KÖRÖSSY 100

From the late 1940s to the late 1960s, before emigrating to the United States, Körössy became a major figure of Central and Eastern European jazz. A charismatic pianist and exceptional musician, he built an international career at a time when artistic exchange across the Iron Curtain was still deeply restricted. Little known today in Western Europe, he was the first Romanian jazz musician to achieve genuine international recognition.

More than a tribute, Körössy 100 is an artistic journey to rediscover an essential chapter of Romanian jazz history and the remarkable international path of a musician whose work was deeply rooted in Romanian culture. Like Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály, Körössy drew inspiration from Romanian traditional music and explored its distinctive rhythms, melodies and colours. But rather than incorporating this heritage into classical composition, he transformed it through the language of modern jazz, creating a personal and unmistakable synthesis. 

Hisjjazz arrangement of George Enescu’s Romanian Rhapsody No. 1 in the 1950s stands as one of the most striking expressions of this unique approach.

A century after his birth, his music comes alive again through Ramona Horvath, who was his student and later his musical partner for more than ten years. He passed on to her far more than a repertoire: a way of thinking about music, rooted in freedom, swing, harmonic elegance and a deep sense of melody. Today, she continues this musical dialogue, bringing Körössy’s heritage into conversation with her own voice and with the energy and freedom of jazz today.