AMALIA UMEDA

The band is composed of Amalia Umeda (violin/vocal), Franciszek Raczkowski (piano),  Michał Aftyka (double bass) and Michał Szeligowski (drums). They are four musical personalities, which during intuitive, collective improvisation blend into each other. Their main purpose when creating music together is openness to new solutions - textural, temporal, and interpretative. All compositions are written by the leader, initially consisting of a thrifty outline of ideas, allowing all four musicians to give these pieces a unique shape, character, and form during each performance. They explore new possibilities of interpretation depending on the current moment, the mood, the acoustics of the room, as well as the energy of the audience. 

 

In 2022 the band released their debut album Nowoświt. The album is co-produced by Polskie Radio Program 2. It features illustrative, improvisational music inspired by the power and beauty of nature, the rawness and authenticity of folk music, and the various emotional states of human existence. A listener can notice influences of traditional slavic motifs, experimental and contemporary music. 

From August of the same year this material is constantly promoted on the ongoing Nowoświt / Footprints Tour. It includes concerts at Oslo Jazzfestival, Umea Jazzfestival, Cologne Jazzweek/NICA Exchange, Nasjonal Jazzscene (Oslo, Norway), Umea Jazzfestival (Umea, Sweden), NOSPR (Katowice, Poland), Periscope (Lyon, France), Rocher de Palmer (Bordeaux, France), Bimhuis (Amsterdam/Netherlands). This tour is the result of international Footprints Europe program - the band has been selected to participate in the first edition of this project.