Polish Jazz Festival London
11-27 September 2026

EABS performs the record “Wstep Wzbroniony” by
Tomasz Stańko and Andrzej Trzaskowski

Cadogan Hall | 11 Sep 2026 7:00 pm

Founded in Wrocław in 2011, the ensemble emerged from hip-hop culture, approaching jazz as a space for reconstruction and deconstruction of tradition. The project originated in improvised sessions at the Puzzle club in Wrocław, gradually forming a band built around acoustic jazz instrumentation, expanded by turntables as an integral improvisational tool.

Their debut album Repetitions (Letters to Krzysztof Komeda), released in 2017, earned a nomination for the Fryderyk Award in the category of Jazz Phonographic Debut of the Year. Earlier, in 2015, EABS presented Memorial To Miles, a programme revisiting Miles Davis’s output from 1959 to 1991. Subsequent projects further shaped their aesthetic, drawing on the legacy of Ahmad Jamal, Gil Scott-Heron, J Dilla, and Pete Rock, as well as on conceptual tributes such as Discipline of Sun Ra and the afrofuturist-inspired 2061.

Operating beyond stylistic orthodoxy, EABS combine jazz, soul, funk, and hip-hop without reliance on studio post-production, emphasising collective improvisation and live interaction. The group has received multiple distinctions, including the Wrocław Artistic Discovery Award and the Mateusz Award from Polish Radio Programme Three for a jazz event.

Members:
Marek Pędziwiatr – piano, synthesizers, vocals
Marcin Rak – drums
Paweł Stachowiak – bass guitar, moog
Olaf Węgier – tenor saxophone
Jakub Kurek – trumpet
Spisek Jednego – turntables

Wojtek Mazolewski Quintet

Cadogan Hall | 11 Sep 2026 7:30 pm

Founded by double bassist and composer Wojtek Mazolewski, the ensemble stands among the key formations of Polish jazz in the 21st century. Active since the early 2010s, the quintet develops a musical language rooted in jazz, expanded through elements of funk, rock, and electronics, with a strong emphasis on collective improvisation and original compositions.

Born in 1976, Mazolewski emerged from the Tri-City music scene and is also the founder of Pink Freud, a band frequently cited by critics as one of the catalysts of the Polish jazz boom at the beginning of the 21st century. His work has been widely associated with redefining jazz’s position within contemporary culture, extending its reach beyond traditional venues into broader public and media contexts.

Throughout his career, Mazolewski has collaborated with artists such as Pete Wareham, Tim Berne, Dennis Gonzales, Tomasz Stańko, John Zorn, Peter Kowald, Mikołaj Trzaska, Marcin Masecki, Wojtek Waglewski, Lech Janerka, Fisz, and Emade. He is also a composer of film and theatre music and the host of the long-running radio programme Jazz fajny jest on Polish Radio Three since 2019.

Under the Wojtek Mazolewski Quintet banner, the albums Smells Like Tape Spirit (2011), Wojtek w Czechosłowacji (2011), and Polka (2014, Agora S.A.) were released, the latter achieving gold record status. Mazolewski has received numerous awards, including the Jazz Oscar from the Polish Jazz Society Melomani, accolades from Polish Radio Programme Three, and the Mateusz Award. His work has been presented across Europe, South America, and Japan.

Kayah – Jazzayah

Cadogan Hall | 12 Sep 2026 6:00 pm

The Jazzayah project presents a jazz-oriented reimagining of the repertoire of one of Poland’s most established vocal artists. The programme includes iconic songs in newly crafted jazz arrangements, alongside original compositions that have long carried a strong improvisational potential. The set is further expanded by jazz standards, reaching beyond the American canon to include Polish jazz evergreens particularly close to the artist’s musical sensibility.

The ensemble brings together leading figures of the Polish jazz scene. Pianist, composer, and producer Jan Smoczyński, a long-time collaborator, shapes the project’s arrangements, combining jazz language with a broad stylistic perspective. The rhythm section features double bassist Michał Barański and drummer Michał Miśkiewicz, both renowned for their work with artists such as Marcin Wasilewski, Tomasz Stańko, Aga Zaryan, and Piotr Wojtasik. Vocal harmonies are provided by Iwona Zasuwa, who has accompanied Kayah on stage for over 25 years.

Kayah released her debut album Kamień in 1995 and has since recorded 11 studio albums, including Kayah i Bregovic, MTV Unplugged, Skała, and Transoriental Orchestra. All of her releases have achieved Gold, Platinum, or Diamond status. In 2007, she released the DVD Kayah – MTV Unplugged, documenting a performance within the iconic series, to which she was invited as the first artist from Central and Eastern Europe. Her international collaborations include projects with Goran Bregović, Cesaria Evora, Teofilo Chantre, Idan Raichel, Elida Almeida, and Yasmin Levy.

Urszula Dudziak

Cadogan Hall | 12 Sep 2026 8:30 pm

Born on 22 October 1943, the vocalist is regarded as one of the most significant figures in Polish jazz vocalism and has remained active on the international scene for over six decades. Her discography includes more than 50 albums and collaborations with leading figures of world jazz, including Krzysztof Komeda, Adam Makowicz, Michał Urbaniak, Bobby McFerrin, Herbie Hancock, Jaco Pastorius, Ron Carter, Michael Brecker, Nina Simone, Carmen McRae, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Sting, and Lionel Hampton.

International recognition followed the release of Newborn Light, which received a five-star rating from DownBeat magazine in 1972. In 1979, she was named Singer of the Year by the Los Angeles Times. Her composition Papaya became a global hit, re-entering popular culture across multiple continents over subsequent decades.

Since the early 1970s, she has been closely associated with the New York jazz scene, performing at venues such as Carnegie Hall and appearing at the Newport Jazz Festival. Her concerts have spanned Europe, Asia, and both Americas. Her artistic language encompasses jazz, vocal improvisation, and experimentation with electronic voice processing, with a distinctive mastery of scat singing that has often drawn comparisons to the extraordinary vocal range of Yma Sumac.

Her achievements have been recognised with numerous honours, including the Bronze Medal Gloria Artis for services to culture (2005), the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2009), the Artysta bez granic award at the Polish National Song Festival in Opole (2008), and the Fryderyk Lifetime Achievement Award in the jazz category (2017). In 2016, UNESCO awarded her the title of Artist for Peace, marking the first time the distinction was granted to an artist from Eastern Europe.

Marcin Masecki

Union Chapel | 13 Sep 2026

Born in 1982 in Warsaw, the pianist, composer, and arranger is a key figure of Poland’s contemporary improvised music scene, operating at the intersection of jazz, classical repertoire, and experimental practices. Between 2000 and 2002, he studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he developed an approach free from rigid genre divisions.

Earlier, as a member of the band Alchemik, he won first prize at the Jazz Hoeilaart Festival in Brussels (1998) and received an award for Best Soloist. After returning to Poland, he became a central presence within Warsaw’s alternative and improvised music scene associated with Lado ABC, co-founding projects such as Telewizor, Papierosy, TAQ, Paristetris, Profesjonalizm, and the trio Masecki / Rogiński / Moretti. His collaborations include work with Tomasz Stańko, Michał Urbaniak, Pink Freud, and Waglewski Fisz Emade.

In 2005, he was awarded first prize and a gold medal at the International Jazz Piano Competition in Moscow. His solo album BOB (2009) was widely recognised as one of the most original Polish releases of the decade. Alongside jazz, he has pursued radical reinterpretations of classical repertoire, exemplified by the lo-fi recording Die Kunst Der Fuge (2012). Together with Jan Emil Młynarski, he co-founded Jazz Band Młynarski-Masecki, whose debut album Noc w wielkim mieście was released in 2017.

Warsaw Village Band

Union Chapel | 13 Sep 2026

Formed in Warsaw in 1997, the ensemble has, since the late 1990s, developed a distinct musical language rooted in Polish traditional music, historical folk instruments, and an open approach to form and improvisation. In 1998, the musicians received both Second Prize and the Audience Award at the Nowa Tradycja Polish Folk Music Competition, followed by the release of their debut album Hop SaSa later that year.

International recognition came with subsequent releases including Wiosna Ludu (2001) and Wykorzenienie (2004), distributed across Europe, North America, and Japan. In 2004, the group received the BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music in the Newcomer category; Wykorzenienie later earned a Fryderyk Award and was shortlisted among the Grammy nominees in the polka category.

An important aspect of their activity involves projects extending beyond the folk idiom, such as collaboration with composer Jacek Wall on the soundtrack for Myst IV: Revelation, participation in film productions, and performances at major international festivals. Infinity (2008) was named World Music Album of the Year by PopMatters, while NORD (2012) ranked highly in the World Music Charts Europe and received the German Record Critics’ Award.

Today, Kapela ze Wsi Warszawa operates at the intersection of traditional music, contemporary improvisation, and expanded performance forms, maintaining a strong and consistent presence on the international world music scene.

Mariusz Szypura – Chopin Residue

Cadogan Hall | 26 Sep 2026

The Chopin Residue project is an interdisciplinary exploration of sound, focused on the mechanical and conceptual deconstruction of music by Frédéric Chopin. Selected compositions serve as a point of departure, with the piano sound entirely removed, exposing harmonic, tonal, and emotional residues subjected to further transformation. The project is conceived, directed, and produced by Mariusz Szypura.

The outcome is a double album titled Chopin Residue, scheduled for release on 28 November 2025. The Deconstructions section presents newly reworked versions of Chopin’s pieces shaped through processes of fragmentation and abstraction, while Reworks consists of compositions that use the deconstructed material as raw matter for independent musical forms, retaining only a distant echo of the originals. The album is designed for both sequential and simultaneous listening, with both discs played at the same time.

The project features an international group of artists associated with experimental and improvised music, including Lee Ranaldo, Adrian Utley, Joey Waronker, Gail Ann Dorsey, John McEntire, Jim O’Rourke, Christian Fennesz, Matthew Herbert, Masayoshi Fujita, Christine Ott, Benoît Pioulard, and Abul Mogard. The release is accompanied by an intermedial installation combining hand-cut vinyl records, sculptural panels, video, and light projections, documenting sound destruction as a generative artistic process. The project is realised in partnership with the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.

Leszek Możdżer

Cadogan Hall | 26 Sep 2026 8:00 pm

Considered by many to be the most outstanding contemporary Polish pianist, composer, jazz musician and music producer, as well as creator of film music. His musical path began in childhood. Leszek Możdżer began learning to play the piano at the age of five. In 1996, he graduated from the Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk. He studied in Andrzej Artykiewicz’s studio.
Leszek Możdżer’s concerts have been performed in many countries, including the United States, Brazil, Argentina and Canada. He has collaborated with such performers and music groups as: Marcus Miller, Janusz Muniak, David Gilmour, Jacek Olter, Zbigniew Namysłowski, Lester Bowie, Adam Pierończyk, Kazik Staszewski, Michał Urbaniak, Tomasz Stańko, Grammatik and others.
The musician is a laureate of the Ad Astra award, which is granted by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage. He also has a Fryderyk and a Polityka Passport to his credit. He has also been praised many times in magazines such as Jazz Forum.

Kosmonauci

Kings Place | 27 Sep 2026 7:30 pm

Formed in Bielsko-Biała, the quartet emerged from a background of classical and jazz education, gradually developing a distinctive approach grounded in improvisation and influenced by hip-hop and drum’n’bass. At its core, their music remains firmly rooted in jazz interaction, shaped by polyrhythmic structures and a strong melodic sensibility.

In 2024, the band released their debut album Sorry, nie tu on U Jazz Me, the jazz-focused sublabel of U Know Me Records. The release attracted significant critical attention, with the entire vinyl pressing selling out during pre-order, followed by a Japanese edition. The album presents a melodic yet unsanitized jazz language, open to urban influences and extended improvisational forms.

The group is equally recognized for its live performances, where composed material serves as a framework for expansive improvisation. Kosmonauci have appeared at jazz festivals and showcase events in Poland and internationally, including concerts across Germany, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, and the Baltic states.

Members:
Miłosz Pieczonka – saxophone
Bartłomiej Lucjan – bass guitar
Tymon Kosma – vibraphone
Jan Pieniążek – drums