Emil Miszk

A trumpeter, composer, arranger and publisher based in Gdańsk. Miszk is an enthusiast of big bands and Frank Zappa, who explores early music and electronic preparations with the same passion.

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Emil Miszk, fot. Maciej Lieder

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Emil Miszk was born in 1990 in Lębork, where he started learning to play an instrument at the Mieczysław Michalski State Primary Music School. He continued his education in this field in Gdańsk, where he graduated from the Feliks Nowowiejski State Secondary Music School and studied trumpet at the Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music. However, the harbour city shaped the artist's career through more than just the education he received there.

Whilst at university, Miszk was perfecting his skills as an instrumentalist, and outside its walls he was expanding his artistic horizons. Gdańsk, with its acclaimed independent scene and rich improvisational traditions, provided the trumpeter with many opportunities for explorations.

This city attracts wonderful people […]. Very creative, aiming at their goals, but also calm and relaxed. Without a doubt, the development of Jazz and Stage Music at the Academy of Music in Gdańsk made these young musicians gravitate to the city even more. Besides that, the younger generation, to which I hope I still belong, has great role models amongst their older colleagues.

Amongst these role models, the trumpeter mentions Mikołaj Trzaska, Maciej Sikała, Sławek Jaskułke, Leszek Kułakowski and Przemysław Dyakowski. Renowned artists who, as Miszk claims, are willing to share their invaluable experience with the younger generation. The trumpeter also draws attention to the unique atmosphere of Gdańsk – a metropolis filled with the spirit of independence and freedom. A city where you are free to do everything, but at the same time, you do not need to do anything. Last but not least, he points out the music scene, where the rivalry is limited to purely artistic achievements.

New possibilities and Sci-Fi Sounds

Miszk's artistic development as a composer is well reflected by the discography of the band Algorhythm, of which he was a member. Within four years, a rather classical jazz quintet transformed into a quartet, for whom improvised music was as much an inspiration as hip-hop, dub and broadly defined electronic music. The hypnotic, psychedelic album Termomix was the band last release, but its influence can be heard in Miszk's later explorations. This is the case with the BLED duo, which he formed with Algorhythm`s drummer Sławomir Koryzno. In fact, the trumpeter believes that work on their debut album Roots & Futuristic Sci-Fi Sounds was a breakthrough in his openness to electronic effects.

I approach all these effects as a new instrument that you have to learn to play. It's not some kind of addition, an ornamental element. It's a whole new story. The multitude of options and the variety of sounds possible to obtain can be overwhelming. Working with Sławek [Sławomir Koryzno], however, I realised that the limitations of using electronics are only in my head. Awareness of preparation and extended techniques are the main issues I am working on right now.

Miszk admits that although he has an enduring affection for acoustic sounds, electronics allow him to explore new possibilities. And his goal is to get to know the instrument as fully as possible. When using electronic effects, the trumpeter draws on the achievements of Susana Santos Silva and Peter Evans.

The thrilling mass of sound

Subsequent albums of Algorhythm received praise and nominations for awards, however, Miszk's most successful recordings were made with an octet he led. The album Don't Hesitate! by Emil Miszk and The Sonic Syndicate brought him the prestigious Fryderyk Award in the category of Jazz Debut of the Year.

The trumpeter readily admits that he has always had a special affection for big bands, because it was in them that he took his first steps as a jazzman. To this day, whenever he hears a big band playing, he gets a thrill of excitement.

I'm currently inspired by bands like the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra or Gard Nilssen's Supersonic Orchestra. I love the way orchestration is done in these groups. It is a completely different take on big-band texture. It manifests on many levels: form, arrangement and finally very interesting instrumentation. The mass of sound and the incredible energy that comes from the stage, as well as the enormous performance possibilities offered by the use of a large apparatus, are the features that make my love for large ensembles constantly blossom.

Reviewers of The Sonic Syndicate’s albums have noticed some similarities to traditional big bands aesthetics alongside the impact of the multi-genre body of work of Frank Zappa. The Gdańsk-based trumpeter does not shy away from such comparisons. Miszk admits:

Zappa turned my musical world upside down. His work is a well of knowledge which, I have the impression, has no limit. Complicated, at times very intense forms make you notice something new with every encounter. Zappa also impresses me as a bandleader and organiser. He was an uncompromising artist and an inspiration to his fellow musicians. He had his vision, which he consistently pursued and remained independent to the end. A great figure!

The octet's second album entitled Artificial Stupidity received equally enthusiastic reviews. Rafał Zbrzeski wrote in the pages of Jazz Forum:

Whilst in terms of inventiveness and playfulness, Emil Miszk and colleagues may feel like successors of the members of the Yass movement, they are certainly ahead of their predecessors in terms of musical awareness. Another excellent album, coming from the Baltic Sea area.

Social awareness and ill communication

The comparison of Miszk's work to that of the members of the Tricity-based Yass is justified not only by the humorous elements present in both cases and their connection to Gdańsk. The trumpeter, along with his closest associates, tries to raise social issues through his art. It is not easy in instrumental, sometimes abstract music, yet Miszk cares that his work does not function in isolation from the world around him. 'For a long time now, the theme of my deliberations has been communication', admits the musician.

It is nothing revelatory, but as human beings, we no longer communicate with each other. We have problems with concentration, with understanding messages. We don't have the patience to listen to the other person fully. We get bored quickly. A few titles from 'Artificial Stupidity' refer directly to life and communication online, such as 'Trolling'. Through this album, I wanted to point out that the problem exists. I don't have a ready-made solution on how to deal with it. Everyone has to find it in their own way. I myself am a victim of this trend, and through lack of proper communication, I have failed in a few aspects of my life.

The fruit of such artistic awareness is also Alpaka Records, which Miszk has been running since 2017 with his fellow musicians.

We are proud of it, although it is not easy. We are musicians who are sacrificing for other musicians so that they can have a better start. So that together we can create something bigger. Thinking in a broader perspective has always been the domain of the Tricity.

Miszk is a truly versatile instrumentalist and composer. In addition to the groups mentioned above, he either performs or has performed alongside notable representatives of Polish jazz, including Sławek Jaskułke, Kamil Piotrowicz, Dominik Bukowski and Tomasz Chyła. Apart from that, he was an orchestral musician and a member of ensembles specialising in early music. In the latter, he plays the natural trumpet. Since 2019, Miszk is also a lecturer in the Jazz and Stage Music Department at the Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk.

Written by Jan Błaszczak Oct 2021, edited by AZ.

emil miszk

21st century polish jazz

contemporary polish jazz

trumpeter