Papp István “Gázsa”

PappIstvanGazsa_fotoZagyiLajos-001Papp István „Gázsa,” the lead fiddler of the Bodzafa band, was one of the best known Transylvanian dance house musicians in the 1980s. He also played with Barozda, another outstanding ensemble. István acquired the nickname “Gázsa” during his trips to collect folk music, when he would introduce himself as the “grandson of Gázsa Sándor.” The surname Gázsa derives from the Romani word gádzsó, meaning „stranger” and referring to non-Roma people; his grandfather was originally given the name by the Roma musicians of Magyarszovát with whom he often played.

Papp István moved from Transylvania to Budapest in the early 1990s. He was invited by Kelemen László to be the lead violinist of the Budapest Dance Ensemble, a prestigious position he holds to this day. He is higly respected and very popular within the Hungarian dance house and folk music communities. His remarkable repertoire of folk music can be attributed to his long history with dance houses, his Transylvanian roots, as well as his mastery of the wide range of musical dialects required by professional dance companies.

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