Syrius -

Syrius was a Hungarian jazz-rock band that was active through numerous lineups for 16 years, starting in 1962. The band appeared as Syrius Együttes on a string of split-singles released by Qualiton during the late 1960s. Between 1972 and 1976, the band released two albums on Pepita. Keyboardist Jackie Orszáczky departed for Australia after the first album to head his own jazz-rock combo.

Members: Zsolt Baronits (tenor saxophone), Ákos Molnár (alto saxophone, 1962-68, 1974-77), László Rákosi (guitar, 1962-68), Pál Gulyás (piano, 1962-63), István Pásztor (guitar, 1962-63), István Németh (drums, 1962-63), László Pápai Faragó (vocals, organ, 1966-68), Dénes Varga (bass, 1966-68), Lajos Fehér (drums, 1966-68), András Veszelinov (drums, 1968-77), László Pataki (organ, 1968-74), László Mogyorósi (guitar, 1968), Miklós Orszáczky [aka Jackie Orszáczky] (bass, vocals, 1968-73), Tamás Barta (guitar, 1969), Mihály Ráduly (flute, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, 1970-73), Tibor Tátrai (guitar, 1972-73, 1974-76), Lajos Miklóska (bass, 1973-74), Tamás Turai (vocals, 1974-76), Károly Friedrich (trombone, 1973-77), Endre Sipos (trumpet, 1974-77), Ottó Schöck (organ, 1975-76), János Halász (vocals, 1976-77), Ottó Ullmann (bass, 1976-77)

Background

Syrius formed in 1962 under the direction of saxophonist Zsolt Baronits. The original lineup played dance music and beat, featuring early members Ákos Molnár (alto sax), László Rákosi (guitar), Pál Gulyás (piano), István Pásztor (guitar), and István Németh (drums). By 1966, the group stabilized around a lineup with Baronits joined by singer-organist László Pápai Faragó, bassist Dénes Varga, and drummer Lajos Fehér. This formation recorded multiple split-singles as Syrius Együttes for Qualiton, including collaborations with pop vocalist Zsuzsa Koncz.

In 1968, several members left to form the pop-rock group Juventus, prompting Baronits to relaunch Syrius with a new, jazz-oriented lineup. He recruited organist László Pataki from Liversing, bassist–vocalist Miklós “Jackie” Orszáczky and guitarist László Mogyorósi from Új-Rákfogó, and drummer András Veszelinov from Metro. This new lineup initially included guitarist Tamás Barta, who soon departed alongside Rákosi.

In early 1970, multi-reedist Mihály Ráduly joined from the Pege Quartet, completing the classic five-piece lineup that would define the band’s jazz-rock phase and record their first full-length release.

Az ördög álarcosbálja (Devil’s Masquerade)

Syrius released their debut album, Az ördög álarcosbálja (Devil’s Masquerade), in 1971 in Australia on the Spin label, followed by a limited Hungarian issue in 1972 on Pepita.

The recordings stemmed from their yearlong Australian tour, arranged through Hungarian-born producer Charles Fisher, who also contributed English lyrics. The band recorded the material at Festival Recording Studios in Sydney and issued the album in Australia under its English title with cover art unique to that edition. Due to political and logistical constraints, no Hungarian-language version was recorded, though track titles on the Pepita pressing were translated into Hungarian despite the vocals remaining in English.

The lineup features Miklós “Jackie” Orszáczky on vocals, bass guitar, double bass, violin, acoustic guitar, and backing vocals; Zsolt Baronits on alto and tenor saxophone and backing vocals; László Pataki on piano and organ; Mihály Ráduly on alto and tenor saxophone, flute, and piccolo; and András Veszelinov on drums and backing vocals. They arranged all material internally, blending jazz-rock structures with progressive composition and extended improvisation.

Az ördög álarcosbálja opens with “Concerto for a Three-Stringed Violin and Five Mugs of Beer,” which shifts between clustered instrumental flourishes and stop-start bursts of reed squall, with darting piano runs and scatted interjections woven between the fragments. “Crooked Man” unfolds in layered episodes—distorted voice treatments dissolve into subdued strophic sections, followed by fluttering winds and off-kilter rhythmic turns that reset the piece’s momentum with each instrumental handoff. “I’ve Been This Down Before” retreats to an electric-blues pace, carried by contoured vocal lines, light sax ornamentation, and sparse jazz piano comping.

“Devil’s Masquerade” builds from swirling organ into a dual-sax and rhythm-section dialogue, shifting from forceful ensemble figures to passages of melancholic vocal phrasing and returning sax refrains. “Psychomania” accelerates into manic cadences, dominated by declamatory shouts, darting reeds, and abrupt metric gear changes. The brief “Observations of an Honest Man” offers a piano-led reprieve, its compact pacing leading directly into the extended closer, “In the Bosom of a Shout,” which opens in fragmented free-time textures, then escalates into a dense, through-composed sequence of staggered rhythms, dueling saxophones, and improvisational keyboard layers. This finale sustains high tension through longform development, with spoken and sung vocal incursions framed by eruptive instrumental interplay.

A1. “Concerto for a Three-Stringed Violin and Five Mugs of Beer” [Koncert háromhúros hegedűre és öt korsó sörre] (Pataki, Orszáczky) – 2:38
A2. “Crooked Man” [Hitvány ember] (Pataki, Charles Fischer) – 6:55
A3. “I’ve Been This Down Before” [Voltam már azelőtt…] (Pataki, Fischer) – 4:27
A4. “Devil’s Masquerade” [Az ördög álarcosbálja] (Pataki, Fischer) – 5:34

B1. “Psychomania” (Orszáczky, Fischer) – 5:44
B2. “Observations of an Honest Man” [Egy becsületes ember észrevételei] (Orszáczky, Fischer) – 1:46
B3. “In the Bosom of a Shout” [Egy kiáltás méhében] (Ráduly, Fischer) – 8:53

Sessions occurred in 1971 at Festival Recording Studios in Sydney, Australia, under the direction of Charles Fisher. A promo single coupling “I’ve Been This Down Before” with an alternate segment of “Concerto” was issued locally. Plans to return to Australia in 1972 fell through, and the band dissolved its classic lineup shortly thereafter. Orszáczky remained abroad and eventually settled in Australia, while Syrius reformed with a revised lineup in Hungary.

The album appeared in a Hungarian run of 5,000 copies with a 1981 repress in the MHV Krém series and a 1993 CD reissue on Hungaroton-Gong.

1974–75 Singles

Following the dissolution of their classic lineup, Syrius reemerged on Pepita with a series of split singles released between 1974 and 1975. Issued under the name Syrius együttes, these releases paired the band with other Hungarian acts and showcased a marked shift toward concise, vocal-driven arrangements in line with mid-1970s Hungarian pop production. All tracks were sung in Hungarian and remained exclusive to these singles, with no inclusion on LPs or reissues during the period.

“Csendes kiáltás” / “Igen, szép volt” (1974)
Syrius együttes – both sides
A. “Csendes kiáltás” – Silent Cry
B. “Igen, szép volt” – Yes, It Was Beautiful
This is the only single from this series where Syrius performs both tracks.

“Hol az a lány” / “Ha meghallod ezt a dalt” (1974)
Fonográf együttes / Syrius együttes
A. “Hol az a lány” – Where Is That Girl – performed by Fonográf együttes
B. “Ha meghallod ezt a dalt” – When You Hear This Song – performed by Syrius együttes

“Sápadt fényű ablak” / “Nem tudom miért” (1974)
Syrius együttes / Scampolo együttes
A. “Sápadt fényű ablak” – Pale-Light Window – performed by Syrius együttes
B. “Nem tudom miért” – I Don’t Know Why – performed by Scampolo együttes

“Egy ember a mesékből” / “Hová sietsz?” (1975)
Syrius együttes / Szűcs Judit
A. “Egy ember a mesékből” – A Man From the Tales – performed by Syrius együttes
B. “Hová sietsz?” – Where Are You Rushing To? – performed by Szűcs Judit

These singles mark the final studio output issued under the Syrius name in the 1970s. They reflect both the broader shift in Hungarian pop-rock and the band’s own evolution into more song-oriented territory after their earlier jazz-rock experimentation.

Széttört álmok

Syrius released their second and final studio album, Széttört álmok, in 1976 on Pepita (SLPX 17491).

The lineup on the album includes singer Tamás Turai, keyboardist László Pataki, drummer András Veszelinov, bassist Ottó Ullmann, trombonist Károly Friedrich, trumpeter Endre Sipos, and saxophonists Ákos Molnár (alto) and Zsolt Baronits (tenor).

The material shifts toward tightly structured brass rock with restrained jazz elements. “A láz” sets itself apart with driving rhythms and a forward Rhodes motif, leading into extended passages of trumpet and guitar interplay with a sharper dynamic range than most other cuts. “Kinyújtom kezem” features a staggered build-up through sustained brass figures and Rhodes embellishments, giving way to a focused, blues-inflected guitar break and expressive trumpet soloing.

“Igen, szép volt” opens with a swelling ensemble statement that breaks into alternating sections of quiet vocals and fluid instrumental phrasing, culminating in a dramatic Rhodes-led crescendo. Elsewhere, tracks like “Hajnali ének” and “Hol az az ember” adhere more to a polished, syncopated brass-pop format with funk-adjacent pacing. Ballads such as “Mint április” and “Széparcú idegen” downshift into smoother tones, with soft keyboard textures and sentimental vocal phrasing. While stylistically distanced from the exploratory blend of their Australian-era material, Széttört álmok retains flashes of Syrius’ earlier inventiveness through select arrangements and solo passages.

A1. “Hajnali ének” – Dawn Song (3:48)
A2. “Hol az az ember” – Where Is That Man (3:49)
A3. “Mint április” – Like April (3:05)
A4. “A láz” – The Fever (3:35)
A5. “Széttört álmok” – Shattered Dreams (4:26)

B1. “Kinyújtom kezem” – I Reach Out My Hand (5:36)
B2. “Hová mehetnék” – Where Could I Go (3:12)
B3. “Igen, szép volt” – Yes, It Was Beautiful (6:19)
B4. “Széparcú idegen” – Stranger with the Beautiful Face (5:57)

Pepita released the album in 1976 as a standard stereo LP. A CD reissue appeared in 1999 on Hungaroton. One of the tracks, “Igen, szép volt,” previously appeared on a 1974 split single. Syrius’s final release came in 1977 as the B-side of a split single with Interbrass: “Szép az élet” (Life Is Beautiful), issued on Pepita.

While Széttört álmok featured Tamás Turai on vocals, promotional TV appearances in late 1976 used lip-synced footage with János Halász, who officially replaced Turai the following year. Syrius made further appearances at Tessék választani! and Metronóm ’77 before disbanding later in 1977.

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