06.05 - 12.05 Concerts Schedule

Another busy week ahead of us. Krakow becomes for the next fortnight or so a mix of student festivals with each university holding its own program and many open air concerts featuring indie, rock, pop polish (and some international) stars will be presented. Enjoy as much as you can and want to, personally I'd like to bring your attention to the traditionally jazz/alternative independent schedule:

06.05 and 7.05 Shock Wave at PIEC'Art

I wrote briefly about group's jam at Literki couple of months ago, the dynamic presents some of the most active young musicians in Krakow with Dominika Rusinowska on violing and Slawek Pezda on saxophone as the leading voices. Mix of free, modern, punk, rock and more. 

07.05 Rara Avis at Alchemia

Rara Avis in the words of Ken Vandermark, featured in the grup led by a cast of young reprentants of Italy:

“I'm extremely excited about the group for a number of reasons: the band is a cooperative, without a designated leader, everyone's ideas and playing caries equal weight; the Italian members of Rara Avis are part of a new generation of players who are very knowledgeable about contemporary developments in improvised and composed music; and the fields of sound the ensemble explores are unique in terms of texture, velocity, dynamics- the traditional hierarchies of what instrument is "melodic," what instrument supplies "rhythm," are so turned on their head and blurred that it is often impossible to identify the creative sources at work during a performance. These things, and many others that the group incorporates into its music, make Rara Avis a special band for me, and most certainly for fans of modern improvised music”.

07.05 Rafal Mazur & Keir Neuringer at Bomba

Rafal Mazur talked extensively about the history of this duo in the recent interview, the music is as personal as this long-living duo's relation is now. Nonetheless the rich history, each meeting is a new experience. 

08.05 Samech at Alchemia

Samech was found by Anna Ostachowska, graduate of Music Academy in Krakow and Birmingham Conservotoire in UK. The band's initial repoertoire was based on klezmer music, today it presents a wide conception of world music. The Quartet is viola, cello, bass and percussion, it got recently recognized by John Zorn who released its music on internationally recognized Tzadik label.

08.05 Jazzcore Jam Session Party - Mike Parker's Birthday Party at Harris Piano Jazz Bar

Mike Parker is an american double bass player, living and creating in Krakow for a while, member and leader of numerous projects like Mike Parker's Unified Theory or N.S.I. Quartet (first prize of the 2012 Jazz Juniors festival). The evening will feature most of the musicians playing in the variety of his projects. Should be lots of fun.

09.05 Rykard Parasol at Alchemia

Rykard Parasol is sort of a female Nick Cave. Her songs are noir stories about love and murders and alcohol. Her voice is seducing and dark. She's both poetic powerfully dramatic stage presence. Every single of her previous concerts in Krakow packed the club, probably her performance during the open-air concert during Cracow Jewish Festival a year ago brought her some new ones.

09.05 Pink Freud at Piekny Pies

Pink Freud is one of those band living on the fringes of alternative rock, electronica and jazz genres and this band music and energy has a kind of commercial appeal that defies any of the genres above. Pink Freud music live is a performance os usually a mixture of fun, funk, joyfull and energy, some jazz swag and punk anarchy. The most recent project is band's music for an audiobook to Philip K. Dick's "Blade Runner" (or, as the original title was - "Do androids dream of electric sheeps?").

(EDIT, last minute addition)
09.05 Wovoka at Bomba
A peculiar quartet with Rapheael Roginski, Pawel Szpura (names very familiar to the avant jazz followers), Ola Rzekpka (from Drekoty and Alten Zachen) and Mewa Chabiera. Root inspiration in the old american music, rural blues as well as native americans.

11.05 Bartek Przytuła Band at Alchemia

For something completely different, why not a blues night with Bartek Przytuła? Seems a perfect way for a saturday night.

(EDIT: Last minute addition)
11.05 Hucpa at Cheder Cafe (parte of the MuLaKuŻ series)
For the 60th birthday of John Zorn a special project playing the music of Masada series, Maciej Obara (saxophone) with Bartek Nazaruk and Michal Bryndal on percussion.
This a special project and there's no material on the web the most classic Masada group should serve as an appetizer:

12.05 El Greco at Manggha (part of the "Starzy i Młodzi czy Jazz w Krakowie Festival")
Joachim Mencel used to be my favourite musician in Krakow, his trio concerts were absolutely brilliant, his compositions were always beautifull songs, his playing filled with passion and charisma that betrayed the mainstream idiom in many ways, at least in my ears. El Greco is mostly a smooth, funky, pop venture. But it's a world class as such.

Meantime in Warsaw....

09.05 - 12.05 New Jewish Music festival
A very varied festival program starts presents the many faces of modern jewish music and gathers speed till the finale concerts with the Riverloam Trio (Trzaska, Brice, Sanders) and Horny Trees Big Band.

09.05 Hakafot

10.05 Samech / Watcha Clan

11.05 Malerai - Goldstein - Masecki
11.05 Karolina Cicha & Spółka

12.05 Riverloam Trio
12.05 Horny Tress Big Band