The versatility of this year’s JazzArt concludes the quotation: 

Concerts, debate, exhibition, film screening and social initiatives – these are the elements of the unique formula of Katowice JazzArt Festival, which will be held between 25^th and 30 ^th April.

The sixth edition is composed of a rich gamut of performances and accompanying events. Stages in Katowice will be warmed up by international guests such as LABTrio, The Hot 8 Brass Band, Papanosh, Buraku, Anke Helfrich Trio and Håkon Kornstad, among others. There will be also a representation of Polish jazz performers: Apostolis Anthimos, Marcin Olak Quartet and Kwadrofonik ensemble which will perform in the accompaniment of the New Music Orchestra.

That is not the end. The festival program also includes a debate about independent labels titled “Independence and / vs Responsibility”, exhibition “Old & Unwise”, featuring Steve Byram’s graphics and Tim Berne’s photographs, and the documentary screening “Jazz Out Oslo: 10 Days into the Norwegian Jazz”.

The specific element of the festival is its coloring used in graphics and on mobile installations designed by the Katowice artist Matyda Sałajewska. The color palette consists of: purple, gold and green, which symbolize justice, strength and faith. These shades refer to the Mardi Gras carnival, which is celebrated in New Orleans.

This is the New Orleans music tradition and the birth of the genre of jazz, which are the theme of the sixth edition of JazzArt. Therefore, one of the main headliners of the event is a collective from New Orleans, The Hot 8 Brass Band, which combines in its repertoire the sound of a brass band with funky and hip hop rhythms. The music created by the band is not only an element of the parades and carnival games. The members of the band, directly involved in the disaster brought by hurricane Katrina, assisted residents of New Orleans and became a symbol of the rebirth of the city.