Jazz music in Poland has been strengthening its position for decades. The ongoing interest in this kind of music is reflected by the vast number of jazz festivals (depending on the sources there are more or less 150 festivals varying in the artistic values, public interest and range of their influence). The differences between these events do not change the fact that the turn-out is still huge with hundreds of people attending jazz festivals in Poland, including young and middle-aged members of the public. Unquestionably, the reason for the big number of festivals is the available public funding, which is still considerable. The weak point of Polish jazz scene is the lack of privately owned jazz venues. With just a handful of them (including Pardon to Tu or brand-new Jassmine), there is not a sufficient reliable infrastructure for club events in Poland. The void has been filled by publicly-funded Philharmonic Halls organizing jazz concert series and events throughout the year.
Jazz music is still a strong export material in Poland in comparison to other genres, with artists such as Marcin Wasilewski, Marcin Masecki, Adam Bałdych, Maciej Obara and others representing our scene on international markets. However, the presence of Polish artists abroad is still insufficient and the actions in this field are necessary. Last but not least, there is no active and influential jazz network or umbrella organisation, representing the Polish jazz scene or serving as the platform for festivals to cooperate.
Guide compiled by Intl Jazz Platform / Wytwórnia Foundation
Poland
EJN - Europe Jazz Network - Europe-wide association of producers and presenters of creative jazz and improvised musics 9, rue Gabrielle Josserand • 93500 Pantin France - SIRET Number 500 425 699 00013
This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
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