Polish jazz improvisation artists met the main figures of the Japanese jazz scene, giving them the opportunity to share their ideas and lay ground for future cooperation. The two-day festival was held at the Pit Inn Club, the Tokyo base for the likes of John Zorn, Bill Laswell and Otomo Yoshihide, and it won over the trend-setting Tokyo audience.
Two years later, the second edition of the festival moved to Poland. Kazuhisa Uchihashi, a musician and driving force behind the Japanese music scene, tutored improvisation workshops at Warsaw’s Powiększenie Club. Four Polish musicians were selected to participate in a Japanese mini-tour visiting Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. It was the perfect opportunity for both sides to exchange ideas and search for new artistic directions. The performances were well-received, and the project itself gained Uchihashi’s appreciation. Leading jazz publishers TJF and Disk Union expressed their interest in releasing albums with the work of the project's participants.
The New Polish Music Festival breaks the conventional rules of a music festival. During the Polish-Japanese improvisation meetings, it presents music generally regarded as difficult through the use of performance, pastiche and humour.
Applying the New Polish Music Festival’s formula to the Tokyo Jazz Festival 2014 was a break from the most significant Japanese jazz festival's rather traditional programme. It also highlighted the potential of the musicians participating in the project.
Four Japanese and four Polish musicians collaborated within the Don’t Panic! We’re From Poland project: Kazuhisa Uchihashi, Maciej Obara (saxophone), Jerzy Rogiewicz (drums), Szaza duo Paweł Szamburski (clarinet, electronics) and Patryk Zakrocki (violin, effects), Akira Sakata (saxophone), Nauno Mitsuru (bass), and Kumiko Takara (vibraphone).
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edited by kd; 20/08/2014