The originator of the event is Marcin Żurawicz, who also serves as the festival’s artistic director. The co-creator of the event is the Polish & Slavic Center, whose executive director, Agnieszka Granatowska, is heavily involved in the project. The partners of this year’s edition were the Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union and the Kosciuszko Foundation. The festival was hosted by Dagmara Czechura.
The evening was inaugurated by the Paweł Ignatowicz Trio, consisting of: Paweł Ignatowicz – guitar, Chris McCarthy – piano, Ari Hoenig – drums. Next on stage was the Medyna-Winnicki Project, consisting of: Krzysztof Medyna – saxophone, Andrzej Winnicki – piano, Jeff Dingler – double bass, Michał Winnicki – drums.
The culmination of the evening was a performance by the outstanding Polish jazz vocalist, Aga Zaryan. She was accompanied by: Michał Tokaj – piano, Darek Oleszkiewicz – double bass, Matt Slocum – drums, and special guest Daniel “Sky” Szczepański – trumpet.
The audience featured numerous guests of honor. Among them were Ambassador Krzysztof Szczerski, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland to the United Nations, and Mateusz Sakowicz, Consul General of the Republic of Poland in New York, along with his wife Bogna Bernaciak-Sakowicz. A delightful surprise for the audience was the presence of Urszula Dudziak, a jazz star well-known in both Poland and the United States.
Text and photos: Zosia Zeleska-Bobrowski
