They are happy that young people attend their concerts. Most importantly, people enjoy our music and have fun whilst listening to it. Those who hear us for the first time say that they didn’t expect jazz music to be so cheerful, melodic and to bring so much joy – says Marek Michalak while talking about the recent concerts in Warsaw and Lublin. And no wonder because the swing music of the band does sway its listeners. Maybe because the Krakow sextet does sound like the best big-band? – If the audience feels that you are playing not only well but also that you are authentic, then it reacts even better because your emotions hit the crowd – says Kudyk.
In its artistic career, JBBO has collaborated with many well-established musicians such as Wallace Davenport, Kenny Ball, Chris Barber, Albert Nichols, Bill Ramsey, and Acker Bilk. They also had the joy of having the famous trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and his musicians joining them during one of the concerts in Krakow. The collaborations are documented on the albums, which JBBO has several. They have 25 vinyl records created in Poland, USA, Germany and the Netherlands (their long play “Home” won the Golden Disc award”) […] and approx. 20 CDs recorded in the abovementioned countries as well as in Singapore […]
And so 50 years have passed and we still feel like we need to play. – The 50th golden anniversary will definitely not be the end of Jazz Band Ball – says Jacek Mazur. Well, it is easy for him to say as he is only four years older than the band itself. Kudyk is in a slightly more difficult position. However, Tolek Lisiecki understates the matter of age – Will Bill Davison was still blowing his trumpet, even at the age of eighty. We are not rock stars so we can play until the end…. or even one day extra.
And let them play because they are indeed fantastic.
Wacław Krupiński, Gazeta Wyborcza