POLONKA

The trio Polonka set themselves a seemingly impossible task: to combine ethnic music from as many countries as possible. They are inspired by rhythms from regions of Poland, Africa and the Caucasus, while improvising and drawing on the avant-garde.

Their exceptionally rich instrumentation includes an organ positive, harpsichord, double bass clarinet, drums, but also a log drum, a wooden buffalo bell from Indonesia, a drum from the Congo and bongo drums.

The band named Pole was formed in 2011, and in 2014 debuted with the album Radom (Kilogram Records), then changed its name to Polonka. In autumn 2018 the album Poemat konfesyjny (Bôłt Records) was released. “The musicians of Polonka see their folk as grand. They claim that the starting point for their improvisation is folk music of different countries and continents, but it is hard to find clear borrowings at the level of melody or exotic ornamentation, which would automatically show a film from a journey to distant countries in the listener’s head” wrote Jarek Szubrycht in Gazeta Wyborcza.

The band consists of three figures well known on the Polish scene: the highly sought-after multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and composer Jan Emil Młynarski (Warszawskie Combo Taneczne, Alexis, Baaba, J=J), clarinetist Michał Górczyński (Bastarda, Cukunft, Ircha, Kwartludium, Laar, Profesjonalizm, Zooplan), and a man of many talents Piotr Zabrodzki (known for his cooperation with artists such as Easy Band All Stars, Tatsuya Yoshida, Duże Pe, Baaba, Junior Stress, Zdzisław Piernik, The Kurws).

Jan Emil Młynarski is the son of poet, lyricist and singer Wojciech Młynarski and actress Adrianna Godlewska. He studied at the Academy of Music in Katowice and the prestigious Drummers Collective School in New York. He is fascinated by the music and culture of interwar Warsaw. As a drummer he cooperated with the biggest names of the Polish scene: He has worked with Maryla Rodowicz, Kora, Edyta Górniak, Reni Jusis, Sistars, Smolik and Skalpel. In 2009, his project Młynarski Plays Młynarski released the album Rebeka nie zejdzie dziś na kolację (Mystic Production). In the same year he established Warszawskie Combo Taneczne (Warsaw Dance Combo). In 2018, the centenary of the writer and singer Stanisław Grzesiuk’s birthday, the group released the album Sto lat Panie Staśku! (Toinen Music). Together with Marcin Masecki they form Jazz Band Młynarski-Masecki. In 2018, the album Fogg – pieśniarz Warszawy was released (under the name Młynarski-Masecki Jazz Camerata Varsoviensis).

Michał Górczyński graduated from the Academy of Music in Warsaw. He performed at Warsaw Autumn (the largest international Polish festival of contemporary music), where he was accompanied by the Polish National Radio Orchestra, but also with the Aukso Chamber Orchestra of the City of Tychy, the Podlasie Philharmonic Orchestra and the Silesian Quartet. As an improviser, he has collaborated with Peter Kowald, John Edwards, Zdzisław Piernik, Mikołaj Trzaska, Paweł Szamburski, Wacław Zimpel, Joe McPhee, Andrzej Izdebski, DJ Lenar, Le Quan Ninh and Frederic Blondy.

Piotr Zabrodzki (aka Mista Pita) is a singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist and music producer. During a joint trip with Jan Emil Mlynarski to the mountainous Polish region of Podhale they recorded the album Tatry (Lado ABC, 2019). He is fluent in hip hop, jazz, dancehall, reggae, heavy metal, everything in between, and probably a few more genres that don’t have a name yet. His collaborators and projects include such names as Banda Tre, Cinq G, Efekt Moozgu, Jazz Engineers, Kolektyw Etopiryna, LXMP, Mitch & Mitch, Młynarski Plays Młynarski, Pustostany, Second Exit i Warszawskie Combo Taneczne.

As Jan Emil Młynarski said in an interview: “It turned out a long time ago that there is only one step from Africa to Poland or the Caucasus. We are all children of one mother”. We will see how these extremely talented three musicians combine rhythms from three continents during the concert ending this year’s edition of Krakow Jazz Autumn.

Piotr Zabrodzki – organ positive, harpsichord

Michał Górczyński – double bass clarinet

Jan Emil Młynarski – drums, percussion instruments

 

TICKETS : 30 PLN in presale, 40 PLN on the day of the show

Pupils and students of music schools and colleges, as well as musicology students can buy tickets for each concert at the price of PLN 10 (admission upon showing ID).

WHEN: November 29

WHERE: ALCHEMIA, Estery 5

START: 8 PM

 

 

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