THE EX & BRASS UNBOUND – Krakow Jazz Autumn

This year, the ninth Kraków Jazz Autumn kicks off with a bang! The incredibly popular (cult even, as some claim) Dutch outfit The Ex will be performing on an open stage in Plac Nowy. Look forward to an incredibly powerful mix of punk rock, Ethiopian rhythms, free jazz solos on brass instruments, and sophisticated lyrics.

The group has been complemented by a quartet of accomplished jazz musicians – Mats Gustafsson, Ken Vandermark, Roy Paci and Wolter Wierbos – and has since 2010 been performing and recording as The Ex & Brass Unbound.

The Ex have been performing all over the world for the last 35 years. They have played over 1500 shows (including ones at the most famed clubs and festivals), have recorded over 30 albums and gained enormous recognition from huge numbers of fans.

In their beginning the group quite often changed its lineup. Since 2009 and the departure of singer G.W. Sok, the band consists of Andy Moor, Terrie Hessels, Arnold De Boer i Katherina Bornefeld.

The Ex have performed and recorded with a dizzying array of leading instrumentalists from all over the world (such as Ab Baars, Tom Cora, Han Bennink, Hamid Drake, John Butcher and DJ Olive, who have all made significant contributions to the band’s history).

A different experience for the band were its links with African musicians – they repeatedly travelled to Mali, Ghana and Congo, but most often to Ethiopia. Meeting renowned saxophonist Getatchew Mekuria (born in 1935), who was the music director at Emperor Haile Selasie’s national orchestra, resulted in a collaboration lasting for some years, including tours and remarkably well received recordings.

Their joint efforts prove once again that any artificial divisions in music are irrelevant – the breakneck, as it may seem, combination of punk rock, free jazz and traditional African music has yielded amazing results.

Andy Moor – guitar, baritone guitar (NL)

Terrie Hessels – guitar, baritone guitar (NL)

Arnold de Boer – vocals, guitar, sampler (NL)

Katherina Bornefeld – drums, vocals (NL)

Mats Gustafsson – baritone sax (S)

Ken Vandermark – tenor + baritone sax, clarinet (USA)

Wolter Wierbos – trombone (NL)

Roy Paci – trumpet (IT)

 

The concert will take place in Plac Nowy!
FREE

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