This time, Jazztopad will begin with a concert dedicated to Wayne Shorter. It was supposed to be his ninetieth birthday celebration, but fate wanted it differently. Let us recall a slightly less known dimension of his work. Everyone, of course, knows him as a brilliant saxophonist, but much fewer people know that he was also a noteworthy composer writing symphonic music. The concert will feature artists who collaborated with Wayne, especially in recent years. Esperanza Spalding, Danilo Pérez, John Patitucci, Terri Lyne Carrington, and Ravi Coltrane will join them playing the saxophone. These jazz icons will be accompanied by the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic conducted by Clark Rundell.

On the second day of the festival, its long-time friends will perform. During the Saturday concert in the beautiful Hand to Earth project, we will hear Peter Knight, an Australian trumpeter who, together with the Wilfred brothers, reaches back to one of the oldest preserved traditions of performing music by Aboriginal peoples (over forty thousand years of heritage...). I believe that it will be a completely new experience for our audience. Guests from Canada and Sweden – Like the Mind – will appear during the same concert. The leader of this project is violinist Meredith Bates, and its members include Peggy Lee, one of the leading Canadian improvisers of our time, who plays the cello. The next day, Swedish bassist and producer Petter Eldh will appear with his Projekt Drums, which is dominated by club grooves and psychedelic rhythms.

On Thursday, during the next iteration of musical meditation, Marta Warelis, a phenomenal pianist and improviser, will perform. Marta, a Pole residing in the Netherlands, will play in a duet with Frank Rosaly. On Friday, we will witness the premiere of a new project by Craig Taborn with the Lutosławski Quartet – the first part could already be heard by the New York audience during the 7th Jazztopad in New York, but the entire composition will be heard only in Wrocław. If you go to this concert, you will surely make it for the performance of the eccentric Viennese trio /kry at Mleczarnia Club & Café on the same night. The next day, we will traditionally listen to a concert from the Melting Pot series. It’s always a great emotion because you never know what surprise the musicians will prepare. Immediately after it, Jakob Bro will perform with his trio in a stellar line-up with Marilyn Mazur and Arve Henriksen, and late in the evening Ava Mendoza will give a solo concert in Mleczarnia.

Jazztopad Festival 2023 will culminate with a concert on the occasion of the eighty-fifth birthday of Charles Lloyd, who has already been to Wrocław many times, and we can call him our friend. I think it will be a perfect summary of the idea of this year’s edition, i.e. a celebration of closeness, community and friendship. Especially since Jakob Bro, who has dreamed about it for many years, will play with Lloyd as a special guest. I am so happy this meeting will take place for the first time during Jazztopad.

Enabling close relationships between artists and the audience has always been very important to me, which is why for some time now I have not been a supporter of the classic layout of concert halls, which radically separates musicians and listeners. This time in the Main Hall we will use a new formula, used only once before, during the Meditation Day. This close contact is important not only for the audience, but also for the artists who want to feel part of the entire festival community. In this spirit, we also continue concerts in Mleczarnia and in living rooms.

See you in November!

Piotr Turkiewicz
Artistic Director
Jazztopad Festival