Lublin Jazz Festival

Kuba Więcek Trio (PL)

Kuba Więcek, a 23-year-old saxophonist and composer, is the hero of the most famous debut on the Polish jazz scene of the past year. His album “Another Raindrop”, recorded in a trio with Michał Barański (double bass) and Łukasz Żyta (drums), appeared in the revived prestigious series “Polish Jazz”, which is the most important Polish jazz collection of all time. The biggest ones recorded for “Polish Jazz”: Komeda, Stańko, Kurylewicz, Urbaniak, Namysłowski and many more. Kuba Więcek is the first in 28 years debutant in this series, the youngest in its entire history. The saxophonist can be known as an unruly artist, impressive with his own overly clear-laid, mature vision of his music – surprisingly beautiful. He gets inspiration from many genres of music, from classical music, European folklore and jazz to electronic, alternative or hip-hop music.

Kuba Więcek – alt saxophone
Michał Barański – doublebass
Łukasz Żyta – drums

Kuba Więcek – He was born on October 29, 1994 in Rybnik, a saxophonist and composer. Student of the prestigious Rhythmic Music Conservatorium in Copenhagen. Winner of many prizes and international competitions. He took lessons with such masters as Lee Konitz, Steve Lehman and David Binney. He has performed in almost all of Europe, North America and Asia. He collaborated with Mike Stern, Ralph Alessi, Gilad Hekselman and many others. At the age of seven, he began studying cello, which he abandoned four years later for the saxophone. Deepening the secrets of classical music, he developed his proficiency skills while shaping musical sensitivity. He started his adventure with jazz music at the age of 17 from workshops in Puławy and Chodzież, where he had the opportunity to make contact with young musicians studying in Denmark, which inspired him to continue his education abroad. After graduating from high school, he went to study in Amsterdam, where he could polish his workshop and deepen his knowledge of the subject matter of the genre. Seeking the artistic opportunity to express himself, he made his first trip to New York, and transferred his student duties to Copenhagen. Now he divides his time between these two cities and Warsaw, where he has been living for a year, actively participating in the cultural life of the capital. He is an attentive observer seeking inspiration in the multicolored world around him. He gets experiences from many genres of music, from classical music, European folklore and jazz, to electronic, alternative or hip-hop music, which is why in his private collection of music, the recordings of John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, are next to records of artists such as Steve Reich, Brian Eno, Tom Waits, Bon Iver, Flying Lotus or Kanye West. The album “Another Raindrop” is his phonogram debut.

Michał Barański was born in 1984. He graduated from the Jazz Department of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice. As a 13-yearold he was noticed at a music workshop by an American clarinet player, Brad Terry. Together with a pianist Mateusz Kolakowski and a drummer Tomasz Torres , they joined Terry’s quartet, giving numerous concerts in the USA and gaining their experience at the very heart of jazz. He is a Grand Prix laureate, which he received at the 40th Jazz nad Odrą Festival. He was also awarded the main prize of Swinging Raven at the 3td Hot ​Jazz Spring in Częstochowa and the Jazz Angel at Bielska Zadymka Festival in 2005. Together with Triology , he was 4th at the International Jazz Band Contest Jazz Hoeliaart in Belgium. A laureate of two Fryderyk awards (Polish Grammy) for “Assymetry”CD by Z. Namyslowski and “Umiera Piekno” by Aga Zaryan. He was also nominated for a Fryderyk award in “Jazz Artist of the year” category in 2015. A winner of readers’ poll in Polish Jazz Magazine “Jazz Forum” for the best double bass player in 2008, 2014, 2015. He co-operates with many notable artists such as: Bennie Maupin, Dan Tepfer, Nigel Kennedy, Zbigniew Namyslowski, Tomasz Stanko, Michael Urbaniak, David Doruzka, Vladislav Sendecki, Derrick McKenzie, Bernard Maseli, Piotr Wojtasik, Adam Baldych, Aga Zaryan. He also recorded an album with a jazz legend Bennie Maupin (Miles Davis”Bitches Brew” ,Herbie Hancock “Headhunters” ), entitled ”Early Reflections”, which won a second place in Jazz Times Critics Poll in category Best Album Of The Year 2008.

Łukasz Żyta was born on June 11, 1975 in Bydgoszcz. He graduated from the 1st and 2nd degree State Music School of A. Rubinstein in Bydgoszcz (1994) and graduated the Academy of Music in Katowice at the Department of Jazz and Popular Music (1998). He made his debut on the jazz scene in 1993, taking part in the Jazz Juniors competition in Krakow with the Youth Formation team. With the Joint Venture band, he won the 1st prize at this festival in 1995, at the Jazz Standards Festival in Siedlce (1996) and the prize for the most promising group on Europ ‘Jazz Contest in Hoelaart (1996), he is the winner of the 1st prize of the Jazz Percussion Competition in Grodzisk Mazowiecki (1998). He also received an individual distinction at the Jazz nad Odrą Festival in Wrocław (1998). The musicians with whom he collaborated and recorded include: Janusz Muniak, Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski, Tomasz Szukalski, Zbigniew Namysłowski, Kuba Stankiewicz, Piotr Wojtasik, Piotr Baron, Andrzej Cudzich, Grzegorz Nagórski, Jarosław Śmietana, Henryk Miśkiewicz, Darek Oleszkiewicz, Michał Tokaj, Piotr Wyleżoł, Grażyna Auguścik, Urszula Dudziak, Iza Zając, Agnieszka Skrzypek, Ewa Bem, David Doruzka, Jaromir Honzak, Lee Konitz, Bennie Maupin, Dino Saluzzi, David Murray, David Friedman, Bobby Watson, Brad Terry, and Tuna Otenel, William Galison, Steve Logan et al. He has performed in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Israel, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.

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