This summer at the opening of the International Montreal Jazz Festival on June 26, former members of the “12 piece orchestra” and other colleagues and friends from Montreal and Toronto will play a tribute for pianist and composer Jan Jarczyk (at right), who passed away on August 3, 2014. Jarczyk used to call this group “a small big band” and they will come together again for the program Tous ensemble! Tribute to Jan Jarczyk with Jean Pierre Zanella and special guests, which will include the following Jarczyk tunes: “There is always time,” “To a friend,” “Returns & Goodbyes,” “Parting of the ways,” “The Way it goes,” and “Music for S.”
Also on July 26, at the end of the 20th Jubilee Summer Kraków Jazz Festival at Piwnica pod Baranami (June 26–July 31), Jarczyk’s music will again sound in Poland during a special memorial concert.This concert brings together excellent musicians from Poland and Polish members of the Lille Symphony Orchestra, as well as Jarczyk’s daughters, Corinne Raymond-Jarczyk (violin) and Amaryllis Jarczyk (cello), and colleagues and friends of all generations. This program will include the following Jarczyk tunes: “There is always time,” “La Suite Québécoise,” “Interlude,” “Round, Round & Round,” “Remembering Seifert,” “Little Quartet,” and “Conversation Tune.”
Jarczyk’s widow, Danielle Raymond, shares the following about her husband’s music:
When we look and listen carefully to the music we can understand a lot about his life. He was originally from Kraków, and some of his music was written and played in Poland at the beginning of 70s, or written about his homeland after he left. For example, “Music for S.” relates to the Solidarity movement.
The piece “There is always time” was written in the States in 1980 in Boston, during his time at Berklee [College of Music]. He carried it and played it everywhere else. “La suite Québécoise” relates to Québec [where he settled] and folk music (family matters), then “Round…, then going back to Poland with “Remembering Seifert.” The “Little Quartet” recalls his classical training from when he was younger, and “Conversation tune” is a perfect finale with everybody—string quartet (doubled) and jazz trio.
It is interesting to observe that the music which came from Poland will be played in Montreal and his last creations, the compositions from Montreal, will be performed in Kraków. We can say Round, Round & Round…
[Source: montrealjazzfest.com]