Why put on the first-ever Polish Jazz Festival in London, and why now? After all, London is already well supplied with fine British-Polish jazzers like the guitarist Artie Zaitz and saxophonist Emma Rawicz. Not only that, but the West London venue Jazz Cafe Posk—based in the Polish cultural centre—has been running jazz gigs for years.
But maybe it doesn't matter why: anything that brings pianist Marcin Wasilewski and his trio to this town is to be welcomed with open arms. This was, after all, the band behind the great Tomasz Stańko, with whom they toured widely and contributed to his classic quartet recordings Suspended Night (ECM, 2004) and Lontano (ECM, 2006).
The festival has been put together by Łukasz Droździel, a London resident for 20 years, who retired young after selling his successful medical company. Having always dabbled in music, he got to know a member of a Coldplay soundalike band, and this gave him the idea of putting British tribute bands into Polish television festivals. Last year he found himself sitting on a plane with Polish singing star Anna Maria Jopek, the result of which was another business idea: having successfully brought UK musicians to Poland, why not bring Polish musicians to Britain?
Sponsorship by the Polish airline Lot has taken care of the flight logistics between the two countries. “We were very lucky, for a first-time event, to get a sponsor of this magnitude," says Droździel. “We're also co-operating with the Polish Ministry of Culture, who are supporting the festival financially and practically." Despite the end of communism in Poland, the ethos of government sponsorship of the arts remains strong—as Droździel says, “to the benefit of everybody involved."
Among the London events is a gig by trumpeter Piotr Wojtasik, who has worked with both Billy Harper and Dave Liebman, another featuring British-Polish vocalist Alice Zawadzki, with her unique folk-music take on jazz, and of course Anna Maria Jopek.
The festival runs from September 15 to 29 at various venues throughout London.
But maybe it doesn't matter why: anything that brings pianist Marcin Wasilewski and his trio to this town is to be welcomed with open arms. This was, after all, the band behind the great Tomasz Stańko, with whom they toured widely and contributed to his classic quartet recordings Suspended Night (ECM, 2004) and Lontano (ECM, 2006).
The festival has been put together by Łukasz Droździel, a London resident for 20 years, who retired young after selling his successful medical company. Having always dabbled in music, he got to know a member of a Coldplay soundalike band, and this gave him the idea of putting British tribute bands into Polish television festivals. Last year he found himself sitting on a plane with Polish singing star Anna Maria Jopek, the result of which was another business idea: having successfully brought UK musicians to Poland, why not bring Polish musicians to Britain?
Sponsorship by the Polish airline Lot has taken care of the flight logistics between the two countries. “We were very lucky, for a first-time event, to get a sponsor of this magnitude," says Droździel. “We're also co-operating with the Polish Ministry of Culture, who are supporting the festival financially and practically." Despite the end of communism in Poland, the ethos of government sponsorship of the arts remains strong—as Droździel says, “to the benefit of everybody involved."
Among the London events is a gig by trumpeter Piotr Wojtasik, who has worked with both Billy Harper and Dave Liebman, another featuring British-Polish vocalist Alice Zawadzki, with her unique folk-music take on jazz, and of course Anna Maria Jopek.
The festival runs from September 15 to 29 at various venues throughout London.
