Love good music? Would like to taste the World? Wish to unwind and discover new voices? Or just want to feel good in a great company at a beautiful place by the Lake Balaton…

Santa Diver (HUN)

Babel Camp Jazz Cellar - july 16. tuesday 00:00

Santa Diver was formed by jazz violinist Luca Kézdy and multiinstrumentalist/composer David Szesztay (on bass) in 2006. The third member of the trio, David Szegő joined them in 2015 on drums. The three instruments and personality maintain a unique and original musical dimension which situated somewhere in the crossing of jazz, world and free music. There sound is determined by the unconventional instrumentation (violin-el.bass-drum), the unique and narrative playing of Luca Kézdy, the colorful and melodic bass lines and the energetic drumming with full of tiny, exciting happenings. Their second album, "Santa Diver" came out in 2013 by Narrator Records.

Santa Diver has been performing since the October of 2006, since then they've been giving many concerts in  places and festivals like the Chelsea Music Festival (NYC), at some European Jazz Festivals, in Graz, Slovenia and Slovakia. Mediawave, Budapest Mol Jazz, Sziget Festival, the Budapest's Bridge Celebration, the Ost-klub in Vienna; the Hungarian Culture Centre in Paris and Brussels, Trafó, Millenáris, A38, Budapest Music Center and the French Institute in Budapest, etc. In 2014 they played Among others, often inviting soloists like István Grencsó, Mihály Borbély, János Ávéd, Zoltán Lantos. They’ve released their debut album in 2009 (Sending Ovation), followed by a live recording in 2013 (Santa Diver).

Luca Kézdy (violin) was born in Győr, northwest Hungary. She studied aesthetics and philosophy at the ELTE University’s liberal arts department. She placed in the finals in the first national Jazz Violin Competition held by the Hungarian Radio in 2006, where she won the Audience Prize. She is in more genres like jazz, free improvisation, pop and fusion. She played with several bands and musicians like Free Style Chamber Orchestra, Nigun, Zoltán Lantos, István Grencsó, Csaba Deseő, Frigyes Pleszkán, Ágnes, Tereskova, Valerie June (US), 1724 trio (PL-A-H), Laurent Blondiau, Alexander Balanescu. Since 2010 she’s been a member of Varga János Project, beside of these bands she gives solo concerts and plays in different theatre productions.

Dávid Szesztay (el. bass) is a multiinstrumentalist-composer, songwriter from Budapest. In the past composed and recorded music for several theatre and film productions and he plays and compose in many different bands like Dav (guitar, vocal),Specko Jedno (el. guitar), Budbudas (keyboards) and of course in Santa Diver (bass).  He is one of the founder member of Santa Diver and through the years he become sort of producer of the band, creating the musical direction with Luca Kézdy.

David Szegő, is one of the most radical member of  the young generation of the hungarian, contemporary jazz drummers. He finished his studies at the Béla Bartók secondary school of music and at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, at the department of jazzdrums.

Beside of the Santa Diver Trio, he plays in many groups of Béla Ágoston (Frió, Kártett, Küntett, Ágoston - Szegő Duó), he plays at MonKeys Trio, in the bands of Tamás Kettős, in Bélaműhely, Tanutuva and in some contemporary theater production with the Góbi Company and Andax. As the musician of Andax Theater the Ágoston - Szegő Duo received the best music award at the Atelier Festival in 2012. He show himself more and more as composer as well.


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