Everything began with improvisation sessions in the club Puzzle in Wrocław, where a lot of new instrumentalists would perform. The members of Electo-Acoustic Beat Sessions say that the band was formed as a sort of an idea, a 'reconstruction of a deconstruction' and a tribute to the art of the classics of black music culture, from jazz to hip hop: Ahmad Jamal, Gil Scott-Heron, J Dilla, Pete Rock. Jamal is one of the great jazz pianists. He inspired Miles Davis, who used to perform some of his pieces. Jamal had an extraordinary sense of rhythm and space, moreover, many critics emphasise the spiritual aspects of his music. Scott-Heron was not only a musician but also a poet. He wrote funky protest songs sung by the Black Panthers and is considered one of the fathers of rap. J Dilla and Pete Rock are producers and rappers, spiritual legatees of jazz. Their example perfectly shows how much hip hop owes to the previous generations.
EABS are not linked with any musical orthodoxy. Their music blends various inspirations: jazz, soul, funk, hip hop and electronic music (although they play acoustic instruments, with no post production tricks). Marek Pędziwiatr, keyboardist, vocalist and the band's founder, said in an interview for Culture.pl: 'We're the new generation, we grew up listening to hip hop, we got to know jazz later on'. The electronic addition to the band is the record player with Spisek Jednego behind it. He is also known from Night Marks Electric Trio.
My personal inspiration was DJ Krime. I lived in Kraków for two years and I would often go to Piec Art, a place where Krime met with local jazz musicians. It was there that I saw how to fit into a jazz ensemble with a record player. The record player's special quality is that by touching it you can make different interesting sounds, not only by playing the original track, but also by modifying these sounds. The only disadvantage is that a record player is not an acoustic instrument. I depend on electricity. I can't stand on the street and play.
Memorial To Miles
In 2015 EABS prepared a set for the Memorial to Miles Jazz Festival in Kielce. The band presented a wide stylistic range of jazz. They refreshed the pieces from the years 1959-1991 and took the audience for a journey through the 40 years of Miles’ creation. The concert was performed in other cities as well (Wrocław, Gdańsk).
Repetitions (Letters To Krzysztof Komeda)
EABS recorded their debut album in tribute to Krzysztof Komeda's music. The band focused on his music from the years 1962-1967, that is his ballet etudes, extensive film music oeuvre (he composed music to feature, documentary, animated and short films) and the project in which Komeda presented the poetry of Polish poets recited in German (Jazz & Poetry). There was only one guest instrumentalist on the record, yet one of the top ones: Michał Urbaniak, aka Urbanator, a musician who collaborated with Komeda and Davis.
When talking about the music of the author of Astigmatic, the members of EABS very often emphasise its melancholy. Marek Pędziwiatr says:
Jazz is a genre of American origin, but Komeda had the gift that enabled him to add something typically Polish to this 'Americanness': a Polish sensitivity and nostalgia. It's hard to put it into words, despite the fact that these are simple things, simple themes, which can convey a trillion pieces of information with two sounds.
EABS
The band members include: Marek Pędziwiatr (keyboard, vocals), Marcin Rak (drums), Vojto Monteur (electric guitar), Paweł Stachowiak (bass guitar), Spisek Jednego (record players), Olaf Węgier (saxophone), Jakub Kurek (trumpet) and Maciej Jakimiuk (sound engineer).
EABS were chosen the Wrocław Artistic Discovery 2013, they won the WARTO prize awarded by 'Gazeta Wyborcza'. In 2017 they received the Mateusz prize, awarded by the Channel 3 of the Polish Radio for the best jazz event. They performed on one stage with Dave Liebman (who played with Elvin Jones and Miles Davis), Natalia Lubrano, Abradab (Kaliber 44), Vienio (Molesta Ewenement), Te-Tris, Waldemar Kasta, Michał Urbaniak, Mika Urbaniak, Jesse Boykins III, Tawiah, Raashan Ahmad, Paulina and Natalia Przybysz (formerly Sistars) and the legendary Jeru The Damaja.
Discography
- EABS – Repetitions (Letters To Krzysztof Komeda), Astigmatic Records, 2017
