Busy weekend at Krakow. Concerts, concerts, concerts!

It was only Sunday that Krakow Autumn Jazz Festival ended (I'm sorry I missed the Ames Room concert, heard it was great), they day after Rafal Mazur and Keir Neuringer finished their duo tour with Anna Kaluza at Literki (haven't missed it, heard it and it was great) and one would maybe think that holiday break was due but concerts and festivals keep coming so please pay attention and I'd like to wholeheartedly recommed to you these events (thursday can give you a small headache):

Thursday - Sunday
13th Silent Movie Festival - Kino Pod Baranami

Among the titles such classics as The Gabinet of Dr Caligari or Metropolis, as well as modern movies like The Artist. Among the groups  / musicians that will provide the music for the picture are DVA (the unique duo from Cech I wrote about this year on the occasion of their concert in Krakow). As well as a wide reppresentation of the alternative / experimental  / electronic / improvised scene in Poland such as SzaZa, Kristen, Levity, Paweł Szpura with Maciej Korba and many more. 

Thursday as well

Eddie Henderson & Tomek Grochot Quintet - Music Academy.

A start of the projects's tour and what I hope will be also a start of bigger series of events under the name of "Jazz in Academia". The band presents some of the most prominent figures of the young jazz scene in Poland such as piano player Dominik Wania, Max Mucha on bass, joined by the veteran sax player Maciek Sikala. 

Thursday again

Marcin Masecki at Bomba - Kunst der Fuge

Marcin Masecki will play "The art of the Fugue" by J. S. Bach and this event will take place at Bomba pub at around 20.30. Masecki's approach to classical music is quite unique and controversial at times but very much intriguing. 

Sunday

Matana Roberts at Piękny Pies! 

A well-known pub have just relocated and celebrates its reopening with music. For this Sunday Matana Roberts will play and I've praised her doing it on the occasion of Warsaw Summer Jazz earlier this year, can't wait to hear more of her in Krakow.

Monday

Jam Session at Literki.

After busy weekend, time to chill a bit. Come to Literki as soon as you finish listening to the Jazz Alchemist Radio playlist (and if you have to leave earlier I understand and forgive you - you can listen to it later on mixcloud). The Jam will be led again by Dominka Rusinowska, Slawek Pezda, Thomas Kolarczyk and Dominik Stankiewicz. Musician or listener, come and enjoy the evening. 

Profesjonalizm - Chopin Chopin Chopin [Lado ABC]

Marcin Masecki - pianino, compositions

Kamil Szuszkiewicz - trumpet

Michał Górczyński - clarinet, tenor saxophone

Tomasz Duda - baritone saxophone

Piotr Domagalski - double bass

Jerzy Rogiewicz - drums

Lado ABC 2011

Marcin Masecki's name resonates well in ears of any polish jazz/music fan but he's yet to gain international recognition and he most certainly deserves it. Masecki's talent, refined through years of classical education (graduated from Berklee College of Music) is undeniable. He's sound conception and style of playing is easily recognizable (he prefers, whenever it's possible, to play his own pianino instead of a grand concert piano, all in order to be able to create a personal rapport with his own instrument - something that comes more easily to musicians playing virtually any other instrument). The vast ground he covers with his activity is impressive - equally adept in mainstream jazz (with Zbigniew Wegehaupt Quratet), fully improvised concerts (solo, in duo with Ziv Ravitz, in power trio with Macio Moretti and Raphael Roginski), avant pop (Paristetris) or classical (fascinated with Bach's music). In any of those contexts Masecki remains unmistakenably Masecki, unique, idiosyncratic. Which brings us (well, sort of) to Profesjonalizm sextet, his latest release on Lado ABC (an alternative label he's been working with for quite a while now).

Marcin Masecki's Profesjonalizm will play at Alchemia

Not a part of the Krakowska Jesień Jazzowa festival but you can treat this as an extra surprise. Marcin Masecki is easily among the most creative  and versatile piano players today - from classical music, mainstream jazz, avant improvisation to alternative rock. His band Profesjonalizm gathers six representants of talented young generation and already gained a lot of recognition for their recent debut cd. The concert in Alchemia (this thursday - 13.10) is bound to be welcomed surprise and I heartily recommend it to you. 

Hope to see you there!

Masecki's Profesjonalizm Band was presented last monday in BBC Radio 3 feature called Warsaw Special. You can listen to it on-line for the next week only so don't miss it!

ps (The band will also play soon in Tarnów, Poznań and Elbląg).

ps 2 (I'll write about the concert afterwards or about the cd, or both :)