In september Barefoot Records member, Maria Dybbroe, went to Warsaw with Jazz Denmark. The meeting is focusing on creating a continued collaboration between the polish and danish jazz scene.
Background for Danish Polish Jazz Network
It is said to be the interplay between the Danish focus on individual artistic expression and
the Polish tradition of high-skilled mastery of one’s instrument that forms the basis for one
of the most vital transnational jazz connections in Europe. Danish-Polish exchange in
specifically the jazz scene has its roots in the ’60s and ‘70s, with Krzysztof Komeda’s Henning
Carlsen scores and Tomasz Stanko’s love for the vibrant scene of Montmartre.
Since 2004, when Poland was accepted into the European Union, thus opening the
possibilities for easier participation in exchange programs, a considerable amount of Polish
musicians have been studying at the Danish conservatories. They have been forming bands
together with their fellow Danish students, building careers and lives in Denmark, yet still
kept their connection to their Polish roots, and today, the Danish-Polish musicians are a
definite and considerable part of the Danish jazz scene. They tour both countries and maketheir own festivals, and each year the conservatories see new highly skilled musicians
applying for spots, wanting to take part in the exchange.
The Danish Polish Jazz Network is happening each year from 2022 to 2025 consisting of a
project bridge seminar and formalized networking, aiming to further the possibilities of
collaboration between Denmark and Poland. In 2022, the trade mission took place during
the 2022 version of the festival Polish Danish Jazz Days and consisted of 30 industry
professionals from Poland and Denmark. This year, the project focuses on the jazz
environment of Warsaw and how we can build a network and future projects between the
Danish jazz environment and the one in Poland specifically Warsaw.
