Everyone interest in Polish jazz are likely aware that the scene has produced legends including Krzysztof Komeda, Tomasz Stańko and Zbigniew Namysłowski. To show subsequent developments on the Polish scene, the organisers of Jazz in Polish are focusing on musicians organising their own concerts and releasing their own recordings. Audiences in Berlin will have the opportunity to hear three bands: the Imagination Quartet, Biotone led by Michał Tomaszczyk and Hera led by Wacław Zimpel.
The Imagination Quartet play energetic jazz that includes elements from other musical aesthetics but always abides by jazz forms. Michał Sołtan, the Quartet's guitarist, says "The greatest success story of the band is the meeting of four musicians who wanted to experiment but had similar tastes in music. […] Edgy energy, jazz – rock'n'roll?! It’s undoubtedly more powerful, but not humourless". The Quartet's debut album was released in 2011 and they have performed at events including the World Press Photo exhibition opening in 2010 and the Copenhagen Jazz Festival in 2012.
Biotone presents a distinct instrumentation – none of the members play on traditional, harmonic instruments. Their compositions have made room for trombone, emphasizing that unfairly overlooked instrument. The group's accomplishments include qualifying for the Grand Prix at the Junior Jazz competition held in the Czech Republic, releasing their album Unspoken Words and being nominated for a Fryderyk – the major annual music awards in Poland – in 2012, in the category of Jazz Phonographic Newcomer of the Year.
Hera is the project of Wacław Zimpel, know for his charismatic clarinet playing. “What if you just let the music exist for itself, gave it some room and waited to see what happened?” asks Zimpel. He draws inspiration from styles of sacred and ritual music, from free jazz to traditional forms, with sources coming from around the world. Hera has collaborated with talented musicians and just released an album that features Hamid Drake, the legendary drummer from Chicago.
The Berlin concerts will take place from the 4th to the 6th of September at Club Kunstfabrik Schlot. Jazz po Polsku took place for the first time last year at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, where a section of the programme was devoted to Polish jazz. The Imagination Quartet, Leszek Możdżer, Jazzpospolita, Levity, Hera, and Niechęć were among the bands on the line-up for the 2012 Copenhagen Jazz Festival.
Author: Filip Lech, August 2013
Translation: SMG 26/08/2013