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| Ornette Coleman Headlines Jazztopad Jazztopad, one of Europe's most progressive and creative jazz festivals is back for its 9th edition with a stellar program that runs throughout the month of November. The beautiful, historic town of Wroclaw, Poland will be an essential destination for jazz lovers, and as ever, the program offers an exciting mixture between jazz's historic greats, up-and-coming youthful talent from around Europe and specially commissioned works to be premiered at the festival. The legendary saxophonist Ornette Coleman will have the honor of closing the festival on the 25/11, and his quartet's performance will be its only European date. At 82, and playing rarely these days, this is a rare chance for European jazz fans to catch one of the revolutionary figures of jazz. Other notable concerts include drummer Jack DeJohnette's Quartet on the 18/11 and Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava, 3/11, who leads one of the most exciting small ensembles of his fascinating career. Guitarist Bill Frisell, 17/11 will perform music to the silent movie "The Great Flood", a project which has been unanimously hailed by critics. Progressive French pianist Benoît Delbecq & Lutosławski Quartet, 4/11 will perform the premiere of a composition commissioned by the Jazztopad Festival. In another premiere, Koreans, zither specialist Heo Yoon-Jeong, and daegum (transverse flute) will perform with the Polish rhythm team of bassist Marcin Oleś and drummer Bartłomiej Oleś in what promises to be a fascinating experiment in cross-polination. This year Jazztopda is showcasing the best in cutting edge Korean music and concert goers are in for a treat on the 10/11 for a double bill featuring the quartet Geomungo Factory and the improvising duo Miyeon & Park, two of the most original and exhilarating ensembles in Korea today. In its ongoing aim to promote new European talent, the Take 5 initiative, 24/11 will showcase some musicians, as yet flying under the radar. However, this initiative will allow talented musicians to perform at Jaatopad and the other participating festivals, Jazz sous les Pommiers, North Sea Jazz Festival, Molde Jazz Festival, London Jazz Festival, Banlieues Bleues, as well as concerts at La Dynamo in France. Jazztopad, through its participation in Take 5 recognizes the need to encourage and support new jazz talent. Jazztopad is more than just a festival. Creative, forward thinking, yet with a love of jazz's historical figures, the festival holds a unique place among European jazz festivals. It's sure to be a festival to remember. write your comments about the article :: © 2012 Jazz News :: home page |