Introduction
Elek Bacsik (22 May 1926 – 14 February 1993) was a Hungarian-born American jazz guitarist and violinist. He was the cousin of guitarist Django Reinhardt.
Bacsik was born in Budapest, Hungary, the son of Arpad Bacsik and Erzsebet Pocsi, of Romani ethnicity. He studied classical violin at the Budapest Conservatory before moving on to jazz guitar. In his teens, he recorded with Geza Szabo and Jozsef Quitter, then toured Europe with Mihaly Tabanyi. He lived in Paris in the 1950s, recording with French musicians and with American musicians who were passing through, such as Dizzy Gillespie, Lou Bennett, Art Simmons, and Quentin Jackson. In 1966, he moved to America and worked with Teresa Brewer until 1974. He played at the Olympic Games Jazz Festival in Los Angeles in 1984.
Bacsik played guitar on Gillespie's Dizzy on the French Riviera (1962) and later played violin with Gillespie at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1974. His violin playing is featured on I Love You (1974) and Bird and Dizzy: A Musical Tribute (1975).
Discography
As leader
- The Electric Guitar of the Eclectic Elek Bacsik (Fontana, 1962)
- Bossa Nova (Fontana, 1962)
- Guitar Conceptions (Fontana, 1963)
- Jazz Guitarist (Philips) (reissue of The Electric Guitar of the Eclectic Elek Bacsik)
- I Love You (Bob Thiele Music, 1975)
- Bird and Dizzy: A Musical Tribute (Flying Dutchman, 1975)
- Nuages (Universal, 2002)
As sideman
With Dizzy Gillespie
- Dizzy on the French Riviera (Philips, 1962)
- New Wave (Philips, 1963)
With Barbara
- Chante Barbara (1974)
- Barbara Chante Barbara (1998)
- Gottingen 64–65 (1998)
With Serge Gainsbourg
- Gainsbourg Confidentiel (Philips, 1963)
- 1963 Théâtre des Capucines (Universal, 2009)