. During the following days he will appear in Munich, Ingolstadt, where on the occasion of the Jazz Days he will play together with a classical orchestra, under the motto "Jazz meets classical music". Eichstatter Kourier October 12th, 1993 - - - o o o - - - Pegenini, the bassist of the devil Astonishing jazz by the Pege Aladár Quartet in the Passau Hangman's House Have you ever heard of Nicolo Paganini? He was called the violinist of the devil owing rather to his excentricity than to his fame as a music teacher (maybe he did not really wish to impart his skill) or as a composer without much originality. Nevertheless "he was much envied for his technique, his extraordinary devotion to art and the rare charm of his personality, as well as his sensational success. Have you ever heard of Aladár Pege? He is not excentric at all. He teaches classical music at the Franz Liszt Music Academy of Budapest, gladly and successfully imparting his skills with his pupils. As a composer, he is regarded to be one of the greatest in Hungary. Besides all this, his technique, his extraordinary devotion to art and his witty personality have made him the favourite of the audience. It happened again on Thursday at the Passau Hangman's House. Pege simply wished a pleasant time in German to his audience of not more than forty. He did not mind that at all; he played for almost 3 hours. Some of the public are still gaping with surprise. All that this man did - who, with his permission, could be easily imagined working at a grill stall or driving a beer cart - was absolutely breathtaking. His mischievous, bulging eyes were constantly observing the public, he was winking, flirting and looking around, like a male bird from the nest. In the meantime, his strong fingers were moving about at full speed and with unabashed ease. One would have thought that he played a guitar, a violin and a double bass at the same time. He went along the neck of the instrument (don't forget, that it was a double bass) fully chromatically, combining it with double clasps and chordal transitions, playing many flagolette tones. With utmost ease. With passion. Abandoning himself fully to the instrument. Just a few words about his music. It swelled and fluttered. Some pieces did not let your ears rest, and though they seemed to be standards they were Pege's own invention. Frequent breaks and pauses were so precise and blatant that they took your breath away. The four musicians playing in perfect harmony and without mannerisms, humbly served the public and the music. There is rarely such a compact, perfect quartet on stage, that besides playing brilliantly is refined and original. The names we have to remember are: Ferenc Sazabó (drums), Sándor Horányi (electric guitar) and László Makó (sax): three born and bred musicians from Budapest and the surroundings of Pege. Who was it I should have heard about? Was it Aladár Pegenini, the bassist? Ralf Regemund Passauer Neue Presse May 25th, 1991 - - - o o o - - -





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