Kosciuszko Foundation in Washington DC - Past Events

Polish Jazz: Piotr Orzechowski and Kuba Wiecek in Concert

Sunday, October 7, 2018, at 5:00pm

Piotr Orzechowski, aka 'Pianohooligan', born 1990, a graduate of Berklee College of Music in Valencia, Spain, winner of Montreux Jazz Solo Piano Competition in 2011, a pianist, composer, arranger, leader of High Definition Quartet. At age of 28 he has to his credit three solo albums ('24 Preludes & Improvisations' - 2017; '15 Studies for the Oberek' - 2014; 'Experiment: Penderecki' - 2012), two albums with High Definition Quartet ('Bukoliki' - 2015; 'Hopasa' - 2013) as well as recordings with Marcin Masecki, Daniel Toledo and more... He toured with the such giants of American and European jazz as Randy Brecker, Victor Mendoza or Avishai Cohen.
Jazz Forum, Polish most respected jazz magazine, in 2017 inducted Piotr Orzechowski in its All Time Top 50 list of best Polish jazz musicians ever (#26), earlier (2014) awarding him title of 'New Hope of Polish Jazz'.  In 2017 he scored Second Best Jazz Pianist of the Year in the crowded field which included such luminaries like Leszek Mozdzer or Marcin Wasilewski, second only to Dominik Wania of Maciej Obara Quartet which won in the categories of Best 'Jazz Album of the Year' and 'Best Jazz Acoustic Ensemble'. 
Since 2017 Piotr Orzechowski has been collaborating with even younger musician, saxophonist, Jakub (Kuba) Wiecek. Born in 1994, Kuba still studies at 'Rhythmic Music Conservatorium' in Copenhagen, Denmark. In 2017 he released his debut album "Another Raindrop" as Kuba Wiecek Trio with bassist Michal Baranski and drummer, Lukasz Zyta. What is special about this recording is that it was released under the label of Polish iconic Jazz Series "Polish Jazz" by Muza/Polskie Nagrania, first debut in this jazz series in 28 years and the youngest ever.
Both musicians have been collaborating with one another since 2017, now for more than a year and a half, exploring possibilities that are offered by piano/saxophone combination.
This concert follows the previous one at the Kosciuszko Foundation at the end of July which was the same instrument blend where Adam Makowicz played piano while Krzysztof Medyna played saxophone.
Duo Makowicz/Medyna played jazz standards, mostly very well known compositions of American composers; this time the material will be different: original compositions and improvisations by Orzechowski/Wiecek (5 Miniatures for piano and saxophone) as well as piano/saxophone arrangements of compositions by... Henryk Gorecki. Imagine his Violin Concerto transcribed for piano and saxophone. Now, which instrument will play the violin, which the orchestra? Let's find out. 
 

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