Bigband der Deutschen Oper Berlin & Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Biography Bigband der Deutschen Oper Berlin & Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Fola Dada
It would be easy to start from the beginning. Now, the most important thing in Fola Dada's life is happening. She is a successful singer. She teaches at several universities and is the head of her own singing school. She loves jazz just as much as she loves the Afrobeat of Nigeria, her father's homeland, or the old blues and soul records of her German mother, and that is what makes her strong: versatility and authenticity. She also loves her hometown of Stuttgart and is now a respected musician far beyond the borders of the region. Whether soul, house, pop, reggae, German or English, she has the gift of being at home in almost every style. Seeing her on stage is wonderful, her art is singing her way into people's hearts.
Her career began as a tap dancer. Fred Astaire and co enchanted 7-year-old Fola and introduced her to jazz at a very early age via tap dancing. Many years later, the dancer became a singer and one band followed the next until she was drawn to music studies in Mannheim. The bands became bigger and more famous and shortly after graduating, she became a vocal coach on Europe's most successful casting show. This liaison lasted 6 seasons and led her to the only logical conclusion of opening her own school. At Stimmwerk, she can now bring the fascination of singing closer to her students in her own way, with plenty of time, heart and sustainability.
In Stuttgart, Nuremberg and Freiburg, Fola Dada enriches music colleges with her know-how and never tires of incorporating new concepts and individual ideas into the curriculum. Whether it's her own music or the training of students, professionals, casting show candidates or amateur singers, Fola Dada is always present and brings the best out of herself and her counterparts. She is fascinated by the human voice and working with and on this multifaceted instrument fills her life. The jazz, soul and pop singer regularly performs live in the KKL concert hall with the Celebration Pops Orchestra.
Tony Lakatos
was born into a family of musicians in Budapest. His father was a famous gypsy violinist, as was his younger brother Roby. He began his musical education at the age of 6, also on the violin. At the age of 15 he switched to the saxophone and began his professional career when he won a national jazz competition in 1977. In 1979 he graduated from the jazz department of the Bela Bartók Conservatory in Budapest. Shortly afterwards, in 1981, he moved to Germany and became one of the most respected saxophonists in Germany and worldwide. Since 1993 he has lived in Frankfurt am Main and works as a soloist in the HR Big Band.
In addition, he has performed as a saxophone soloist on numerous jazz/pop/rock recordings and concerts. As a saxophonist he has recorded around 280 LP/CD recordings, both as a leader and as a sideman. From 1985 to 1996 he was a member of the successful Pili Pili project under the direction of Jasper Van't Hof. In 1991 a TV show "Jazz in Concert" was filmed in Zurich with him and guest musicians such as Terri Lynne Carrington (drums), Anthony Jackson (bass guitar), David Whitham (keyboard) and Peter O'Mara (guitar).
Tony Lakatos was the first Hungarian musician whose CDs appeared in the Gavin Report Top Ten on American jazz music radio. His recordings include, among others: 1993 “Recycling” (together with Kirk Lightsey and Al Foster / 7th place), 1994 “The News” (together with Kirk Lightsey, George Mraz and Al Foster / 4th place), also 1997 “Generation X” (together with Randy Brecker), 2003 “I get along with you very well” (together with George Mraz, Adam Nussbaum, Tim Lefebvre and Jimmy Scott), 2005 “Gypsy Colours” (together with Bela Szakcsi Lakatos, Ferenc Snetberger, Roby Lakatos, among others), 2012 “Hometone” (together with Bob Hurst, Axel Schlosser, Billy Drummond, Roby Botos), 2014 “Standard Time” (together with Jim McNeely, Adam Nussbaum and Jay Anderson – this CD won the German Record Critics’ Award), 2023 “Blue Chili” (together with Alex Sipiagin, Gregory Hutchinson, Danny Grissett and Hans Glawischnig) and in 2023 “Nothing like a ballad”, an album with ballads from the American Songbook. In 2016, Tony Lakatos founded the Gypsy Tenors formation together with Rick Margitza and Gabor Bolla, and in 2017 the CD of the same name “Gypsy Tenors” was released. In 2006, Tony Lakatos produced a DVD “The Quartet live” with the artists Kalman Olah, Adam Nussbaum and Ron McClure. In 2017, the saxophonist founded the formation Web-Web together with Roberto DiGioia, Christian von Kaphengst and Peter Gall.
Tony Lakatos has toured all European countries, the USA, Japan, Korea, South Africa, India, Singapore, Indonesia and many other parts of the world. He has played at the most important jazz festivals, including: at the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands, the Pori Jazz Festival in Finland, the Berlin Jazz Festival, in Bracknell (Great Britain), in Le Mont (France), the Jazz Fest Singapore, the Jazz Fest Leverkusen, the Athens Jazz Festival, the Jazz Summit Stuttgart, the Jazz Fest Prague, the Jazz Festival Stockholm, the Frankfurt Jazz Festival and at festivals in Appleby (Great Britain), Viersen (Germany), Lugo (Spain), Moscow, Istanbul, Budapest, Hachinohe (Japan) and Borneo (Malaysia).
He has given master classes in Rotterdam and Arnhem, in Graz and Vienna, at the Fredericksburg Mary Washington College (USA), the Royal Academy of Music London and the Department of Music at the University of Birmingham.
