Following its sold-out debut last year, the Polish Jazz Festival returns to London this September with a vibrant fortnight of contemporary, folk and classical crossover sound. Judith Schrut previews some of its upcoming treats.
If your definition of European jazz begins and ends with Nordic cool or Parisian café swing, this innovative Festival is sure to make you think again. For more than 70 years, the Polish jazz movement has been a major player and a distinctive voice on the European music stage. This year’s Polish Jazz Festival blends that rich heritage with London’s own thriving jazz scene.
The 2026 music programme brings together legendary figures, contemporary innovators and the next generation of Polish jazz talent to top London venues including Cadogan Hall, Kings Place and Union Chapel. The opening gala at Cadogan Hall (11 September) features uber-cool Wrocław collective EABS in the first-ever live performance of Wstęp Wzbroniony, a thrilling, unreleased 1970s collaboration by late trumpet maestro Tomasz Stańko and jazz pioneer Andrzej Trzaskowski. Sharing the opening bill is the Wojtek Mazolewski Quintet, renowned for bringing a fierce spiritual energy to the stage.
The festival continues with stunning vocalist Urszula Dudziak making a rare London appearance (12 September), while celebrated pianist Leszek Możdżer performs a dedicated tribute to composer Krzysztof Komeda, the genius composer behind Roman Polanski’s most famous film scores. Further highlights include the multi-disciplinary Chopin Residue Project, appearances by groundbreaking quartet Kosmonauci, and the Warsaw Jazz Takeover at Union Chapel, showcasing the Marcin Masecki Trio, the legendary Warsaw Village Band and rising outfit HVMBLE.
As Festival Director Łukasz Droździel explains, “the aim of the Festival is not simply to present Polish artists in London, but to place Polish jazz within a wider international conversation. It is a tradition with a rich history and a distinctive voice…through this programme we want audiences to discover both the music itself and the wider cultural context from which it emerges.”
The Polish Jazz Festival, 11-27 September 2026
Cadogan Hall, Kings Place and Union Chapel, London
For further information and tickets
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Images courtesy Baxter PR