Béla Szakcsi Lakatos Jr.

Béla Szakcsi Lakatos Jr. was born in Budapest on July 15, 1968. He began playing the piano at the age of six and, after ten years of classical training, was admitted to the Jazz Department of the Béla Bartók Secondary School of Music. His teachers included János Gonda, Róbert Rátonyi Jr., and Károly Binder. He soon became an active performer.

He spent six years performing in various ensembles led by Gyula Babos. He was also a regular member of groups featuring some of the most prominent figures of the Hungarian jazz scene, including Imre Kőszegi, János Egri, Mihály Dresch, Géza Lakatos Pecek, Rudolf Tomsits, Aladár Pege, Vilmos Jávori, Dezső Lakatos Ablakos, and Tony Lakatos. From 1997, he began collaborating with Andrea Malek and Csaba Tűzkő.

His first album as a bandleader was released in 1999. In 2005, he had the opportunity to record and perform internationally alongside Jack DeJohnette, John Patitucci, and Ravi Coltrane.

He later founded the Bop-Bee Trio with András Lakatos Pecek and György Orbán, with whom he performed for several years. In 2008, he established the Szakcsi Jr. Trio, which continues to perform today with its original line-up: Krisztián Lakatos Pecek on double bass and Elemér Balázs on drums. The trio has released three albums featuring both original compositions and jazz standards.

For ten years, Szakcsi Lakatos Jr. taught jazz piano, jazz history, and ensemble performance at the Snétberger Music Talent Center and the Vienna Conservatory.

In 2022, he founded Renaissance, a fusion ensemble dedicated exclusively to performing his original compositions. In 2025, he released Quiet Times, a solo piano album exploring spiritual and meditative musical landscapes.

Throughout his career, he has performed and recorded with numerous internationally acclaimed musicians, including Ed Thigpen, Martin Drew, Jack DeJohnette, Palle Danielsson, John Patitucci, Ravi Coltrane, Jean Toussaint, Lew Tabackin, Rick Margitza, Tony Lakatos, and Aladár Pege.

In 2023, together with 23 fellow jazz musicians, he founded the Szakcsi Jazz Association. The organization is dedicated to preserving and promoting the artistic legacy of his father, the legendary Hungarian jazz pianist and composer Béla Szakcsi Lakatos. Among the association’s key initiatives was the establishment of the Béla Szakcsi Lakatos Award, which was presented to jazz musicians for the first time in 2026.