Performances in Manhattan and Brooklyn include James Brandon Lewis and the Lutosławski Quartet’s US Premiere of “These are soulful days”; premiere of Kamil Piotrowicz Sextet’s new album "Weird Heaven"; members of the Sextet with appearances by Tim Berne, Kate Gentile, and Jamie Baum; and the Lutosławski Quartet in concerts with Uri Caine and Michael Bates' Acrobat.
After an absence of two years, Jazztopad Festival is returning to New York City to celebrate Polish contemporary jazz and improvised scene and its unique cross-continental collaborations with the best of New York’s creative artists. This sixth iteration of Jazztopad New York will present a week of performances in venues across Manhattan and Brooklyn, including Dizzy’s Club, Barbès, The Owl Music Parlor, and the Soup & Sound series from June 19 to 25, 2022.
The 2022 edition of Jazztopad New York will bring two diverse Polish groups to New York, the Kamil Piotrowicz Sextet, and the Lutosławski Quartet. These groups will play in different configurations and contexts during the week of programming.
Pianist/composer Kamil Piotrowicz will present his forward-thinking Sextet. The group's third album Weird Heaven will premiere live at Dizzy's Club during the Jazztopad Festival. Their albums Product Placement (2018) and Popular Music (2016) were nominated for a Polish Fryderyk award (comparable to the Grammy) in their respective years. The band performs Piotrowicz’s own compositions, blending elements of jazz, contemporary music, Polish folklore, and minimalism. The sextet includes trumpeter Tomasz Dabrowski, alto saxophonist Kuba Wiecek, tenor saxophonist Piotr Checki, bassist Andrzej Swies, and drummer Krzysztof Szmanda. The Sextet will perform at Dizzy’s Club on June 21 and 22. Piotrowicz and Dabrowski will perform with Downtown jazz legend Tim Berne and drummer Kate Gentile at Barbès on June 19. Piotrowicz and members of the Sextet will also perform with flutist Jamie Baum on June 24 at The Owl Music Parlor.
Founded in 2007, the Lutosławski Quartet has become one of Europe’s foremost contemporary classical string quartets, specializing in the music of their namesake, Witold Lutosławski. The Quartet began a partnership with Jazztopad over a decade ago and remains an essential part of the festival’s commission program.
The most recent commission from Jazztopad is a piece written for saxophone and the Lutosławski Quartet by the celebrated tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis. The piece, the composer’s first writing including strings, was premiered in Poland last year and will get its US premiere at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola on June 21 and 22. The Quartet will revisit an earlier commission with piano great Uri Caine at The Owl Music Parlor on June 24. Lastly, the Quartet will premiere arrangements of Lutosławski made by bassist/composer Michael Bates along with his chamber jazz group, Acrobat, at Barbès on June 25.
Jazztopad continues its partnership with percussionist Andrew Drury and his Soup & Sound series. There will be an improv session held on June 23 with very special guests.
The idea for Jazztopad New York was inspired by the Jazztopad Festival of Wroclaw, Poland. Jazz at Lincoln Center director of programming Jason Olaine attended the 2014 Festival in Poland. The Wroclaw festival impressed Olaine, and a deal was struck to bring a taste of Jazztopad to Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York. Launched at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, Jazztopad New York continued to expand over the next five years, spreading to several illustrious venues throughout the city.
Jazztopad artistic director Piotr Turkiewicz has been steadfast in his efforts to introduce the New York Polish creative music scene. Turkiewicz has also focused on facilitating cross-cultural exchanges with musicians from other countries. An important element in this has been the commissioning of original works from visiting artists who then premiere their pieces at a Wroclaw performance. Commissions have included high-profile artists, including Charles Lloyd, Wayne Shorter, Vijay Iyer, Jason Moran, Uri Caine, and James Brandon Lewis.
The last Jazztopad New York was held in September 2019. The Wroclaw Festival was canceled just weeks prior to its opening in 2020 because of COVID. But during the pandemic, Jazztopad continued to find avenues for their music by streaming concerts in coordination with Polish Cultural Institute New York, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Lincoln Center among others.
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