Tickets price: 120 PLN
I set
2024 Wojtek Siwek Jazz Individuality Contest Award Gala
Bartosz Pernal Orchestra
Jan Swaton – alto saxophone
Jan Kantner – alto saxophone
Adam Bławicki – tenor saxophone
Dimitrios Hartwich-Vrazas – tenor saxophone
Mateusz Leszczyński – bari saxophone
Marek Kubiszyn – trumpet
Jan Chojnacki – trumpet
Michał Podżus – trumpet
Dominik Gawroński – trumpet
Marcin Wołowiec – trombone
Bartosz Pernal – trombone
Dawid Khlas – trombone
Paweł Kukuła – piano
Bartłomiej Chojnacki – double bass
Przemysław Jarosz – drums
photo credit: Sławek Przerwa
Bartosz Pernal Orchestra is an ensemble of eighteen outstanding soloist-instrumentalists. The full of invention improvised solo parts and the wide performance capabilities of individual musicians have a significant impact on the full, sophisticated and rich sound of the orchestra. Led by Bartosz Pernal, the ensemble performs a broad repertoire: the leader’s compositions and original arrangements commissioned by festival organisers. The orchestra’s debut concert was held in February 2016 at the National Forum of Music in Wroclaw. Since then, the ensemble played at many festivals, e.g.: Jazz nad Odrą (52nd, 53rd and 57th editions), Game Music Festival in 2018 and in 2022 (Royal Festival Hall in London), Hałda Jazz Festival (2017), RCK PRO Jazz Festival (2019 and 2021). In September 2021, the band released the album Salute to Buddy Rich featuring drummer Zbigniew Lewandowski and saxophonist Piotr Baron.
Bartosz Pernal was awarded the Medal for Merit to Polish Culture in September 2023.
During the 60th edition of the Jazz nad Odra festival, the orchestra’s lineup will feature soloists – outstanding musicians whose work has been associated with the Wroclaw jazz scene for years. The concert program will include works prepared especially for the occasion.
2nd set
Wrocław Jazz Night:
Zbigniew Lewandowski Quintet
Zbigniew Lewandowski – drums
Kenny Carr – guitar
Tomasz Pruchnicki – saxophones
Robert Jarmużek – keyboards
Jakub Olejnik – double bass
photo credit: Sławek Przerwa
On 16 October 2022 in the Concert Hall of the Academy of Music took place an extraordinary concert titled The Music Of My Life, crowning the 50th anniversary of the artistic work of Wroclaw jazz musician Zbyszek “Levandek” Lewandowski. Since such an impressive and attractive – due to the distinguished guests performing on stage accompanied by Bartosz Pernal’s Big-Band – concert could only take place in Wroclaw, Zbyszek Lewandowski set up a Jubilee Edition of his acoustic quintet to meet the proposals of venues which would like to organise such a concert. The first, opening the series of anniversary concerts, took place in Studio S2 of Polskie Radio pr.2 in Warsaw, in the Jazz.pl series. Over time, the ensemble became Zbyszek’s regular touring band. In September 2023 he recorded in the Monochrom studio in Gniewoszów the material for his latest original album titled A New Opening marking a new stage of Zbyszek Lewandowski’s musical career. The album’s program consists of compositions reminiscing about the formations Zbyszek led, the musicians he worked with and the artists he admired, written by him and Quintet’s saxophonist Tomek Pruchnicki.
photo: press materials
Zbigniew Lewandowski – jazz musician, drummer, composer, arranger, band leader. For 50 years on the Polish music scene. He made his debut in the Sami Swoi traditional jazz band, later in Big Band Wroclaw. From 1973 to 1976 he propelled the rhythm sections of the Wroclaw super groups, Spisek Sześciu (first prize at Jazz nad Odrą in 1974) and Crash (first prize at the San Sebastian Jazz Festival 1977). He founded and performed in the first lineup of the 1980s super group String Connection. In 1982, he made his debut as a band leader, presenting his jazz septet, at the Jazz on the Odra festival. Since then, he has formed his own projects and ensembles from a trio to septet, and the style of the ensembles changes as the artistic orientation of the leader develops (acoustic and electric mainstream, electric jazz, fusion, salsa). He has participated in the recording of dozens of albums – including 12 of his own. He has many hours of theatre and film music to his credit. In the 1990s, he forms his iconic Three Generations trio with Marek Raduli and Wojtek Pilichowski, as well as The High Bred Jazz Trio together with Wojciech Karolak and Piotr Baron. Lecturer at the music workshops Blues nad Bobrem in Boleslawiec, Jawor Rock in Jaworzno, Blues Express in Zakrzew, Hanza Jazz in Koszalin, International Jazz Workshops in Puławy. He was a lecturer at Wroclaw School of Jazz. He was awarded in 2007 the bronze and in 2022 the silver Meritorious to Culture Gloria Artis medal, as well the Meritorious to Wrocław medals in 2008 and 2021.
photo: press materials
Jakub Olejnik – double bassist, bass guitarist, educator in the Department of Jazz Music at the Academy of Music in Wrocław. Lecturer at numerous Music Workshops in Poland and abroad. Initiator and Artistic Director of the Bas&Beat festival. He works, e.g. with the CAPITOL Music Theatre in Wrocław, the Polish Theatre in Wrocław, the National Forum of Music. He has performed at top festivals in Poland: Jazz nad Odrą, Warsaw Summer Jazz Days, Era Jazzu, Jazz Juniors, RCK Pro Jazz in Kołobrzeg, Green Town of Jazz in Zielona Góra. The festivals abroad include Cologne Jazz Night, Jazz Bez in Lviv, Jazz Fest Brno, Koskovo Jazz Festival, Musica Sacromontana.
photo: press materials
Robert Jarmużek – pianist, composer and arranger, since 2005 he has been associated with the MICROMUSIC band, with which he has released more than a dozen albums, among which: “Tak mi się nie chce” achieved the Gold Record status, and for “Micromusic z dolnej półki” the band was awarded the Fryderyk award. He has worked with, e.g.: Mike Russell, Jorgos Skolias, Piotr Baron, Artur Lesicki, Dorota Miśkiewicz, Marek Raduli. He has released several albums of his original music. The latest musical project of Jarmużek/Pakowska resulted in the “Przed skończeniem świata” album (with traditional music from the Lower Silesia region in jazz arrangements).
photo: press materials
Tomasz Pruchnicki – saxophonist, doctor of musical arts, lecturer at the Academy of Music in Wrocław. Winner of many awards including: Distinction for jazz standard interpretation Jazz nad Odrą Wroclaw 2000, Individual Award of the Jazz Juniors festival – Cracow 2001, Distinction for best soloist of the Krokus Jazz Festival in Jelenia Góra 2002. With the Big Band of the Academy of Music in Wrocław – Grand Prix of Festiwal Big Bandów in Nowy Tomyśl (2002/2003) and the award for the best instrumentalist of the festival 2023. Special award for arrangement Jazz nad Odrą 2004 in Wrocław, Grand Prix in the competition of the Rura-Live 2005 festival in Wroclaw with the Acoustic Jazz Quartet band.
photo: press materials
Kenny Carr – American jazz guitarist. One of the most important representatives of the New York jazz scene. He has recorded ten albums as a band leader, and also appears on albums by Ray Charles, with whom he collaborated over Orchestra’s last two decades, including Just Between Us (1988) and Ray Charles Live at Montreux 1997. He has also worked with Maceo Parker’s orchestra.
Piotr Baron Quintet
Piotr Baron – saxophone
Eddie Henderson – trumpet
Michał Tokaj – piano
Darek Oleszkiewicz – double bass
Marvin “Smitty” Smith – drums
photo credit: Magdalena Adamczewska
Piotr Baron is one of the most important saxophonists and leaders of Polish jazz music alongside Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski, Tomasz Szukalski or Zbigniew Namysłowski. He is an instrumentalist, lecturer, publicist, producer, composer and arranger, orchestra director, and head of a musical family (Alexander of Afromental, Adam of Pink Freud and Marysia – a student at the Academy of Music in Wrocław). Piotr Baron’s musical paths crossed with legendary jazz musicians in Poland and around the world, including: Ray Charles, Art Farmer, Wadada Leo Smith, Tomasz Stańko, Billy Harper, David Murray, Kevin Mahogany, Eddie Henderson.
He has remained at the very top of the Jazz Forum magazine’s Jazz Top poll for a quarter of a century. During the 60th edition of the Jazz on the Oder festival, Piotr Baron Quintet will perform in its international version, and as the leader will be accompanied by Eddie Henderson (trumpet), Michal Tokaj (piano), Darek Oleszkiewicz (double bass) and Marvin “Smitty” Smith (drums).
Peter Baron made his debut in 1977. And a year later, he won a distinction at the Jazz nad Odrą festival. In 1980, he received another award at the festival. In 1984, he won the Grand Prix at the San Sebastian Jazz Aldia in Spain. He is a graduate of the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław.
In 1998, he served as concertmaster of the European Broadcasting Union Big Band in Stockholm. He has also participated in projects at the intersection of jazz and classical music by Cezary Duchnowski or Jacek Niedziela-Meira.
He has recorded more than 100 albums, including as the leader: Take One (1995), Tango (1996), Blue Rain (1997), Bogurodzica (2000), Reference (2004), Salve Regina (2007), Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus (2008), Kaddish (2011), Jazz na Hrade (2012), Wodecki Jazz (2019) and Moniuszko Jazz (2021). For a quarter of a century he has remained at the very top of the Jazz Forum magazine’s Jazz Top poll, and in 2015 he won in the baritone saxophone category. He is a company artist for Cannonball Musical Instruments, Drake Mouthpieces and D’Addario Woodwinds. Awarded the Gloria Artis silver and bronze medals, the Medal of Merit for Wrocław and the PSJ Gold Badge. He has composed music for theatres, including Wrocław Puppet Theater, National Old Theatre in Cracow and Słupsk Dramatic Theatre. Since 1998, he has been working as a teacher and lecturer, currently in the Jazz Department of the State Higher Vocational School in Nysa. He has also lectured at universities and music colleges in the US, Turkey, Austria and Poland. He hosted original programs on the waves of Polskie Radio Wroclaw and radioJAZZ.fm. He is also a reviewer, publicist and author of more than a dozen scientific publications. Since 2018, he has served as director of Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra.
Eddie Henderson – this outstanding musician’s first trumpet lessons were given by Louis Armstrong – a friend of Eddie’s parents. His father was a singer in the Charioteers band, and his mother was a dancer at Cotton Club. The artist studied at San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He is the first African-American to compete for the U.S. figure skating championship. He also graduated from medical school. He has worked with artists such as Herbie Hancock, Pharoah Sanders, Art Blakey, Elvin Jones, Johnny Griffin, Slide Hampton, McCoy Tyner, Benny Golson, Max Roach, Jackie McClean, Dexter Gordon, Roy Haynes and Joe Henderson. He has appeared on Piotr Baron’s Reference album.
Marvin “Smitty” Smith has worked with John Hicks, Bobby Watson and Slide Hampton, Archie Shepp, and later with the Frank Wess and Frank Foster quintet. He has participated in sessions with Hamiett Bluiett, Kevin Eubanks and David Murray, and played with Ray Brown, Dave Holland, Ron Carter, Hank Jones and Jazztet, Sonny Rollins. Smith made his debut as a leader, recording his album in 1987. He is also known as a concert musician for Sting and as a drummer on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. His experience with the European jazz community includes working with Piotr Baron, with whom he has recorded the album Salve Regina.
Darek Oleszkiewicz is an outstanding double bassist whose talent has been recognised by Jan “Ptaszyn” Wróblewski during the Jazz Juniors festival in Cracow in 1983. In 1988, Darek has left for Los Angeles to hone his musical skills. A year later, he has received a scholarship from the California Institute of the Arts and began studying with Charlie Haden. After graduating in 1992, he took over the teaching position from his mentor at the institute, where he now leads jazz ensembles and teaches double bass. He has worked with such artists as Brad Mehldau, Billy Higgins, Pat Metheny, Joe Lovano, Eddie Henderson, Charles Lloyd, John Abercrombie, Bennie Maupin, Lee Konitz, Peter Erskine, Alan Pasqua, Art Farmer, Alice Coltrane, Ravi Coltrane, James Newton, Geri Allen, Billy Hart, Kevin Hays, Munyungo Jackon, Steve Hass, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Marian McPartland, Tom Harrell, Larry Goldings, Bill Stewart, Chris Potter, Kei Akagi, Billy Childs, Bob Sheppard, Joe LaBarbera, Teri Lynn Carrington, Buddy De Franco and Terry Gibbs.
