Although he achieved recognition for his work in new age, pianist Szakcsi surprised many listeners with his inventive 1994 GRP release Straight Ahead, which found him leading a trio/quartet through a set of acoustic jazz originals. Szakcsi enrolled in the Budapest Secondary School of Music at the age of 12 and had originally planned to be a jazz pianist. In his 20s he played in Europe with Art Farmer, Charlie Mariano, and Slide Hampton. Szakcsi eventually became an instrumental pop star, but on his GRP date he showed that possibly there is life after new age.