The GázsaBand goes back to 1993 when it was founded as the orchestra of the Budapest
Dance Group by seasoned musicians who already had a long experience in playing
Hungarian traditional folk music. The name comes from the nickname of its lead
violonist (primás) Papp István „Gázsa”, who was one of the founders of the
táncház („dance house”) movement in Transylvania in 1977. The band shows the
traditional string orchestra format: violin, viola („kontra”), doublebass and
cimbalom (hammer dulcimer), and plays a very rich repertoir of traditional
music from Transylvania and Hungary. When needed, first of all during concerts,
they are joined by well known singers.