Wacław Zimpel is described as “a model of a jazz musician of the new century”. A classically trained clarinetist who became interested in improvisation, while delving into other styles, he was once associated primarily with the improvised music scene. Over time, he increasingly plunged into Indian music, minimalism and electronics. He became interested in music production and significantly expanded the range of instruments and sounds, gradually moving away from free jazz improvisation. “Interstellar folk” is how Zimpel describes the style of the latest album recorded with Indian musicians collaborating with him in a band called Saagara. Aja Monet, who will perform in the first part of the concert, is an American performer, activist and, in her own words, “a blues surrealist poet”. The artist and her band will visit Wrocław as part of a concert tour entitled Let’s Be Offline Together. Monet’s poems and the music of the instrumentalists accompanying her encourage us to focus on the here and now – to look kindly at the people around us and think about matters that, though being the most important, in everyday life we simply do not have time for. 

In her work, Monet moves freely between eras, symbols and emotions: she directs our attention to ancestors, mentions figures important to the history of Black America, expresses pacifist, anti-colonial and emancipatory ideas. The way Monet’s texts are presented – although they often touch on dramatic and painful issues – is friendly and somehow welcoming the listener. Instead of violent accusations and poignant chanting, the poet prefers to tell assertive stories without falling into extreme emotions. Her domain is tenderness, friendly conversation, and only sometimes pathos or melancholy sneak in. The last sentences of the programme text of her tour are: “Life does not happen on social media. What is real is who we are to each other. It is breath. Nothing else matters. Nothing. That’s why we’re here. Does anything else matter? Is there any other purpose for our existence than to be there for each other?”

The Saagara band performed at Jazztopad nine and six years ago, so this year they will play at the festival for the third time. The quintet has three albums to their credit, and the concert in Wrocław will close the tour promoting their latest album. In addition to the clarinetist, there are virtuosos of Carnatic music, a classical style from southern India that has been developing there for about five thousand years. They are Giridhar Udupa playing the percussion ghatam, Aggu Baba the khanjira (a type of tambourine), Thavil Raja the double-sided thavil drum, and Mysore N. Karthik the violin. Their first album featured acoustic music, the roots of which lie in the Hindu tradition. It was full of vitality and joyful energy, and polyrhythmic gallop was the perfect companion for brilliant solo parts and discussions between instruments. The second album of the group, whose leader and composer is Zimpel, is a turn towards electronics, Western music and post-production – there is no lack of expressive formal gestures and sonic variety. In such an environment, club pulsation met the sounds of Indian instruments. The latest compositions follow the same path, but it seems that there is even more electronics and aesthetic bravura in them. The effectively produced music rises spectacularly, and its dance element is sometimes simply captivating. At times the listener finds themselves in a lush thicket of synthesizers, programmed electronics, Indian and wind instruments. The NFM audience can expect such a fascinating mix of sounds on a Saturday evening this November.