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Poland’s Bielsko Biała gearing up for Jazz Autumn festival

03.11.2024 13:00
The southern Polish city of Bielsko Biała is gearing up for Jazz Autumn, one of the most important jazz music festivals in the country.
Tomasz Stańko
Tomasz StańkoPAP/Andrzej Rybczyński

On November 15, a concert by the Crosscurrents Trio featuring Dave Holland, Zakir Hussain and Chris Potter will inaugurate the 22nd edition of the Tomasz Stańko Jazz Autumn festival, named after one of Poland’s most prominent jazz musicians.

Agata Wolna from the press department of the Bielsko-Biała city hall said that the Crosscurrents Trio “is an exceptional band that inspires and delights audiences with its impressive display of virtuosity, brilliance and sophisticated musical language.”

The following evening will be filled with the ‘Stańko Shuffle’ project, a special programme created by Slawomir Kurkiewicz, whose double bass can be heard on many of Tomasz Stanko's albums.

“Stańko enjoyed listening to music in +shuffle+ mode, that is, when the player itself - having the user's digital music library at its disposal - randomly generates a playlist. In this way, he would listen to an excerpt from a Gustav Mahler symphony, which would seamlessly transition into a James Brown song, only to turn to a recording of free jazz avant-garde a moment later. This concert is conceived in a similar way.”

The EABS (Electro-Acoustic Beat Sessions) quintet’s concert is to end the festival on Sunday, November 17. The band is expected to perform their “Reflections of Purple Sun” album, dedicated to the late Tomasz Stańko.

The Jazz Autumn festival was created by Stańko, and after his death, the event continues the trumpeter's legacy and thought. 

Previous guests include John Scofield, Ornette Coleman, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, Cecil Taylor, Joe Lovano, Tom Harrell, Eliane Elias, and Egberto Gismonti.

(tf)

Source: IAR