MIKOŁAJ TRZASKA

Music

The Great Misophonic Orchestra_ sax

Composer, saxophonist, bass clarinetist. In 1989 he starts studies at the Academy of Fine Arts, Painting Institute in Gdańsk in Włodzimierz Łajming’s atelier. At the same time fascinated by jazz from the 60-ties, especially by music of John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman he starts to learn by himself how to play alto saxophone. Soon afterwards he joins Tymon Tymański’s group that was a germ of the biggest ferment in Polish jazz of the 80-ties and the 90-ties – Miłość. In 1991 he leaves the Academy and devotes himself to music.

1992-2001 cofounder and saxophonist of Miłość, one of the main pillars of so called yass scene. The group cooperated with among others Lester Bowie and Tomasz Stańko. They recorded five albums together. In 1993 he tries his hand at composing and as a leader, he founds Łoskot. In April 1994 together with Ryszard Tymański they found duet Masło. In October 1994 the first common tour of Miłość and Lester Bowie crowned with recording of the album “Not Two”. In 1995 he records his first solo album “Cześć, Cześć, Cześć” for Gowi Records publishing house. In the album he’s accompanied by Jowita Cieślikiewicz, Tomasz Hesse and Jacek Olter.

In 1996 Mikołaj starts a yearlong cooperation with Świetliki recording an album “Cacy, cacy Flaeishmaschine” with them. Later he decides to cooperate with Marcin Świetlicki in a project which combines poetry with improvisation on saxophone and bass clarinet. In 2000 they record the album “Cierpienie i Wypoczynek”.

In 1998 quartet NRD that is Jerzy Mazzol, Ryszard Tymański and Jacek Olter start their few months activity. The lineup played a few concerts and recorded the album “Sport i Religia”.

In 1999 project The Users together with Robert Brylewski, Marcin Świetlicki, Ryszard Tymański, Milo Kurtis and Jacek Olter. Album “Nie Idź Do Pracy” is recorded.

In 2000 together with his wife Ola Trzaska he founded a publishing house Kilogram Records, which publishes Mikołaj’s albums and impro-free jazz music.

In 2001 he starts cooperation with Andrzej Stasiuk, writer and publicist, six years later they publish an album entitled “Kantry”.

2001- 2004 he cooperated with an instrumental composing duet – Marcin and Bartłomiej Oleś. Their first album “Mikro Muzik” is thought to be a very important event in contemporary Polish jazz. Next albums are “La sketch up” and Trzaska’s album with participation of Oleś brothers ? “Danziger Strassenmusik” ? recorded on the streets of Gdańsk. They also recorded an album “Suite For Trio + 4”, together with a French trumpeter Jean Luc Cappozzo.

In 2003 when he was in Ukraine he created a music-literary project with a Ukrainian writer and poet Yuri Andrukhowych. The result of their cooperation is the album “Andruchoid”. In Autumn 2003 he meets a French guitarist Noël Akchoté with whom he plays concerts.

In May 2003 on the Festival “Blooms Days” in Dublin he plays with Austrian cellist and composer Clementine Gasser, it is the beginning of a long cooperation in duet and other lineups.

In September 2003 during his stay in Scandinavia Trzaska starts a permanent cooperation with musicians who form Peter Brötzmann’s rytmical section – bassist Peter Friis Nielsen and drummer Peeter Uuskyla. They record albums (2004) “Unforgiven north” and (2006) “Orangeada”.

In Spring 2004 on the occasion of Polish Year in Germany Trzaska starts cooperation with musicians from Germany: drummer and electronic engineer Paul Wirkus and double bassist Johannes Firsch. They go on two concert tours in Germany.

In April 2005 Peter Brotzmann joins the trio Trzaska/Friis/Uuskyla. In this way North Quartet is founded and the album “Malamuth” is recorded.
Also in 2005 in trio with Danish musicians Peter Friis Nielsen and Peter Ole Jorgensen. In April 2007 in Copenhagen, the premiere of their common album “Volumen” published by a Danish publishing house Ninth World Music took place. The same year he cooperates with Paul Wirkus recording an album inspired by Andrzej Stasiuk’s prose “Nacht”.

In May 2006 project Shofar with participation of guitarist and composer Raphael Rogiński and drummer Macio Moretti is started. The idea of the project is to find a common denominator for traditional Jewish music and contemporary creative jazz. In 2007 their album “Shofar” is published.

In Autumn 2006 he starts cooperation with Joe McPhee and Jay Rosen – he records the album “Intimate conversations” with them. In 2007 he plays a common concert tour with Trio X, and shortly after that they record material for a common album under a working title “Magic”.

In October 2007 on the occasion of Gunter Grass’ 80th birthday he forms an orchestra consisting of twelve people: Johannes Bauer, Wacław Zimpel, Przemek Dyakowski, Tomasz Ziętek, Kristofer Winckel, Marcin Dymiter, Adam Witkowski, Olo Walicki, Kuba Staruszkiewicz, Michał Goss, Paweł Nowicki – Mikołaj Trzaska Mottlau River Band, the orchestra performs a suite devoted to the writer in St John?s church in Gdansk.

In November 2007 he is invited to join an international project of Ken Vandermark “Resonanse”, where he cooperates with Tim Daisy, Steve Swelle, Magnus Broo, Yuriy Yaremchuk, Marek Tokar, Dave Rempis, Michael Zerang and Per-Ake Holmlander.

In December 2007 he founds a quartet with American pianist Noah Rosen, Danish drummer Peter Ole Jorgensen and Belgian double bassist Peter Jacquemyn ? they record an album as Trzaska/Rosen Quartet and go on a concert tour in Poland and Ukraine.
In January 2008 he records an album in trio with Peter Brotzmann and Johannes Bauer.

In Spring 2008 drummer from Chicago Tentet – Michael Zerang joins the duet with Clementine Gasser. They go on a concert tour in Poland and record material for a common album with a magic title Nadir & Mahora.

In Spring 2008 he implements two musical projects in Vienna together with Clementine Gasser and Bernhard Loibner for Essl Museum and with Joachim Roedelius and Clementine Gasser ? Secret Love. On that occasion he is invited to take part in Vienna Improvise Orchestra conducted by saxophonist and violinist Michael Fisher.

In June 2008 Mikołaj forms a quartet consisting of bass clarinets called IRCHA and invites Wacław Zimpel, Paweł Szamburski and Michał Górczyński to the group. The group has its debut on the Jewish Culture Festival in Cracow.

In October 2008 trio Trzaska/Gasser/Zerang goes on an international tour with concerts in Austria, Germany and Poland. At the same time Trzaska meets an Australian double bassist Clayton Thomas with whom he plays concerts in Germany and Poland and records material for an album in club Dragon in Poznań.

At the end of October 2008 the artist goes on a concert tour in the USA. When he comes back from the USA Trzaska implements a project planned a long time ago called Warsong with Raphael Rogiński on the guitar and Tomek Sowiński on the drum.

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_CREDITS_

Curator _ Natalia Cyrzan
Production _ Natalia Cyrzan, Anna Jankowska
Editing, www _ Ola Halicka
Translation _ Juliusz Okuniewski
Graphic design _ Bang Bang Design
Webdev _ Łukasz Farysej, trustudio
Photographic documentation _ Dawid Linkowski, Art and Action Photography
Video documentation _ cameras: Jarosław Klechowicz, montage: Konrad Kulczyński

Acknowledgements_
_Gdański Zarząd Nieruchomości Komunalnych and ‘Cruiseriders North’ association – for their permission to organise the Misophonia Episode at Szaniec Jezuicki.
_The Jewish community in Gdansk (Gmina Wyznaniowa Żydowska) – for their permission to use the new synagogue in Wrzeszcz for the rehearsals of the GMO.

Contact details_
City Culture Institute (Instytut Kultury Miejskiej): ul. Długi Targ 39/40, 80-830 Gdansk
For media: Marta Bednarska, e-mail: marta.bednarska@ikm.gda.pl