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Tzumo Arpad

Jazz pianist - composer

About Me

Tzumo Arpad was born into a musical family. He started playing the piano at the age of seven. He studied classical music at the Weiner Leo Conservatory (Hungary Budapest), after he received a scholarship to the Ferenc Erkel School of Jazz Music.His first success was the first prize of the Hungarian (Bela Bartok) Radio's talent competition, which was a scholarship for 5-week summer course at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Since 2001, he has had a lot of success in the international field, as well. In the summer of 2001, Tzumo received the first prize for the best Trio and for being the best soloist at the ”Jazz an der Donau” competition.In September 2001, his Trio took part in the Jazz Hoeilaart International Contest competition, For the first time in the competition, Tzumo won all three of the main prizes : for the best Trio , and for the most creative performance piece, and he also received the prize for best soloist.

In the same year, his first record, “My Time”(EMI), came out. In 2002,he also received scholarship and continued his studies at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied with Joanne Bracken. In 2003 he applied and got accepted to the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz.He has performed with Monk Institute Band, featuring Terence Blanchard, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Kenny Garret and Clark Terry, Hal Crook ,Terry Lyne Carrington in the United States, Europe and Japan. In 2002, he was also granted the Emerton Award and the prize for the year's Young Jazz Talents from the Hungarian Radio.

In 2003 he was selected among the 50 most successful young talented artists.. His record, ”My Time”, received Hungary's musical award, the Gramophone. He graduated from the Monk Institute of Jazz University of Southern California in 2006. After the graduation he moved to New York where he is been started to working with young generations of jazz musicians Like Frank Nemeth ,Lionel Loueke ,Arturo Stable .Today, you can find Tzumo living in EU.

In 2011 joined as a Teacher at The Music Talent Center came from guitarist and composer Ferenc Snétberger, who is of Hungarian Roma origin and is now living in Berlin. Our students will get support in building on this knowledge, and broadening their talents in the direction of jazz, classical and world music.

He has recently released the new record with The Electronic Dreams Freedom:Live at the Budapest Jazz Club. Also in 2012 will release a second solo album “ Pictures of Notes “ and the Seventh Seal “ writing for a symphony orchestra.

My Jazz Story

Jazz is Freedom and Power!