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Aga Derlak remembers her fascination with music as a young child. And once she began learning piano, she would lose hours in flowing through improvised journeys at the keyboard. This passion led her to gaining a place on the year-long Berklee Global Jazz Institute program. And in this interview, she discusses the impact that has had on many levels of her life. The founder of the project, pianist Danilo Perez, who is part of the incredible Wayne Shorter quartet was a particular influence and led Aga to work at Danilo's foundation in his homeland of Panama. You get the sense that her own beliefs about the healing power of music, and the role of musicians and music education in our society really blossomed during this time, through conversations with her tutors and peers at Berklee, and also her pupils, some of whom were part of a social program in Panama City.
Aga has led her own trio and quintet and like the other rebel spirits has been invited to play at numerous jazz festivals. As she explains in her interview, travel takes on a real meaning in her life, and has directed her development as an artist. The piece she talks about, Tempo, is from her forthcoming album Parallel and includes her own vocals and those of her sister Basia Derlak. With lyrics from a poem that Aga wrote, we can hear about her attention to detail, theme and flavor, and her thoughts about the possibilities of time. Tempo. A project that is a good indicator of Aga’s personality is Your Solo, exploring Polish jazz. This was her proactive reaction to the restriction of lockdown during the pandemic. She wanted to highlight the work of Polish jazz musicians such as herself, who could no longer tour or perform. Aga set about playing their compositions and interviewing these musicians. Putting everything online. The positive focus is typical of how she's able to acknowledge the darkness that descends on life but uses her determination to be constructive. Interestingly, she refers to the different sides of her character and how that comes through her music in this interview. -
In Marek Pędziwiatr there is a connection between the past and the present. The history of jazz and the African American musicians, who created it, and Polish innovators from Chopin through Krzysztof Komeda and Niemen. Marek is a hub, a central force pulling his golden threads of jazz, hip-hop, classical music, avant-garde, and Slavic folk. But his interest in weaving these genres together is driven by the human experience.
Marek is an award-winning musician and composer now based in Wrocław. His background in the 90s scene of sampling, rapping, and beat music has blossomed into a sophisticated and authentic jazz that crosses boundaries. He is co-founder of the trio Night Marks, the avant-garde improvised music collective Błoto, and EABS (Electro-Acoustic Beat Sessions). He has played with an incredible array of international musicians and his production work includes producing with Michał Urbaniak, a major figure in jazz fusion, on albums such as “Beats and Pieces” by Urbanator Days.
Like Michał, emotion is a vital aspect in every piece that Marek composes. The identification of this almost mystical quality of melancholy in Slavic culture, explored by generations of Polish artists, also fascinates Marek. And in the interview, he speaks about the importance of feeling in the music he is drawn to. And how he developed the opening of the composition he discusses from his album Slavic Spirits from 2019.
Stories of his own ancestry, poetic symbols, philosophies, and the expression of the complex emotion of being human run parallel to other incentives in his music. There is a deep learning he has gained through the tributes EABS has made such as the “Memorial to Miles” at the Jazz Festival in Kielce in 2015 and the unique Sun Ra with EABS’ album “Discipline of Sun Ra” in 2020. There is a clear celebration of these influences and their ability to simply communicate the human spirit in Marek’s music and in his eloquent way of speaking about it.
Music from the episodePrzywitanie Słońca from the EABS album ‘Slavic Spirits’’
Further reading EABS / bio on Culture.pl Marek Pędziwiatr debuts as Latarnik in a piano solo story of remembrance and passing / on Twistedsouldmusic.org Further watching EABS meets JAUBI / on YouTube.com Jazz.pl: EABS / on Culture.pl New Polish Jazz: Ones To Watch - Marek Pędziwiatr / on Facebook.com CreditsThis episode of Rebel Spirits was hosted by Debra Richards. The show is brought to you by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.
Written and produced by Magdalena Stępień & Wojciech Oleksiak
Executive production by Move Me Media
Edited by Wojciech Oleksiak
Design by Dawid Ryski
Scoring & sound design by Wojciech Oleksiak
CopyrightsThe publisher would like to thank all copyright owners for their kind permission to reproduce their material. Should, despite our intensive research, any person entitled to rights have been overlooked, legitimate claims shall be compensated within the usual provisions.
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To describe Joanna Duda as simply a pianist doesn't capture the extraordinary dimensions of the music she produces. Whether touching a broken keyboard, using the sound of a rewinding tape machine, or mixing in field recordings, her innate playfulness allows any instrument to blossom - you get a sense that one of her greatest strengths is to listen attentively to whatever she uses. Joanna is also an incredible editor, cutting and mixing with bold and surprising artfulness.
It was a friend of the family who played electric bass in the band Kombi that first caught her attention and before she could even string a sentence together she would sit with a piece of wood pretending it was a bass. Like many of the Rebel Spirits, she is classically trained and has been influenced by both Baroque and minimalism. Part of her heritage is Chopin, of course, but it's also her parents' vinyl collection which included plenty of funk and jazz rock and there is often a groove that emerges in her work.
Be it leading the duo J=J, which is when she first came to my attention, or her current trio with Michał Bryndal and Max Mucha, on drums and bass, or playing solo, there is an essence which is clearly Duda. Finding her flow with collaborators is always uppermost and she found that recently with French horn player Morris Kliphuis from the Netherlands. Their project Wake the Dead is for electronics, improvisation, and a Baroque ensemble and premiers in October.
Alongside her love of communication between musicians, she has begun to appreciate a form of creativity that requires her to dig into herself as opposed to reacting to what is coming at her from the outside. Reading, traveling and connecting to nature are part of her current evolution and in this interview, she eloquently describes the ideas that inform her process.
Music from the episode‘Grasshopper’ by Joanna Duda Trio from the ‘Fumitsuke’ album
Further reading Joanna Duda / bio on Culture.pl Joanna Duda’s website Further watching 'Grasshopper' music video / on YouTube Joanna Duda Trio in concert / on YouTube Joanna Duda in concert / on YouTube CreditsThis episode of Rebel Spirits was hosted by Debra Richards. The show is brought to you by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.
Written and produced by Monika Proba
Edited by Wojciech Oleksiak
Executive production by Move Me Media
Edited by Monika Proba
Design by Dawid Ryski
Scoring & sound design by Monika Proba
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In the history of jazz, there haven't been many musicians that give credit to their playing video games. But as a nine-year-old hardcore player, Kuba Więcek developed an affinity with repetitive practice and now feels the need for strategic thinking and fast decision-making has stood him in good stead as a bandleader today. After a pivotal moment as a teenager, which he talks about in the interview, when he improvised on his saxophone for the first time, his 10 hour-a-day, video gaming habit switched to music study. I particularly like musicians that approach jazz in an open and authentic way. It's not historical music. Jazz has always been an expression of emotion in the present moment, reflecting the social, political, and cultural atmospheres around us. That's what improvisation is. I think it's also worth noting that Kuba attended the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen of which I'm a big fan. Some of the most exciting artists like bass player, Petter Eldh, and vocalist Lucia Cadotsch studied there. We live in an era of many, many musics. And conservatories like this one in Denmark encourage the exploration of anything and everything. Whether it's Ornette Coleman, or Kanye West, Tomasz Stanko or Bjork. Kuba reveals he has that curiosity which is so vital to creativity. On a trip to New York, he bought some portable synthesizers and took to them as he had done his video games. And when you hear the interview, you'll get a sense of how experimentation is at the heart of his approach and relationship to which is also key to jazz. The interplay between musicians. In this case with his trio of Michał Barański and Łukasz Żyta, carving new paths in any art will always have its critics. And these new waves of jazz artists face exclusion from jazz record labels and venues and festivals. When Więcek’s first album, Another Raindrop was released in the renowned Polish Jazz series, there was a backlash. There were comments about his youth and playing skills. And yet the album won two prestigious awards for best jazz debut. You will hear Kuba weaving in stories of his background, his working methods, and what he's drawn to. You sense he has a quiet confidence and belief in what he is doing. But like all of the best artists, his commitment is to the music and not himself.
Music from the episodeJazz Robots by Kuba Więcek Trio feat. Marcin Masecki from the album “Multitasking”
Further reading Kuba Więcek / bio on Culture.pl Further watching Jazz Robots music video / on YouTube Kuba Więcek & Piotr Orzechowski live performance / on YouTube Kuba Więcek Trio live / on YouTube CreditsThis episode of Rebel Spirits was hosted by Debra Richards. The show is brought to you by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.
Written and produced by Monika Proba
Executive production by Move Me Media
Edited by Monika Proba
Design by Dawid Ryski
Scoring & sound design by Wojciech Oleksiak
CopyrightsThe publisher would like to thank all copyright owners for their kind permission to reproduce their material. Should, despite our intensive research, any person entitled to rights have been overlooked, legitimate claims shall be compensated within the usual provisions.
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Marcin Masecki considers that he has two parents, jazz and classical music. As a pianist, he is steeped in the tradition of learning piano as a young child with all the purity and precision that comes with that. In this interview, you get the sense of how that triggered Marcin’s disruptive streak, and how that has been central to his approach to music. There is reverence and intellectual rebellion. Like many accomplished musicians, there is music in his family. Marcin has spoken of his grandmother teaching him piano exercises, and it was on her vintage Steinway that he recorded his album, Die Kunst der Fuge: Bach/Masecki, with a dictaphone. Yes, with a dictaphone. In fact, this is a key point, because Marcin’s appreciation of the imperfect, the broken, and the cult of the Lo-Fi is what brings his soulfulness and natural feel for music to the fore. Such qualities can set musicians apart. Marcin has worked in many contexts, and there's a clear sense from his career, that it's important for him to be free to change his setup. He has recorded solo in a duo and sextet, in bands of nine and 10, as well as big bands. He's released classical jazz and alternative pop music, and even an album of Polish Carols sung in Arabic. In this interview, he focuses on his album of Polonaises. Using a 10-piece band, Marcin hoped to integrate this historical national dance of Poland with jazz and a bit of attitude, once again, bringing forward his appreciation of the defective and the unsettling. There is a picture of the complex journey this musician is on, one in which he continually challenges himself again and again. It's a fascinating insight into this artist.
Music from the episodeDeuxième Grand Polonaise from Marcin Masecki’s album ‘Polonezy’
Further reading Marcin Masecki / bio on Culture.pl Further watching Masecki/Młynarski Big Band / on YouTube.com Masecki/Rogiewicz Duo at Adam Mickiewicz Institute / on Culture.pl Masecki plays Scarlatti / on YouTube.com CreditsThis episode of Rebel Spirits was hosted by Debra Richards. The show is brought to you by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.
Written and produced by Wojciech Oleksiak
Executive production by Move Me Media
Edited by Wojciech Oleksiak
Design by Dawid Ryski
Scoring & sound design by Wojciech Oleksiak
CopyrightsThe publisher would like to thank all copyright owners for their kind permission to reproduce their material. Should, despite our intensive research, any person entitled to rights have been overlooked, legitimate claims shall be compensated within the usual provisions.
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In the very last episode of Stories of The Eastern West as you knew it, we’re taking you to Estonia, 1989. A group of people there made 2 million others hold hands and create a human chain of unprecedented size and significance.
The Baltic countries had a truly turbulent 20th century. They went from regaining their independence to losing it to the USSR and becoming subject to a ruthless policy of Russification. Unsurprisingly, they needed something big to jump on the bandwagon of the 1989 peaceful revolutions that liberated several countries from the USSR’s influence.What they came up with was a human chain linking Tallinn with Riga and Vilnius. This huge event is something hard to wrap one’s head around nowadays when we think about the scanty means of communication the organisers had.
Our producer Wojciech went to Estonia and got a chance to talk to several people who co-organised or participated in the event. How was it at all possible? Why wasn’t it thwarted by the communist regime? How do people remember such a defining moment in their lives over 30 years later?
Further listening
KAIE / our episode from our mini-series The Final Curtain about ‘The Singing Revolution’ that Adam mentions in the showFurther reading
The Longest Unbroken Human Chain In History / an article on estonianworld.com All the human chains in one place / an article on wikipedia.orgFurther watching
The Inimitable Baltic Way / a Lithuanian documentaryThanks
Ivi Gubinska, Reet Villig, Eve Sildnik, Andres Tarand and Lukas Hioo for taking the time to discuss this incredible event with us. Keiu Telve and Maia-Liisa Anton for connecting us with Baltic Way participants and their thoughtful discussions about the meaning of the event.Credits
Written & produced by Wojciech Oleksiak
Edited by Adam Zulawski & Nitzan Reisner
Hosted by Nitzan Reisner & Adam Zulawski
Scoring & sound design by Wojciech Oleksiak -
Several years after the war, a strange encounter in the heart of Paris made Zofia Posmysz, a former Auschwitz prisoner, start wondering what it would be like to meet her camp overseer. Posmysz turned her fantasy in a successful radio play in which she explored the unlikely perspective of an oppressor, a Nazi German concentration camp overseer. The story inspired a prolific young filmmaker Andrzej Munk – a representative of the Polish Film School, a group of filmmakers tackling the experience of war with new unorthodox approaches that collided with all the paradoxes of its traumatic events.
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Click here to get the transcript
Further reading Zofia Posmysz // bio on Culture.pl Andrzej Munk // bio on Culture.pl The Passenger // film description on Culture.pl The Passenger // book description on Culture.pl “Passenger” Depicts the Holocaust from the Point of View of a Nazi Official // article on NewYorker.com Andrzej Munk's The Passenger // article from Vertigo magazine The ‘Lucky Ship’: Rebellion, Desertion & Love on the MS Batory // article on Culture.pl The MS Batory: Culture.pl Readers Share their Photographs & Memories // article on Culture.pl Female guards in Nazi concentration camps // entry on Wikipedia.org Further watching Zofia Posmysz Talks about The Passenger // video interview on Culture.pl Zofia Posmysz: Memory That Will Save Us // video interview on Culture.pl Behind the Scenes: Zofia Posmysz's The Passenger in Yekaterinburg // video about the recent opera version on Culture.pl ThanksZofia Posmysz // author, screenwriter and writer for radio and televised theatre performances, reporter and broadcast radio editor.
Michał Oleszczyk // film historian and critic, member of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI)
CreditsWritten & produced by Monika Proba
Edited by Wojciech Oleksiak & Adam Zulawski
Hosted by Nitzan Reisner & Adam Zulawski
Scoring & sound design by Wojciech Oleksiak
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Get to know Piotr Szkopiak, a London-based film and TV director who’s spent a good portion of his life pondering the nature of his identity.
Piotr Szkopiak was born in the United Kingdom but into a Polish family. As he grew up, he learned that his parents and neighbours were all World War II prisoners of war who had escaped the USSR but couldn't go back to Poland after the war ended. His mother told him how she had travelled from the depths of the Soviet Union through Persia and southern Europe to the UK, and how after the war this is the place that she had to learn to call home.
But first and foremost, his parents talked to him in Polish, signed him up for a Polish weekend school, and raised him as a person with a double identity: Polish and British. This in-betweenness has been something that strongly influenced his life and he reflects on it all in an interview he gave to Karolina Jackowiak, who on behalf of the Poles in South London organisation, was working on the Local Heroes Archive oral history project. We, at SFTEW, liked the story so much that we decided to turn it into one of our episodes.
Click here to get the transcript
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Further listening ORPHANS // the SFTEW episode we mention in the podcast: how 700 Polish children made an unlikely journey from the depths of Siberia to the New Zealand countryside. BEAR // an even more unlikely tale from us at SFTEW: the bear who fought in World War II alongside Anders’ Army. Further reading Artists In Arms // the incredible odyssey of Anders’ Army, told through a multimedia guide from Culture.pl Soldiers, Artists: The Exhibitions of Anders’ Army // on Culture.pl Piotr Szkopiak // Piotr's IMDB profile Cultivating Polish Folk Dance in 1970s South London // another story from the Local Heroes Archive project Memories of South London’s Polish Music Scene // another story from the Local Heroes Archive project Poles in South London // the community’s official website ThanksPiotr Szkopiak // for letting us turn his story into a podcast episode.
Poles in South London // especially Marta Sordyl and Łukasz Wołągiewicz from the organisation, for reaching out and offering this incredible story to us.
CreditsWritten & produced by Wojciech Oleksiak
Edited by Nitzan Reisner & Adam Zulawski
Hosted by Nitzan Reisner & Adam Zulawski
Scoring & sound design by Wojciech Oleksiak -
Nicolaus Copernicus, born in 1473, was the orphaned son of a copper merchant in Toruń. Thanks to his bishop uncle, he obtained a first class education at the Kraków Academy and then in Italy, where he became an avid observer of the night sky – even though he was supposed to be preparing for a church career.
His day job as a church canon, diplomat and doctor in Frombork – when he wasn't defending castles against the Teutonic Knights – meant that it took him over 30 years to finish his book 'On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres' in which he presented an Earth-shattering new idea – that maybe it wasn't actually at the centre of the universe as everyone believed, but in fact revolved around the Sun.
Although it would take another century until Galileo was able to prove Copernicus right inarguably using the later invention of the telescope, Copernicus's book, published in 1543 in Nuremberg, would mark the beginning of a very real revolution in science and our understanding of the universe.
Listen to the episode to find out how he came to this unexpected conclusion, and what happened next.
Click here to get the transcript
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Further reading Copernicus: Revelations about the Renaissance Man // on Culture.pl Astronomer Copernicus, or Conversations with God – Jan Matejko // on Culture.pl A Quiz About Copernicus: More Than a Great Astronomer! // on Culture.pl Further watching Copernicus, by Jan Matejko // video by Waldemar Januszczak on YouTube.com Further visiting Nicolaus Copernicus Museum // in Frombork, Northern Poland Thanks
Małgorzata Czupajło // Educator at the Nicolaus Copernicus Museum in Frombork.
Dava Sobel // Science history writer and author of A More Perfect Heaven: How Copernicus Revolutionized the Cosmos.
Prof. Karl Galle // Science historian at the American University in Cairo, currently working on a book delving into Copernicus's life in Warmia, including his roles as a church administrator, diplomat, cartographer and doctor.
Lastly, a special thank you to the Nicolaus Copernicus Museum in Frombork for their help in making this episode possible.
CreditsWritten & produced by Piotr Wołodźko
Edited by Wojciech Oleksiak & Adam Zulawski
Hosted by Nitzan Reisner & Adam Zulawski
Scoring & sound design by Wojciech Oleksiak -
Vera Chytilová was the most important woman director of the Czechoslovak New Wave – although she remains relatively unknown outside of Central Europe. As the first female student of the prestigious FAMU film school in Prague, she had to fight in order to do things her own way. During the creative explosion of the Czechoslovak New Wave, she made her most well known film ‘Daisies’ (1966) – a surrealist pop-art comedy, about two young women who set their minds on creating humorous destruction around them. The 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of her country stopped Chytilová’s promising career dead in its tracks, but unlike Miloś Forman (‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest’, 1975) and others, she refused to emigrate, despite the huge personal cost. After seven years of professional exile, she was allowed to return to filmmaking in the late 1970s, once again finding critical success. After the privatisation of the Czech film industry in the 1990s, she was one of the first to adapt with ‘The Inheritance’ (1992) – a scathing satire on the effect free-for-all capitalism was having on her fellow citizens. Having never compromised on her beliefs, she remained a moral authority in her country until her death in 2014, and continues to inspire those lucky enough to come across her films for the first time. Listen to the episode to hear her fascinating story.
Click here to get the transcript
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Further reading Vera Chytilova Dies at 85; Made Daring Films in Czech New Wave // on nytimes.com "It's still revolutionary' : Věra Chytilová’s Daisies comes sixth in BBC poll of films by women // on Czech Radio.cz The Cinematic Gems of the Czechoslovak New Wave // on Hyperallergic.com Poles Conquer Czech Cinema // on Culture.pl The Most Powerful Films From Beyond the Iron Curtain // on Culture.pl Further watching Naughty Young People: Chytilová, Kučera, Krumbachova (2012) // documentary at Vimeo.com Thanks
Tereza Kučerova // set designer and visual artist, for talking to us about her mother, and her childhood memories of the dramatic events of 1968.
Anička Hanáková // for helping translate our conversation and sharing her own memories of her grandmother.
Dr. Michal Bregant // director of the National Film Archive in Prague, for sharing his experience of working with Chytilová in the 1980s.
Professor Jan Bernard // for talking about his former teaching colleague at at FAMU.
Dr. Jindřiška Bláhová // Assistant Film Studies Professor at Charles University, for sharing her knowledge of Chytilová's life and work.
Jakub Felcman // filmmaker and former student of Chytilová at FAMU, for talking to us about the Czech director as a teacher and mentor.
Lastly, a special thanks to Barbora Lochmanová from the Czech Film Center and Jitka Rohanova from the Polish Institute in Prague for their help in making the episode possible.
CreditsWritten & produced by Piotr Wołodźko
Edited by Wojciech Oleksiak & Adam Zulawski
Hosted by Nitzan Reisner & Adam Zulawski
Scoring & sound design by Wojciech Oleksiak -
Stanisław Lem was a science-fiction writer whose works, abilities and quirky sense of humor convinced Phillip K. Dick that he was too brilliant to exist and must have actually been a committee of people! Indeed his rare gift for blending philosophy with technology and action made him an instantaneously recognisable voice in the European sci-fi world and elevated him to the heights of popularity and critical acclaim.
But Lem’s life was far from a textbook success story. Throughout his life, he struggled with traumatic wartime memories, distorted identities, and the communist system. But somehow, he was able to turn all the hardships and obstacles into elements of the incredible universes he created in his novels.
In this episode, our hosts Nitzan and Adam will try to unravel some of the most confusing mysteries surrounding Lem: why did he choose to abandon his pre-war identity? How on Earth did he foresee the Internet in the 1960s? Is it true that he learned English from a dictionary in a week?
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Further reading Stanisław Lem // bio on Culture.pl Stanisław Lem: Did the Holocaust Shape His Sci-Fi World? // on Culture.pl 13 Things Lem Predicted About The Future We Live In // on Culture.pl Phillip K. Dick: Stanisław Lem is a Communist Committee // on Culture.pl Lem Vs. Tarkovsky: The Fight Over ‘Solaris’ // on Culture.pl The Many Masks & Faces of Stanisław Lem // on Culture.pl Humorous Horrors: How Lem Taught His Nephew to Write Flawlessly // on Culture.pl 8 Science Fiction Films Adapted from Lem // on Culture.pl Further watching The Adventures of the Blindworm: An Orthographic Short Story by Stanisław Lem // on Culture.pl ThanksAgnieszka Gajewska // professor of literary studies, author of ‘Holocaust and the Stars: The Past in the Prose of Stanisław Lem’ (available in English from November 2021) and ‘Hasło: Feminizm’.
Wojciech Orliński // a Polish journalist, writer, and blogger, author of the best-selling Lem biography ‘Lem: Życie Nie z tej Ziemi’ (Lem: A Life Out of This World). You can enjoy his incredible sense of humour on his blog (which he writes in Polish).
Wiktor Jaźniewicz // Belarus’s premier ‘lemologist’, and owner of a ‘lemologic cabinet’ that you can see for yourself here.
CreditsWritten & produced by Wojciech Oleksiak
Edited by Adam Zulawski
Hosted by Nitzan Reisner & Adam Zulawski
Scoring & sound design by Wojciech Oleksiak -
This year we have more great stories for you! There's going to be a bit of sci-fi, a pinch of socialist realism, a good portion of astronomy, and some old-fashioned moving testimonies from a region that never sleeps!
Stay tuned: the first episode drops September 7th!
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Like most Polish jazz musicians, Zbigniew Namysłowski learned the basics of jazz listening to Willis Conover’s “Jazz Hour”. Originally starting his musical career playing piano, cello and trombone, Namysłowski became infatuated with the saxophone after meeting composer Krzysztof Komeda, who happened to be carrying an alto saxophone with him, on a train. During that chance encounter, Namysłowski gave the instrument a try and hasn’t stopped playing the saxophone ever since. His original experiments mixing jazz and folk quickly caught people’s attention and in 1962, Willis Conover himself invited Namysłowski and his band to the US to play at the Newport Jazz Festival. This incredible opportunity marked the eve of Namysłowski’s brilliant international career. Time stamps
[01:00] Jazz and communism
Music from the episode
[02:00] Sopot festivals
[04:30] The alto saxophone
[06:06] The Voice of America jazz lessons
[10:02]The American tour
[12:23] Jazz Jamboree
[13:40] Folk
[17:17] Komeda
[18:52] Favorites
[23:28] The passport
[26:24] Polish-American jazz
[27:00] Young talents[11:00] Composition: Kalatówki ‘59
Further reading
Artist: The Wreckers
Album: At the last moment
[14:15] Composition: Piątawka
Artist: Zbigniew Namysłowski Quartet
Album: Lola
[19:47] Composition: Winobranie / Jak nie ma szmalu to jest łaź
Artist: Zbigniew Namysłowski
Album: WinobranieZbigniew Namysłowski // on Culture.pl
Interview with Zbigniew Namysłowski // on londonjazznews.com
Further watchingZbigniew Namysłowski performing in 2021
Zbigniew Namysłowski performing “Kujawiak goes Funky” in 1997
Zbigniew Namysłowski performing with folk musians during Jazz Jamboree in 1994
CreditsThis episode of Rebel Spirits was hosted by Paweł Brodowski. The show is brought to you by Culture.pl, the flagship brand of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.
Copyrights
Written by Wojciech Oleksiak & Monika Proba
Produced by Move Me Media
Edited by Wojciech Oleksiak
Proofread by Adam Żuławski
Translated by Mateusz Schmidt
Design by Dawid Ryski
Scoring & sound design by Wojciech OleksiakThe publisher would like to thank all copyright owners for their kind permission to reproduce their material. Should, despite our intensive research, any person entitled to rights have been overlooked, legitimate claims shall be compensated within the usual provisions.
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Adam Makowicz grew up in a house where a piano was the centre of the home. His mother had long planned for him to become a classical virtuoso, but a meeting with a musician who introduced him to jazz changed this path completely. Adam packed his bags and left for Kraków, where he moved into a jazz nightclub and immediately became part of the city’s jazz scene. It was here where his thorough classical education and incredible talent led him to create his unique virtuoso style, one that merged the technique associated with classical music with the vibrance of jazz. In this episode, this standout Polish jazz pianist talks about freedom, beauty and interpretation in jazz music.
Time stamps:[01:06] The centre of our home
[02:03] Art Tatum
[02:59] Radio
[04:40] Rebel
[05:09] Under the piano
[06:49] Duo with Urszula Dudziak
[09:30] John Hammond
[11:06] Freedom
[13:23] The first polish jazz virtuoso
[14:04] Solo
[15:10] Beauty
[15:58] New York
[17:34] Martial Law
[19:51] Chopin
[22:20] HomeRead the transcript of this episode
Music from this episode[07:00] Composition: Darkness and Newborn Light
Artist: Urszula Dudziak and Adam Makowicz
Album: Newborn Light[10:08] Composition: Chopin's Willows
Further Reading
Artist Adam Makowicz
Album: Adam
[20:44] Composition: Prelude No. 24 In D Minor
Artist: Adam Makowicz, Leszek Możdżer
Album: Możdżer vs. Makowicz at the Carnegie HallAdam Makowicz // on Culture.pl
Willis Conover: The American Godfather of Polish Jazz // on Culture.plInterview with Willis Conover // on memory.loc.gov
Further WatchingAdam Makowicz performing in 1986
Adam Makowicz performing with Leszek Możdżer
Unit // Full album
CreditsThis episode of Rebel Spirits was hosted by Paweł Brodowski. The show is brought to you by Culture.pl, the flagship brand of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.
Written by Wojciech Oleksiak & Monika Proba
Copyrights
Produced by Move Me Media
Edited by Wojciech Oleksiak
Proofread by Adam Żuławski
Scoring & sound design by Wojciech OleksiakThe publisher would like to thank all copyright owners for their kind permission to reproduce their material. Should, despite our intensive research, any person entitled to rights have been overlooked, legitimate claims shall be compensated within the usual provisions.
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“Polish jazz group - 100$ a night”
Displayed on the posters in Michał Urbaniak’s band’s van while playing across Europe in the 60s, this hippy traveling player was soon to become one of the most innovative Polish jazz musicians in history. Though his European career was quickly evolving, the old continent simply didn’t feel like enough. From a very young age, Michał knew at heart that he was a New Yorker, eventually jumping at the first chance he got to move to the world’s jazz capital and signing with the legendary Columbia Records. The rest is history.
Time stamps[01:11] The Boys of America
Music from the episode
[02:29] An Introduction to Miles
[03:22] New Yorker at heart
[07:52] 100$ a night
[09:55] The violin
[11:23] New York
[12:14] Columbia
[13:19] Folk
[16:16] The impossible deal
[19:08] Young talents
[19:52] Meeting Miles
[23:15] Poetry & jazz
[27:22] Young musicians[07:33] Composition: Bengal
Further reading
Artist: Super Constellation
Album editions: Super Constellation / Fusion I
[14:13] Composition: New York Baca
Artist: Michał Urbaniak/Michał Urbaniak’s Fusion
Album: Atma
[20:34] Composition: Don’t Lose Your Mind
Artist: Miles Davis
Album: Tutu
[25:44] Composition: Square Park Sunday
Artist: Urbanator
Album: UrbanatorMichał Urbaniak // on Culture.pl
Interview with Michał Urbaniak // on Culture.pl
Michał Urbaniak’s web page
Further watching“New Yorker by Choice” // documentary film about Michał Urbaniak
"Chameleon" by Urbanator // Music video
Michał Urbaniak performing with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra
CreditsThis episode of Rebel Spirits was hosted by Paweł Brodowski. The show is brought to you by Culture.pl, the flagship brand of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.
Written by Wojciech Oleksiak & Monika Proba
Copyrights
Produced by Move Me Media
Edited by Wojciech Oleksiak
Proofread by Adam Żuławski
Design by Dawid Ryski
Scoring & sound design by Wojciech OleksiakThe publisher would like to thank all copyright owners for their kind permission to reproduce their material. Should, despite our intensive research, any person entitled to rights have been overlooked, legitimate claims shall be compensated within the usual provisions.
The project was carried out thanks to the cooperation with Polskie Nagrania / Warner Music Poland, Sony Music Publishing Poland Sp. z o.o and Urbaniak.com Foundation.
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It may be hard to believe, but when Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski started playing music, jazz was censored in Poland. As a result of Stalin’s cultural politics that governed what kinds of art and culture could be consumed in the country, anything that may have been associated with western imperialism was formally excluded from public life. However, these rigid policies only made jazz more appealing, leading many young people across the country, like Ptaszyn, to fall in love with it. After Stalin’s death in 1953, Ptaszyn entered the newly re-born jazz scene with a bang and quickly became the epitome of the genre. Not only one of Polish jazz’s most brilliant musicians, Ptaszyn is also seen by many as its voice. For over 50 years he’s hosted “45 Minutes of Jazz” a Polish radio show dedicated to jazz that continues to inspire several new generations of musicians and jazz aficionados. Time stamps
[01:11] Outlawed music
Music from the episode
[03:36] Forbidden love
[04:21] Willis Conover
[06:53] First jazz events
[09:19] Sopot Jazz Festival
[12:54] Warsaw - Newport
[17:26] Polish Jazz records
[20:01] What is Polish jazz?
[21:03] Polish Jazz Quartet
[22:37] The Polish Radio Jazz Studio Orchestra
[24:48] 45 minutes of jazz
[26:28] Cruise ships
[28:05] The end of the communist regime
[28:43] The nineties[06:53] Composition: Memory of Bach
Artist: Sextet Komedy
Album: Jazz 56. I Ogólnopolski Festiwal muzyki jazzowej[19:42] Composition: One Step Nearer You
Artist: Kurylewicz Quintet
Album: Go Right[28:33] Composition: Czarownica
Further reading
Artist: Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski Sextet
Album: Komeda. Moja słodka europejska ojczyznaJan Ptaszyn Wróblewski // on Culture.pl
'Birds Of A Feather...' The Godfather Of Polish Jazz, Jan 'Birdman' Wroblewski, At Birdland // on top40-charts.com
Watch moreJan Ptaszyn Wróblewski performing in Poland in 1981 Jan Ptaszyn
Wróblewski performing at the Sibiu Jazz Festival in 2009
CreditsThis episode of Rebel Spirits was hosted by Paweł Brodowski. The show is brought to you by Culture.pl, the flagship brand of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.
Written by Bartosz Borowiec & Jan Burzyński
Copyrights
Produced by Move Me Media
Hosted by Paweł Brodowski
Edited by Wojciech Oleksiak
Proofread by Adam Żuławski
Translated by Mateusz Schmidt
Design by Dawid Ryski
Scoring & sound design by Wojciech OleksiakThe publisher would like to thank all copyright owners for their kind permission to reproduce their material. Should, despite our intensive research, any person entitled to rights have been overlooked, legitimate claims shall be compensated within the usual provisions.Meet the godfather and voice of Polish jazz.
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Urszula’s love for unruly musical experiments got her kicked out from music school when she was a young girl. A few years later, like many young Poles, she stumbled upon The Voice of America - a radio station meant to bring American culture and censorship-free news to people locked up behind the Iron Curtain. This program is where Urszula heard jazz for the first time. Blown away by the uniqueness of the music, one of the voices she heard marked her particularly - the voice of Ella Fitzgerald. Hearing Ella made her realize the extent of creative freedom jazz could offer, specifically, her understanding that people's voices can serve as musical instruments. From then on, Urszula started developing her distinctive style of wordless vocalisation that can transport listeners to another dimension.
Time stamps[01:55] The accordion
[02:44] Trouble in school
[03:21] The Voice of America
[04:44] Ella Fitzgerald
[07:09] American jazz
[08:35] Krzysztof Komeda
[10:44] Love
[11:29] Scandinavian restaurants
[13:33] All that smoke
[15:02] Discovering electronics
[16:30] Duo with Adam Makowicz
[19:16] New York
[22:33] Papaya
[29:24] The best ageClick here to read the transcript for this episode
Music from the episode[14:08] Composition: Bengal
Artist: Super Constellation
Album editions: Super Constellation / Fusion I[17:37] Composition: Darkness and Newborn Light
Artist: Urszula Dudziak and Adam Makowicz
Album: Newborn Light[22:33] Composition: Papaya
Artist: Urszula Dudziak
Album: Urszula[26:18] Composition: Kama Ula
Further reading
Artist: Michał Urbaniak/Michał Urbaniak’s Fusion
Album: AtmaUrszula Dudziak // on Culture.pl
A Foreigners Guide to Polish Jazz // on Culture.pl
Willis Conover: The American Godfather of Polish Jazz // on Culture.plFrom bop to żal: how jazz became the voice of freedom in Poland // on Guardian.com
Further WatchingUrszula performing in 1973
Urszula performing in 1998
Filipino soldiers dancing the Papaya dance
CreditsThis episode of Rebel Spirits was hosted by Paweł Brodowski. The show is brought to you by Culture.pl, the flagship brand of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.
Written by Wojciech Oleksiak & Monika Proba
Copyrights
Produced by Move Me Media
Hosted by Paweł Brodowski
Edited by Wojciech Oleksiak
Proofread by Adam Żuławski
Translated by Mateusz Schmidt
Design by Dawid Ryski
Scoring & sound design by Wojciech OleksiakThe publisher would like to thank all copyright owners for their kind permission to reproduce their material. Should, despite our intensive research, any person entitled to rights have been overlooked, legitimate claims shall be compensated within the usual provisions.
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This week we've a special preview for you: Rebel Spirits!
It's a podcast about five Polish jazz musicians who came of age in the 1950s and became mesmerised by the music they heard on the outlawed American radio station Voice of America.
You'll hear how they went from learning to play jazz from worn-out vinyls to becoming icons that continue to inspire the music world today.
Hosted by Paweł Brodowski, Rebel Spirits is brought to you by Culture.pl, the flagship brand of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.
Coming June 2021. Available wherever you get your podcasts, and on Culture.pl.
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In 1967, Marian Marzyński was a popular TV show host and filmmaker in Poland. But then a seemingly faraway military clash sparked an unexpected conflict within the Polish communist party that led its Jewish members to be accused of anti-Polish sentiments. The conflict developed into an anti-Semitic campaign that affected all of Polish Jewish society and led to the emigration of the majority of the remaining Polish Jews, whose numbers had already been dwindled due to the Holocaust. Emigrating away from an authoritarian regime, Marian was able to process the events around him by filming them from his perspective, something he was previously unable to do. He continues to film his personal stories today.
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Time stamps[00:11] 1968: a year of global unrest
Further reading Marian’s website Interview with Marian Marzyński about his film 'Shtetl' // on PBS.org Further watching Life on Marz // Marian Marzyński's film on Vimeo.com Skibet/Hatikvah // Marian Marzyński's film on Vimeo.com Jewish Blues // Marian Marzyński's film on Vimeo.com Shtetl // Marian Marzyński's film on Vimeo.com Credits
[02:08] Escape from the ghetto
[03:17] Never forget to lie
[07:13] The war is over. Jewish identity after the war
[08:22] Marian becomes a journalist
[10:28] Internationalism vs. nationalism
[10:46] The Six-Day War
[12:08] Censoring 'Dziady' in the National Theatre
[12:39] The mechanisms of hostility
[14:55] Marian decides to leave
[16:16] First stop: Denmark
[17:29] Marian films emigration
[18:38] Who were we?
[19:45] What is emigration?
[20:13] Film-making after emigration
[21:30] Moving to the USA
[23:06] Humour
[24:12] Marian’s returns to Poland
[25:40] The inner childWritten & produced by Monika Proba
Edited by Wojtek Oleksiak, Adam Zulawski & Nitzan Reisner
Hosted by Nitzan Reisner & Adam Zulawski
Scoring & sound design by Wojciech Oleksiak -
In 1938, Hitler's forces marched into Czechoslovakia, a country that had only gained its independence two decades earlier. A puppeteer named Josef Skupa was ready to fight back with the help of Spejbl and Hurvínek – a father son duo of wooden puppets. Because the Nazi German occupiers didn't seem to take puppets very seriously, Skupa's theatre in Pilsen was able to put on satirical performances that directly referred to the occupation and gave ordinary Czechs hope that one day things would be better. Eventually Skupa's luck would run out – the Gestapo even arrested his puppet duo. But all three were destined to become household names in the Czech Republic, a country that takes its puppets seriously...
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Time stamps00:48] Imagine if Kermit the frog took on the Third Reich
Further reading Josef Skupa // on World Encyclopedia of Puppet Arts Jan Malik // on World Encyclopedia of Puppet Arts Sjebl and Hurvinek // on Wikipedia Quay Brothers' Puppetry Prescription in New York // on Culture.pl Puppets, Birds & Wycinanki // on Culture.pl The Bug Trainer – The Story of Władysław Starewicz // on Culture.pl Further watching Spejbl goes Mushroom Hunting // short episode from the 1974 bedtime series Return of Spejbl and Hurvinek, voiced by Josef Skupa's protege Miloś Kirchner. On Ceskatelevize.cz (Czech only) Further visiting Spejbl and Hurvinek Theatre // Puppet theatre in Prague opened by Josef Skupa in 1945 as a continuation of his theatre in Pilsen. They hold regular shows for kids and families. Plzeň Puppet Museum // Puppet museum located in the historic centre of Plzeň (Pilsen), the town where Josef Skupa opened his first theatre and the birthplace of Spejbl and Hurvínek. Puppets in Prague // Puppet-making workshop in Prague run by Mirek Trejtner and Leah Gaffen. Temporarily being run online. Credits
[02:12] Josef Skupa and Kašpárek farewell the Austrio-Hungarian Empire
[04:36] A modern kind of puppet theatre
[07:25] Spejbl and Hurvínek battle Nazi insects
[08:30] Munich Conference and Carousel over Three Floors
[11:44] Voničky and Long Live the Future
[14:50] Death threats and a final anti-fascist play
[16:28] Arrest of Skupa and his puppets
[17:58] Escape from prison, Spejbl and Hurvínek rescued from the trash
[20:51] Legacy of Josef Skupa and his puppets
[21:43] Puppet-making workshop with Mirek and Leah
[23:21] CreditsWritten & produced by Piotr Wołodźko
Thanks
Edited by Wojtek Oleksiak & Adam Zulawski
Hosted by Nitzan Reisner & Adam Zulawski
Scoring & sound design by Wojciech OleksiakWe’d like to thank Denisa Kirchnerova from the Spejbl and Hurvinek theatre in Prague, Tomáš Pfejfer, curator at the Puppet Museum in Pilsen, and Nina Malikowa for sharing their knowledge about Josef Skupa and his performances during WWII.
Thanks also to Leah Gaffen and Mirek Trejtner from Puppets in Prague for talking to us and inviting Piotr to their skeleton-making workshop.
Lastly, a special thanks to Jitka Rohanova from the Polish Institute in Prague for her help in making the episode.
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