In the late 1990s, when I was unsuccessfully searching for String Connection albums on CD, a former colleague of mine offered to look for them in Poland. Of course, she didn’t succeed, because they still did not exist. Nevertheless, she brought me the next best thing: Chopin by Andrzej Jagodziński Trio. (The connection is, Jagodziński played keys with String Connection in the 1980s.) I wasn’t disappointed at all. In fact, it became one of my favourite piano trio albums. And now, they came to Las Palmas!
This time, I didn’t book the ticket in advance, hoping to buy it at the theatre’s box office. That’s exactly what I did, ten minutes before the show started. I was lucky: in contrast to Gonzalo Rubalcaba gig two weeks ago, tonight’s concert was pretty much sold out. The theatre was full of music students, or at least that was my impression. Which was a good thing.
The trio, just like 23 years ago, consists of pianist Andrzej Jagodziński, bassist Adam Cegielski and drummer Czesław Bartkowski. The three musicians have developed almost telepathic connection (string or otherwise). And yes, they played Chopin, in words of Andrzej, “the most important Romantic composer and the first jazz band ever”. Somehow the music made me forget the theatre’s unbearable pomposity. Prelude in E Minor, Mazurka in F Minor, the waltz in something major (can’t say for sure now) — all played by the trio maybe for the ten thousandth time, still sounding new and fresh. I wonder what Chopin would make of the show. I hope he’d enjoy it.
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