Jazz Concert by WM Project in New York

Join us for From a Familiar Place - a new album release.

The album is a personal project for Winnicki and Medyna whose surnames are ingrained in the name: WM Project.

Thursday, March 29, 2018, 7:30 p.m. 

The Kosciuszko Foundation: 15 E 65th Street, New York, NY 10065

Tickets: $15-$30

While WM Project is a brand-new constellation, the musical masterminds behind it, pianist Andrzej Winnicki and tenor saxophonist Krzysztof Medyna, go back a long way. In the 90's, they have played together in the fusion group Electric Breakwater ("In the Bush" CD with Mark Egan on bass and Rodney Holmes on drums), and have furthered appreciation of Polish composer and pianist Krzysztof Komeda through their widely acclaimed Komeda Project. KP's "Requiem", featuring bassist Scott Colley, drummer Nasheet Waits and trumpeter Russ Johnson, made the list of Top New Albums in The Village Voice Critics Poll: 2009.

Now the time is ripe for another beginning. Their new album From a Familiar Place is a personal project for Winnicki and Medyna whose surnames are ingrained in the name: WM Project. The music sums up a long life lived with jazz, but also looks forward to the future. Winnicki's own son, Michael Winnicki, is a highly talented drummer and brings youthful energy to original compositions and classics like Paul Desmond's "Take Five" and Joe Zawinul's "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy". Another influence is the inclusion of five-time Downbeat & Jazz Journalists Association Rising Star Award winner trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and 2016 double Grammy nominated trombonist Marshall Gilkes. Jeremy is so deeply rooted in the tradition of this great American art form and plays in such a soulful way. Marshall's command of his instrument is just amazing (no wonder he was awarded a name of Rising Star in the latest DownBeat Magazine Poll). The group also includes the melodic dexterity of guitarist Rafal Sarnecki while bassist Jeff Dingler and Michael Winnicki form the rhythm section.

The familiar place of the title is not a comfort zone of nostalgia, but a challenging source of creativity, as Medyna says: "All of us have a kind of 'familiar place' in our memories, desires or places left on the path of our lives. To me this title must stimulate the listener's individual imagination and the music shall take the listener to such familiar place." With this album, WM Project shows the boundless possibilities of a deep understanding of jazz tradition resulting in memorable grooves and melodies.

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Founded in 1925, the Kosciuszko Foundation promotes closer ties between Poland and the United States through educational, scientific and cultural exchanges. It awards up to $1 million annually in fellowships and grants to graduate students, scholars, scientists, professionals, and artists, and promotes Polish culture in America. The Foundation has awarded scholarships and provided a forum to Poles who have changed history.