For the second year in a row, you will be appearing at the jazz festival at the Polish Slavic Center in Greenpoint.
Yes. And I treat it as a distinction and appreciation of my person by the organizers. I am glad that once again I will be able to present myself to the Polish audience, especially since I do not perform for them very often.
However, this concert will be completely different than last year’s, because you will play in a duet.
Last year I performed in a quartet as the Daniel Sky Quartet, and this time I will play only with Marcin Steczkowski. Marcin is a very talented multi-instrumentalist, who after years of a successful career in Poland, has been developing it in the United States for several years. He also performed at the first edition of the jazz festival at the Center. At that time, his playing was based primarily on improvisation, and now we will join forces and improvise together. I have no idea what will come of it, but it will definitely be a unique and one-of-a-kind experience. Both for us and for the audience.
The initiative to play together with Marcin Steczkowski came from you. Where did this idea come from?
First of all, I would like to note that at the Center we have complete freedom in creating our musical visions, as well as complete freedom in choosing musicians, which is very important for every artist. And not always so obvious. Since the festival takes place in a Polish neighborhood, I thought it would be wonderful if two Poles performed on stage without any other accompanying musicians. Marcin and I have played live only once so far, at the Dada club on Ridgewood, which I remember very well. We haven’t had more opportunities to perform together, because we are involved in other projects on a daily basis.
What should the audience be prepared for during your performance?
We will play compilations of our own compositions with a large dose of improvisation. In other words, we will let our emotions carry us away but remain within certain structures. It will definitely be completely different music than the one I presented a year ago playing in a quartet.
You often perform in different line-ups and numbers. Does playing in a duo have its specifics?
Indeed, in addition to playing with my Daniel Sky’s Modern Bop Quintet, I appear on stage in a trio, trio or quartet. The most important thing, of course, is who you play with, but the number of members also matters. I like playing in a duo, but it is more difficult and presents a greater challenge, because a musician in a duo has to fulfill more functions at the same time. So I am not only a trumpet player, but also a kind of drummer and I also have harmonic tasks. I have to play more, occupy the listener’s ear and fill the space with sounds to a much greater extent than in the case of playing in a larger line-up. I strive to make the audience constantly feel that the entire band is performing on stage.
Music appeared in your life quite early.
That’s true and it happened in a very natural way, because my parents are musicians. My father plays the French horn in Sinfonia Varsovia, and my mother has been an opera singer for as long as I can remember. I took my first piano lessons when I was a little girl. I knew then that I wanted to play some kind of wind instrument, but I didn’t intend to play the French horn like my father. I took up the trumpet seriously in the 5th grade of primary music school and since then it has become my main instrument. I graduated from Karol Szymanowski State Music School Complex No. 4 in Warsaw’s Żoliborz district. First the aforementioned primary school, then middle school and finally high school.
As a classically educated musician, you eventually turned to jazz. Why?
I think I consciously discovered jazz as a musician towards the end of middle school, when I joined the school big band under the direction of Piotr Kostrzewa. There I became familiar with the works of many American composers, such as Sammy Nestico and Neal Hefti. I also learned how to arrange songs sung by Frank Sinatra. At 16, I fully realized what jazz was and that this was what I wanted to play. Music school prepared me mainly to play classical music, and I could perform solo or in orchestras for the rest of my life. However, in classical music is usually about faithfully reproducing something already invented, and I have always had a strong need to create. I appreciate classical music, but as a musician, I did not want to just play perfectly from the sheet music. I wanted to improvise on stage and let my emotions run wild whenever I felt like it, not only when the composer indicated it on the score.
You are a graduate of the renowned Berklee College of Music in the trumpet class. There is no better place in the world to continue your musical education.
It’s true. This school gave me a lot. I started my studies at Berklee School of Music in Boston because they offered me the best scholarship there. In Boston, I studied with the best young musicians in the world for several years, completing two courses, one at Berklee College of Music and the other at Berklee Global Jazz Institute. There, I honed my skills under the watchful eye of such renowned trumpeters as Sean Jones and Tiger Okoshi. These studies had another additional advantage, because thanks to them I found myself in a place where I always wanted to be, in the United States. First in Boston, and eventually in New York. Almost all the artists I listened to and admired during my musical development came from the States. This is where jazz was born, and I wanted to develop and be at the center of it all.
You have been performing in New York for several years with your quintet Daniel Sky’s Modern Bop Quintet. This is a really big achievement, because not many Polish jazz musicians can boast their own band and regular concerts in the metropolis. Even throughout history, there have only been a few.
I am aware of this. I am glad that in such an energetic and unique place as New York, I have the opportunity to play with the best musicians, and in places where legendary jazz musicians used to visit and play. Additionally, I perform in front of an audience that knows music and loves jazz. What more could you want? I appreciate where I am now, but for me it is primarily another stage of development. And I set myself new goals. I would also like to be appreciated as a composer, but this requires much more time and perseverance. However, I think that I have already taken the first important step in this direction by recording my debut album entitled Introduction to the Sky. This two-part album with only my own compositions was released on the market last year and is currently receiving good reviews from both reviewers and listeners. However, I am aware that the road to becoming a valued and recognized creator is very long and bumpy. In any case, I already have material for 3 more albums, so I have no shortage of creative inspiration. And energy, too. The aforementioned album is already available for purchase on the Centrum website, among other places, and will also be available during the festival. It is also available on all streaming platforms.
You perform and record, but not only your own compositions. Last year, you also had the opportunity to test yourself as a session musician.
Yes. I recorded the trumpet for 3 songs on the album The One by Secret Agent & Ayinde Webb. It was a very interesting experience, because it is a hip-hop album far from the climates I usually move in as a performer. Although I usually listen to more than just jazz, because I am inspired by different musicians and I appreciate such collaborations of artists representing different musical climates.
And what are your greatest musical inspirations, when it comes to trumpet virtuosos?
There are several. Definitely Miles Davis, who I discovered the earliest. Apart from that, unfortunately, the late Roy Hargrove. And also, Lee Morgan, Booker Little and Nat Adderley. Those are my so-called Top 5. Although I listen to many other artists, of course, and not just trumpet players.
Thank you for the conversation and good luck during the Festival.
Interviewed by Marcin Żurawicz