Past events

Rafał Sarnecki Sextet

Friday, September 23, 2011, at 7:30pm

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During the concert at the Kosciuszko Foundation the group will perform Rafal's original compositions which were released on his two albums and a few new pieces.

The musicians are:

Rafał Sarnecki - guitar

Lucas Pino - tenor sax

Bogna Kicińska - voice

Glenn Zaleski - piano

Dylan Shamat - bass

Colin Stranahan - drums

Rafal Sarnecki is a jazz guitarist, composer and arranger born in 1982 in Warsaw, Poland. He started to gain recognition in Poland after his success at the International Jazz Guitar Competition - Guitar City 2002 in Warsaw where he received the 1st award. In 2005 he moved to New York where he received a high scholarship at the prestigious Jazz and Contemporary Music program at the New School University in Manhattan. In 2008 he finished his undergraduate degree from The New School with Academic Honors. In 2010 he received his MA degree in jazz performance from the Aaron Copland School of Music also in New York. Rafal has performed in 8 European countries and toured the West and the East coast of the US. In January 2008, Rafal recorded his first CD, Songs From a New Place. The CD includes Rafal's original compositions, and was released in October 2008. In February 2009 it was nominated to the FRYDERYK 2009 music award, which is a Polish version of the American Grammy award. In January 2010 Rafal recorded his second album as a band leader entitled The Madman Rambles Again. The album was released in February 2011 by the Fresh Sound New Talent label. The list of artists who recorded for this prestigious label includes such musicians as Brad Mehldau or Kurt Rosenwinkel.

"Very interesting record, very well composed and perfectly performed. Rafal Sarnecki is a composer and musician that we will surely hear about. You can feel the New York touch. Compositions are cohesive and interesting. It is a very pleasant listen. Awesome! I highly recommend it."

 -Tomasz Stańko on The Madman Rambles Again

"Sarnecki's original compositions merge the high-flown lyricism of Polish culture with an idiosyncratic, thoroughly disarming way of building long and winding musical phrases".

 - Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune

"It's amazing that this young artist already has so much to say...when you hear him it takes your breath away."

 - Rzeczpospolita

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