Maniucha Bikont & Marek Pospieszalski

music that does not flaunt radicalism

POLISH BELOW

I’m writing this text hoping that it will be read primarily by non-Poles. I’d like it to be a universal story, and for my profoundly Polish experience last night to be translatable into the language of other cultures—albeit one with the same sensibilities. That’s why— forgive me if you’ve been familiar with their work for a while—I’m going to introduce you to two artists who have a lot in common. People of flesh and blood, souls composed of the most beautiful sparks of the universe. Oh yess, enough poetry!

Maniucha Bikont is a vocalist, tuba player, traditional music researcher, and cultural animator. Her work combines archaic songs—primarily Polish and Eastern European—with improvisation and contemporary sound. For years, she has been documenting rural repertoire, reviving everyday and ritual songs. She is best known for her duo Maniucha i Ksawery (with double bassist Ksawery Wójciński), in which minimalist improvisation intertwines with the beauty of early singing, and for the extraordinary collective “Tęgie Chłopy” (Tight Boys), which plays traditional music from the Kielce region (in southeastern Poland). In 2024, she released her solo album “Porządki,” in which the artist’s voice becomes a space for encountering intimacy and communal experience, presenting songs in a new light. Bikont also engages in educational and social projects, treating music as a tool for building dialogue and interpersonal connections.

Marek Pospieszalski is a saxophonist, composer, and improviser, one of the most important voices on the Polish impro-jazz scene. As the leader of the Marek Pospieszalski Octet, he created the “Polish Composers of the 20th Century” project, in which he drew on the works of Lutosławski, Penderecki, and Baird, reinterpreting them in the language of improvised music. He also created “No Other End of the World Will There Be (Based on the works of Polish Female Composers of the 20th Century).” The albums were released on the prestigious Portuguese label Clean Feed and received excellent reviews, as did his subsequent recordings, including the octet “NOW” featuring saxophonist Zoh Amba (amazing Polish independent label Instant Classic) and “Dürer’s Mother,” recorded with Elias Stemeseder, Max Mucha, and Max Andrzejewski (Instant Classic). The artist held a residency at the Warsaw club Pardon, To Tu, where he performed, among others. in a duo with legendary drummer Steve Noble. Together with Octet, they held a two-day residency at London’s Cafe OTO in July of this year. As a research-oriented musician, he constantly pushes the boundaries of expression – from chamber duets to extended orchestral forms.

On September 25th, at Krakow’s “Piękny Pies” club, Maniucha and Marek played as a duo for the first time. Their music was built on intelligence, sensitivity, and natural spontaneity—three elements that were sufficient to create an evening filled with authentic tension and closeness.

Their meeting wasn’t a technical display or a radical artistic gesture. It was rather a subtle reworking of memory—from echoes of Polish folk songs, three-measure, melodies, through moving references to the work of the recently deceased Stanisław Soyka (multi-instrumentalist, composer, a figure who united Poles no matter what) and Breakout (the iconic Polish blues-rock band of the 1970s), to premiere tracks announcing Pospieszalski’s new project “Epta” (with Maniucha on board), as well as material from Maniucha’s own album, “Porządki.”

The saxophones sounded like Moondog’s minimalist constructions, and Maniucha’s voice carried a tenderness and strength rooted in tradition yet directed toward the contemporary moment. An experience of pure improvisation. This wasn’t a concert “for connoisseurs” or “for lovers of tradition” – it was an event that built community here and now. The audience left “Piękny Pies” with a sense of participating in something rare: music that doesn’t flaunt radicalism, but becomes a space of empathy, focus, and openness. This evening left the listeners with something more than just sounds – a trace of empathy, a sense of participating in something rare and fragile, yet incredibly real.

This experience made me wonder what it was all about? Where is the line between intellect and heart? Why do we need radicalism in music, and do we even need it? What was most important in the story of that night? I think it was the radical empathy and openness of the artists. The physical proximity of the instruments and the people who used them. One of those experiences at the heart level, leaving many questions that will only be answered when we apply our minds.

*** Do polskiego czytelnika ***

25 września w krakowskim klubie “Piękny Pies” Maniucha i Marek po raz pierwszy zagrali w duecie. Była to muzyka budowana z inteligencji, wrażliwości i naturalnej spontaniczności – trzech elementów, które wystarczyły, by stworzyć wieczór pełen autentycznego napięcia i bliskości.

Ich spotkanie nie było popisem techniki ani radykalnym gestem artystycznym. Było raczej subtelnym przetwarzaniem pamięci – od echa polskich pieśni ludowych, trójmiarowych, śpiewnych melodii, przez poruszające odniesienia do twórczości zmarłego niedawno Stanisława Soyki i Breakoutu, po premierowe utwory zapowiadające nowy projekt Pospieszalskiego, a także materiał z autorskiej płyty Maniuchy „Porządki”. Saksofony potrafiły zabrzmieć jak minimalistyczne konstrukcje Moondoga, a głos Maniuchy niósł czułość i siłę zakorzenioną w tradycji, ale skierowaną ku współczesności. Doświadczenie czystej improwizacji.

To nie był koncert „dla znawców” ani „dla miłośników tradycji” – to było wydarzenie, które budowało wspólnotę tu i teraz. Publiczność wyszła z „Pięknego Psa” z poczuciem uczestnictwa w czymś rzadkim: muzyce, która nie epatuje radykalizmem, lecz staje się przestrzenią empatii, skupienia i otwartości. Ten wieczór pozostawił w słuchaczach coś więcej niż dźwięki – ślad empatii, poczucie uczestnictwa w czymś rzadkim i kruchym, a zarazem niezwykle prawdziwym.