Polish Jazz Showcase | Szczecin Jazz 2026
Katarzyna Jackowska
Studio S-1 Radio Szczecin
On 11 March 2026, Studio S1 at Radio Szczecin will host a special event showcasing some of the most exciting developments on today’s Polish jazz scene. Polish Jazz Showcase is a presentation of selected bands, projects and artists who are shaping new directions in contemporary Polish jazz.
The project has been created through the collaboration of the following festivals: Jazz Jantar, the Jazz Po Polsku Foundation, Kartuzy Jazz Bass Days and Szczecin Jazz. The event is held under the umbrella of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, with the support of Jazz Forum and the World Jazz Network.
As part of Szczecin Jazz, the showcase will also serve as a presentation of Polish artists to international experts and delegates attending the industry conference Polish Jazz meets Global, creating a space for networking and for promoting Polish jazz worldwide.
ESKAUBEI: LATE NIGHT POEMS
Presented by: Kartuzy Jazz Bass Days
Eskaubei: Late Night Poems is the poetic side of the work of Bartłomiej “Eskaubei” Skubisz – lyricist, performer and Radio 357 journalist. The jazz & poetry format combines acoustic jazz with expressive spoken word, creating an intense dialogue between language and improvisation.
The group features acclaimed jazz musicians: Bartłomiej “Eskaubei” Skubisz – spoken word, Piotr Lemańczyk – double bass, Marek Konarski – saxophones, Michał Szkil – piano, and Dawid Fortuna – drums.
Following the warmly received album Ostatni Dzień Lata (The Last Day of Summer, U Know Me Records, 2022), the group returns with material recorded at the legendary Jazz Club Pod Filarami. Their latest album, Rise & Bloom, is honest and at times intimate music, grounded in the freedom of collective creation and in the mature artistic language of each performer. The project has also been praised abroad – Alan McKinnon (Duvet Rustling Jazz / Totally Wired Radio, UK) described the debut as “a stunning Polish jazz / spoken word release”.
BLU/BRY
Presented by: Jazz Po Polsku Foundation
Blu/Bry is a quintet active since 2021 and performing extensively across Europe. Their inspirations include artists such as Walter Smith III, Tigran Hamasyan, Avishai Cohen and Tomasz Stańko. The band won the Grand Prix at the Jazz Juniors and Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa competitions, and has also appeared at prestigious events and contests including Jazz nad Odrą, Enter Enea Festival, the Blue Note Poznań Competition and the Junior Jazz Festival.
Their debut album, Blubry, was released in 2024. A follow-up release, produced in collaboration with Polish Radio, is planned for early 2025. Members of the band have studied at institutions including the Danish National Academy of Music and Berklee College of Music in Boston.
TOMASZ CHYŁA QUINTET
Presented by: Jazz Jantar Festival
The quintet’s latest album – It’s Not a Fake, It’s a Replica – marks a distinctive stage in the development of the group led by the charismatic violinist Tomasz Chyła.
This is music with greater weight and direct force, in which the riff – closer to the aesthetics of rock than traditional jazz – becomes the foundation of both narrative and form. Rock here is not a stylistic gesture, but a natural extension of the band’s identity. Improvisation remains an important element, yet it is placed within a coherent and carefully constructed compositional architecture. The album title offers a wry comment on comparisons with progressive rock legends, including King Crimson, while also nodding to Frank Zappa’s ironic sense of distance. Here, “replica” signifies a re-creation of the idea of artistic courage and collective energy – without nostalgia or museum-like reverence.
The stability of the line-up, unchanged for six years, allows the band to make bold formal and sonic decisions. This is an album that closes one chapter in thinking about jazz-rock and opens another – more current, more uncompromising, and more vital.
Organiser
Szczecin Artistic Agency
Patronage
City of Szczecin
Ministry of Culture and National Heritage
Adam Mickiewicz Institute
Partners
World Jazz Network
Jazz Forum
Trójka – Polish Radio
Tickets
