Jazz Autumn - 6 November

Cosmonauts: Constellations, a special project by Polish Radio Jazz Studio & Ole Morten Vågan

Cosmonauts: Constellations, special project Miłosz Pieczonka - saxophone Tymon Kosma - vibraphone Bartłomiej Lucjan - bass Jan Pieniążek - drums Guests: Olaf Węgier - tenor saxophone Kamila Drabek - double bass Kasia Pietrzko - piano Piotr Szczotka - violin Mateusz Borgiel - percussion

Cosmonauts is one of the most interesting young bands on the Polish improvised scene — a formation that originates from jazz traditions, but with courage and freshness redefines the boundaries of the genre. Their music combines a jazz sensibility with the energy of hip-hop, the pulsating motor of drum'n'bass and an openness to spontaneous improvisation. Out-of-the-box instrumentation — saxophone (Miłosz Pieczonka), bass (Bartłomiej Lucjan), vibraphone (Tymon Kosma) and percussion (Jan Pieniążek) — creates a characteristic sound, balancing between emotional melodies and polyrhythmic, modern complexity. The band's debut album “Sorry, nie tu”, released in March 2024 by U Know Me Records, was a great success — the entire vinyl release was still sold in pre-order. The cosmonauts quickly gained concert recognition, performing at events such as the Open'er Festival, the Men's Play tour, Jazz Jantar or concerts at the National Philharmonic. In 2024, they were the winners of the Sanki 2024 plebiscite organized by the editorial office of “Gazeta Wyborcza”, which distinguished the most interesting new faces in Polish music. In the following years, the band also developed its concert activities abroad, performing at Eurosonic Noorderslag in Groningen, OFF Festival and Inside Seaside, among others. In April 2026, their second album “Brudna-Bielina” was released. For Jazz Autumn, the band is preparing a special project “Constellations”. The starting point of the project is Bielsko-Biała — the city where the Cosmonauts come from and where musicians began to play together. They invited artists involved in the creation of Bielska's music scene to participate in the concert. The cosmonauts will play their own music, as well as reach for compositions by Tomasz Stańko. “Constellations” will be at the same time a meeting and presentation of the young Bielska jazz scene — a generation of musicians who have been accompanied by the Jazz Autumn Festival since their youth.

Polish Radio Jazz Studio & Ole Morten Vågan Ole Morten Vågan - artistic direction, compositions, conducting, double bass Maniucha Bikont - vocals Tomasz Dąbrowski - trumpet Emil Miszk - trumpet Guro Kvale - trombone Marta Wajdzik - alto saxophone, soprano saxophone Maciej Obara - alto saxophone Marek Poalski - tenor saxophone, bass clarinet Robert Wypek - tenor saxophone Amalia Umeda - violin Anna Szmatoła - cello Dominik Vanya - piano Marta Warelis - piano, keyboards Tymek Papior - drums, electronics Patrycja Wybrańczyk - drums

The concert of the Polish Radio Jazz Studio under the direction of Ole Morten Vågan will be one of the most extensive and special projects of this year's Jazz Autumn. The Norwegian double bass player, composer and leader known, among others, for the band Motif and for many years of cooperation with the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, prepares original material written especially for an international line-up combining musicians from the Polish and Scandinavian improvised scene. Ole Morten Vågan has been one of the most important figures of modern Nordic jazz for years - his music combines compositional precision with openness to improvisation, space with intensity and a strong sense of narrative. The project prepared for Polish Radio Jazz Studio will bring together artists representing very different musical languages and experiences: from contemporary music and free jazz to electronics, folk and modern orchestration.

The project of Polish Radio Jazz Studio in cooperation with Ole Morten Vågan was created on the initiative of the Wytkownia Foundation and Programme 2 of Polish Radio, with financial support from Arts Council Norway.Ole Morten Vågan was created on the initiative of the Wytkownia Foundation and Programme 2 of Polish Radio, with financial support from Arts Council Norway.

The organizer of the 23rd Tomasz Stańko Jazz Autumn in Bielsko-Biała is the Municipality of Bielsko-Biała and the Maria Koterbska Cultural Center of Bielsko. Co-organizer is Ars Cameralis — Institute of Culture of the Silesian Voivodship Self-Government. Co-financed from the funds of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund within the “Music” program, implemented by the National Institute of Music and Dance.

The partner of the Festival is the Silesian Voivodeship The patronage of the festival was taken over by the Tomasz Stańko Foundation

The festival takes place as part of the Polish Capitals of Culture program. Polish Capitals of Culture is an initiative that aims to promote and support the cultural development of Polish cities. The program was initiated by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage in 2024. The coordinator of the programme is the National Cultural Centre. The Patron of the Program is Totalizator Sportowy.