Béla Szakcsi Lakatos (8 July 1943 – 2 October 2022), also known by the mononyms Szakcsi or Sa-Chi, was a Hungarian jazz pianist, keyboardist, arranger and composer.
Life and career Born in Budapest, Szakcsi Lakatos studied at the and started his professional career in the mid-sixties. In the 1970s he was part of the Aladár Pege's quartet, with whom he performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival to great critical acclaim.Szakcsi Lakatos, Béla. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Oxford University Press, 2002. Later he was part of the bands Rákfogó and Saturnus, as well as leader of his own ensemble. He recorded 16 albums and composed several musicals.
Szakcsi is regarded as a key figure in promoting the jazz and fusion genres in Hungary. During his career he received numerous honours and accolades, including the Kossuth Prize and the Merit Artist of Hungary Award. He died on 2 October 2022, at the age of 79.
Songs Szakcsi has created numerous songs throughout his career:
The Nocturner (Chopin után szabadon) All of You (Téged) Love Letters (Szerelmes levelek) How High the Moon (Milyen magas a hold) Ballerina (Balerina) First Love (Első szerelem) East Wonder Blues (Keleti csoda blues) The Last Time Together (Utoljára együtt) Magic Makers (Csodacsináló) Don't Disturb Zöld disznó dala Utcabál Hegyi tavak meséje Marionette Pirkadat Days of Wine and Roses Over the Rainbow Green Dolphin Street Autumn Leaves Bye Bye Blackbird Mood Indigo Summertime
Body and Soul
Albums His albums include:
Szakcsi–Sa-Chi (1988) Mystic Dreams (1989) Eve of Chance (1992) Straight Ahead (1994) Virágom, virágom / My Beloved, My Beloved (1998) On the Way Back Home (Útban hazafelé) (2000) In One Breath (2001) Long, Hot Summer – Songs of Pál S. Gábor (2001) Na Dara! (2004) Check It Out, Igor (2005) 8 Trios for 4 Pianists (2006) Live at the Budapest Jazz Club (2010) Climate Change (2014)
Density of Standards (2017)
Awards Szakcsi made his debut in Andor Kovács's group, but by 1965 he had formed his own group, with which he appeared on the album entitled Anthology '67. His trio, LDL, shared first prize with another group at the competition organized by the Hungarian Radio, and in 1970, as a member of Aladár Pege's quartet, he won second prize at the Montreux Jazz Festival.
His awards for being the Mertitious Artist of Hungary:
Ferenc Liszt Award (1987) Gábor Szabo Award (1994) Inter Lyra Award (1998) For Budapest Award (2002) Merited Artist (2002) Hungarian Jazz Award (2004) Kossuth Prize (2005)
References
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