Gabriel Zucker and Attila Gyárfás to play at Skaņu Mežs event in Riga

On April 2, the duo of pianist and vocalist Gabriel Zucker and drummer Attila Gyárfás will perform at the bar Aleponija (Ernesta Birznieka-Upīša iela 22). The concert starts at 20:00, and tickets can be purchased at the entrance for 7 EUR. The event is part of Riga, Latvia’s Skaņu Mežs’ concert series “1 – 2 cauri!” which, during 2024, is supported by the Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia.

Attila Gyarfas (drums) and Gabriel Zucker (piano, synth, voice) have been making music since they met in 2017 in New York. Their duo infuses sonic and rhythmic freedom into complex, maximalist compositions, with a unique blend of contemplative soundscapes, aggressive virtuosic rhythms, and singer-songwriter influences.

Their debut record Cities and Deserts was released in 2022 on Hunnia Records. Avant Music News described it as “an effort that is offbeat, avant-garde, and technical, while still pulling at the emotions…Two thumbs up and highly recommended.” Cities and Deserts was voted among the top Hungarian jazz records of 2022 in the Jazz.Hu readers poll.

The duo has performed in recent years in 11 countries around the world.

“Piano firebrand” (Brooklyn Rail) Gabriel Zucker is a pianist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist from New York, whose work combines maximalist compositions with the progressive improvisation of New York’s creative music scene. His music has been praised in Downbeat (4.5 stars), All About Jazz (4.5 stars), Stereogum, Jazzwise, and the New York City Jazz Record. A Yale graduate and Rhodes Scholar, Zucker has performed throughout New York at such venues as Carnegie Hall, The Stone, Roulette, and the Jazz Gallery, as well as in 23 countries around the world.

Attila Gyárfás is a Hungarian drummer and composer primarily focusing on free improvisation and on researching the tonal possibilities of the drum set.

He has appeared on over 20 records and has performed at many major venues and festivals with artists including Magic Malik, Alexander von Schlippenbach, Ralph Alessi, and Seijiro Murayama. As a leader he has released three records (Cloud Factory in 2018, Randomity in 2020, and Minimal Distance in 2022). He is a co-founder of the group Quelquefois and Identified Flying Object and is a member of the experimental folk-jazz band named Kovász. He has started an electroacoustic duo project with composer Bálint Bolcsó and regularly performs with pianist Gabriel Zucker. He has been teaching jazz drums at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music since 2020. 

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