This year’s Solidarity of Arts Festival will be held in Gdańsk from August 8-30, 2014. Although comprised of several events celebrating various artistic mediums, the main musical event of the Festival is always the “+” concert, which features one major international jazz superstar plus a lineup of their favorite musical colleagues. Considered Poland’s biggest jazz show of the year, it will take place on August 16 on three purpose-built stages near the Polish Baltic Philharmonic in Gdańsk. This year’s multi-talented host is the brilliant US bassist and vocalist and a 3-time Grammy Award winner Esperanza Spalding. The line-up of this year’s “Esperanza+” concert includes the following truly remarkable international musicians:
- probably the greatest living jazz composer Wayne Shorter;
- the musical icon of both acoustic and electronic jazz Herbie Hancock;
- probably Brazil’s most famous musician of all time Milton Nascimento;
- bass guitar’s (and Solidarity of Arts’) legend Marcus Miller;
- two-time Grammy winner and Mr Hancock’s long-time collaborator, percussionist Terri Lyne Carrington;
- brilliant vocalist (both jazz and world music), one of West Africa’s most important cultural ambassadors Oumou Sangaré;
- a jazz-funk band forever faithful to the afro-cuban rumba tradition The Pedrito Martinez Group;
- great frame drum- and percussion specialist, Leszek Możdżer’s long-time collaborator Zohar Fresco;
- renowned Canadian trumpet player Ingrid Jensen;
- avant-garde Argentinian jazz pianist and composer Leo Genovese;
- two long-time collaborators of Marcus Miller: saxophonist Alex Han and drummer Louis Cato;
as well as a group of world-class acts from Poland:
- one of Poland’s greatest (not exclusively jazz) pianists and composers, Leszek Możdżer;
- legendary jazz saxophonist Zbigniew Namysłowski;
- 2014 Grammy Award co-winner, double bass specialist Paweł Pańta;
- bass guitarist Krzysztof Ścierański;
- legendary guitarist and composer Wojciech Waglewski and his band Voo Voo;
- Polish folk and World Music band with modern elements, awarded 2004 World Music BBC Radio 3 Award Warsaw Village Band;
- Polish Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra led by Royal Liverpool Philharmonic’s conductor Clark Rundell.
The concert, as well as its live telecast on TVP Kultura, will start at 9 pm CET, and will deliver plenty of memorable moments for jazz fans from Poland and abroad.
August 16, 2014 |Doors open 7:00 p.m., Concert at 8:30 p.m.
ESPERANZA+
Polish Baltic Philharmonic courtyard, 1 Ołowianka Street
Gdańsk, Poland
Tickets: Polish Baltic Philharmonic box office
Info: www.solidarityofarts.pl
Another important musical event of this year’s edition is the “United Through Music Concert,” held on August 24 in the Polish Baltic Philharmonic concert hall. Performers for this concert are: Jonathan Brett – conductor, Janusz Olejniczak – piano, Jan Lisiecki – piano, Yaryna Rak – soprano, and the Polish Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra. The program consists of: Myroslav SKORYK – Melody La-minor; Fryderyk CHOPIN – Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21; Maurice RAVEL – Piano Concerto in G major; Henryk Mikołaj GÓRECKI – Symphony No. 3, Op. 36 “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs.”
August 24, 2014 | 7:00 p.m.
United Through Music Concert
Polish Baltic Philharmonic courtyard, 1 Ołowianka Street
Gdańsk, Poland
Tickets: +48 58 3206262 or go to bilety24.pl to book/buy tickets (PLN 20-60)
Info: filharmonia.gda.pl
[Sources: press release, filharmonia.gda.pl]