JazzKLUB / “Laborka”, or the showpiece of jazz Krakow

Date & Time

Tue, Jun 3, 2025, 19:30

Venue

Narodowej Orkiestry Symfonicznej Polskiego Radia, Chamber Hall (Katowice)

This band has more than half a century of history if we don't count the break of a dozen years arranged by Janusz Grzywacz and Marek Stryszowski at the turn of the century. They debuted in 1971 at Gitariada '71, a festival they organised in Nowa Huta, Krakow, which introduced fusion and jazz-rock elements to the Polish scene. Over the years, they have developed their style, which has been compared to that of the American group Weather Report, consisting, especially... Read full text

Keywords: Jazz & World, Subscription Concert, Vocal Music

Info & Ticket (nospr.org.pl)

Musicians

Janusz Grzywacz	Keyboards, Vocoder
Marek Stryszowski	Alto saxophone, Soprano saxophone, EWI, Vocals
Krzysztof Ścierański	Bass guitar
Marcin Ścierański	Drums
Marek Raduli	Guitar

Program

Information not provided

Give feedback

Last update: Fri, Nov 22, 2024, 12:16

Similar events

These events are similar in terms of concept, place, musicians or the program.

JazzKLUB / Adam Baran & Helicopets / Winners of the Jazz Juniors 2024 Competition

Tue, Jan 7, 2025, 19:30

Narodowej Orkiestry Symfonicznej Polskiego Radia, Chamber Hall (Katowice)

Helicopets, Adam Baran (Electric Guitar), Panilas (Bass clarinet), Józef Biegański (Drums), Józef Biegański (Electronics), Piotr Zygma (Bass guitar)

A modern sound and collective improvisation transgressing the borders of genres – this is how the music of the Helicopets quartet, awarded at the 2024 Jazz Juniors competition, can be described in a nutshell. In their work, the group courageously broadens listeners’ conception of jazz, reaching for inspirations ranging from minimalism, through ambient, to electronic music. The quartet consists of artists who come from the experimental scene. The spacious sound, with electronic and avant-garde elements, is created by: the leader and guitarist Adam Baran, the bass clarinetist Panilas, the drummer Józef Biegański and the bassist Piotr Zygma. The Helicopets debuted in October 2024, at the Jazz Juniors festival in Cracow, where they received a host of special awards (from NOSPR, Jazz Denmark, JazzFest Brno, Budapest Music Center and Jazz Vineyard), thanks to which the musicians will set off on a European concert tour. So far, they have released two singles online: Murakami and Army of Me, planning their debut album to premiere in 2025.Julia BroniowskaNo festival in Poland is more clearly part of the history of the Polish jazz scene. This is the 48th edition, and the Jazz Juniors International Competition for Young Jazz Ensembles has celebrated improvised music since 1976 (when Wojtek Gogolewski's Quartet was on the podium). It is a unique platform for exchanging experience and a meeting place between established masters and the young generation of jazz artists. It is a critical event for the winners as it opens doors to prestigious stages worldwide. It was Krakow's Jazz Juniors competition that created the current legends: Leszek Możdżer, Adam Bałdych, Paweł Kaczmarczyk or Piotr 'Pianohooligan' Orzechowski. The composition of the competition jury is variable. In the previous edition, musicians from different parts of the world were judged by an international panel chaired by Norwegian trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer. Maria Wilczek-Krupa Concert duration: approximately 90 minutes

Info (nospr.org.pl)

JazzKLUB / Soojin Suh Coloris Trio / The Korean jazz concept

Tue, Nov 12, 2024, 19:30

Narodowej Orkiestry Symfonicznej Polskiego Radia, Chamber Hall (Katowice)

Jaehun Kang, Hoo Kim (Double bass), Soojin Suh (Drums)

The world first learned about the Korean drummer’s talent from the Near East Quartet albums published under the ECM label. In the case of her trio, far from jazz purism, a good point of reference would be the more ambitious recordings by the Bad Plus band, minus their propensity for showiness. The pieces dedicated to Herbie Nichols and Andrew Hill also shed light on the directions of the leader’s creative explorations. In Suh’s compositions, the aggressive, mathematical ostinatos of the piano neighbour a lyrical minimalism. The interchangeability of the functions necessitates a departure from the label of piano trio and a move towards calling the ensemble a drums-bass-piano trio. Soojin Suh’s playing lends the music a nerve, simultaneously being saturated with colurs, her drumming gestures resembling sudden brushstrokes. On some albums, the artist reaches for her native traditions, using the geomungo or inviting a pansori-style singer. This time, the reference to the Korean heritage is subtle and philosophical – in the trio’s music, we can find an implementation of the „breath of the melody”, an old Korean aesthetic of sound. Tomasz Gregorczyk Concert duration: approximately 90 minutes

Info (nospr.org.pl)

JazzKLUB / Get The Blessing / A fascinating kaleidoscope of groove

Tue, Apr 15, 2025, 19:30

Narodowej Orkiestry Symfonicznej Polskiego Radia, Chamber Hall (Katowice)

Jim Barr (Bass guitar), Clive Deamer (Drums), Jake McMurchie (Saxophon), Pete Judge (Trumpet)

The band’s members’ discographies amount to a picture of several generations of British rock music: from Peter Gabriel and Robert Plant to Hawkwind, Portishead and Radiohead. Nevertheless, their horizons and inspirations reach far beyond that genre – which is probably the foundation of the group’s success. Get The Blessing travelled a long way, from the pugnacious Ornettian inspirations on their 2008 All Is Yes, to the trance-like, almost cinematic soundscapes of the latest albums. Still, however, Judge’s trumpet enhances the hypnotic trance with the element of unpredictability, McMurchie’s saxophone lending the band’s onirically meditative music its body and power. Seen from afar, the group’s music emanates calmness, while close up it is full of movement and surprising details. All this results in a fascinating kaleidoscope of grooves, colours and moods. Tomasz Gregorczyk Concert duration: approximately 90 minutes

Info & Ticket (nospr.org.pl)

JazzKLUB / Joel Ross Good Vibes / Jazz on metal bars

Tue, Oct 22, 2024, 19:30

Narodowej Orkiestry Symfonicznej Polskiego Radia, Chamber Hall (Katowice)

Joel Ross, Jeremy Corren (Piano), Kanoa Mendenhall (Double bass), Jeremy Dutton (Drums), Maria Grand (Tenor Saxophone)

A contract with Blue Note is not only a passport to an international career, but also a commitment. On his further albums, however, Joel Ross proves himself to be a worthy continuator in the tradition of vibraphone titans recording for the famous jazz label: Milt Jackson and Bobby Hutcherson. As opposed to most contemporary vibraphonists, Ross only uses two mallets. Thus, he reaches an exceptional clarity of expression, his pearly solos being model examples of improvisational logic and communicative prowess. The deeply personal compositions bring the leader’s instrument to the front, the vibrating sound of the metal bars lending the group an inimitable sonic aura. Ross gives his musicians, one of whom is the exciting saxophonist Maria Grand, considerable freedom. This is top-level modern jazz. Tomasz Gregorczyk Concert duration: approximately 90 minutes

Info (nospr.org.pl)

JazzKLUB / Product May Contain / Jazz Personalities with Grand Prix

Tue, Dec 17, 2024, 19:30

Narodowej Orkiestry Symfonicznej Polskiego Radia, Chamber Hall (Katowice)

Tymon Kosma, Filip Botor (Double bass), Mateusz Borgiel (Drums)

Trance-like, ambient, ambiguous, with references to ethnic culture and excursions into folk music – this is what chamber jazz sounds like as interpreted by the youngest generation of musicians. The Product May Contain trio triumphed at last year's Jazz on the Oder, winning, among others, the Grand Prix in the Wojtek Siwek Jazz Individuality competition. These are well-deserved laurels for exploring new artistic spaces and searching for beauty with acoustic overtones, for interaction, sonic symbiosis and freshness, with echoes of modern jazz straight out of Komeda's Sextet. It also proves that a compromise between novelty and respect for tradition is still possible in art. Maria Wilczek-KrupaConcert duration: approximately 90 minutes

Info (nospr.org.pl)

JazzKLUB / Katrine Windfeld Sextet / Jazz like a masterful lace fabric

Tue, Mar 4, 2025, 19:30

Narodowej Orkiestry Symfonicznej Polskiego Radia, Chamber Hall (Katowice)

Kathrine Windfeld (Piano), Tomasz Dąbrowski (Trumpet), Hannes Bennich (Alto saxophone), Marek Konarski (Tenor Saxophone), Johannes Vaht (Double bass), Henrik Holst Hansen (Drums)

Sophisticated structure does not exclude spontaneity and elegance does not necessarily deprive music of its drive. It is no coincidence that Kathrine Windfeld has worked with large ensembles so often, from the Danish Radio Big Band, through the Swedish Bohuslän Big Band and the Finnish Umo Helsinki Jazz Orchestra, to her own orchestra. The artist displays the rare skill of thinking about music in all dimensions imaginable. Even her Danish-Swedish-Polish sextet sounds like a small orchestra, a harmonic finesse in weaving each part accompanied by remarkable textures of their timbres interwoven. The leader’s compositional prowess is complemented by her improvisational temperament. Windfeld’s pianistics is like her compositions – elaborate like the patterns of a lace fabric, stretched between a delicate touch on the keyboard and a powerful stroke. A true feast for those who love masterful jazz writing and the art of arrangement. Tomasz Gregorczyk Concert duration: approximately 90 minutes

Info & Ticket (nospr.org.pl)

JazzKLUB / Theo Croker Quartet / The Visionary Trumpet

Tue, May 20, 2025, 19:30

Narodowej Orkiestry Symfonicznej Polskiego Radia, Chamber Hall (Katowice)

Theo Croker (Trumpet), Mike King, Eric Wheeler (Double bass), Jaylen Petinaud (Drums)

It is not easy to live up to the legend and bear the legacy of your grandfather – a trumpet player who was a favourite of Armstrong and toured with Goodman. The grandfather was an icon of New Orleans jazz who had little to do with New Orleans itself but went down in history as a significant genre representative. From Doc Cheatham, Croker inherited determination and a propensity for titanic work. He was exposed to jazz as a child, although at the time, he didn't understand what heritage was, and he wanted to play the trumpet because it sounded majestic and loud. His music has a lot of elegance and a willingness to experiment with style. You can hear soul music, R&B, or hip-hop there, and Croker does not shy away from electronic music either. His artistic emploi can be summed up in two words: ambition and vision. A quote could also be used: 'The world is constantly changing. It was fought differently by my grandfather; it is fought differently by me.' Maria Wilczek-Krupa Concert duration: approximately 90 minutes

Info & Ticket (nospr.org.pl)

JazzKLUB / Otomo Yoshihide Special Big Band / Japanese giant of the avant-garde

Sat, Oct 19, 2024, 19:30

Narodowej Orkiestry Symfonicznej Polskiego Radia, Concert Hall (Katowice)

Yoshihide Otomo (Electric Guitar), Tatsuo Kondo, Kan Saito, Nashie Inoue, Hiroshi Suzuki (Saxophon), Ryoko Egawa (Saxophon), Ryota Higashi (Saxophon), Shutoku Sato, Osamu Imagome (Trombone), Jinya Kimura (Tuba), Shunsuke Okuchi (Accordion), Shinobu Kawai (Bass guitar), Takefumi Kobayashi (Drums), Itoken (Drums), Hitomi Aikawa, Sachiko M

This is the largest and one of the most amazing ensembles ever formed by the Japanese giant of the avant-garde. Active since 2013, the Special Big Band is a gang of avant-garde ultras in a ludic incarnation. The group breaks all the existing, though unwritten, rules, shamelessly merging the winds’ extreme frolics with danceable rhythms, brazen guitar blocks with sugary tunes, as well as sophisticated jazz arrangements with piercing noise. Add to this mixture such gems of repertoire as pieces by Astor Piazzola and Charlie Haden. Yoshihide’s band proves that the avant-garde can be entertaining and entertainment can retain the propensity for discovery that is so characteristic for the avant-garde. An absolute must-see, particularly since the leader announced this autumn’s concerts to be the band’s last tour. Tomasz Gregorczyk

Info (nospr.org.pl)

JazzKLUB / Urszula Dudziak, Big Band Śląski and guests / Nature of the bird

Sat, Oct 5, 2024, 19:30

Narodowej Orkiestry Symfonicznej Polskiego Radia, Concert Hall (Katowice)

Urszula Dudziak (Voice), Grażyna Auguścik (Voice), Grzech Piotrowski (Saxophon), Mika Urbaniak (Voice)

She is not just an icon, and it's not just Papaya, although thanks to the song, it turned out that jazz is no longer niche. But scat is more than that. It's like creating a language, and fusion, or more precisely jazz rock, is something even more significant, a way of life. Perhaps that's good fortune because Urszula Dudziak has a bird-like nature – she changes places and regenerates on stage. However, she has opted for more than just scat; also for perfection of intonation, expanding the scale (five octaves!) and crossing musical barriers because, as she said, she has the strength of a highlander and is not afraid of confrontation. In this case, she confronts the balladic feel of Grażyna Auguścik and the mesmerising matte of the voice of Mika Urbaniak, i.e., her daughter, and the saxophone of Grzech Piotrowski, who proves that there are no genres that cannot be fused. Maria Wilczek-Krupa

Info (nospr.org.pl)

JazzKLUB / Tomasz Stańko Experience / The energy Stańko sought

Tue, Jun 17, 2025, 19:30

Narodowej Orkiestry Symfonicznej Polskiego Radia, Chamber Hall (Katowice)

Artur Tuźnik (Piano), Tomasz Dąbrowski (Trumpet), Martin Fabricius, Johanna Sulkunen (Voice), Stian Swensson (Guitar), Richard Anderson (Bass), Radek Wośko (Drums), Snorri Sigurdarsson (Trumpet), Thomas Hass (Saxophon)

Initially, the project’s existence was only momentary. In 2015, Tomasz Stańko gathered the Scandinavian and Polish musicians in Copenhagen for the Summer Session master’s workshop. The energy – which Stańko was so intent on finding in young artists – was so good that, in February 2016, the group, under the name Tomasz Stańko Experience, gave three concerts in Denmark. Back then already, the Polish trumpeter’s mentees were no schoolkids any more – after all, the master had his requirements. Today, however, dozens of recordings and hundreds of concerts away from those gigs, they are in a completely different position. And although Stańko had his influence on every one of them, regardless of the instrument, unavoidably, the central place belongs to the trumpeter, Tomasz Dąbrowski, whose relationship with the master was exceptional. In his bands, he channels Stańko’s spirit – the message of individualism, courage, and constant change. Tomasz Gregorczyk Concert duration: approximately 90 minutes

Info & Ticket (nospr.org.pl)