December 12, 2025: In October, a plaque commemorating the quietly influential Hungarian-born jazz guitarist Gábor Szabó was erected at the site of his family’s old Budapest apartment after a campaign led by the musician’s biographer Károly Libisch.
The plaque – located on Városház Street 1, at the back entrance into the old Szabó family apartment block at Kossuth Lajos Street 4 – is the work of Hungarian sculpture artist and painter Máté Jankovics.
The inscription reads, “He lived in this house until the end of 1956. Gábor Szabó (1936-1982). The later world-famous jazz guitarist, who, in addition to his jazz activities, was also one of the creators of the Latin rock style. ‘For me, sound is the key word, the most important thing. When I find that beautiful sound that means music to me, I play it.’ Erected by: Belváros-Lipot City Council 2025.”
Read the rest of David Holzer’s article, here.
June 30, 2026: Charles Lloyd’s Facebook page featured a post showing the saxophonist and former Gabor Szabo musical associate (Chico Hamilton Quintet, the original Charles Lloyd Quartet) visiting the Szabo plaque with the plaque’s creator Máté Jankovics:
The guitarist’s brother, John, shared the post, commenting: “Wow! Wow!! Synchronicity for sure! Thank you, Charles for making the visit, and Máté, for making the plaque and the connection with Charles possible! I cannot believe that you were stepping in on the same stones that I was stepping on, seventy years ago, on my way to and from school, in 1956, from Varoshaz Utca to Deak Ter!”
Máté shared more photos from the occasion with me:
