Jeremy Rose will perform in Poland for the first time. This Australian saxophonist and bass clarinetist has released over twenty albums, runs his own label and has performed with several major bands. In the second part of the evening, alto saxophonist and composer Immanuel Wilkins, considered one of the most talented and recognisable young American jazz musicians, will rule the stage. He will perform with the Lutosławski Quartet, an ensemble well-known to Wrocław audiences.

In 2022, Rose’s monumental project, Disruption!, premiered on an album tellingly titled The Voice of Drums. According to the musician, the voice of the drums is an attempt to convey through music the collective power of protests and demonstrations taking place in various corners of the globe. The power of these instruments has always been closely associated with communal energy, brotherhood, resilience and courage. In preparing this material, the saxophonist invited two drummers to collaborate: South Korean-born Chloe Kim and Australia’s Simon Barker, already a familiar face to Wrocław audiences. They will be joined by Jacques Emery on double bass and Hilary Geddes on guitar. 

At Jazztopad, Immanuel Wilkins and the Lutosławski Quartet will premiere the piece Ethnic Cleansing – An American Tradition. This is another work by the saxophonist that engages with socio-political issues, a story about the constant existence between life and death. Commissioned by the festival, it is dedicated to Palestinians facing systematic displacement from their homeland and the victims of the wave of forced deportations that has swept across the United States in recent years.