Forever Young
“My whole life has been dedicated to my instrument and to music. It hasn’t stopped. I’m still learning every day, I still work every day because I know so little about everything.” It’s hard to believe that these words were uttered by John McLaughlin, described by Jeff Beck and Pat Metheny as the greatest living guitarist. The 77-year-old musician shows time and again that when it comes to jazz, age is far less important than an insatiable appetite for new sounds. The British guitar virtuoso is the headliner of the Young and Old, or Jazz in Kraków International Festival presenting a review of music by artists of all generations for the 25th time.
On 16 April, McLaughlin appears at the Kraków Variété Theatre accompanied by the 4th Dimension ensemble. The musician won the Grammy award for his improvised solo in the piece Miles Beyond, performed with the group. In Kraków we will hear classic compositions from the repertoire of the Mahavishnu Orchestra and works from his most recent albums.
On 27 April, the Manggha Museum welcomes Kandace Springs to Kraków for the first time. Prince once said of the American vocalist that she has “a voice that could melt snow”. The following day, Joachim Mencel and his quintet bring their ethno jazz programme to the same venue.
During the programme of Sacrum Profanum, the 32-year-old violinist Adam Bałdych is joined by his quartet in a performance of sacral music of all ages. On 29 April at the Kraków Variété Theatre we will hear mediaeval compositions by the mystic Hildegard of Bingen, Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere and works by the contemporary artist Sofia Gubaidulina.
This April marks 50 years since the passing of Krzysztof Komeda. Kraków joins in with commemorations with a concert held on the International Jazz Day (30 April) at the Manggha Museum featuring works by the legendary Polish composer performed by Andrzej Jagodziński. The pianist has produced brand-new arrangements of the maestro’s music; he will be joined by vocalist Agnieszka Wilczyńska and myriad acclaimed instrumentalists. (Bartosz Suchecki, “Karnet”)
