The opening ceremony of the festival traditionally took place on the stage of the Ruins of Victoria Theatre. The audience was welcomed by Mirosław Rakowski, chairman of Silesian Jazz Club Music Association, which organises the festival. The beginning of the event was also connected with the official opening of the annual poster exhibition (entitled "Young Jazz") by its curator, Tomasz Kipka, the lecturer of the Institute of Art in Cieszyn. Yet, we`ve got even more attractions this year. In the entering hall of the Ruins the audience can see the "Music Drawing" exhibition which consists of works created during art therapy workshops in Gorzyce. The exhibition was presented by its organiser, Marek Grzebyk.
And afterwards... the music took over the place. As usual, all the concerts were compered by Daniel Ryciak. During the first concert we had a chance to listen to Wide Open Trio with their special guest, Edilson Sanchez. The band creates broadly defined Latino American music: Cuban and Brazilian salsa, Afro-Cuban music, bossa nova and Latin jazz, mixed with funk and modern jazz. Since 2014 they have cooperated with Sanchez, a Colombian artist who made his stage debut in 1996 during Jazz al Parque, the first jazz festival in Bogota. He came to Poland through... Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, where he met a Polish girl Anita. I had previously connected Poland mainly with Chopin. Yet, the Slavic charm and the tales about this country made me want to come here and see it for myself.
He came here, he saw it and... he stayed.
Wide Open Trio:
Edilson Sanchez - conga
Piotr Matusik - piano
Mateusz Gremlowski - bass
Łukasz Kurek - drums
Photo: Paweł Kołodziej
English translation: Magdalena Zet
