One of the most active drummers on the Hungarian jazz scene, István Baló founded his own band more than a decade ago. The Baló Project consists of like-minded musicians working as a community and performing a colorful repertoire drawing on multiple genres in varying lineups. W69, which focuses on the power of rock, also falls partly under the umbrella of the Project. "Just as the profound energies emanating from the music of the John Coltrane Quartet touched and defined my entire musical thinking decades ago, I am refreshed and recharged with similar feelings and energies from the music of the fearlessly rebellious and protesting bands of the 1960s and 1970s. The pieces and concerts of the W69 Rock band are shaped by these energies, without which I believe it is not worth performing on stage, more than four decades of musical experience, and my commitment to freedom and free music – together with the active participation of my fellow musicians, for which I am truly grateful," said István Baló.