11th Polska Jazz Festival
The young innovators of Polish jazz
8-10 November 2023

The 11th edition of Polska Jazz Festival will once again bring the latest and greatest innovators of Polish jazz, characterized by strong tradition and open-mindedness, to Opus Jazz Club between 8 and 10 November. A joint event by Budapest Music Center and the Polish Institute in Budapest, the festival – now running for more than a decade – features the new generation of Polish jazz.

The festival will open on 8 November with the Superminimalism quintet, founded by drummer Stefan Raczkowski with Marcin Elszkowski, Jakub Łępa, Robert Wypasek and Michał Aftyka. Their sound is primarily defined by the language of jazz, but Raczkowski's large-scale, complex compositions also reveal the influence of contemporary and orchestral music. The line-up resigns from the use of harmonic instruments, allowing the band to focus on melodic lines while combining jazz stylistic features with elements of aleatorism, sonorism, and other abstract compositional techniques with great keenness and enthusiasm. Since its foundation in 2020, Superminimalism won second prize at the Jazz Juniors competition in 2021, earning a debut at the Polska Jazz Festival at the Opus Jazz Club and the Downtown Jazz Festival in Toronto. Last year, they won the grand prize of the JAZZiNSPIRACJE competition, which led to the release of their debut album Prelude.

The trio USO 9001, playing on 9 November, was born during an informal summer jam, the recording of which led to their first EP, Unidentified Sonoristic Object. The band takes off from jazz, but their music combines influences from hip-hop, prog rock and math rock, as well as drum beats, guitar songs and punk attitude. Jan Gałosz, Miłosz Pieczonka and Jan Pieniążek create their own version of contemporary jazz, with a focus on sound, colour and the process of collective creation. They have won several Polish prizes for young artists (Sparkle Award – Gazeta Wyborcza, Moskity – K-MAG), while their concert at the Jazz Jantar Festival is considered the most successful debut in the event's history. The band has not only received a warm welcome in their home country: in addition to their tour in Poland, they have also performed in the Czech Republic, Austria, Croatia and Hungary.

Five years ago, we introduced the Tomasz Chyła Quintet as one of Poland's most promising bands. Since then, they have become a front-rank band attesting to the resurgence of young Polish jazz, and they are back in Budapest on 10 November. The band’s sense for simple forms and melodies blends perfectly with the incredibly expressive, virtuosic playing of the soloists and the open, energetic improvisations. Their musical vision is masterfully honed by violinist-bandleader Tomasz Chyła, who works in brilliant symbiosis with his musician friends on an instrument seemingly uncommon in jazz. The ensemble, which won the Grand Prix at the international Jazz Juniors competition, includes Emil Miszk, Krzysztof Hadrych, Konrad Żołnierek and Sławek Koryzno. They present their fourth studio album, Music We Like To Dance To, whose vibrant atmosphere electrifies the listener's body and soul, and makes them dance without even realizing it.

Tickets are available for 3200 HUF on the spot, online at bmc.jegy.hu, and at InterTicket Jegypont partners across Hungary.

FULL PROGRAMME

8 November 2023, 8 PM 11. Polska Jazz Festival | Superminimalism (PL)

9 November 2023, 8 PM 11. Polska Jazz Festival | USO 9001 (PL)

10 November 2023, 8 PM 11. Polska Jazz Festival | Tomasz Chyła Quintet: Music We Like to Dance To (PL)

The 11th edition of the Polska Jazz Festival is supported by the Polish Institute in Budapest