Steve Swell has been an active member of the New York scene since 1975. He has performed and recorded with a wide range of jazz musicians, from legends such as Lionel Hampton and Buddy Rich to established avant-garde artists such as Anthony Braxton, Bill Dixon, William Parker and Cecil Taylor. His discography consists of over fifty albums (where he acts as a leader or co-leader), and releases in which he is a guest performer amount to more than double that number.
After studying under trombonist Roswell Rudd (as well as Grachan Moncur III and Jimmy Knepper) in the mid-1970s, Swell joined Ken McIntyre’s Makanda ensemble, which resulted in tours and recordings with Joey Baron, Jamel Moondoc and Ken Vandermark, among others. As a band leader, Swell has led many projects including Slammin’ the Infinite, Fire Into Music, Unified Theory of Sound, and the large band Nation of We (a.k.a. NOW Ensemble). At Krakow Jazz Autumn Festival we heard him in 2017 with Carliot – It’s Never Too Late Orchestra. Bartosz Adamczak wrote then in a review for Jazzarium: “(…) when this gentleman blows the trombone, the spirit rejoices – Swell plays free jazz with a blues feeling, completely different from other brass instruments in the orchestra, and it all intertwines wonderfully”.
His latest release is So Perhaps (FMR Records, 2019) recorded by Sanders, Swell, Dunmall and Owston. A year earlier the album Bop Stop (Clean Feed, 2018), recorded with the Frode Gjerstad Trio.
Swell Project will play a three-day residency at this year’s Krakow Jazz Autumn, accompanied by well-known musicians such as Per-Åke Holmlander, Mikołaj Trzaska, Elisabeth Harnik and Paal Nilssen-Love.
Paal Nilssen-Love is a drummer who need no introduction in Krakow. The Norwegian says that he grew up in a jazz club run by his parents. He studied jazz at the University of Trondheim, and at the age of 20 was already known on the national scene, and today his fame reaches far beyond his home country. Paal has in his portfolio such projects as The Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet, Atomic, School Days, The Thing, Frode Gjerstad Trio, Sten Sandell Trio, Scorch Trio, Territory Band, FME, as well as various duo projects (Ken Vandermark, John Butcher, Mats Gustafsson, Nils Henrik Asheim, Lasse Marhaug).
Mikołaj Trzaska is one of the most renowned Polish jazzmen. He is a composer, saxophonist, clarinetist and leader (or co-leader) of the bands Miłość, Łoskot, The Users, NRD, Gdańskie Słoniki, Masło and many others. He is the author of music for theatre performances, documentaries and feature films. Together with his wife Aleksandra he runs the label Kilogram Records. Trzaska is also the author or co-author of music to a staggering number of over a hundred albums, films and theatrical performances.
The three-day residency will also feature such intriguing international talents as Niklas Brano, Julie Kjaer, Hanne de Backer, Gebhard Ullmann, Carlos Zingaro, Elisabeth Coudoux and Jon Rune Strøm.
SWELL PROJECT (3-day residency: day 3 / full band)
Steve Swell (US) – trombone
Niklas Brano (NO) – trumpet
Per-Åke Holmlander (SE) – tuba
Julie Kjaer (NO) – alto sax, flute
Hanne de Backer (BE) – baritone sax
Mikołaj Trzaska (PL) – baritone sax
Gebhard Ullmann (Germany) – tenor sax & bass clarinet
Carlos Zingaro (PT) – violin
Elisabeth Coudoux (Germany) – cello
Elisabeth Harnik (AU) – piano
Jon Rune St røm (NO) – bass
Paal Nilssen-Love (NO) – drums
TICKETS : 40 PLN in presale, 50 PLN on the day of the show
WHEN: Oct, 9th
WHERE: RADIO KRAKOW, Słowackiego 22
START: 8 pm
