The 51st International Jazz Pianists Festival in Kalisz, Poland came to an end on 24 November 2024. Just as for last year’s jubilee edition of the event, its organiser – the Center for Culture and Art in Kalisz – prepared a four-day programme.
The festival began 21 November with a concert by a duo – Polish pianist Krzysztof Kobyliński and French trumpeter Erik Truffaz. For the Polish musician this performance had a particularly historical dimension, as Kobyliński was playing again in Kalisz after exactly 50 years. The pair filled the air with harmonious compositions, perfectly putting the Kalisz audience in a jazzy, slightly melancholic and reflective mood.
In keeping with festival tradition, the Grammy-winning Kalisz Philharmonic was also involved this year, with its string orchestra under the baton of Ruben Silva performing Wanderer’s Notes, an hour-long suite for piano and string orchestra by pianist and composer Krzysztof Herdzin. In the piece, one could find not only jazz sounds, but also elements characteristic of contemporary and film music. Krzysztof Herdzin’s presence heralded a changing of the guard. After almost 30 years, artistic director Paweł Brodowski decided to take a seat in the audience and put the festival reins in Herdzin’s experienced hands. It is hard to imagine next year’s festival without Brodowski. However, knowing Herdzin, I think we can be calm about the fate of the IJPF.
Friday’s instalment (22/11/24), began with the trio of charismatic young Polish pianist Mateusz Pałka. The band, founded in 2016, also features double bassist Piotr Południak and drummer Patryk Dobosz. The trio’s music resounded with numerous inspirations from classical music and Polish folklore, filled with moodiness and nostalgia, while captivating with its freedom of improvisation.
The second concert on Friday evening was a tribute to one of the most outstanding Polish jazz musicians – Andrzej Trzaskowski. The programme was prepared by Michał Tokaj and was specially commissioned by the Kalisz festival. The Tokaj quintet, consisting of Michał Tokaj – piano, Robert Majewski – trumpet, Henryk Miśkiewicz – alto and soprano saxophone, Sławomir Kurkiewicz – double bass, and Michał Miśkiewicz – drums, are undisputed stars of the Polish jazz scene. The musicians performed, among others, the rearranged three-movement suite Synopsis (Expression I, Expression II, Impression), as well as Requiem For Scott LaFaro, from the album The Andrzej Trzaskowski Quintet, released in 1965.
Friday culminated with The Colors Of My Life, performed by a Polish-American band consisting of Janis Siegel – vocals, Yaron Gershovsky – piano, Doug Weiss – double bass and Adam Czerwiński – drums. Janis Siegel and Yaron Gershovsky are musicians associated for years with Manhattan Transfer, the legendary jazz-vocal group. After the group played its final concert in December 2023, its members, thirsty for stage excitement, continued to give concerts. Their appetite for performance was reflected in an unforgettable show here, crowned with a thunderous standing ovation.
After the concerts at the Center for Culture and Art, the most loyal festival audience moved to the festival club located in the Calisia One complex built on the site of the former Kalisz piano factory. There performed Mateusz Kaszuba’s Trio, consisting of Mateusz Kaszuba – piano, Michał Rutkowski – double bass and Artur Małecki – drums. Among other honours, this band was the winner of this year’s Wojtek Siwek Jazz Individuality Competition at the Jazz on the Oder festival in Wroclaw.
The Saturday (23/11/24) of the festival will undoubtedly remain in the memory of Kalisz music lovers: such an energising festival day has not been seen for years. The concert day began with a duo of pianistic individualities – Tania Giannouli and Nik Bärtsch. The two musicians have been performing together since 2022, playing two pianos. It could be seen that despite presenting completely different styles of expression, the two complement each other perfectly, Nik’s minimalism combining with Tania’s melodiousness.
The second concert was a musical tribute to the British band, The Police, performed by the Marta Król and Paweł Tomaszewski’s Group. The programme is known to jazz enthusiasts from an album released in 2017, on which the rearrangement of rock hits from the 1970s and 80s for a jazz sextet was undertaken by Paweł Tomaszewski. The music, which was a combination of jazz and soul, was received in Kalisz with great enthusiasm. This was not surprising, as great musicians were responsible for the sound: Marta Król – vocals, Paweł Tomaszewski – piano and keyboards, Przemysław Florczak – saxophones, flutes and clarinets, Mateusz Szewczyk – double bass and bass guitar, Paweł Dobrowolski – drums, and Patryk Zakrzewski – percussion.
For Saturday’s finale, the main stage was filled with an energising warmth straight from Cuba, generated by the Alfredo Rodríguez Trio. The band consisted of Alfredo Rodríguez – piano and vocals, Michael Olivera – percussion, and Yarel Hernandez – bass, and is known for its concert spontaneity and expressiveness. So it was in Kalisz, where the musicians literally picked up the audience from the first song. The trio years ago fascinated Quincy Jones, who decided to support the Cuban’s original albums with his experience. During the performance in Kalisz, there was no shortage of remembrance of Jones, to whom Rodríguez dedicated the rearranged Michael Jackson hit Thriller.
Also on Saturday, the most tenacious festival-goers could count on an additional concert at the festival club. This time it featured the Hania Derej Quintet, led by a pianist considered one of the most promising of the young generation. The band featured Hania Derej – piano, Krzysztof Kuśmierek – saxophone, Tymon Okolus – trombone, Kosma Góra – bass and Kuba Długoborski – drums.
Sunday (24/11/24) began with a concert by the trio of Gdańsk-based composer and pianist Joanna Duda featuring Duda – piano and electronics, Maksymilian Mucha – double bass and Michał Bryndal – percussion and electronic effects. The trio’s music was filled with a prominent irregular rhythmic structure and melodic conceptualism. Despite the non-obvious form, the compositions remained very clear in reception, drawing clear visions and images in the listener’s mind. The day before the concert, the band had finished their new album and treated the audience to an encore premiering one of its tunes.
Musicians from Lithuania – the Dainius Pulauskas Acoustic Group – appeared next. The group found inspiration in the fusion style, which was spiced with the finesse and piano artistry of the leader. The musicians surprised the audience with, among other things, their own interpretations of Krzysztof Komeda’s works. The quintet was Dainius Pulauskas – piano, Valerijus Ramoška – trumpet and flugelhorn, Liutauras Janušaitis – tenor saxophone and flute, Arman Isojan – double bass and Domantas Razmus – drums.
The finale was the long-awaited concert by the Nduduzo Makhathini Trio. The South African-born pianist and composer is an artist associated with the legendary Blue Note label. The performance in Kalisz was the only Polish stop on the world tour of this uncommon artist, who, in addition to music, is also engaged in philosophy. The trio, composed of Nduduzo Makhathini – piano, Zwelakhe-Duma Bell Le Pere – double bass, Lukmil Pérez – percussion, presented works from this year’s album uNomkhubulwane. The concert will undoubtedly be remembered not only as a musical feast, but also as a multi-level, mystical experience.
More on the Kalisz festival is here: https://ckis.kalisz.pl/festiwale/mfpj
Text and photos: Szymon Ratajczyk (ratajczyk.art). Text editors: Damian Kacprzak, Mark Gilbert