69th Kraków All Souls “Zaduszki” Jazz Festival

Exactly 70 years ago the first nationwide jam session took place in the gymnasium of the primary school at Królowej Jadwigi Street. This musical meeting went down in history as the inaugural Kraków All Souls “Zaduszki” Jazz Festival. With the exception of the years 1968–1969, when the authorities closed the Helikon club and jazzmen met behind closed doors, the event is held regularly and attracts guests from Poland and abroad to Kraków. The slogan for this year’s edition is: ‘Jazz that makes history’, and its programme will consist of four concerts. The first day of the festival is traditionally a nod to the youngest generation of artists. In the building of the Bronisław Rutkowski 1st and 2nd degree Music School, the Jazz Gardens concert will feature Artur Małecki – the winner of the Kraków All Souls “Zaduszki” Jazz Festival’s ‘Hope of Polish Jazz’ scholarship, as well as the Mała Wieniawa ensemble. On 24th October, the festival will move to the Nowa Huta Cultural Centre, where singer Kuba Badach will perform, and a performance by All Souls’ Star Urszula Dudziak is scheduled at the Kraków Opera one day later. As part of the final Kraków Jazz Gala, Natalia Kukulska, Krzysztof Kiljański and Wojciech Myrczek will perform on stage with the Silesian Chamber Players Orchestra. The evening will be dedicated to the work of the outstanding multi-instrumentalist and composer Włodzimierz Nahorny. (Bartosz Suchecki, Karnet)