Gábor Szabó (1936–1982) was a trailblazing Hungarian guitarist and composer, who fused jazz, psychedelia and Hungarian music in a visionary style.
Born in Budapest, Szabó moved to California after the Hungarian revolution of 1956, where he played with Chico Hamilton and Charles Lloyd. He gained international recognition for his distinctive guitar playing and his run of several albums for Impulse! including “Spellbinder” and “Bacchanal”, saw him experiment with various genres to create a uniquely hypnotic jazz sound. Later he shared the same bill as Jimi Hendrix and Jefferson Airplane, while Santana had a hit with Szabo’s song “Gypsy Queen”. He passed away in Budapest aged 45.
