So it looks like it’s been 10 years since I moved to Denmark. Another year passed and I’m happy to be starting the new one here in Copenhagen! In 2018, surrounded by fantastic people and good music, I’ve been lucky to experience art in so many contexts and dimensions.
Some new cooperations happened and I’ve also been fortunate to learn myself better artistically as a composer, performer and educator. At Copenhagen Jazzfestival I presented new music written during the spring for 9 pieces band incl. Atom String Quartet, Irek Wojtczak, Cezariusz Gadzina, Joel Illerhag and Simon Albertsen, as well as new tunes for trio and quintet. Earlier, my composition "Woods" was rewarded by DPA, premiered with the new arrangement by DR Big Band and broadcasted live. Through couple of last years I’ve been realising the importance of composing and its role in the proces of self-expression in the way only natural to ourselves. So, more of that in the closest future!
2018 was also a time where I was active in a number of bands with beautiful original music in very different stylistics. This is something I truly love to do, seeing it as a way of honest contribution when taking that role and responsibility of making somebody else’s music sounding as good as your instinct let you. Thank you for the music Anders Krogh Fjeldsted, Janne Mark, Thomas Agergaard, Camilla Dayyanii, Marek Konarski, Kārlis Auziņš, Jerzy Małek, Simon Spang-Hansen and more!
Also thanks to Thomas Blachman, Lennart Ginman, Flavia Huarachi, Simon Albertsen, Luca Curcio, Adam Zagórski, Maciek Kadziela and many more for tours/concerts played together in 2018!
During 2018 I fell in love with music of Bach and turned my practicing habits exclusively to music from before the jazz, incl. works of Bartok, Szymanowski and french impressionism. With Flavia and Simon we also started to put some of that material in a different musical context (more about that soon). I'm working on a new approach to piano and sound, soon finishing classical studies at DKDM with fantastic Niklas Sivelöv, who helped me getting bigger sound and improving my awareness!
As a educator/composer I also want to mention a project with MGK Hovedstaden at the begining of the year where I was one of 4 guest instructors (w/ Josefine Cronholm, Sasha Masakowski & Jakob Davidsen) and led a group of 8 very talented people with unique voices. I wrote an hour of music for them and after we did 4 rehearsals they played a small tour finished at the prestigeous venue called ALICE cph. I was very priviliged to work with that combo and to make them aware of each others time and sound. That experience taught me a lot, also because of their fresh approach and energy.
Looking forward for the years to come in Copenhagen! Now, looking back at 2008 when I came to DK, I'd like to thank Odense-conservatory people (here especially Anders Mogensen) for helping me, and many other Polish jazz-people, to feel like home in Denmark right from the begining! Anders always called us The Polish Mafia and we'll be doing an anniversary concert together on 7/2 during Cph Vinterjazz!
Music to be made, places to be seen, food to be experienced! All in 2019, life's good!
Happy New Year, everybody!
(fot. by HIPERMANIA)