Wrocław breathed jazz for five days
Wrocław, 23–27 April 2025: Jazz nad Odrą – the oldest jazz festival in Poland – has been continuously attracting those for whom jazz is more than just music for over six decades. Its stages feature not only leading European names, but also world-class artists from New York, Oslo, Tel Aviv and Tokyo. And yet the festival does not lose its character, it does not try to overwhelm anyone; it does not hunt for flashbulbs. It remains an event for attentive listeners – with a crowd of loyal fans who return to Wrocław every year. It is here that the paths of generations, aesthetics and temperaments intersect – in music that is a conversation conducted in phrases.
Wednesday, 23 April – youth and musical identity
The first day traditionally belongs to youth. The Wojtek Siwek Jazz Individuality Competition is not an academic exam – it is a battlefield for musical identity. Candidates do not recite standards but speak their own musical language. The jury, consisting of double bassist Darek Oleszkiewicz, saxophonist Mark Shim and pianist Kuba Stankiewicz, did not have an easy task. The evening gala reveals the winners – the Blu/Bry band, consisting of Tomasz Kusz (trumpet), Jan Kusz (saxophone), Franciszek Wicke (bass), Jakub Letkiewicz (piano) and Stanisław Banyś (drums).
The star of the evening was Piotr Wojtasik, with his international quintet. The Polish trumpeter was accompanied by Mark Shim (tenor saxophone), Greg Murphy (piano), Joris Teepe (double bass) and Tommy Campbell (drums). From the very first bars, it was clear that this would not be another nod to jazz tradition, but rather a musical journey into the unknown, full of groove, space and spontaneity. Wojtasik, as usual, played not only with sound but also with meaning – his project “Inscape” is not only a neologism but also an attempt at musical insight into what breaks inside. The surprise of the evening was the appearance of Anna Maria Jopek. Her vocalisation – ethereal, yet deeply rooted in the structure of the piece – gave one of the compositions an almost meditative character. It was not a duet; it was a meeting of two languages that understood each other perfectly.
The evening jam session at Vertigo began with a concert by Piotr Wyleżoł’s quartet. The program “I Love Music” is a personal tribute to jazz – full of space, emotion and distinct pulses. The artists: Piotr Wyleżoł (piano), Andy Middleton (saxophone), Michał Barański (double bass) and Ferenc Nemeth (drums) created lively, communicative music in which everyone had their place, and improvisation was not an addition but the core. After the concert, the stage opened to everyone – the first jam session started without warning, free and dense, as if it were the beginning of the festival.
Thursday, 24 April – sound as a story
Thursday evening began with a concert by the winner of the Wojtek Siwek Jazz Individuality Competition – the band Blu/Bry. The young musicians confirmed the jury’s verdict, presenting a fresh, compact sound and a mature approach to form. Their performance was not only a display of technique, but also a sense of shared narrative – without ostentation, but with a clear vision.
Daniel Herskedal and his trio – with Eyolf Dale on piano and Helge Andreas Norbakken on drums – presented, among other things, material from their latest album, Movements Of Air. The tuba in Herskedal’s hands is not a curiosity, but a fully fledged narrator. The Scandinavian sound carried a pulsating groove, drama and space. The compositions – rhythmically rich yet economical – resembled a well-told film. Norbakken used unconventional, seemingly random instruments: car rims, bells, and pieces of sheet metal. However, in his hands, each object became an indispensable instrument. It was a story that was felt rather than spoken and heard – hypnotic and atmospheric, but far from melancholic.
In the second part of the evening, the James Carter Organ Trio performed on the main festival stage, located at the Impart Centre. Gerald Gibbs’ organ groove on the Hammond B3 and Alex White’s bravura on the drums created the perfect backdrop for Carter, whose saxophone – full of expression and characteristic overtones – drew in and absorbed the audience from the very first bars. Carter does not improvise for effect but celebrates the energy balancing on the border between chaos and order. It is worth noting that Gibbs had the pleasure of playing on the original organ that once belonged to Wojciech Karolak himself – its sound carried with it a piece of history.
Late in the evening, Vertigo hosted Henryk Miśkiewicz with his project “Miśkiewicz Special Quartet – The Music of Ptaszyn”. The concert was a tribute to the recently deceased Jan “Ptaszyn” Wróblewski. All the musicians – Miśkiewicz, Wojciech Niedziela (piano), Andrzej Święs (double bass), and Marcin Jahr (drums) – had been associated with him for many years. The concert was a sincere, respectful story, in which Miśkiewicz’s saxophone sounded lyrical, with a great sense of space and narrative. The musicians paid tribute to the master without unnecessary pathos, with genuine gratitude and reflection.
Friday, 25 April – depth of emotion and freedom of form
Friday evening began with a concert by saxophonist Daniel Rotem, who performed with an outstanding international lineup: Billy Childs (piano), Darek Oleszkiewicz (double bass) and Christian Euman (drums). The concert program was based on material from the album Wise One – a personal tribute to John Coltrane. Rotem does not imitate, but interprets standards – with sensitivity, a deep understanding of the idiom, and great formal discipline. His playing was transparent and emotionally saturated, yet economical in its means – more reflective than showy. The quartet sounded coherent and organic. Childs introduced harmonic nuances, Oleszkiewicz led the bass narrative with great calm, sensitivity and elegance and Euman – with his characteristic lightness – gave the whole a fluidity and pulse.
The second part of the evening featured the Fascination Trio, consisting of leader Joe Lovano on saxophone, Anders Christensen on double bass, and Joey Baron on drums. It was a concert of a completely different genre – more open, conversational, with plenty of room for interaction. Lovano confirmed his status as one of the most important American saxophonists of recent decades – his sound had both density and carrying power, as well as the sonic space so beloved by jazz enthusiasts. Christensen was precise and balanced, while Baron – as usual – intrigued with his silence, accent and articulatory drama. The band did not tell a closed story – rather, it left things unsaid, allowing the audience to add their own meanings.
Late in the evening, Aga Zaryan performed at the Vertigo club. In an intimate, time-tested lineup – with Michał Tokaj (piano), Sławek Kurkiewicz (double bass), Łukasz Żyta (drums) and Robert Majewski (trumpet and flugelhorn) – the artist presented a subtle, balanced and classy programme. Her vocals – delivered without emphasis, but with great attention – balanced between lyricism and cool precision. Zaryan does not seek unnecessary effect – rather, she focuses on intention and message. The musicians accompanying her supported the singer with sensitivity and space. It was an intimate and mature concert – well thought-out in form, yet emotionally open.
Saturday, 26 April – narratives of the future
Saturday evening kicked off with Joe Sanders feat. Seamus Blake “Parallels” – a multi-layered project led by an extraordinary double bassist who does not limit himself to one role. Sanders also played bass guitar, piano and drums and sang, creating a multidimensional sound structure. He was accompanied by Seamus Blake (tenor saxophone), Logan Richardson (alto saxophone) and Gregory Hutchinson (drums). Their concert was an expression of the belief that repetition can build tension and that minimalism can build meaning. The compositional space was dense with subtle contrasts – anxiety coexisted with lyricism, and groove with abstraction. Sanders created a focused, open, yet deeply engaging narrative.
The second part of Saturday’s concert was filled by Obed Calvaire, an American drummer with Haitian roots who presented a project with a strong historical and cultural message, “150 Million Gold Francs”. The title refers to the amount Haiti had to pay France after gaining independence – and although the story was rooted in history, the music lived in the here and now. Calvaire played in Wrocław with a band consisting of Godwin Louis (alto saxophone), Willerm Delisfort (piano), Harold St. Louis (keyboards), Emmanuel Michael (guitar), and Addi Lafosse (bass guitar). Their performance was an exciting and energetic hybrid of jazz, Caribbean rhythms, Haitian tradition and modern groove. Calvaire was an expressive leader – present not only with his sound, but also with his stage charisma. His drums drove the narrative with power and precision, giving the whole performance a pulse and drama appropriate to the message.
The evening at the Vertigo club was closed by Janis Siegel, vocalist of the legendary The Manhattan Transfer, with her project “The Colors of My Life”. She was accompanied by a quintet composed of Yaron Gershovsky (piano), Darek Oleszkiewicz (double bass), Adam Czerwiński (drums) and Marcin Wądołowski (guitar). The concert had an intimate character, full of elegance and vocal class. Siegel – still in great shape – sings with lightness, but also with fire. The singer’s repertoire included standards, but the performance was far from routine – each song carried a freshness and personal tone. Gershovsky accompanied with the sensitivity of a chamber musician, and the entire band accompanied her with feeling and space.
Sunday, 27 April – intimacy for the finale
The last evening of the festival opened with Makoto Ozone‘s original project “TRiNFiNiTY”, which sounded like a long, intimate meditation on sound and space. The leader was accompanied by outstanding Japanese musicians: Kunito Kitai (percussion) and Shimpei Ogawa (double bass), who, despite their young age, impressed with the maturity of their sound and instrumental virtuosity. Anna Maria Jopek made her second guest appearance on the festival stage, her vocals subtly complementing the form of the pieces played. Jopek sang with her characteristic attention and restraint, being part of the artistic structure rather than a decoration. The musicians created a common language based on mutual listening – subtle, unobtrusive, sincere. It was a journey inward, more spiritual than geographical.
The second part of Sunday’s concert was filled with music of New York precision and Chicago soul thanks to the Marquis Hill Composers Collective and the “Beyond the Jukebox” project. Hill, the leader and trumpeter, surrounded himself with excellent musicians: Michael King (piano), Junius Paul (bass guitar) and Makaya McCraven (drums). Their common language is modern jazz rooted in the African-American tradition, but receptive to influences ranging from hip-hop to soul to spoken word. Hill does not put himself at the centre – he leads the band like a composer who thinks collectively, with a sense of drama.
The Lage Lund Quartet closed not only Sunday evening, but also this year’s Jazz nad Odrą in a mood of focused intensity. Lund (guitar), accompanied by Danny Grissett (piano), Orlando le Fleming (double bass) and Jeff Ballard (drums), presented material from the albums Most Peculiar and Ashes. Despite the late hour, the concert was intriguing, dense and introspective for the festival audience. The compositions developed organically, and their open forms allowed the music to breathe. Lund is a guitarist who leads the listener by suggestion rather than clear narrative.
Jazz nad Odrą 2025 – living history
Since 1964, Jazz nad Odrą has not only followed the history of Polish jazz, but has also helped to shape it – from generation to generation, from phrase to phrase. This year’s 61st edition of the festival presented jazz as a living and sensitive phenomenon – open to new voices, based in Wrocław, which remains not only a concert venue for jazz, but also a spiritual space.
The five days brought a variety of aesthetics and temperaments – from the young scene and intense improvisations, through subtle dialogues between masters, to projects rooted in history but directed towards the future. The festival stages – both the main one at Impart and the club stage at Vertigo – pulsated with music not to dazzle, but to communicate: through silence, repetition, pause, conversation.
Once again, Jazz nad Odrą did not chase trends. Instead, it confirmed that jazz lives where someone still listens – attentively, without haste, without the need to shorten the content to fit the range. In Wrocław, jazz is not a decoration – it is the language of relationships. And may it remain so for years to come.
Text and photos: Szymon Ratajczyk (ratajczyk.art)
Editor: Damian Kacprzak
