When did you move back home?
In 1998, but I still would not say that I returned home. I don?t have the feeling that my home is here or in Canada or in Malaysia. I livee in New York for eleven years and in London for twelve years, so I can feel at home in several places. I don?t have a deep or special link to Hungary. It?s nearly accidental that I happen to speak Hungarian but my wife, whom I met in New York in 1971, is Hungarian. I came back for the first time in 1971 and it was really shocking, I thought I?d never live here. Still, I?m here now and I?m happy about it.
When you moved back here, you probably looked around at first as a culture enthusiast. Did you then decide that it was an inspiring environment?
I used to work in Hungary in finance, and earlier I had production facilities for printed circuit boards and other companies in Malaysia, Britain, Canada and Ireland. They invited me here to launch a venture capital company. Since I had already retired from business by that time, I had the idea that I should really do something to help, considering that there was so much talent and so little opportunity here. Why should a Hungarian jazz musician move away from Hungary in order to become successful? I realised that Hungarians did not appreciate their culture enough and if there?s not enough appreciation then there?s not enough support. I?m not only talking about state support. It?s not only a question of money that when Hungarians perform abroad, they should get the same backing as musicians from other countries do ? from their representatives.
Kornél Fekete-Kovács is a counter-example but musicians usually say that what makes it difficult for them is the absence of managers and agents who could tap into such possibilities.
This is partly true. The problem is that the money that musicians can make in this business is not enough to also support a manager. First of all, one must find the resources to pay for the work of the artist. If I invite a famous American musician, then I must calculate with a fee of 15,000 dollars plus accommodation and travel costs. A Hungarian musician would generally demand only 100 dollars or perhaps 75 dollars. What this actually means is that musicians either find their market outside Hungary or they can hardly support themselves, let alone a manager.
Still, you have decided to go ahead and help Hungarian musicians get a chance to perform in North America.
I was completely shocked to see how Hungarian jazz is disregarded in the world. The Americans thought that Hungarian musicians would be so thrilled about playing in America that they would even be willing to contribute to the financing. Which means they would accept much less than the cost of accommodation and travel.
What is the reason for such a negative image?
It?s not a negative image, perhaps I?ve described it the wrong way. But they are completely ignorant and indifferent about this country. They do not have an image of it. The capital of Hungary is Bucharest ? that?s the level of their knowledge. If one agrees to pay the cost of travel and accepts the humiliatingly low fee, then he or she is welcome. This practically means that Hungarian musicians have no other choice but to leave the country to develop a career as a musician. And then it will not matter anymore if they are Hungarian or not. What matters is whether they are good musicians. For example such Hungarian musicians, as Péter Horváth or Dávid Hodek, the latter also known as the child prodigy of Komarno.
I have recently interviewed Dávid for culture.hu.
Dávid Hodek has received the Austrian Music Council?s Talent of the Year award at the Porgy and Bess club. When he comes to Hungary, he does not receive much publicity. But when he tours Ireland, they welcome him and also invite him to England where he has become a hero. When a Japanese musician plays somewhere ? for instance Kuriya Makoto toured Hungary with Péter Sárik ? a representative of the Japanese embassy was there at every venue. They kept shaking his hands and praising him. Where are Hungarian diplomats in similar situations? And this would not demand extra money, just some efforts. In the case of Dávid, he is a young guy who could make this country famous because other countries do not have someone like him. Andreas Váradi, who is also a 13-year old child prodigy, a guitar player, lives in Ireland and the whole country supports him and cheers for him. But if you look around here, who would be able to tell who Dávid Hodek is? But this is not only about musicians. This country does not seem to recognise its own virtues. I also don?t understand why everyone travels to Prague. The number of tourists there is double that in Budapest although it is just half of the size of Budapest and the Hungarian capital is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
How can one escape this dead end? You are trying and your experiences may help others.
It won?t happen overnight, that?s for sure. You cannot prepare a strategy that will apply to everybody because every person and every artist is different, and every career brings different opportunities. Hungary could be successfully promoted in a unified way based on the country?s art scene. We have no other choice: culture should make us world famous. It used to be this way, but those times are gone. Hungarian classical musicians are well-known around the world but we should use our opportunities across the nation. I?m not talking about things that can only be achieved with the help of a lot of money. But things built on a national country image and this can be based on the cultural success of Hungarian artists over the past ten years. Over these past ten years, I?ve repeatedly witnessed Hungarians? pessimism and negative approach. For us the glass is not half full but half empty. As a Canadian, I believe this is a tragedy for the country.
Why has the Hungarian-American jazz festival been cancelled?
I?d say instead that I have postponed it. Thank God, I do not need to pursue a profitable activity anymore and so I do not work for an income. My livelihood is secure. I thought we could make this festival with the foundation with the help of three different resources: the musicians, the Hungarian public and American support. Unfortunately, neither reached the level I had expected. My American partners here thought they could get some really good musicians for cheap. But I thought that they should be guaranteed a decent fee if we get them to perform. Everyone told me that they adored jazz but when it came to buying tickets, it turned out to be a problem. And in the meantime, there was division among the musicians. Some were only concerned about their individual interests, not the festival?s success. But my foundation has granted a special award to one of the recipients of the Jenő ?Csibe? Balogh piano talent search competition which shows that my plans are for the long term.
Are you still trying to help Hungarian musicians make appearances in North America?
Yes, certainly, when the opportunity arises. Joe Sealy has written back to me after I had sent him a packet of Hungarian CDs, asking him to play some tunes on his CBC radio show in Canada. I would like to establish links with the Hungarian embassy in Canada and get something together with Sealy?s support. I want to continue promoting Hungarian jazz, wherever it?s possible. North American is not an impossible nut to crack but it?s quite far away. The distance is not even the only thing that makes things difficult but the US is now busy putting up a big fence. Canada could be an easier destination and a good point of departure to the US. I think the situation in Western Europe is also ready for Hungarian artists to become successful there. When I last called the head of one of the best European jazz clubs to come to Pest, he asked me what for. Well, I said because we must work hard to get Hungarian jazz and the whole of Hungarian culture better recognised.
Author: Kornél Zipernovszky
