Mikołaj Trzaska

Mikołaj Trzaska – saxophonist, bass clarinettist and film music composer. He emerged from Yass, a social and artistic movement that unabashedly challenged the rigidity of the institutionalised mainstream of Polish jazz in the 1980s and 1990s. Trzaska was one of the co-founders of the most important Yass group Miłość and the Łoskot band. He became one of the most important leaders of the Polish scene, but also worked with a leading group of international improvisers. After the Jass period, he recorded several albums with the famous bass and drums duo Oleś brothers. He also accompanied poets such as Marcin Świetlicki and Jurij Andruchowycz and created musical and literary projects with the famous Polish writer, journalist and critic Andrzej Stasiuk.

He currently collaborates with many ensembles, including his own international trio Volumen, Ken Vandermark’s Resonance Ensemble, Magic with Joe McPhee and the unique Trio Shofar with Raphael Rogiński and Macio Moretti, which explores new, unique perspectives of improvisation in traditional Jewish music. He established himself as an award-winning film music composer and collaborated with director Wojciech Smarzowski. But his main goal of self-realisation is rooted in radical free jazz: he travels the world and collaborates with some of the world’s greatest improvisers, such as Peter Brötzmann, Joe McPhee and Ken Vandermark.