Four continents meet in the sounds of this duo - with jazz already representing both Africa and America, Artur Dutkiewicz on piano brings the sound of the instrument of the European classical tradition and Polish styles while Ghatam Giridhar Udupa produces sounds that have been echoing through the centuries in India.
Artur Dutkiewicz has been called the "Ambassador of Polish Jazz" for his frequent appearances across the world and his enthusiasm for and musical understanding of diverse musical traditions - as well as his deep love of Polish musical forms.
He has expanded the world's appreciation of Polish forms such as the mazurka - a form which he has also fused with jazz and other musical vocabularies, here in New Zealand:
Or with his trio representing Poland in Qatar:
Artur will be performing this May in Poland with Ghatam Giridhar, a virtuoso of Indian classical music - playing both the Indian percussion instrument the ghatam and singing using the konnakol technique.
Here is Ghatam Giridhar Udupa performing at another Polish-Indian fusion concert in Kraków:
And here he gives a sense of the rhythmic complexity of the konnakol technique he has developed:
Dutkiewicz and Ghatam Giridhar Udupa will be performing three times in May:
on 5.05 at the Centrum Kultury Izabelin - near Warsaw https://facebook.com/events/s/etnojazz-session-ghatamgiridh/965165255175215/
on 12.05 at the Pałac w Chrzęsnem (near Mińsk Mazowiecki) https://facebook.com/events/s/ghatam-giridhar-i-artur-dutkie/2578612572302355/
and on 18.05 in Olsztyn, in the Mazury region - Scena Muzyczna / Stajnie Dragonów.
The musicians describe their fusion of traditions thus: "The fortepiano and ghatam combine uniquely sonically. one is a distinguished European instrument while the other is an ancient percussion instrument used widely in Indian classical music. The meditative and trans-like sounds emerge with original far-eastern rhythms allowing listeners to release subtle emotions and reach their "source". Improvisation will feature prominently and we will hear melodies and works from a variety of the world's cultures. Among these cultures featured will be Artur Dutkiewicz's Polish mazurkas especially prepared for a duo of piano and ghatam."
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