Kuba Wójcik and Piotr Damasiewicz – artists, who are well known on Poland’s jazz and avantgarde scene, will go on a tour in India and Bangladesh. They will be joined by local musicians and play special live shows. The tour is organized within the JAZZ PO POLSKU “Around the World” Project and will take place from April 16 to April 30. The duet will visit New Delhi, Goa, Kolkata and Dhaka.
Guitarist Kuba Wójcik and trumpeter Piotr Damasiewicz are well known on Poland’s jazz and avantgarde scene. Both of them stand out with their musical individualism and artistic independence. Starting April 16 they intend to continue their own artistic journey kicked off a couple of years ago in the Alps and developed during last year’s trip to the Himalayas. This time they will focus on the exploration of Indian cultures by organizing live shows and workshops in India and Bangladesh (April 16-30). Their goal is to combine their own sound with local music, striving for artistic exchange and establishment of firm relations.
The duet will launch its tour on April 16 in New Delhi at the Piano Man. On April 17 they play in the same club in Delhi/Safdarjung and a day after in Gurugram, and will be supported by local musicians – Aradhya Khurana (bass) and Aditya Bhagavatula (drums). Next they will fly to Goa for a shows at the Flying Goat on April 19, where they will perform with Denis Petukhov on bass, and Judah Lobo on drums. A day later they will play in Kolkata at Skinny Mo’s Jazz Club with Debjit Mahalanobis on bass and Premjit Dutta on drums. The end of April will see the Polish artists spend time in Bangladesh, where on April 26, they will play at Alliance Française de Dhaka and Day after in East 138 Club. At both venues Piotr Damasiewicz and Kuba Wójcik will perform with Mustakim Abir (flute), Imran Ahmed (guitar), Nishit Dey (sitar), Mohaimin Karim (bass), Towfiq Arifin (drums). Last stop of the tour will be a duo performance in New Delhi, during International Jazz Day organized at India Habitat Centre.
„Our goal is to transcend the musical and mental boundaries by drawing inspiration from the variety of cultures and environments. We intend to create unique projects in collaboration with local musicians from both of the countries, establishing firm bonds between different musical worlds” – said the guitarist, Kuba Wójcik.
The duet’s work is based on discovering the cultural variety and exploring the spiritual realms that make the heart of the development of civilization and personal consciousness. The artists explore images where each sound has its own meaning, in effect creating multidimensional musical narrations. They focus on the closeness to natural environment and the establishment of direct multicultural relations. Their collaboration has so far yielded two, highly esteemed albums: „Diavolezza” and „Krew”.
The Damasiewicz – Wójcik duet’s live shows in India and Bangladesh are part of the JAZZ PO POLSKU “Around the World” Project, inspired by the feats of Paweł Edmund Strzelecki, a Polish traveler who was the first Pole to circumnavigate the World out of his own initiative. Strzelecki went through a remarkable journey in the years 1834-1843, during which he conducted broad geological and geographical research, contributing to the development of knowledge about the contemporary world.
The JAZZ PO POLSKU “Around the World” Project has taken a form of an international concert tour that will see Polish artists perform on 4 continents. The project launched in May 2023 and will continue until the end of 2025. It has so far included over 60 events in 10 countries, participated by 12 bands.
The JAZZ PO POLSKU “Around the World” Project is carried out by the JAZZ PO POLSKU Foundation in collaboration with Polish diplomatic missions around the World, as well as with a number of local partners. The honorary patronage over the project has been taken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Its 2024 partners include: Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Polish Institute in New Delhi, Polish Airlines – LOT and the Industrial Development Agency Foundation. Patrons: Polish Radio Programe III, Polish Press Agency, and Jazz Forum Magazine.
The JAZZ PO POLSKU Foundation is a non-governmental organization presenting a wide spectrum of skills among Polish artists from the younger generation. It helps in establishing cultural collaboration and integrates artistic environments from various countries. It strives for refreshment and consolidation of the image of Polish jazz in the consciousness of foreign audience. Since 2012 the JAZZ PO POLSKU Project has seen 150 musicians play over 350 events in 20 countries. The organized projects include Poland-based shows of both, Polish and foreign artists.
Piotr Damasiewicz – composer, trumpeter, multiinstrumentalist, educator, traveler and curator of international music platforms. Outside of studying trumpet he also gained education on double bass, piano, classical singing – including gegorian choir. He studied choral and chamber conducting, arrangement and composition. In his work he reaches out to the language of jazz, 20th-century classical music, ethnic music, modern music, which includes impro and experimental music.
https://piotrdamasiewicz.com
Kuba Wójcik – guitarist and composer. Creator of projects from the borderline of jazz and avantgarde: Minim feat. Sainkho, Mad Ship, Damasiewicz / Wójcik, Kuba Wójcik’s Threak (feat. Bruun & Davidsen), and an avant-pop duet with Karolina Beimcik – Karya. His debut album – Minim Experiment – Dark Matter was chosen the 2016 Debut of the Year by the Polish Jazz Blog. He is a co-founder of KOLD Foundation and organizer of the Spontaneous Composers’ Meetings.
https://kubawojcik.com
THE TOUR SCHEDULE
April 16-30 INDIA / NEPAL Damasiewicz – Wójcik
Piotr Damasiewicz – trumpet, Jakub Wójcik – guitar
16.04 INDIE, New Delhi, The Piano Man, DUO
17.04 INDIE, Delhi/Safdarjung, The Piano Man, QUARTET
feat. Aradhya Khurana – bass, Aditya Bhagavatula – drums
18.04 INDIE, Gurugram, The Piano Man, QUARTET
feat. Aradhya Khurana – bass, Aditya Bhagavatula – drums
19.04 INDIE, Goa, The Flying Goat, QUARTET
feat. Denis Petukhov – bass, Judah Lobo – drums
20.04 INDIE, Kolkata, Skinny Mo’s Jazz Club, QUARTET
feat. Debjit Mahalanobis – bass, Premjit Dutta – drums
26.04 BANGLADESH, Dhaka, TBA, SEPTET
feat. Mustakim Abir – flute, Imran Ahmed – guitar, Nishit Dey – sitar, Mohaimin Karim – bass, Towfiq Arifin – drums
27.04 BANGLADESH, Dhaka, TBA, SEPTET
feat. Mustakim Abir – flute, Imran Ahmed – guitar, Nishit Dey – sitar, Mohaimin Karim – bass, Towfiq Arifin – drums
30.04 INDIE, New Delhi, India Habitat Centre, DUO