JazzKLUB / Gombrowicz-style irony - NOSPR

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Bands such as the Transatlantyk are the ultimate proof of the existence of a wave of creators integrating Polish folk music with various forms of improvised music. The power of this current lies in its diversity, which is why Michał Żak’s ensemble can be deemed its part, even though it sounds like no other. The band’s leader inherited the old dulcimer, made from a grand piano lid and saved from the whirlwinds and turmoil of the war, from his grandfather, a folk musician from the Vilnius region. He found a fitting repertoire and – most importantly – had an ingenious idea for its interpretation. One can hear a little nostalgia for a bygone world, as well as echoes of cheesy village-hall discos, some free jazz from underground clubs, and sometimes a bit of America and Africa, i.e. everything that musical Polishness has met while travelling the world – both literally and metaphorically. And all this is spiced up with irony straight from Gombrowicz’ novels. There was no better companion Michał Żak could invite to join him in the concert than Piotr Damasiewicz, who also blazes new trails for the folk-free-jazz current in his own band, Into the Roots. 

Tomasz Gregorczyk