This year’s Jazztopad festival will open with a concert by an artist whose work combines the richness of what we commonly call Great Black Music. This collective category encompasses blues, soul, and gospel music, West African polyrhythms, Afro-Caribbean music, and finally, free jazz and funk.

Ecstatic and subtle, abstract and deeply rooted in tradition – David Murray has been described with many contradictory terms, and the work of this great saxophonist and bass clarinetist is the best proof of the fact that sometimes descriptions fail to grasp the truth. For Murray is a musical polyglot and a man of synthesis. Today, his discography, running to several hundred titles, includes albums recorded with musicians clearly associated with free jazz, as well as albums filled with standards. A hallmark of his compositions and arrangements is his penchant for building unconventional and multi-colored harmonies and treating these intricate structures with a touch of nonchalance. All of this combined makes Murray an artist instantly recognisable, whether he is stirring up a free jazz storm or lulling us into a tender ballad.

This time, Murray comes to Wrocław with a quartet that can already be heard on two studio recordings: Francesca (Intakt 2024) and Birdly Serenade (Impulse! 2025). He will be accompanied by Spanish pianist Marta Sánchez, double bassist, multi-instrumentalist and Washington music scene animator Luke Stewart and drummer Russell Carter.