From 26 to 30 April, the capital of Lower Silesia will play host to world and Polish jazz stars. The programme includes fifteen concerts.
The opening day will feature Grammy-nominated Peter Erskin’s Quartet with a special contribution from saxophonist George Garzone, and the whole festival will be crowned with the performance of Kenny Garrett and Sounds From The Ancestors. In between, we will hear such distinguished artists as: Kenny Barron (i.e. one of the „most lyrical pianists in the world“ – according to Jazz Weekly, who has just recorded the album „The Source“), Philip Dizack (also Grammy-nominated), saxophonist Walt Weiskopf, guitarists Peter Bernstein and Mark Whitfield, and saxophonists Andy Middleton (accompanied by Piotr Wojtasik) and Bob Sheppard, who are well-known to jazz audiences. Among the Polish performers, we will hear: the bands of Adam Bałdych, Kuba Stankiewicz, Grzegorz Nagórski, Bernard Masela, Kasia Pietrzko and Przemysław Jarosz, with the participation of Dominik Wani (who is one of the few Polish artists to record for the famous ECM label) and Marta Wajdzik.
This year, the main venue for the events will be the Impart Centrum, the new stage of Strefa Kultury Wrocław (Wrocław Culture Zone) at ul. Piłsudskiego 19, which formerly housed the Witold Lutosławski Philharmonic. Other concerts and jam sessions will take place at Vertigo Jazz Club & Restaurant. The festival will begin with the final auditions of the 2023 Jazz Individuality Contest. Young musicians will compete for the Grand Prix awarded by a jury consisting of: Dariusz Oleszkiewicz, Peter Erskine, Piotr Wojtasik, and Kuba Stankiewicz. The winner will receive, among other prizes, PLN 25,000 funded by the Mayor of Wrocław and a Rybotrąbka statuette.
Tickets will be available at www.jazznadodra.pl and www.strefakultury.pl
PROGRAMME
26 April (Wednesday)
Impart Centrum, 10:00 a.m.
Final auditions for the 2023 Jazz Individuality Contest
Impart Centrum, 6:00 p.m.
- Jazz Individuality Contest Award Gala
- Bernard Maseli – MaBaSo (Bernard Maseli – Mallet Kat, kalimba, Michał Barański – electric bass, Daniel Soltis – drums)
- Peter Erskine Quartet feat. George Garzone (Peter Erskine – drums, George Garzone – tenor saxophone, Alan Pasqua – piano, Darek Oleszkiewicz – bass)
Vertigo Jazz Club & Restaurant, 11:00 p.m.
- Kasia Pietrzko Trio – concert promoting the new album „Fragile Ego” (Kasia Pietrzko – piano, Andrzej Święs – bass, Piotr Budniak – drums)
- Jam session
27 April (Thursday)
Impart Centrum, 7:00 p.m.
- Kuba Stankiewicz International Quartet (Bob Sheppard – saxophone, flute, Kuba Stankiewicz – piano, Darek Oleszkiewicz – bass, Eric Ineke – drums, guest: Maria Puga Lareo – vocal)
- Philip Dizack Quartet (Philip Dizack – trumpet, Mike King – piano, Joe Sanders – bass, Jeremy Dutton – drums
Vertigo Jazz Club & Restaurant, 11:00 p.m.
- Jerzy Małek Gravity Group (Jerzy Małek – trumpet, flugelhorn, Piotr Wyleżoł – piano, keyboard instruments, Jan Smoczyński – keyboards, programming, Marcin Pospieszalski – bass guitar, Sebastian Frankiewicz – drums, Wojciech Lichtański – alto saxophone)
- Jam session
28 April (Friday)
Impart Centrum, 7:00 p.m.
- Walt Weiskopf European Quartet (Walt Weiskopf – saxophone, Carl Winther – piano, Andreas Lang – bass, Anders Mogensen – drums)
- Peter Bernstein & Mark Whitfield Organ Quartet (Peter Bernstein – guitar, Mark Whitfield – guitar, Phil Wilkinson – Hammond organ, Mourad Benhammou – drums)
Vertigo Jazz Club & Restaurant, 11:00 p.m.
- Marta Wajdzik Quartet (Marta Wajdzik – saxophone, Szymon Mika – guitar, Robert Kubiszyn – bass guitar, bass, Paweł Dobrowolski – drums)
- Jam session
29 April (Saturday)
Impart Centrum, 7:00 p.m.
- Yarosh Organ Trio feat. Dominik Wania (Przemysław Jarosz – drums, Tomasz Pruchnicki – saxophones, Kajetan Galas – Hammond organ, Dominik Wania – piano)
- Kenny Barron Solo Piano
Vertigo Jazz Club & Restaurant 11:00 p.m.
- Grzegorz Nagórski Quintet (Grzegorz Nagórski – trombone, euphonium, Paweł Tomaszewski – piano, organ, keyboard, Mateusz Szczypka – guitar, Michał Kapczuk – bass, bass guitar, Grzegorz Pałka – drums)
- Jam session
30 April (Sunday)
Impart Centrum, 7:00 p.m.
- Adam Bałdych Quintet (Adam Bałdych – violin, Marek Konarski – saxophone, Krzysztof Dys – piano, Michał Barański – bass, Dawid Fortuna – drums)
- Kenny Garrett and Sounds From The Ancestors (Kenny Garrett – alto and tenor saxophone, Corcoran Holt – double bass, Rudy Bird – percussion instruments, David Brown – piano, Ronald Bruner – drums)
Vertigo Jazz Club & Restaurant, 11:00 p.m.
- Andy Middleton Freedom Quartet (Andy Middleton – saxophones, Piotr Wojtasik – trumpet, Garrett Baxter – bass, Alan Jones – drums)
- Jam session
ACCOMPANYING EVENTS
26 April (Wednesday)
Impart Centrum
- MK Jazz Foto exhibition – 5th Marek Karewicz Photography Competition
From 2022, the Wojtek Siwek Special Prize is also awarded for the best photograph taken during the Jazz on the Oder Festival.
Resource: Press release