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Sylwester Ostrowski
Sylwester Ostrowski – jazz saxophonist, composer, music producer and The Jazz Brigade bandleader from Szczecin City, Poland.
Sylwester builds cultural connections globally with jazz. To date, he has three albums; the latest being In Our Own Way, where he takes on cultural exchange, bringing a fusion of American and Polish jazz, the classical music of Frederic Chopin, and traditional music of Poland and Japan. As an accomplished tenor saxophonist, bandleader, producer, composer and a jazz leader, Sylwester pays tribute to the legacy of David Brubeck’s Quartet trip to Poland, behind the Iron Curtain, in 1958. He is joined on the album with his band, The Jazz Brigade, featuring Freddie Hendrix, Dorota Miśkiewicz, and special guest Darius Brubeck. The fourth song, “In Your Own Sweet Way,” is performed by Darius Brubeck, the oldest son of Dave Brubeck, who accompanied his father on the tour sixty years ago in 1958. The significance of this track confirms that jazz continues to be central to Szczecin, which was labeled “The Jazz Capital of Poland.”
Nationally, Sylwester was recently awarded the title of Honorary Ambassador of Szczecin City, yet his journey to becoming a jazz recording artist and a leader in the world of jazz did not come easy as those who lived in the communist era were deprived of their artistic freedom and expression. Belonging to the communist era Poland, also meant that Sylwester had to begin working earlier, at the age of fifteen, to help support his family. Nevertheless, Sylwester’s dream, inherited from his father and his uncles, was always to be a musician. He attended a music high school with the hope that he would graduate become who he is today. His studies at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, Poland a prestigious music university, had to wait and he put his music career on hold by promoting art for the government and community in Szczecin. It was at this time that he became the leading force in the founding of the Szczecin Academy of Art. As a music producer, he became the cultural advisor of to the mayor and City Hall in Szczecin. His break came when he was producing music for Piotr Wojtasik, who offered him a recording session with top American musicians including Newman T. Baker, Wayne Dockery, and Reggie Moore.
Sylwester Ostrowski is a rare case in the Polish artistic world. He successfully combines the role of music – jazz saxophonist with culture animation, including the creation of the Szczecin Jazz Festival.
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Sylwester Ostrowski: la musica come celebrazione della vita
by Emmanuel Di Tommaso
Il sassofonista polacco Sylwester Ostrowski non è solo un brillante musicista e produttore, ma anche un promotore culturale di grande successo. In particolare, è fondatore e organizzatore dello Szczecin Jazz Festival, un evento che si svolge nella sua città natale in Polonia. Nel momento in cui Ostrowski ha ripreso a suonare dal vivo in tutta Europa dopo la pandemia, abbiamo avuto l'opportunità di incontrarlo per discutere dei suoi progetti, sogni e visioni del mondo. All About Jazz: Dopo ...
read moreSylwester Ostrowski: Music As A Celebration Of Life
by Emmanuel Di Tommaso
Polish saxophonist Sylwester Ostrowski is not only a brilliant musician and producer, but an equally successful cultural promoter. In particular, he is the founder and organizer of the Szczecin Jazz Festival, a celebrated festival he organizes in his native city. As soon as he hit the road after the hiatus forced by the pandemic, we had the opportunity to meet him and talk about his very special projects, dreams and worldviews. All About Jazz: After a long, trying ...
read moreSylwester Ostrowski: Jammin' With KC
by Kyle Simpler
Sylwester Ostrowski traveled from his native Poland to jny: Kansas City in February 2020 to participate in a centennial celebration of Charlie Parker's life and music. During the visit, Ostrowski visited Parker's childhood home, his grave, and other historical landmarks. He also sat in with some of Kansas City's finest jazz musicians at several local venues. He got a taste of not only the Kansas City jazz scene but American life and culture as well. While visiting the US, Ostowski ...
read moreSylwester Ostrowski: Building Cultural Connections Globally with Jazz
by Cheptoo Kositany
Sylwester Ostrowski is an accomplished tenor saxophonist, composer, producer, and bandleader of the Jazz Brigade. He is experiencing major success in his music career, built around collaboration with other artists, and partnering with jazz institutions through his organization Szczecin Jazz. Ostrowski's global connections span four continents from Europe, North America, Africa, to Asia. Ostrowski is a leader in Poland using jazz to build cross-cultural connections. His work has earned the city of Szczecin his hometown the label The ...
read moreThe Show Must Go On: Szczecin Jazz Festival Presents Tribute To Jazz On The Dnipro Festival
Source:
All About Jazz
In a unique collaboration between Szczecin Jazz and Jazz on the Dnipro Festival, Ukrainian musicians-turned-soldiers perform a one-off concert in Poland to celebrate the persistence of partnership, peace, and jazz on August 9 at Lagów Landscape Park. Later in August, the event will be broadcasted via JazzCorner.com. Almost six months into the atrocious reality of war in Ukraine, the reality of loss is horrifyingly apparent to the world. In an effort to protect what can be saved, while honoring the ...
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Szczecin Jazz: Europe's First Hybrid Festival Off 2021
Source:
Andrew M. Read
It is a strange feeling to write a piece about a jazz festival while the first band is on stage. I can hear Belmondo Quintet enchant their in-person audience from where I'm sitting, backstage in the production office of the Szczecin Opera Theater, where Europe's first international jazz festival of 2021 has just kicked off. From February 25 through March 4, Szczecin Jazz Festival hosts a lineup of international artists including Belmondo Quintet, Alexander Beets Quintet ft. Ellister van der ...
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Sylwester Ostrowski & Jazz Forum Talents Release New Album Jammin’ With KC
Source:
Cheptoo Kositany
Sylwester Ostrowski and Jazz Forum Talents' new album Jammin With KC featuring Bobby Watson, Logan Richardson and Keyon Harrold is available today under the recording label Agora. Fans can enjoy the music on YouTube and Spotify. Jamming with KC is a postcard from jny: Kansas City. This momentous album results from the Polish Jazz musicians' expedition to the birthplace of Charlie Parker. The Polish-American encounter was part of the Centennial celebration for Parker, and the timing is important as it ...
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Sylwester Ostrowski New Song "Chiefs Kingdom" Available Now
Source:
Cheptoo Kositany
Sylwester Ostrowski, new single Chiefs Kingdom" featuring Bobby Watson is available now. The music honors Kansas City, its Jazz legacy, and the 2020 Super Bowl Champions, the Chiefs. In this song, Ostrowski brings together two Kansas City legacies, Jazz and football. His team includes Jazz artists from three generations. He co-produced the music with Dominique Sanders with the recording taking place in Make Believe Studios in Omaha, Nebraska. Ostrowski is an accomplished tenor saxophonist, composer, producer, and bandleader of the ...
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Sylwester Ostrowski Releases New Song 'Chiefs Kingdom' Featuring Bobby Watson
Source:
Cheptoo Kositany
Sylwester Ostrowski, new single Chiefs Kingdom" featuring Bobby Watson is available on August 28, 2020, under the recording label Agora. Fans can enjoy the music on iTunes, Tidal, and Spotify. Chiefs Kingdom" is a piece of celebratory and uplifting music honoring Kansas City, its Jazz legacy, and the 2020 Super Bowl Champions, the Chiefs. Ostrowski was in Kansas City for a project celebrating Parker’s Centennial in partnership with Jazz Sister Cities during the championship game in February 2020. Together with ...
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