In November 2017 and April 2018, 22a leader Tenderlonious stepped out of the London jazz bubble to try something new. Taking up an invite from Astigmatic Records he joined jazz septet EABS in Poland to collaborate, create and learn about a different musical lineage; one born through adversity and persecution in the Stalin era.
The band – whose initials extend to Electro Acoustic Beat Sessions – released their debut album, Repetitions (Letters to Krzysztof Komeda), in 2017. An ode to Polish jazz great Krzysztof Komeda it included riffs and lines from his music with contemporary interpretations.
Kraksa/Svantetic is the final part of the dedication, recorded straight to tape at Radio Opole with Tenderlonious on flute and soprano sax. It’s led with an intensity and emotion that’s unique to jazz originating from behind the iron curtain: a slavic spirit that’s defined by its struggle for existence but determined to assert its own mark on the sound.
