István Grencso(soprano and alto saxophone, flute and other wind instruments) was born in Nyiregyhaza, Hungary, in 1956. After his early Masina Jazz Group (1979) he played in Budapest with various formations of Mihaly Dresch and Gyorgy Szabados. In 1985 he formed Grencso Kollektiva, which is still his main activity, based on a regular rotation of musicians. His music is always strongly attached to the culture and traditions of Eastern-Middle-Europe, from these inspirations he developed his own style. In Hungary he is generally considered one of the strongest personalities of the "local school", that stream of Hungarian jazz and improvised music, which instead of imitating the Western mainstream, is dedicated to the creation of local values.
Since 1997 he plays with the legendary Hungarian avant-rock collective Kampec Dolores (www.kampecdolores.hu), and is a band member since 2000.
In 2004, together with the singer and guitar player of the Moscow based Deti Picasso band and a radio DJ, he formed an experimental electro-acoustic formation Noiz Orchestra (www.noizo.ru).
Discography:
GRENCSO KOLLEKTIVA:
Revival (Ebredes) (1995)
Plays Monk (1996)
In Ragtime (1997)
Villa Negra (1997)
Black Bread (1999)
Rejtely (2000)
7 Songs to the Last Mohicans (2001)
Dream Car (2003)
Film Music (2005)
KAMPEC DOLORES:
KONCERT! (2003)
Earth Mother Sky Father (2006)
SZABADOS & MAKUZ:
Sand Music (1992)
MAKAM:
Divertimento (1996)
Cafe Babel (1998)
MAKAM & IREN LOVASZ:
Skan-Zen (2000)
DRESCH QUARTET:
Sohajkeseru (1983)
Thoughts about the ancient (1989)
GRENCSO KOLLEKTIVA:
1988-89
ISTVAN GRENCSO & STEPHAN TICKMAYER:
Chamber Music (1990)
