We are so happy to introduce you to Peter Kaszas, as part of our MAJOR FLEX series. Peter is a hugely successful and talented drummer, singer and songwriter who has performed with the biggest and the best in the grandest of occasions. Born in Hungary, he has overcome a lot in his time as a musician, and has gone on to be a part of Grammy award winning bands and collaborated with the likes of Steve Hackett (Genesis) and many more.
An inspirational story for many, we sat down with Peter to discuss his new album 'Music is the Key', and how his background has formed him into the accomplished musician he is today.
Hey Peter! Could you describe your sound & style for any of our readers who may not have heard of you before?
It’s hard to put my music into one genre, it’s a mixture of pop / singer - songwriter. I think my music would fit best in the “Adult pop” category with some jazzy elements and instrumental solos. As I am originally a drummer the pulse and the grooves are extremely important to me. The lyrics are also very important. I write easier love songs and deeper songs about spirituality and self-inquiry. This all project is about self expression with a rich musical language.
You have a pretty diverse musical background, could you please tell us more about it? My father is also a musician and songwriter / sound engineer so I was born into music. I hardly know anybody who is so passionate about music as him. I studied classical percussion from the age of 6 for 5-6 years. When I was around 11 I got my first drum set, and there was no turning back since. Over the years I played almost any style, you name it. I played in stadiums, small jazz clubs, studios, on the street, etc. I was lucky enough to join the guitar legend, Al di Meola’s touring band in 2009 for almost 9 years.
What is the jazz and music scene like as a whole in Hungary?
We have a great jazz scene with a lot of young talent who are regularly playing abroad as well. Also, there are a lot of exciting band mixing jazz with Hungarian / Balkan folk music.
Did the culture in Hungary inspire to get into music?
Music plays an important part in the Hungarian culture. For example Béla Bartók, who is an inspiration for decades amongst contemporary and jazz composers.
As I mentioned earlier, I studied classical percussion in a music school, but even in the elementary school, kids have music lessons regularly. This had an impact on me for sure.
Stream Peter's new album 'Muse' below
You've worked with some of the biggest and the best in the industry, do you have any particular favourite collaboration?
Obviously one of the most important was my 9 years with Al di Meola. We played shows all over the world, also our album in 2011 (The Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody) received a Latin Grammy nomination.
I also play in a jazz / world music band called “Djabe”. The band has a long time collaboration with the guitar legend Steve Hackett from Genesis. I have also played a lot of exciting and memorable projects in my country over the years.
Your newest album ’Muse' has just been released, what's this about?
Start with the actual song “Muse”, it is all about the moment or the process of creating. We need to be brave to speak our truth, the way we want it. We have to catch the moment of inspiration. Whoever or whatever our muse is. The rest of the songs are touching the above mentioned themes. At this moment let me mention my long time co-writer, Szandra Szőke who is a superb singer-songwriter. She wrote the lyrics for most of my songs.
Do you feel like your story can help inspire other people to be successful in the music industry? I hope! I’ve always been a session musician in the back so when I started to produce my first album back in 2016, people around me did not really understood what was that all about. Especially that I started to sing my own songs. I just felt I HAVE to do it. I hope I can inspire anyone to step out from the dark.
& Lastly, what can fans expect from you next? The new album came out at the end of last year so at the moment I am working on promoting as much as I can. We recorded live studio videos of a few songs from the new album, we are going to release it in the near future. I focus on being active on social media, and reach fans. Obviously as soon as Covid let us play shows, we will!
Follow Peter here:
https://www.facebook.com/PeterKaszasMusic
https://www.instagram.com/peter_kaszas
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5uyTfKohKSBb0Vtw77HqMk?si=0PpNyscNSq6cSXU3P3ofFg