Abraham/ Erno Jr. Kallai & His Gypsy Band - Cafe Kallai

In the world of music it is not unusual - and was so in the past - that the musical talent is inherited within a family from generation to generation, giving rise to whole dynasties of musicians. This happened in the Kállai family, from grandfather to grandchild. On Café Kállai, the oldest and middle members of the dynasty play evergreen pieces that recreate the ambiance of the coffeehouses. Erno Kállai Kiss, the grandfather, hit upon his instrument by chance; by the time he had enrolled in the music school all instruments he could play had already been taken. Finally, a clarinet emerged from the instrument cabinet. It was a stroke of luck, a wise intervention of fate indeed, as the artist is regarded by now as "the king of the clarinet" in Hungary and all over the world. His devotion to Hungarian Gypsy music has gone on for more than fifty-five years. Erno Kállai Kiss Jr., the son, felt the attraction of the violin. At the age of fourteen, he had already his own band, became bandleader and brought simultaneously his skills to perfection by means of higher studies. With his gypsy band he has played the world over, appearing regularly on Hungarian Radio and Television, and has made several CD with Hungaroton.