Performance Spotlight: Szilard Banai

Performance Spotlight with VF Artist Szilard Banai!
Szilard Banai is one of the busiest drummers in Hungary. He has
played more than 60 records in different styles. Szilard plays: jazz,
rock, pop, fusion, world music. Several of his albums had nominations and won awards in Europe and in the United States.
He has been continually touring with band Djabe around the world. The band played in 42 countries in the past few years.
Djabe usually plays in big festivals like: Xerox jazz fest Rochester
New York, Pori Jazz fest, Kaslo jazz fest Canada, Stockholm Jazz fest, Dubai jazz... Their albums has been released in Thailand and they are available in Japan and in the USA.
He has played with Steve Hackett, Vinx, David Murray, Gulli Briem...
Szilard and Gulli Briem made a drum duet project, which is called DrumEmotion. Szilard is also working with his own group and on his own album as a producer and composer.
His awards:
Golden Drumstick(2009)
eMeRTon Award (2001)
Gramafon Award (2012)
Prince Award (2003)
Paiste international endorser( 2011)
Mapex International endorser (2013)
Szilard is musically influenced by: Michael Jackson, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Jeff Lorber, Snoop Dogg, Warren G, Chris Rea
Drummers who made a considerable impresson on him: Billy Cobham, Dave Weckl, Alex Acuna, Steve Gadd,
Will Kennedy, Carter Beauford, Gary Novak, Kenny Aronoff

[@rhimiles]

This guy's cardigan sleeve technique is flawless.

[@MrLiarsenic]

Can't help myself but to stare at the sleeve crawling down, just to get pulled up.... to glide down again -.-

[@rhimiles]

Too true, too true.

[@sanoroth]

Rhi Miles xD hahaha

[@c0nclav3]

with all the excellent things he did all you saw was the cardigan hahaha

[@flamecolumn]

2:45 Viewer: Man those are some very tight quadruplets he is playing. Director: No. Look at some trees.

[@billyshepard3786]

you prolly dont give a damn but does someone know a method to log back into an instagram account? I somehow lost my password. I love any tips you can give me

[@antoniorhys261]

@Billy Shepard Instablaster :)

[@kindablue28]

Great drumming. But it looks like the editor found the lens flare feature on iMovie and got a little carried away.

[@frankalfar]

Man lots of haters, this is a spotlight by Vic Firth so why wouldn't Mr.Banai show his chops and creativity. I thought this video was a really balance of playing, the tune and some nice camera work. The drums sound totally amazing!!!!!

[@markevans2814]

Slizard's single strokes are absolutely flawless. You combine that with his super scary double kick skills, and it's the one two punch of crazy technical virtuosity and super tasteful musicality.

[@DeanWuksta]

some tasty drumming, the whole fashion and artistic direction left me scratching my head, but overall, really nice piece of music.

[@edbrosch5473]

I agree, I think the random video shots of the countryside etc detracted from the music.

[@7Aylon]

I don`t agree for me it matches perfectly with the music and the climate of this song;) Maybe it`s just because this is the original version of the clip and not made only for drumming.

[@DeanWuksta]

7Aylon martial arts clip stands up fine on its own, but c'mon, integrated into these guys drumming in some old french chateau, art direction got a little ambiguous and confusing for my liking, not to mention clothing choices. Great drumming though and the drum mixing was superb.

[@OddMeeter]

Dean Wuksta it's a music video, pre recorded, and pro tools'd to the max. Forget this.

[@milkminotaur]

***** brilliant.

[@Denshoukiro]

Absolute musicality and power. Mind-blowing performance.

[@Meiyor]

this just blows my mind each time i see it!!

[@Payte]

Amazing talent! very cool camera angles too. But less trees & more drums!!

[@ismailledrums8373]

very very Top

[@offthecuffjazz5112]

Simply Amazing! Love it! Drums sound phenomenal!

[@86caw]

that sound is amazing... clear and powerfull ... love it

[@davebander9730]

Never heard more beautiful cymbals! Great job Paiste.

[@TheRcdood]

who says drums cant be peaceful....so majestic...and beautiful.. my ears are just so fascinated

[@Ch1lipin]

Gracias por compartir este grandioso tema.

[@piazzasuite]

Yeaaahhh!! i really appreciate your style, feeling and drum! BRAVO!

[@netzah3488]

That is what a tuned drum and master engineer can do with sound. Everything here= Massive Respect

[@thosastre]

And the guitar solo is awesome!!!!

[@mightykong101]

For those who didn`t notice, there is a groove part in minute 3:40. I liked the solo, the drum sounded awesome, its a fantastic production, fuck the haters

[@mightykong101]

+Mic Macartney Merry Chrismas!

[@6400ab]

There some real ear candy in this vid. Not just the drumming, but the instrumentation, arrangement and production as well. Very enjoyable.

[@simplycheese603]

Amazing Drumsound, and THAT SNARE!!!

[@danusiabeatz]

wow love the sound of the drums in this one!

[@NoCloud0]

So great!

[@bmacrockon24]

This was awesome. Drums sound amazing. Very creative

[@Yaboroqe]

Stylisch! Skillfull! The beguining was odd but then after 3min the music burns! Love the footage too. To be honest, very special.

[@rmancool]

Wow! Love this. Great playing! Great video! Glad I stumbled on this!

[@MrJdstan]

Exceptional,thanks for sharing.

[@MichaelClaudio13]

So beautiful amazing drummer!

[@DulceDul217]

damn! this is awesome, love the "drums, harp, landcape...in your face unexpected guitar thing"

[@seongsoonkim7837]

Not only the performance, sound quality is impressive!

[@phant7685]

Omg, I need this guy on my band!! He is awesome! Haha

[@pedrums1989]

Amazing!! 😍😍😍

[@Jesuschristforyourpage]

soo cool ...and it also relax

[@neyrosauro9529]

Awesome: vey nice the music, performance and video!

[@befo2334]

Really wonderful :)

[@sivanassumatra]

Excellent!!!

[@OnBendedKneeMusic]

Love it!

[@robertbelanger6733]

Amazing chops🙌🏻🥁

[@glennrochemusic]

Great outcome! Well done to all invlolved. The drum sounds were great, the drumming highly musical and the backing track and guitar playing nice and unique for the space and theme the whole event achieved. Look forward to the next production from you all. All the best, from Glenn in Australia!

[@nickdell8202]

Atmospheric post rock ambient qualities. I love it

[@erick_fernandez_78910]

Actually, all of the intro is amazing haha. I love the videography highlights to the music too. I forgot how cool this video was.

[@getexecutedson]

This is actually very soothing...i could zone out to this

[@DrumApe]

finally something interesting to hear. Great drum sound!

[@OfficialSergioAcedo]

This is sick!!!!! I enjoyed this one

[@TheAlbiCollier]

That Kick though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and Those floor toms! and the snare, and the cymbals, and the videoing and editing! that is some pro level engineering and talent going on there!!!!

[@DanyloDmyterko]

such a clean sound!

[@loudelisa7065]

Really nice playing on the kit.Harp is a great element here.Sounds nice.

[@GuilhermeMendesG]

JESUS, what a drum set!

[@Ru1Roy]

wow, that was beautiful!

[@abdul.latiftamanong3771]

Emotion seeking indeed

[@DavidGonzalez-uc1tt]

Great!!!

[@shootsbraw]

great sound !

[@sendjaniadhiakhsa9740]

dankkkkk......this is so healty.....waw

[@higogomes5241]

Vejo sempre essa performance...muito boaa!

[@erick_fernandez_78910]

The Harp intro is amazing.

[@olegrichi]

WOW..................... wey wery cool !

[@TheFacelessTwo]

Dearest involved, I believe you don't read this, because seriously - who cares about the comments section? But I wanted to tell that this is an unbelievably superb performance. The sound, the ambience and the video editing is absolutely out of this world. I can't get enough.

[@ohcamillesnow]

I love this

[@allardbuising7092]

Nice chops, but the tune deserves more than a bag of tricks. Sounds like a fairytale being runover by a tank :)

[@crawlspaceuk4816]

That is one excellent metaphor

[@boriente]

Maybe that was the point?

[@joneslt]

That's a fantastic analogy. This guy is loaded with talent, obviously, but I was waiting for the creative melodic musical drumming that never happened. I don't think his playing is mature and developed enough for a piece like this

[@emarflamchannel1222]

cool and nice composition :)

[@McMillanpatrick15]

Idk what y'all are talking about forget the dressing attire nd focus on the peice.. This guy has some serious skills and the music was absolutely beautiful.. If I could double bass like this I would utilize it but I'm better on one foot! Keep it up bro got a thumbs up from me.

[@LexBravary]

Interesting music, but amazing musicianship. High end Paistes always grab my attention.

[@jasperjenkins7729]

pAisTe for the Win. It's the FIRST thing I notice on a drummers kit.

[@Ahiachebel]

I need that snare!!!!! Love that sound!

[@Tangodown76]

Ahiachebel toms are perfect too!!!

[@sirelliotthall9874]

What kind of snare is it?

[@BrandonGebbia]

Nice music !

[@rileymaul4574]

my favorite spotlight

[@xlarge7370]

Great ...

[@watergraffiti]

a proper breakdown of progressive drumming. and nice small sticks too!

[@jocquidixonmusicproduction988]

Lots of people here in the comments upset because he's drumming in a cardigan ? lol yeah it seems a tad douchey but the playing/music was still great. You got people saying yall wished he played a groove and didnt chop, yall must have only watched the intro...I mean after all, this is posted on a stick company for DRUMS, so having the drummer solo over in the tune was only right.

[@vrikis]

Very nice...

[@jakubszym]

Szilard......respect !

[@LanceCampeau]

wow... an all around great video... playing, feel, visuals,editing, camera work, drum set tuning, audio mix... very tasty.

[@netzah3488]

Agree big time. Massive Respect; you got taste.

[@nathanflores2228]

nice job!!!

[@sanityinaseaofmadness7353]

Read the first few comments, decided to turn the video off and listen to the audio. Buncha anonymous western asshats being asshats anonymously in the comments here. This is a video about music. Listen to the freaking music. Asshats... ps. I'm a drummer. Not my kind of music; the drumming talent is unmistakable. In a world full of amazing musicians on KZbin, the talent isn't singular, but he's certainly much better than I am, and he's certainly far more in-demand than I am. Thanks for posting this, Vic Firth. It's good to hear what's going on (and exceptional) musically in other countries.

[@rwfrench66GenX]

This is the most unique video I’ve seen on this channel because it’s like a music video with the film quality and external shots and JJ Abrams lens flare. I don’t want to criticize it but I’d definitely like to see more camera shots of the drummer.

[@vandersonpeixotojunior862]

Nossa cara que musica mais linda... *-*

[@OddMeeter]

Lets get one thing straight here. This should be a performance spotlight. This is usually about showcasing a drummer, LIVE. This is not live. This is a recording session and a music video. This was quantized, and the sounds of the drums have been tweaked and or replaced. Theres no way the drums can sound like while the bass drum beaters are barely touching the head. It's not reality. He's a greatly skilled player, without a doubt. But C'MON! The great spotlights,are drummers and a drum kit, some mics, and GO. Not this "show". This is a show, with a pre-recorded track. It's not live. I hate this type of stuff. I'd rather see him improvise a solo and groove.

[@ynotsammy]

This is the video Szilard Banai sent in to Vic Firth, it is the video he wants to present of himself. It is him playing it, does not matter if there is a pre-recorded track as long as we can hear him playing (which he is). I am guessing it is his band. His bass drum mic's sensitivity was probably increased to accommodate his light playing style. Why does it matter if the sound of the drum was tweaked? You can still hear him playing, that is pretty important in a drumming video. "I'd rather see him improvise a solo and groove." That is your opinion, I enjoyed the video and around 1,384 other people did too. If you want an improv video; go make your own.

[@123terdex]

Just to let you know, I was recording and mixing this track, and there was no quantizing or triggering or anything like that! I only used SSL compressors and EQ-s to get the sound. If anyone wants to have a great drum sound, pls get in touch! dexter at ssr dot hu

[@nicholasburton7066]

123terdex wait what do you mean , you were ther?

[@danneu8]

Samuel Janzen Agreed. It's music. If it sounds good it is good.

[@geofergal4657]

The music & the drum playing Awesome, It wasn't really a performance spotlight, but GREAT VID!!!!!!!!111

[@jakubszym]

Mega!

[@amiltonpsj]

Perfeito o som da arpa. :D

[@kato968]

WOW!!!!!!!!

[@glacier2win]

The drumming is extremely tasteful and the music is amazing.

[@chiccodrums6531]

j'ai pas encor testé mais j'aspire bien a en utiliser un jour

[@jeremiahseilhymer]

Nice open hand technique!

[@jareddarnell1312]

I feel like I was just "chopped" to death. Get it? CHOPPED!!!

[@markmaldonado719]

I wish I could remember to fix my cardigan sleeves in between fills as well as this gentleman does..

[@CeasarSoGone]

This guy needs to publish a cd!

[@BRINGTHED00M]

Could this get any cheesier ?

[@jacobmorgan1438]

Yeah, with all of the cinematic zooms and flashes, you'd think this was an Indian drama movie

[@dudehenchman]

Jesus Christ I wish my DW set sounded like this...

[@robertdavidsonm9950]

He's playing a mapex Saturn se birch/walnut

[@danthemanmillan]

Im surprised, DW usually has a superior sound to Mapex. Don't forget it goes to say with the types of drum heads he's using and there's a fair amount of processing and equalizer on his kit.

[@robertdavidsonm9950]

Tbh I prefer the sound of mapex, but thats just me, and yes heads, tuning and material play a big role

[@josiahcroom2547]

I've noticed in my small amount of experience, DW's have shorter sustain than most companies out there. I personally like that, but not everybody does.

[@danthemanmillan]

Yeah more attack and less sustain. I personally love that aswell. Unless you buy a Jazz series kit, those are pretty washy.

[@thiagosantosquirino668]

veiii olha o son desses PRATOS lindooo de maissssssss .. top dos top

[@stal2147]

Very Good xD

[@williamtanton6808]

Shiiiiit this is the best thing ive heard for a while. Really my taste of music I know its a little aquired. Thanks vic firth for posting this. Great drummer great piece of music.

[@samalejo2070]

WOOOO ATMIRO SU GRANDESA DE TOCAR LA BATERIA!!

[@MichaelWilson-od7lx]

Damn That Was God Like

[@edwardgonzales5704]

I wonder what he's using for his bass heads , they sound amazing!!

[@Darylrb1983]

I like how he begin with basically a drum solo over a vamp and then eventually broke out a steady rhythm

[@nicholasburton7066]

that song starting at 6:00, sound bomb, is that a real song, if so , i want it, sounds beast, and that beat boxing near the end, amazeing!

[@eugeniovasquez3780]

don't know why but i think of van halen when i see and hear this

[@MrReed459]

szilard, you are a behemoth !!!

[@vissza02]

Bitang jól szól a dob minden egyes darabja!

[@brod_drumz]

where can I get drumless tracks ???? I'm desperate!!! I wanna improv

[@drumz47]

NICE