Piotr Wojtasik plays Kings Place on September 27

I STILL remember when I got my first album of Polish jazz. I was working as a travel editor on a national newspaper when the Iron Curtain finally rusted through, and we sent writers over to get a snapshot of how attitudes to, and facilities for, travellers were changing over in the East. Knowing my penchant for jazz, the chap assigned to Poland brought me back a record called C.O.C.X. by trumpeter Tomasz Stanko. It was a revelation – steeped in the familiar forms of American jazz but given a distinctive Eastern European feel by the trumpeter’s melancholy yet biting tone and his often romantic melodies, which often drew on traditional Polish folk themes.

A little research showed me I was late to the Polish jazz game – Stanko (whom I was lucky enough to see at Camden’s Jazz Cafe a couple of years before his death in 2018) already had a decent discography under his belt, and later became a star turn for the ECM label. Exploring Stanko led me to the works of Krzysztof Komeda, a film composer who worked with Polanski (Knife in the Water, Rosemary’s Baby) and other directors, scoring 65 films in all, until his accidental death in 1969 at the age of 37. He was also one of the pioneers of modern jazz in his home country and remains an important touchstone for native musicians.

If you haven’t caught up with the rich repertoire of Polish jazz, now is your chance. True, its spirit regularly burns bright at Jazz Café POSK (https://jazzcafeposk.org/) over in Hammersmith, but it is closed until October and this September sees the inaugural LOT Polish Jazz Festival put on gigs at Kings Place at King;s Cross, Chelsea’s Cadogan Hall and the Pizza Express in Soho (https://polishjazzfestival.com/).

The latter is where the wonderfully versatile London-based Alice Zawadzki is playing on September 28. The schedule also includes the brilliant Marcin Wasilewski piano trio, who were part of a quartet with Stanko (and have played with Joe Lovano and Charles Lloyd), and who also have recorded albums for ECM, with guest Emma Rawicz on September 15 (https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/jazz/marcin-wasilewski-trio/). Having played together for 30 years they have a telepathic connection and share Stanko’s mastery of space and (musical) time.

At the same venue on September 27 another highly creative, much feted trumpet player, both as an improvisor and composer, Piotr Wojtasik, comes to the hall (tickets: https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/jazz/piotr-wojtasik-quintet/). Check out the full list of events at https://polishjazzfestival.com/.

Marcin Wasilewski Trio

There is in fact a lot of jazz coming up at Kings Place over the autumn, which includes the exciting creation of the Kings Place Jazz Orchestra (KPJO) under the direction of trombonist Callum Au. I have seen an iteration of this ensemble in its Callum Au Big Band guise, and it is a mighty machine indeed. The KPJO’s debut performance is on November 2 and will celebrate George Gershwin, cunningly and cleverly reimagining his compositions in the styles of Miles Davis, Count Basie and Duke Ellington, with a new arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue by Callum Au. For details of the whole autumn jazz programme see: https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/

Meanwhile, more excellent Polish performers are on the horizon. The EABS quartet is at Ronnie Scott’s on October 2 and its album Repetitions (Letters to Krzysztof Komeda) is on my turntable right now. As the title suggests, this is contemporary reflections on and extensions of the great man’s music, rather than slavish reproductions. EABS also has a fine album out called Reflections of a Purple Sun, which takes as its starting point a hard-to-find Tomasz Stanko record called Purple Sun from 1973. It all seems to loop back to the trumpeter. Book on: https://www.ronniescotts.co.uk/find-a-show/eabs. See you there.

A show that has nothing to do with Polish jazz but everything to do with the UK version is at the 606 Club in Lots Road on September 8. It is a tribute to Martin Hummel, who ran the Ubuntu label and who also nurtured and promoted many, many young players on the scene, such as trumpeter Mark Kavuma, pianist Andrew McCormack and sax star Camilla George, as well as releasing albums by a previous generation, including Elaine Delmar and Darius Brubeck. The jazz world was heartbroken at the loss of such a passionate supporter of the music when Martin died earlier this year. Performers include many of this column’s regulars: Alina Bzhezhinska, James Copus, Paul Edis, Camilla George, Mark Kavuma, Tony Kofi, Rob Luft, Dave O’Higgins, Leo Richardson and Vasilis Xenopoulos. Profits will go to Royal Trinity Hospice in Clapham, which cared for Martin in his final months. Tickets: https://www.606club.co.uk/events/view/tribute-to-ubuntu-musics-martin-hummel/

Other gigs worth putting in your diary include the hotly tipped Tanhai Collective at Camden’s Jazz Café on September 11. Tight, infectious and danceable horn lines put one in mind of the likes of Ezra Collective or Yussef Kamaal – although with more jazz-funk and broken beat – and their already groove-heavy record In Lane certainly gets a higher octane in the tank when you see the band live. They’ll also be road-testing their forthcoming retro-funk album Circa 2019. Book on: https://thejazzcafe.com/event/tanhai-collective/

Brisa [Instagram @brisabr]

On September 6 the Jazz Café hosts the third edition of Latinas of London, a celebration of female voices drawn from the London Latin/jazz scene. Hosted by singer-songwriter Desta French, it includes music that roams well beyond the expected boundaries, including, among others, Lisey Tigra, a UK-Colombian alt-pop artist whose guitar shredding could give St Vincent a run for her money and velvet-voiced Brisa (Bacigalupo), a Peruvian jazz singer-songwriter who channels and updates the sound of established figures such as Mexico’s Natalia Lafourcade and the late Peruvian superstar Chabuca Granda, and who has studied with Tomorrow’s Warriors. More details: https://comono.co.uk/artists/latinas-of-london/ or https://thejazzcafe.com/

Still South of the Border, yet in Camden, the legendary Mexican big band, La Sonora Santanera, which has been pumping out rhythms for seven decades (yes, there are some new members) brings its fusion of mambo, cha-cha-cha, bolero, cumbia and merengue to Koko on September 14. It’s a gig supported by the Mexican Embassy to celebrate the bands 70th anniversary and Mexican Independence Day. Tickets: https://www.koko.co.uk/events/sonora-santanera
Maybe pop into the Mestizo restaurant/tequila bar in nearby Hampstead Road to put you in the mood – and ask for extra Tabasco, the band’s home state.

There’s more music from Central America at the Barbican on September 27 when the UK’s Balimaya Project meets Discos Pacífico All Stars, a kind of Colombian supergroup drawn from several well-known bands over there. We are promised a show that blends West African and African-descendant cultures with Afro-Colombian marimba music and London jazz. Having witnessed Balimaya in full effect, I am sure it will be a rhythmic riot. More on: https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2025/event/balimaya-project-x-discos-pacifico-all-stars-present-calima