JazzKLUB / Theo Croker Quartet / The Visionary Trumpet

Date & Time

Tue, May 20, 2025, 19:30

Venue

Narodowej Orkiestry Symfonicznej Polskiego Radia, Chamber Hall (Katowice)

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... Read full text

Keywords: Chamber Music, Jazz & World, Subscription Concert

Info & Ticket (nospr.org.pl)

Musicians

Theo Croker	Trumpet
Eric Wheeler	Double bass

Program

To be updated...

Give feedback

Last update: Fri, Feb 28, 2025, 23:06

Similar events

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

Finished

JazzKLUB / Tomeka Reid Quartet / Three string instruments and drums at post-bop gallop

Tue, Feb 4, 2025, 19:30

Narodowej Orkiestry Symfonicznej Polskiego Radia, Chamber Hall (Katowice)

Tomeka Reid (Cello), Mary Halvorson (Electric Guitar), Jason Roebke (Double bass), Tomas Fujiwara (Drums)

In 2022, when Tomeka Reid was granted the MacArthur Fellowship, also known as the “genius grant”, critics aware of her achievement had no doubt that the prestigious award was in the right hands. Reid’s cello parts have contributed to the sound of the flagship bands of the Chicago scene over the last two decades, since her 2002 debut with Nicole Mitchell. The artists’s quartet concept consists of three string instruments and drums – the very idea of such a composition of the star-studded band intriguing in itself. The quartet’s musicians are equally comfortable at post-bop gallop, in patulous blues, and in swinging ballad – creative reworkings of tradition being Reid’s composing specialty. Every piece is churning with ideas and energy (and sometimes even a sense of humour), all the bandmembers’ originality and propensity for free-jazz experiments making every second of the ensemble’s music worth of the listener’s attention. Tomasz Gregorczyk Concert duration: approximately 90 minutes

Info (nospr.org.pl)

This season

In Katowice

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), Richard Anderson (Bass), Radek Wośko (Drums), Snorri Sigurdarsson (Trumpet), Thomas Hass Christensen (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)

Finished

JazzKLUB / Gombrowicz-style irony

Tue, Nov 5, 2024, 19:30

Narodowej Orkiestry Symfonicznej Polskiego Radia, Chamber Hall (Katowice)

Michał Żak, Szymon Miśniak (Drums), Piotr Damasiewicz, Franciszek Pospieszalski, Samuel Yirga (Piano), Endris Hassen

Bands such as the Transatlantyk are the ultimate proof of the existence of a wave of creators integrating Polish folk music with various forms of improvised music. The power of this current lies in its diversity, which is why Michał Żak’s ensemble can be deemed its part, even though it sounds like no other. The band’s leader inherited the old dulcimer, made from a grand piano lid and saved from the whirlwinds and turmoil of the war, from his grandfather, a folk musician from the Vilnius region. He found a fitting repertoire and – most importantly – had an ingenious idea for its interpretation. One can hear a little nostalgia for a bygone world, as well as echoes of cheesy village-hall discos, some free jazz from underground clubs, and sometimes a bit of America and Africa, i.e. everything that musical Polishness has met while travelling the world – both literally and metaphorically. And all this is spiced up with irony straight from Gombrowicz’ novels. There was no better companion Michał Żak could invite to join him in the concert than Piotr Damasiewicz, who also blazes new trails for the folk-free-jazz current in his own band, Into the Roots. Tomasz Gregorczyk Concert duration: approximately 70 minutes

Info (nospr.org.pl)

Finished

JazzKLUB / Fire, heat, wildness

Tue, Feb 18, 2025, 19:30

Narodowej Orkiestry Symfonicznej Polskiego Radia, Chamber Hall (Katowice)

Jamie Benzies (Bass guitar), Jamie Benzies (Vocal), Tilé Gichigi-Lipere (Electronics), Rob Milne (Tenor Saxophone), Rob Milne (Flute), Sebastian Knee Wright (Electric Guitar), Anna Chai (Saxophon), Haryy Ling (Percussion)

When the cicadas start their evening concert, the world is filled with sound, and so it is with the British band. They are masters of arranging space, centred around bass guitar, drums and keyboards combined with electronics, creators of a dense but not overpowering sound, enthusiasts of musical ideas from which fire, heat, and, as they claim, wildness emanate. They are said to be the new wave of jazz-rock as they return to Jamaican rhythms, electronic soundscapes, the groove of hip-hop and the danceable beat of the drums. At times, Cykada can be raw, but on the other hand, it combines dance with the improvisation and freedom typical of jazz. It is a fusion unique in its league, balancing on the edge of genres. Maria Wilczek-Krupa Concert duration: approximately 90 minutes

Info (nospr.org.pl)

Finished

Arditti Quartet / The quartet and modern masterpieces / cancelled

Fri, Oct 25, 2024, 19:30

Narodowej Orkiestry Symfonicznej Polskiego Radia, Chamber Hall (Katowice)

Jake Arditti (Counter-tenor), Arditti Quartet

The Arditti Quartet is a chamber music legend. Half a century ago, the violinist Irvine Arditti invited three friends of his, students at London’s Royal Academy of Music, to perform Krzysztof Penderecki’s String quartet No. 2 together. Since then, the ensemble has premiered hundreds of contemporary pieces, released over 200 albums and traveled all the world with new music. The Arditti Quartet will perform a 20th-century masterpiece by Witold Lutosławski, music by Lucia Dlugoszewski, an American composer with Polish roots who is still little known here, and a piece by James Dillon, the quartet’s collaborator since the 80s. Adam Suprynowicz Concert duration: approximately 100 minutes

Info (nospr.org.pl)

Finished

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)

Finished

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 (nospr.org.pl)

This season

In Katowice

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

Tue, Jun 3, 2025, 19:00

Narodowej Orkiestry Symfonicznej Polskiego Radia, Chamber Hall (Katowice)

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

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 in the early period, of experimenting with instrumentation and combining different types of sound. Laborka ("Lab"), as they are colloquially called, is undoubtedly a showpiece of jazz Krakow and, simultaneously, a top spot on the list of Polish bands of all time. Maria Wilczek-Krupa Concert duration: approximately 90 minutes

Info & Ticket (nospr.org.pl)

Finished

Sings and whispers. Matilda Lloyd's trumpet

Sun, Oct 27, 2024, 18:00

Narodowej Orkiestry Symfonicznej Polskiego Radia, Chamber Hall (Katowice)

Matilda Lloyd (Trumpet), Jonathan Ware (Piano)

Over the last two centuries, wind instruments were pushed into the background of classical music by strings, which were considered “nobler”. The trumpet is troubled by the stereotype of a “signal” instrument, even though, after all, it would still sing so beautifully in the baroque era. Maybe it is this tradition that the British composer Dani Howard will reference; certainly, we are going to hear the trumpet singing in the lyrical and elevated Legende by George Enescu. Matilda Lloyd has actually sang an entire album with arrangements of operatic arias – it is a must-listen! One of the pieces to be found there is the Song of the rain by Chopin’s friend, the singer and composer Pauline Viardot, taken from her opera The Last Sorcerer. In her Katowice concert, the trumpeter will return to Paris, reaching for arrangements of the well-known works of Debussy and Ravel, as well as for the proud Intrada by Arthur Honegger, in which the trumpet presents itself to us without even the slightest complexes. Adam Suprynowicz Concert duration: approximately 70 minutes

Info (nospr.org.pl)

Finished

Turicum Quartet / Menuet of the witches

Thu, Oct 3, 2024, 19:30

Narodowej Orkiestry Symfonicznej Polskiego Radia, Chamber Hall (Katowice)

Turicum Quartet

Joseph Haydn has been called “Papa Haydn”, both affectionately and pejoratively. Meanwhile, he was a composer whose mastery and unpredictability went hand in hand. Let us appreciate the emotional glimmering of the music, its surprising turns, sense of humour (the “menuet of the witches” quite unlike the court dance), or the finale inspired by music of the Romani people living in the borderlands of Austria and Hungary, where the composer spent most of his life. The spirit of Austria-Hungary is also referenced – already after the fall of the dual monarchy – in the modernist parodying miniatures by Erwin Schulhoff, who enhanced them with motifs of his native Czechia. Even though Szymanowski knew the capital of Austria-Hungary, he did not like it; his String Quartet No. 1 represents a different direction, as Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz wrote: “Never before has any of his works breathed such a scorching air of the South; not the heat of the Sicilian south or the mourning of the Greek heat, in which Pan’s flute kills hearts – but the juicy and ripe heat which smells like the crops of Ukraine.” Adam Suprynowicz Concert duration: approximately 60 minutes

Info (nospr.org.pl)