Robi Botos

Robi Botos (2008)

Robi Botos (* 1978 in Nyíregyháza , Hungary ) is a Canadian jazz musician ( piano , keyboards , composition ) of Hungarian origin.

Live and act

Botos grew up in a musical Roma family in Budapest. His musical career began as a child; he initially played the drums and percussion as an autodidact . He began taking piano lessons at the age of seven. A year later he was giving concerts all over Hungary. In 1998 he emigrated to Canada for political reasons.

After appearing at the 2004 Montreux Jazz Festival pianist competition , where he won first prize, Oscar Peterson became his mentor. Botos worked with Branford Marsalis , Chaka Khan , Al Jarreau , Christian McBride , Terri Lyne Carrington , Joey DeFrancesco and Steve Gadd and has been on projects for Kenny Barron , Chick Corea , Bill Charlap , Benny Green , Tony Lakatos , Michel Legrand , Bill since 2000 McBirnie and Dave Young involved.

In his own music, Botos combines the tradition of the Roma and Hungarian folk music with modern jazz . As a composer, he has been writing film scores since 2011, initially for Aaron Yeger's documentary A People Uncounted , and in 2018 for the comedy The Weekend by Stella Meghie.

Botos has recorded several albums under his own name. In 2016 he won the Juno Award for his trio album Movin 'Forward . In 2019, his solo album Old Soul also received a Juno Award.

Discographic notes

• One Take, Volume 2 (2005)
• Christmas Eve (2009)
• One Take, Volume 4 (2010)
• Place to Place (2011)
• Friday Night Jazz (2013)
• Movin 'Forward (2015, with Seamus Blake , Robert Hurst , Jeff Tain Watts )
• Old Soul (2018)

Web links

Commons : Robi Botos  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Web presence
• interview
• Robi Botos at Discogs (English)
• Robi Botos in the Internet Movie Database (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Tom Lord Jazz Discography
2. ↑ Cathy Riches, Jazz and Improvised , The Wholenote , September 1, 2015