About

BWG

Our story

Balance Wheel Group (BWG) is a Hungarian jazz band from Budapest founded in 2016.

It all started when Robert Szili and Akos Dorogi played music together in various formations. They got to know each other, discovered that they had similar views on music and became friends. Finally Robert and Akos put together their matching compositions made throughout the years.

Their dream was simple, to create a Hungarian jazz band where they can play music for fun. By the end of 2017 the group was formed: Robert Szili guitar, Akos Dorogi keyboards, Zoltan Horvath drums and Alex Berkesi bass guitar. They released their first album in 2018.

In 2019 Alex Berkesi was replaced by David Mihalovics at the bass guitar and the drummer Zoltan Horvath was replaced by Tamas Katai. The new, second album was born in 2021. The title of this album is ‘Pane Of Glass’.

In 2022 the quartet released their third album, Stratosphere.

Balance Wheel Group’s style can be described as melodious, easy listening fusion jazz The jazz quartet’s improvised and playful solos are quite refreshing and unique, each member of the group has several decades of musical experience and they all have other jazz projects and teach music as well. Balance Wheel Group’s mission is to play quality and entertaining jazz music without any unnecessary constraints.

The Hungarian jazz band is available for festivals, concerts and exclusive events. In terms of musical style the quartet can be described as fusion jazz with melodic pop, rock, Latin and funky elements. The dominance of jazz is reinforced by the harmonic solutions and improvised solos. Our target audience is everyone who likes melodic, high quality pop-jazz.

Their first album is titled “Balance Wheel”, which comes from the name of the band. Balance symbolizes the harmony in music and the harmony among the members. Wheel represents the continuity of the passing time and the constant flow of things. Balance wheel is also a part of mechanical watches. It’s the heart, what keeps accuracy. We are kindly inviting you to our events, to listen to our videos and download our music.

HIRE US

Members of Balance Wheel Group

Ákos Dorogi

He was born in Kaposvár and belongs to a family of musicians. He started studying the piano at the age of six. His high school years were followed by the Academy of Music, where he graduated as a student of János Gonda in 1997 as a jazz pianist-teacher. As a musician, he has worked with many bands and performers and is still working with them.

Without claiming completeness, among others: Payer András, Somló Tamás, Falusi
Mariann, Majsai Gábor, Malek Andrea, Fenyő Miklós, Cotton Club Singers, Budapest
Ragtime Band, Boleró Showtime Band, Benkó Dixieland Band, Csipa és a
Kisamerika, Bergendy Szalon Jazz és Tánczenekar. After graduating from the Academy of Music, he was admitted to the University of Law in Pécs, where he obtained a law degree in 2002.

He worked for a short time in a copyright law firm as a candidate lawyer, and from November 2002 he joined the Hungarian Musicians and Dancers’ Trade Union as a legal lecturer. He passed a legal examination in 2006, and since then he has been working as a legal advisor to represent the interests of musicians and also performs legal duties at the Association of Performers’ Rights Protection, and teaches basic legal skills at the Hungarian Musicians’ and Dance Musicians’ Trade Union.

RÓBERT SZILI

Szili studied jazz guitar at the Liszt Ferenc College of Music, where he graduated in 2000. His guitar teachers were Sándor Horányi and Gyula Babos. He began his musical career in dixieland, swing formations, but he used to try his wings in his own fusion jazz band.

From 1996 to 2013, he was a member of the Hot Jazz Band. During this period, the country and the world were also on countless stages in Europe and the USA. He has participated in music recordings of Rokonok and Állítsátok meg Terézanyut and in many television shows. In 2007, a solo album entitled “The Guitar Voice of the Hot Jazz Band” was released.

Since 2013, he has participated in several productions as a member or session musician: Strings On Top, Joe Fritz Trio, Csipa és a Kisamerika, Jazz2day Quartet, Majsai Swing Stars (also contributed to Gábor Majsai’s Moods), Edith and the Gigolos, Kriszta La Vista. He played at the memorial concert of Iván Szenes in the company of the iconic figures of Hungarian pop, but also appeared behind György Korda and László Tolcsvay.

He is a permanent and founding member of the Bolba Éva és a Jazzterlánc “children’s jazz” formations (https://www.facebook.com/jazzterlanc/) of the A Pair Of Jazz duo (https://www.facebook.com/apairofjazz/)

In addition to playing the guitar, he has been a music teacher and musician for more than a decade. Who influenced him the most: Joe Pass, Lee Ritenour, Jim Hall, Larry Carlton, Kenny Burrel, Chieli Minucci, Gábor Szabó, Mark Knopfler, Sting and many others.

Tamás Kátai

Kátai graduated in 2003 from the Jazz Drum Department of the Liszt Ferenc University of Music. His teachers were Imre Kőszegi, Iván Nesztor and Béla Zsoldos.

His style has been and is still shaped by such large-format musicians as Vinnie Colaiuta, Dave Weckl, Bill Stewart, Steve Gadd, Dennis Chambers, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Bob Berg.

His musical interests are extremely diverse, so he was able to try himself in different styles of formations and in ensembles of singers during his career:
Is… Real! Project, Fourtissimo, Varnus Xavér, Tolvai Renáta, Fiesta, Bereczki Zoltán, Éliás Gyula, Lajtai Kati, Végvári Ádám, Völgyesi Gabriella, Nagy Edmond, Kátai Tamás Jazz Trió, Szabó Bisztricsány Beatrix, Wégner Judit, In Team, Funky Jumping, Dobshow, Moondance Jazz Band, Jazzberény Band, Traffic band, All 4 jazz, Back2Black, Balance wheel group.

Dávid Mihalovics

Mihalovics studied at the Ferenc Liszt University of Music, where he graduated in 2017 as a jazz bass player. During his studies, his main inspiration was József Barcza Horváth.

For a short time he worked as a session musician in various formations, then in 2015 he became a member of the hugely popular band, Halott Pénz, in which he has been working ever since. In recent years, he has played in London, Vienna, Munich, major festivals and arenas such as the Sziget Festival or the Budapest Arena.

He also formed his own band, Jazz Friends, in 2015, whose first album was released in 2020.

In 2018, Dávid came into contact with Ákos Dorogi and Róbert Szili, the founders of the Balance Wheel Group. It was then that another musical journey began as a member of a band playing fusion pop jazz.

His musical style was greatly influenced by Miles Davis, Victor Bailey, Victor Wooten, Marcus Miller, Sting, Jaco Pastorius, Robert Glasper, and Roy Hargrove.