Gábor Szabó - 1969

Recorded and released that year, 1969 is an album of (almost entirely) cover versions of contemporary and classic popular tunes from Hungarian guitarist Gábor Szabó. Here, he brings a refreshing jazz perspective to songs from The Beatles, Joni Mitchell and others, capped off by a solitary Szabó original, ‘Somewhere I Belong’.

Gábor Szabó was one of the most original guitarists to emerge in the 1960s, mixing his Hungarian folk music heritage with a deep love of jazz and crafting a distinctive, largely self-taught sound. Born in Budapest, on March 8, 1936, Szabo was inspired by a Roy Rogers cowboy movie to begin playing guitar when he was 14 and often played in dinner clubs and covert jam sessions while still living in his hometown. He escaped from his country at age 20 on the eve of the Communist uprising and eventually made his way to America, settling with his family in California.