Balázs Bágyi, drums
Mihály Borbély, wind instruments
Michael Jefry Stevens, piano, composer and “Steinway Artist”
Joe Fonda, bass
The EASTERN BOUNDARY Quartet is a collaborative quartet featuring the Hungarian master musicians. drummer Balazs Bagyi and saxophonist Mihaly Borbely, and the long-standing bass/piano partnership of New York City bassist Joe Fonda and pianist Michael Jefry Stevens (co-leaders of the Fonda/Stevens Group and Conference Call). Since 2007 the quartet has toured Europe and the United States numerous times. The Quartet will be touring Europe again in October, 2024. The group has released four CDs.
In 2007 Hungarian musicians Balazs Bagyi and Mihaly Borbely and USA musicians Joe Fonda and Michael Jefry Stevens formed the Eastern Boundary Quartet. The group uses Hungarian folk rhythms and melodies in combination with Jazz harmonies and rhythms to form an original “hybrid” improvised music.
The Eastern Boundary Quartet performs original music by all members of the group. The band was formed with the imagination of connecting two worlds of the jazz scene today. This unique collaboration is a mixture of avant-garde jazz and ethno music from Hungary, like a cultural bridge between the USA and Eastern Europe. This bridge is made of talent, respect, brotherhood and friendship, built by the common language of jazz and improvised music.
Balázs Bágyi, drums – Balázs was Born 1973 in Pécs, Hungary. In 1998 Balazs graduated with honor at the Jazz Department of The Ferenc Liszt Music Academy in Budapest. Since then he has become a well-respected artist on international music scene including collaborations with several renowned American musicians, music for theaters, mainstream jazz, world music, and avant-garde jazz.
Mihály Borbély, wind instruments – Mihály specializes in playing unusual wind instruments (tárogató, folk flutes, kaval, dvojnice, fujara, ocarina, bombard, zurna) as well as soprano and tenor saxophone. He has participated in countless recordings and has given concerts in Hungary, throughout Europe, in the USA, in Mexico and in Australia, and has performed at large festivals with Hungarian and international musicians in different genres mentioned above.
Michael Jefry Stevens, Piano, Composer and “Steinway Artist” – Michael has been active on the international jazz scene for the past four decades. He has composed over 400 works for both large and small ensembles. Michael has released over 100 CDs featuring his own music and has performed and recorded extensively with many of the top names in Jazz. In 2021 he received a $10,000 Doris Duke Foundation Performing Artist Recovery Fund Grant administered by the New York Community Trust Fund and grants from the North Carolina Arts Council and Buncombe County’s Mountain Bizworks. He received his Master of Arts degree in Jazz Performance from Queens College (CCNY).
Joe Fonda, bass – Joe has developed an extensive international reputation over the last several years recording and touring with the world-renowned Anthony Braxton including performances at some of the world’s most prestigious jazz festivals including the North Sea Jazz Festival and the Istanbul International Jazz Festival. He is also featured bassist on numerous recordings with Mr. Braxton including the famed Charlie Parker Project Recordings as well as the piano quartet recordings with Braxton on piano.