Mikołaj Trzaska at Alchemia (29.11)

It was a final concert of this the 6th edition of Autumn Jazz Festival in Krakow and a worthy closure to a series a great concerts. Mikolaj's music has been an important part of Alchemia's jazz stage for as long as I remember and a festival without his performance would feel somehow incomplete.

Conference Call Quartet at Alchemia (28.11)

Gebhard Ullmann

Conference Call Quartet, an American-German cooperation, is a band that likes to play in Krakow. Their concert from 2007 yielded a double cd ("What About..?" on Not Two records) that received a general acclaim. And deservingly so, I might add.

The music they play is filled with subtle lyricism, tricky boppish lines, infectious grooves, free jazz energy. They can equally play a heavy post-hard-boppish number, or a lushfull ballad that becomes a transcendental musical meditation. Or a spirited blues (which they do as an encore). 

Peter Brotzmann Japan Trio at Manghha (08.11)

Peter Brotzmann celebrates this year his 70th birthday and he's touring like crazy. Just finished a four day feast Music Unlimited in Wels (I checked the schedule - he performed with nine different projects during the festival). And arrived to Krakow with a trio that brings almost 210 years onto the stage. And he brings the house down. Uncomprimising, relentless and wild spirit he is. And always was.

I remember a couple of years back the first time I've seen Peter on stage. My mind was blown away. I was crushed. It felt like a combination of tank (heavy) and machine gun (loud and fast) just went over me. I was so excited that I couldn't sleep and went half into the night writing down my impressions*. Brotzmann's sound is powerfull and unique. Rusty, vibrating, rough, rugged, deep. Filled with passion and vitality.

Akira Sakata Trio at Alchemia (27.10)

It was one of the more anticipated concerts of this year's Autumn festival in Krakow. Akira Sakata had played in Krakow once. 35 years ago. He's long been illustrous example of japanese scene - slightly obscure (most of the recent albums available only as japanese imports) yet right there at the top with the best of them. Which I was about to experience.

Sakata's playing now with a dynamic duo rhythm section of Darin Gray and Chris Corsano and that's both and intercontinental and intergenerational collaboration as they're half his age. Having said that, Akira, at 66, has an incredible energy on stage. His playing on alto is strong and heavily rooted in free jazz. His twisted sharp lines still mantain the linear narration feature of a jazz solo. He flights, rides and jumps furiously over a ferocious pulse provided by Darin and Chris. When this trio hits the stratosphere (Akira stepping up into higher register) their energy, pure musical excitation is absolutely contagious. It's the alto's sound, the maddening playing but also somewhat bluesy hint (not in the scale or melody but in deep tone, profound, cerebral way of playing music) that puts Akira right next to Ornette Coleman in my ears.

Ken Vandermark & Paal Nilssen-Love at Alchemia (25.10)

There's only a handfull of musicians who played more often in Alchemia in recent years. And only a handfull of musicians who constistently play at the level this duo does. A fact known well by Krakow audience which filled up completely the audience (corridor, backstage, floor) space of Alchemia.

Rafal Mazur / Liudas Mockunas / Raymond Strid at Alchemia (20.10)

Liudas Mockunas

Fun fact : had the idea to start this blog came one day earlier the very first (or the very second) would be about a concert those three guys played close to a year ago at Solvay (modern art centre in Kraków). 

Raymond Strid is probably best known out of tree, his trio with Barry Guy and Mats Gustafsson has been one of the most respected unit in the free music for quite a long time. Rafal Mazur (one of the most written about musicians on this blog) is well known to Krakow audience, our guy on the stage. Liudas Mockunas (while faithfull readers might remember this review) was probably the least known (to the audience) member of the band but from now on he will be well remembered.

The EDGE (J. Kao Hwang / T. Ho Bynum / K. Filiano / A. Drury) at Alchemia (16.10)

Jason Kao Hwang

After a rock warm-up with Kazutoki Umezu KIKI band and almost a month-long break finally the Krakowska Jesien Jazzowa (Autumn Jazz Festival) is really on! And it starts with a real blast. The Edge played their last concert of of a small tour (concerts in Poznan and in Katowice on previous days) - their first ever visit to Poland. And they were very happy to finish that tour on Alchemia's stage, which, apparently, is more famous overseas than in Krakow.

And from the very first moments you know you're in for a treat - a strong bass pulse, freewheeling drumming with a slight latin tinge (cowbell) and furious soloing in between the tricky, intricate themes. Music whose complexity doesn't alternate it's live, vibrant, dynamic and passionate character.

Kazutoki Umezu KIKI Band at Manggha (20.09) Krakow Autumn Jazz Festival begins!

KIKI Band

It has begun! And by 'it' I mean the long-awaited Autumn Jazz Festival in Krakow where I hope to see you all in the next two months.

And it started with a heavy kick provided by the Kazutoki Umezu KIKI Band, a group well known and always welcomed by Krakow audience (as they have played here before).

I admit it is a relatively easy task to write about this group's concert since you know exactly what to expect from this band and the band fulfills those (high) expectations. Plus you can support your words with a selection of decent quality vids easily find on the web.
(polish readers can also find the text published on jazzarium.pl)

KIKI's music is a well shaken cocktail: swiss precision, a doze of (typical to japanese music scene) madness, catchy melodies, massive rock sound, heavy riffs, crazy speed rhythms and some ass-kicking soloing to go with it. All of that within a strict form of a rock song (verse-chorus-bridge; with the exception of multi-themathic, extended prog-rock piece that opened the 2nd set). The instumental prowess is also enhanced by musical showmanship as the melodic bass solos bring to mind Victor Wooten, under the rusty free-jazz sounds made by Kazutoki his sound is clear and sweet like that of David Sanborn's alto (and I mean it as a compliment), Natsuki Kido could be an incarnation of Gary Moore (or another guitar-shredder) and the drummer doesn't slack off either, proud to defend's the rock honor of USA.

Krakowska Jesień Jazzowa (Krakow Autumn Jazz Festival) starts tomorrow!!!

Tomorrow starts the 6th edition of the festival that is crucial for the musical education of this blog's author (my humble self). 

The stage of Alchemia (and occasionally Klub Re and Manghha Museum) was the space of creativity hosting countless musicians and groups,  some of the true legends of improvising music (Joe McPhee, Peter Brotzmann, Anthony Braxton, William Parker, Evan Parker, Trevor Watts) other making their first steps in the genre (I remember some of the first concerts by Waclaw Zimpel and his trio The Light!). There were special projects created for the festival (Resonance, Barry Guy Week) and concerts that were the first chance for many musicians to introduce themselves to polish audience, appreciative, attentive and always hungry for new musical experiences. And the festival always presented us with new names that even in this pretty cosy and close circle of pretty unpopular music's fans, were underground.

My passion for this music was born and nurtured and refined, my knowledge constantly questioned during those concerts and after each edition have ended I would impatiently wait for the new one (with spring's concerts being just a starter for a real annual meal).

And it is no coincidence that this blog was born during this festival with the direct impulse being the last year's special project - the Barry Guy New Orchestra Week, the celebreation of its 10th year of activity (just check the very first posts of the blog).

Thus I'd like to take the chance to thank in advance Marek Winiarski from Not Two records - the festival's artistic director, the owners and the (both past and present) crew of Alchemia and everyone else whose dedication and work made the 6th edition, nonetheless all the obstacles, possible.

I'll write about the concerts on the blog, and I managed to prepare in advance some cd reviews to keep them arriving steady so I invite you to check the blog sistematically.

Tomorrow it will begin (and I'll write about it the day after)!!!

Hope to see you on the concerts and around!
Check the program:
on Alchemia's page
and visit the festival's blog page.