Articles by Marek J. Śmietański
Jamie Cullum at The Great Theatre—Polish National Opera
by Marek J. Śmietański
A collection of photos from the Jamie Cullum concert at The Great Theatre--Polish National Opera in Warsaw on April 20, 2026 featuring Tom Varrall, Loz Garratt, Brad Webb, Rory Simmons, Tom Richards and Aisha Stuart, Marc Henderson. ...
Continue ReadingSteve Coleman and Five Elements at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa
by Marek J. Śmietański
A collection of photos from the Steve Coleman and Five Elements concert at Bielsko Cultural Centre in Bielsko-Biała on March 19, 2026 featuring Steve Coleman, Jonathan Finlayson, Sean Rickman and Rich Brown.Other photo reports from the same festival: Francesca Tandoi Trio at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa, Dave Holland & Lionel Loueke at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa, Aaron Parks Trio & Kurt Rosenwinkel at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa. The rest coming soon... ...
Continue ReadingAaron Parks Trio & Kurt Rosenwinkel at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa
by Marek J. Śmietański
A collection of photos from the Aaron Parks Trio & Kurt Rosenwinkel concert at Bielsko Cultural Centre in Bielsko-Biała on March 19, 2026 featuring Aaron Parks, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Ben Street and Cornelia Nilsson.Other photo reports from the same festival: Francesca Tandoi Trio at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa, Dave Holland & Lionel Loueke at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa, Steve Coleman and Five Elements at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa. The rest coming soon... ...
Continue ReadingDave Holland & Lionel Loueke at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa
by Marek J. Śmietański
A collection of photos from the Dave Holland and Lionel Loueke concert at The Polish Theatre in Bielsko-Biała on March 18, 2026. Other photo reports from the same festival: Francesca Tandoi Trio at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa, Aaron Parks Trio & Kurt Rosenwinkel at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa, Steve Coleman and Five Elements at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa. The rest coming soon... ...
Continue ReadingFrancesca Tandoi Trio at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa
by Marek J. Śmietański
A collection of photos from the Francesca Tandoi Trio concert at The Polish Theatre in Bielsko-Biała on March 18, 2026 featuring Francesca Tandoi, Stefano Senni and Pasquale Fiore . Other photo reports from the same festival: Dave Holland & Lionel Loueke at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa, Aaron Parks Trio & Kurt Rosenwinkel at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa, Steve Coleman and Five Elements at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa. The rest coming soon... ...
Continue ReadingJoel Ross, Jesper Thorn, Naoya Ogura, Alessandro Castriota Scanderbeg & more
by Marek J. Śmietański
Episode 123th is a regular edition of the show, though broadcast at an unusual time due to a significant delay. In this episode, we explore January jazz releases from around the world--including the USA, Denmark, Belgium, Japan, Germany, Sweden, and Italy--as well as some rarer international collaborations: Argentine-Swiss, Danish-American, and German-Spanish. Emotional, reflective, lyrical, and at times experimental, this collection offers multidimensional stories that invite you to pause, step out of the rush of time, and create real space for ...
Continue ReadingFourth Jazz Crumbs Awards – Celebrating 2025’s Top Jazz Albums
by Marek J. Śmietański
For the fourth time in the show's history, the Jazz Crumbs have been officially announced. 21 magnificent albums have each received their own special, hand-picked “crumb" title-- sparkling gems that capture something truly unique about every record. And so episode 122 becomes the definitive farewell to the jazz year 2025, what tightly woven together with two recently published articles (Marek Śmietański's Favorite Jazz Albums Of 2025 and Marek Śmietański's Favorite Polish Jazz Albums Of 2025). A huge, swinging round of ...
Continue Reading2025 Year in Review by the Numbers: The Magnificent Seven and the Pluralism of Taste
by Marek J. Śmietański
My Journey From Sports Analytics to Counting Jazz I've always had a soft spot for statistics and rankings--especially those that try to say something more than just “what people like." This is probably a result of my rigorous mathematical-informatics education and the scientific research I conducted over a dozen years ago on classification and ranking methods in sports (Formula 1, cycling, team sports, among others). So when the opportunity arose to prepare a summary in the field of music, I ...
Continue ReadingMarek Śmietański's Favorite Polish Jazz Albums Of 2025
by Marek J. Śmietański
As part of Year in Review series, I've already highlighted my favorite albums of 2025 (you can view the list here). While I included artists from around the world, intentionally leaving out my own Poland. And yet Polish jazz has a remarkably strong and distinctive identity. It emerged from a deep craving for freedom and a dialogue with the West, serving for decades as a subtle form of artistic resistance. After many years of searching for its own voice, it ...
Continue ReadingMarek Śmietański's Favorite Jazz Albums Of 2025
by Marek J. Śmietański
Here's a list of albums released in 2025 that left more than just a mark on my memory. For many years now, I've stopped ranking albums as “the best." Such lists usually end up being either personal favorites or, in the case of vote-based rankings, simply the most popular ones--which aren't necessarily the best. I also don't feel any need to arrange them in any particular order or according to any specific criterion. Quick note: I rarely include live albums ...
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