40 and 4
This festival never gets old. Held since 1976, Jazz Juniors has always focused on young, talented musicians, and the anniversary 40th event will be no different (2-5 December). A significant part of the programme will be brand new albums of winners from recent years. We will hear the latest projects by the Stanisław Słowiński Quintet (last year’s laureates), the Mateusz Gawęda Trio, The Flash! and the PSM ensemble with Jan Smoczyński. And of course there will be plenty of guests from abroad, with Theo Croker shining the most brightly. The American trumpeter, vocalist and composer is a true visionary of modern jazz. On 3 December, the Manggha Museum resounds with the artist’s latest album, the critically acclaimed Escape Velocity. The concert also features a performance by an international trio led by the talented young pianist Elchin Shinov. The action-packed day culminates with the Bágyi Balázs New Quartet at Harris Piano Jazz Bar.
But let’s not forget that Jazz Junior is, first and foremost, a competition. This year’s auditions, open to the public, will be held on 2 and 3 December at the Manggha Museum; the concert by the winners on 5 December is hosted by the Radio Kraków concert studio.
The festival closes with an anniversary gala. The protagonists will be four pianists whose debut at Jazz Junior brought them international acclaim. The event held at on 4 December at ICE Kraków features Leszek Możdżer, Marcin Wasilewski, Paweł Kaczmarczyk and Piotr “Pianohooligan” Orzechowski. (Artur Jackowski, "Karnet" mobnthly)
