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Sunrise Delights and Stormy Nights - August 2019

As always, it was great to catch up with Attila Égerházi and all the Djabe team in Budapest, Hungary, where we spent a couple of days rehearsing and recording.

On the second night, Ben, Jo and I along with the team and American pal Mark Pierson were invited to a meal at the home of László Szabo, Hungarian Ambassador to the USA and his wife Ivonn. He played sitar and guitar with us the following evening at the Budapest show! The show was a great success with two gigs in one evening, and it was great to catch up with several pals, including special friend Peter Pallai, who taught me history at school all those years ago, and has been involved in music himself as both presenter and promotor for many years.

The following morning, we headed off for Olomouc, Czech Republic. Unfortunately, the outdoor show there had to be cancelled, with strong gusts of wind driving heavy rain onto the stage. We then made our way through the Carpathian foothills of Slovakia to Miskolc, a beautiful spot in the forested hills of north-east Hungary. Luckily, here was an indoor show, so no problems and we played to an enthusiastic crowd.

Next stop, Balatonlelle on Lake Balaton. The morning felt promising with beautiful hot sunshine, but once again we were rained off, this time with forked lightning and the thunder gods in full cry. The weather in Hungary can be pretty extreme and the summer storms are extraordinarily dramatic! Ben, Jo and I were able to take a fast, brief walk between downpours to see the beautiful lake where many Hungarians take a holiday, but it was such a shame that the organisers were again forced to cancel.

Finally, across Hungary, we travelled on to Nyíregyháza in the east, close to the Romanian border. Luckily, this was an indoor show! It went well, Djabe's extraordinary musicianship was appreciated and everyone was in great spirits.

Attila took a group of us to a nearby picturesque lake the following morning to chill out in the sunshine, which had finally taken over from the rain. We then returned to Budapest in time to catch our flight home.

A very big thank you to Attila, his wife Dora and all the Djabe team for everything over this last week. We look forward to all connecting again soon...