Anna Maria Jopek records with Makoto Ozone

Recently, Anna Maria Jopek has taken part in Makoto Ozone’s recording sessions at Studio S1 in Warsaw. The Japanese artist is known for being the most remarkable jazz pianist in Japan. The project, based on Chopin’s music, has been carried trough by Joe Ferla, the legendary sound director, who has cooperated with such artists like: Barbara Streisand, John Scofield, Clint Eastwood, David Sanborn, Pat Metheny and many more. One of Makoto Ozone’s guest is Gregoire Maret, the harmonica virtuoso, who has worked with Pat Metheny Group, Cassandra Wilson and Marek Napiorkowski. During these recording sessions Anna Maria Jopek has arranged and performed two songs. The album will have its premiere in spring 2010.
On the photo: the representative of Universal Music Japan, Makoto Ozone, Joe Ferla and AMJ. Studio S1, Warsaw, 12.11.2009

Anna Maria Jopek & Dominic Miller as guests of Nighthawks

Anna Maria Jopek and the guitarist Dominic Miller (who has worked with Sting and co-written many notable songs with him including 'Shape of My Heart'”) have been invited by the German band called Nighthawks to perform one of the Polish classic standards of popular music. The song was recorded in autumn 2009 and will be released on the next Nighthawks album in spring 2010.

BMW Jazz Club Lisbon Stories - tickets

We are very sorry to inform that all tickets for BMW Jazz Club Lisbon Stories concert in Warsaw have been already sold. Those who are willing to attend one of the Lisbon Stories concert still have the chance to buy a ticket for the concert in Gdańsk and Poznań. Click here for more information.

LISBON STORIES WITH ANNA MARIA JOPEK & SPECIAL GUESTS

After great successes of wonderful meetings with the art of Brazil, after finding common roots with African musicians and after last year performance on one stage with the most remarkable Polish artists, BMW Jazz Club is searching for further challenges and inspirations.

The music of Portugal should not only be identified as legendary Fado - this "blues of the edge of Europe". It is also one and only melting-pot of various influences and traditions. In one of the most beautiful and most poetical cities in the world - Lisbon - can be heard the music of many different countries which have been connected with Portugal for ages. Today the time of colonization is the history, but the artists from Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau or Cape Verde treat Lisbon as their mother land. Their music, though, represents the soul of past and old countries. And this, what happens in exploring many cultures, seems to be the most interesting.

For many years, the permeation of different threads has interested BMW Jazz Club the most and it became their feather in the cap. This year, on LISBON STORIES concerts, we will have the honour to welcome a few marvellous artists from Lisbon.

This year, BMW Jazz Club prepared three concerts in three cities!

7.12.2009 WARSZAWA - KLUB PALLADIUM
8.12.2009 GDAŃSK - KLUB PARLAMENT
9.12.2009 POZNAŃ- Centrum Kongresowo-Dydaktyczne UM

On the stage will perform:
ANNA MARIA JOPEK
YAMI
BETO BETUK
TITO PARIS (only in Warszawa)
Henryk Miśkiewicz
Ernesto Leite
Marito Marques
Marek Napiórkowski
Robert Kubiszyn
Paweł Dobrowolski

SIESTA 5 with Anna Maria Jopek

On 9 October 2009 another “Siesta” album will be available in Polish stores. The fifth part of extremely revered and appreciated by the listeners medley continues the tradition of searching for the most interesting recordings from all over the world. In the introduction Marcin presages that on the album “will appear some new guests, but also the familiar ones from the previous meetings. There is something somehow domestic in these our sjesta sessions, it’s nice. (...) For the first time – and surely for the last time – the lilac ballad night.” As always each recording has its special description and in addition the album is enhanced with marvellous photos by Marcin Kydryński. On the album we can also find the recording of Anna Maria Jopek. This time it is a song “Jakby nic się nie stało” from the maxisingle entitled “Skłamałabym”.

Anna Maria Jopek & Youssou N’Dour together!

On 13 September 2009 in Warsaw Congress Hall Anna Maria Jopek performed as a guest of the legendary concert “The Voice of Africa”. Youssou N’Dour is maybe the most cognoscible artist in so-called “World Music” with the help of his huge smash “7 Seconds Away” and the concerts like Live 8. The Senegalese artist performed as a top star on the Crossroads of Cultures Festival. Before Youssou N’Dour’s performance, on the stage appeared Tcheka – the phenomenal guitarist and vocalist from Cabo Verde band.

Sypka Warszawa (Friable Warsaw)- new video

In the 65th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising outbreak, Anna Maria Jopek performed in the video clip prepared for the composition entitled “Sypka Warszawa” (Friable Warsaw). The lyrics of this poem was written by the Polish poet Miron Białoszewski. The text was edited by Jerzy Bielunas, whereas the music was composed by Mateusz Pospieszalski. The video clip had its premiere on 1st August 2009 at 17:00 (W – hour).

The day before Anna Maria Jopek performed on the concert entitled “Oratorium z Powstania Warszawskiego” (Oratorio from Warsaw Uprising) which took place on Krasińskich Square. Next to Anna Maria Jopek on the stage appeared Stanisława Celińska, Katarzyna Groniec, Alina Janowska, Maciej Maleńczuk, Adam Nowak, Robert Więckiewicz, Mikołaj Woubishet and the youngest generation of singing actors and dancers – the graduates from PWST in Wrocław, Ampla Cameral Choir and Polish Orchestra Sinfonia Iuventus. The stage performance had the form of dramatic oratorio with the participation of the orchestra, choir, soloists and the group of performers creating the stage movement.

The scenario was based on the extracts from “Pamiętnik Powstania Warszawskiego” (The Warsaw Uprising Memoir). The oratorio discusses the tragedy of the fighting city and shows subsequent stages of its agony. The opus takes the form of harrowing narrative which shows people’s nightmare of everyday existence in destroyed and burnt city.
Watch video...

AMJ & Beto - pictures from Dorotowo (Poland), where concert took place on a floating stage in the Wulpińskiego Lake

ANNA MARIA WITH BETO BETUK IN DOROTOWO (Poland)

Anna Maria Jopek will give several concerts in Poland during this holidays. Events will take place in Węgorzewo (Saturday, 25^th July), Ełk (Sunday, 26^th July), Dorotowo (Saturday, 1^st August), Siedlce (Saturday, 22^nd August) and in Końskie (Sunday, 23^rd August). More details of the events can be found in CONCERT section on our website.

It is worth saying that in Dorotowo concert will be joined by Beto Betuk (www.betobetuk.com), with whom AMJ recorded a song called “Niema”. This song was released on the maxisingle “Cisza na skronie, na powieki słońce” and on compilation Siesta 4 - Muzyka Swiata. Those CDs were available only in Poland.

AMJ IN ASIA

Great success in Japan – JazzGazeta was there!

The performances in Blue Note in Tokyo were the last ones from Anna Maria Jopek Asian tour. During these four days and eight concerts in the most prestigious jazz club in the world, AMJ presented the highest level of her musical and vocal talent and she received a tremendous ovation. It is worth mentioning that on each of these eight concerts a different set of songs was played. It was always unique! I had the great honour to attend the last AMJ concert in Blue Note and I must admit that I was totally astonished and delighted. My friend and great violinist Sławek Talacha, who was with me that night said: “There are some moments in my life when I am very proud of being Polish”. And he was right. The Japanese audience reacts spontaneously but with the limit to a sincere applause. This time they screamed with the exhilaration, what in Japan means the truly adoration, not only the simple acceptance. The great sounding and brilliant performance of all musicians (Paweł Dobrowolski on drums, Robert Kubiszyn on bass and Marek Napiórkowski on guitars) made the concert extremely thrilling and unforgettable.

Anna Maria Jopek can be proud. She came back to Poland as a winner. In Blue Note Tokyo there is no place for non-jazz or ordinary artists. This is simply the best jazz club in the world. The fact that all tickets were sold confirmed AMJ’s great success and is the introduction to her developing worldwide career. I would like to thank for making me touched with your beautiful music. You gave me the chance to listen to Polish jazz in Japan – to the great art! Piotr Iwicki.

- Pictures by Marcin Kydryński
- AMJ in Surabaya
- Watch short video from Anna’s concert in Blue Note in Tokyo!
- First day report from Tokyo (in Japanese)
- Read short review from The Jakarta Post

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