Jazz back in the Center

At a later date, the 2nd Greenpoint Jazz Festival will be held in the concert hall of the Polish-Slavic Center at 177 Kent Street. This is the second edition of the events.

The following bands and musicians will perform during the 2nd Greenpoint Jazz Festival: Krzysztof Medyna and Andrzej Winnicki (Breakwater/WM Project), Margo Staniszewska, Paweł Ignatowicz Trio, and Daniel Sky with Marcin Steczkowski.

All of the Polish artists who performed on stage at the Polish-Slavic Center are artists who are already well-known for their musical works, and not only among the Polish diaspora. In addition to their additional musical style, they have one more thing in common. Although they were all born in Poland, they have been developing their careers in the United States until late in life. The opportunity to see and hear so many renowned artists in one place is a great treat for ordinary jazz.

It will be a real musical feast and a delight for the ears – said Marcin Żurawicz, co-organizer of the events. All the festival performers play jazz, but in reality there will be 4 concerts of alternative style. What will be common is the best quality of music. Jazz has always been a style for the chosen ones and I mean the fighters as well as the recipients.

Jazz, however, was born in America and New York is a special place, where the sounds of jazz music harmonize exceptionally well with the rhythm of this city. I am glad that artists representing such a high level will play at the Polish-Slavic Center in Greenpoint and I warmly invite everyone to this event.

Margo Staniszewska (Małgorzata Staniszewska) was born in Jarosław, Podkarpackie Province. She graduated from the 1st Degree Music School in the piano class. Then she was a student of the Vocal Department of the 2nd Degree Music School in Rzeszów. She studied vocal studies in Poznań in the Class of Prof. Jadwiga Gałęska-Tritt at the Post-Secondary Vocal Arts School. In the United States, Margo continued her education at the Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College, where she received a master’s degree in the vocal class of Prof. Anna Skibiński. In New York, she studied with one of the greatest jazz vocalists, Theo Bleckmann, and began her doctoral studies in the Jazz Composition Department at Five Towns College, NY. The artist’s debut album entitled “Ashes And Diamonds” appeared on the market in early April 2025, released by Truth Revolution Records. The album featured outstanding American jazz artists such as: David Kikoski, Spike Wilmer. Stacy Dillard, Ricky Rodriguez, Leandro Pellegrino, David Hawkins and Stefano Battaglia. Margo is also a Grammy ’25 winner for composing and recording backing vocals for the song “Polvora De Ayer” by the famous rapper Residente, which appeared on the album “Las Letras Ya No Importan”. This album received a Grammy Award for best album in the “Musica Urbana” category. During the 2 Jazz Festival, the artist will perform songs from her debut album and jazz standards. She will perform in a quartet with the following line-up: Margo Staniszewska (vocals), Dano Boente (piano), Stacy Dillard (saxophone), Diallo House (bass).

Paweł Ignatowicz is a guitarist, composer and music producer born in Żywiec, Poland, and currently living in New York. Known as one of the most distinctive guitarists of his generation, Ignatowicz seamlessly combines jazz improvisation and progressive rock with a variety of other musical genres. He began his musical education at the age of 8 and discovered his passion for the guitar at the age of 10, mastering the electric, acoustic, classical (nylon), fretless guitar, guitar synthesizers and electric sitar. Ignatowicz earned a Master of Musical Arts degree from the University of Silesia, specializing in jazz guitar. He has collaborated with many outstanding musicians, including John Benitez and Ari Hoenig, and released his debut album “Talk To You Later” in 2008. His latest album, “Here and Now” (2017), presents a diverse mix of acoustic and electric sounds. He has performed in legendary jazz clubs such as 55 Bar and Blues Alley. In 2023, he was honored with the title of “Ambassador of the City of Żywiec” in Poland for his artistic achievements. During the festival in the Center, the artist will present mainly his compositions, performing as Paweł Ignatowicz Trio, and he will be accompanied by: Matt Penman (double bass), Mark Whitfield Jr. (drums).

Daniel “Sky” Szczepanski is a trumpet player based in New York City, born in 1993 in Warsaw, Poland. He initially started playing piano at the age of 6, followed by a trumpet at an early age of 12. He performed at festivals like “La Folle Journe” in France, “Jazz Rally” in Germany or “Crazy Days of Music” in Poland, and many other famous concert halls nationwide, such as the Polish Radio or National Philharmonic. During that time, it was already very clear that Daniel is a promising young musician, especially because of the engagement and passion he had for music. He always had a little “something” that made him stand out from other musicians.

While he used to study the field of classical music in Karol Szymanowski Complex of State Music Schools No 4 in Warsaw, at the same time in the same school Daniel was also playing Big-Band as a lead trumpeter and a soloist, as well as playing in various brass ensembles and in a symphonic orchestra which pushed him to play repertoires from J. S. Bach to Count Basie, Duke Ellington or Neal Hefti, which also helped him grow a lot. After graduating from High School in 2012 and deciding to expand his musical journey, he started Henryk Majewski Post Secondary School of Jazz in Warsaw, where he would spend the next 3 years researching jazz music. Except Big-Band influences, Roy Hargrove, Wynton Marsalis and Miles Davis were Daniel’s first non Western Classical music inspirations.

In 2016 Daniel achieved his big dream of getting accepted into Berklee College of Music, where he received a life-changing opportunity to meet and learn from the world’s finest musicians. During that time he was discovering and shaping his tone on the trumpet by working with excellent faculties such as Sean Jones and Tiger Okoshi. He was also attending many Jason Palmer concerts at the Wally’s Jazz Club during his weekly residency there. Daniel was awarded with a very prestigious grant by the Ministry of Culture in Poland due to his past achievements, he also received a prize from Downbeat Magazine for an outstanding solo performance and was the winner of many competitions inside the country back in the early school years.

In 2019 he received a Bachelor’s degree from Berklee College of Music and in the same year enrolled in a Master’s Program created by Berklee Global Jazz Institute directed by Danilo Perez and Marco Pignataro, where he afterwards started studying with Jazz masters such Joe Lovano, John Patitucci, Ben Street, Dave Liebman, Terri Lyne Carrington and many others.

Over the last years Daniel has been performing with musicians such as Paquito D’Rivera, Kenny Werner, Kevin Harris, Benito Gonzalez, Jason Palmer, George

Garzone, Zbigniew Namysłowski, Ruben Rodriguez, Phil Wilson, Stacy Dillard and Gordon Goodwin. In 2018, he traveled as a “Global Jazz Ambassador” to the Dominican Republic to perform in the “DR Jazz Festival” where he created workshops consisting of musical classes for children, especially in undereducated poorer areas.

In the spring of 2020 Daniel graduated from Berklee Global Jazz Institute with a Master’s degree in Music. Berklee helped him not only with improving his abilities in performance, but also in composing and in the field of social change, music education and awareness. In 2019 he became a music assistant to (R.I.P.) Ralph Peterson and arranged his tune “Forth and Back” which made it on the “Onward and Upward” album, which was considered for a Grammy Nomination. Currently Daniel is promoting his debut album “Introduction to The Sky” as well as performing as a bandleader with his Modern Bop Quintet and as a sideman on the most prestigious and historic clubs and bars of the New York City where he is living since 2022.

The history of WM Project begins with a meeting in 1978 in the Szczecin club “Pinocchio” between saxophonist Krzysztof Medyna, who had returned to Szczecin after a three-year stay in Sweden, and pianist Andrzej Winnicki, who led the band Antidotum touring the club. Both musicians, who had similar interests but different musical experiences, decided to establish a new jazz formation called Breakwater. In March 1979, already as a quintet, Breakwater performed at the Wrocław Jazz nad Odrą festival, winning the main prize in the group category. At the same time, Krzysztof Medyna was recognized as the best instrumentalist of the festival. At the beginning of 1982, the band found itself in the USA. During a three-month concert tour, the Polish artists performed in 11 states. After its end, three musicians remained in the States, where they engaged in individual musical activities. In 1993, the leaders of Breakwater decided to reactivate, this time with a Polish-American line-up. They invited bassist Holden Nagelberg and drummer Dave Anthony to work in the band. Breakwater performed in popular New York clubs such as “The Five Spot”, “Bar 55”, “Zanzibar”, “Club Bene”, “Down Town” and “Van Gogh’s Ear”. In 1999, the band began recording their debut album on the American market, In the Bush, at J-Bird Records. Andrzej Winnicki was the producer and composer of most of the songs. Two world-famous musicians took part in the recording of the album as guests – bassist Mark Egan (Pat Metheny Group) and drummer Rodney Holmes (Carlos Santana Group). Just before the release of the album, it turned out that a rhythm & blues group of the same name had been active in the States and released albums in the 70s, which forced the band to change its name to Electric Breakwater. In the early 2000s, Winnicki and Medyna decided to change the musical profile and the band’s name again. Komeda Project was formed, which recorded two CDs with music by the “father of Polish modern jazz”, Krzysztof Komeda. In 2007, the artists released the album Crazy Girl and two years later the album Requiem. The latter album was recorded with the participation of famous jazz musicians: double bassist Scott Colley, drummer Nasheet Waits and trumpeter Russ Johnson. The album was listed on The Village Voice magazine’s critics’ list of the best jazz albums of 2009. After the “Komeda Project” period, it was time for WM Project, which began with the release of the album From a Familiar Place, which, in addition to original compositions by the band members, included such classics as “Take Five” by Paul Desmond and “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” by Joe Zawinul, enriched with a hip-hop groove. The album was included in the “February 2018 DownBeat Editors’ Pick”. In addition to the permanent members of WM Project, namely Andrzej Winnicki, Krzysztof Medyna, Michał Winnicki and Jeff Dingler, the recording of the album included trombonist Marshal Gilkes, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and guitarist Rafał Sarnecki. At the Festival in the WM Project Centre, the following members will perform: Andrzej Winnicki (keyboards), Krzysztof Medyna (saxophone), Michał Winnicki (drums), Jeff Dingler (double bass). The musicians will present a diverse repertoire, including their own interpretations of hits by The Beatles.

Tickets can be purchased on the Eventbrite website:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/greenpoint-jazz-festival-ii-at-psc-tickets-1286540199369?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

UPCOMING EVENTS

II Greenpoint Jazz Festival – June 21st 2025, 7 pm, 177 Kent St.

Sponsors:

Polish & Slavic Center

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