18 June until 30th July the Summer Jazz Festival at “Piwnica pod Baranami” takes place for the 22nd time in Cracow. This year’s edition has a 101 concerts in 40 days! Amongst our guests from abroad there is beatiful bossa novas singer from Brazil, Ive Mendes, who’s concert could had been seen in ICE Cracow, but also unpredictable violin virtuoso, Nigel Kennedy and Branfold Marsalis promoting his latest album along with his quartet as well as Kurt Elling.
Just as interesting appears to be the programme of concerts in the “Piwnica pod Baranami” starting with 3rd July. Hanna Banaszak, Ewa Bem, Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski, Wojciech Karolak, Adam Bałdych, Grażyna Łobaszewska and Krzesimir Dębski are just some of the greatest names of Polish jazz scene.
In addition, a variety of genres such as fusion, rap, and other will be seen on Harris Piano Jazz Bar during the evenings. It has became an annual tradition that in the Krakow Philharmonic a Solo Piano Weekend will take place, where fames such as Vladislaw Adzik Sendecki, Kuba Płużek, Bogdan Hołownia and a Dutch guest Rembrandt Frerichs will give concerts.
A completely new event is Piec Art club concerts on Szewska Street. For a couple of days there will be young cracovian musicians such as Bartosz Noszka, Pianohooligan or Mateusz Pałka.
In the Pracownia pod Baranami Club during each Tuesday of July the Young Alternative Scene will give concerts. Entrance is free. Another opened to public concerts are musical meetings with Z. Seifert’s Violin Contest’s winners in the Radio Krakow studio and Mississipi River Brass Band’s (USA) concert in the Town Hall Cafe and Dworek Białoprądnicki.
One of the great additions to this year’s edition is International Jarek Śmietana’s Jazz Guitar Contest, devoted to the memory of the most outstanding Polish jazz guitarist who died in 2013. Amongst the jury members there is Mike Stern and Peter Bernstein and marek Napiórkowski. So far 12 participants from all over the world managed to get through the first stage of the Contest. The finale will take place on 1st July in Krakow Philharmonic.
The next day a traditional New Orlean Sunday with a parade, free concerts on the Old Square and on the scene in front of the Main Stage next to the Town Hall. Summer Jazz Festival was organized for the first time in 1996 during the celebration of 40th Birthday of Piwnica pod Baranami.
Each year the Festival widens its formula, by showing, aside of concerts on the daily basis in the Piwnica pod Baranami itself, Philharmonic concers, Krakow Opera, Radio Krakow, ICE Krakow, Kijow Centre and all the jazz clubs in Krakow, approximately about 100 concerts. Ever since 2000 there are also outside concerts and events, such as New Orlean Sunday and Night of Jazz. During the recent years not only the spearhead of the Polish Jazz but also a lot of abroad guest stars such as Pat Metheny, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Bobby McFerrin.
Ticket sales: ticketpro.pl, eventim.pl, InfoKraków St. John Street no.2 , Philharmonic Hall, our office Karmelicka Street no. 52/1.