Jazz PO Polsku Festival in Warsaw: October 18 & 25

The JAZZ PO POLSKU Festival, in its third edition, will take place at JASSMINE Club in Warsaw on October 18 and 25. The program features seven concerts, including a special project by Piotr Damasiewicz and Hanif Khan, and the debut album of the Michał Aftyka Quintet. Both evenings will include a photo exhibition and film screenings. On October 18, the Kuba Derej Trio, Michał Aftyka Quintet, Patryk Rynkiewicz Ethno Quartet, and the Piotr Damasiewicz/Hanif Khan project will perform. The Michał Aftyka Quintet will perform their debut album material, and the Patryk Rynkiewicz Ethno Quartet will showcase their blend of jazz and Polish traditional music.

• On October 18, the evening will be complemented by an exhibition of concert photography by Izabella Kędzierska, with doors opening at 5:30 PM.
• The first concert begins at 6:30 PM with the Kuba Derej Trio, a young ensemble comprising outstanding musicians of the new generation. The group is led by Kuba Derej-a pianist, composer, and arranger. The lineup also includes bassist Karol Rakowski and drummer Natan Supeł, who form a tight, energetic, and perfectly synchronized rhythm section. The musicians blend the sound of a traditional jazz trio with modern expression and improvisational freedom, captivating audiences with a combination of artistic maturity and youthful energy.
• The next concert starts at 7:30 PM, featuring the Michał Aftyka Quintet performing material from their debut album, 'Frukstrakt'. This is an acoustic ensemble whose music explores, through a literary lens, the state of contemporary society and the human experience in a world of uncertainty and mounting tensions. The group’s debut album won a Fryderyk Award in the 'Phonographic Debut of the Year, Jazz' category (2024). The lineup features: Marcin Konieczkowicz (alto sax), Marcin Elszkowski (trumpet), Tymon Kosma (vibraphone and xylophone), Michał Aftyka (double bass), and Stefan Raczkowski (drums).
• The third act, performing at 8:45 PM, is the Patryk Rynkiewicz Ethno Quartet. This performance represents a meeting point between jazz and Polish traditional music. The quartet draws upon songs from the Silesian Beskids, Podlasie, Greater Poland, and Roztocze regions; alongside reinterpretations of these pieces, they perform fully improvised compositions. Patryk Rynkiewicz seeks space, breath, and intimacy in the sound of his trumpet, rather than virtuosity for its own sake. The band engages in a dialogue with him based on mutual trust, resulting in music that is personal and deeply rooted, exploratory yet confident in its direction. The lineup features: Patryk Rynkiewicz (trumpet), Jakub Królikowski (piano), Patryk Piłasiewicz (double bass), and Bartłomiej Janicki (drums).