Particularly deserving of special attention are the evenings featuring The Ex & Brass Unbound, who will be performing with Ken Vandermark and Mats Gustafsson; a new project by Dutch clarinet and saxophone virtuoso Ab Baars, as well as his duo featuring legend of the European jazz scene Zlatko Kaučič; a solo concert by Joëlle Léandre; and finally, a concert jointly performed by The Thing and DKV. Also performing will be Satoko Fujii, who hasn’t been seen in Kraków for some time, and the extremely energetic Dutch trio – Cactus Truck.
The festival will also feature the worldwide premiere of Barry Guy’s composition Guernica, written for a specially created 14-musician orchestra to be conducted by the composer himself.
Seeing as earlier projects by Barry Guy comprising a characteristic conglomeration of contemporary and improvised music were enthusiastically received by critics and audiences alike, it is fair to suppose that Guernica will turn out to be yet another of the festival’s top class music events.
Equally deserving of attention are the concerts by musicians from the Polish alternative music scene, improvisation workshops, a photographic exhibition and panel discussions featuring the participation of many highly regarded critics from Europe and the USA.
Peter Brötzmann – without doubt the most esteemed contemporary creator of improvised music, who has been defining and crossing the boundaries of free jazz for half a century – will be presenting one of his latest groups. Performing alongside him will be Steve Noble, one of the most prominent percussionists on the famous British jazz scene and Chicago-based vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz, who is known for his contribution to many avant-garde American groups.
This will certainly be one of the brightest points on this year’s festival programme.
