Ethno Jazz Beskidy proved that a festival can be a process rather than merely a series of concerts. Thanks to the commitment of the L.A.S. Listening and Sounding Foundation and the artistic vision of Piotr Damasiewicz, a genuine space for encounter emerged—bringing together people, cultures, and sounds. It was a festival experienced with the whole body—step by step, note by note, from the parking shelter in Rycerka Górna to the final sound resonating across the Beskid mountain pastures.
Photos: Krzysztof Grabowski
webside: Ethno Jazz Festival
The second day began with dawn awakened by the sound of shepherds’ bells and traditional calls. Workshops led by Marta Matuszna-Wejchenig allowed participants to delve deeper into pastoral musical traditions, which later emerged in an entirely new context—as part of a contemporary ethno-jazz form. The mountain hike culminating at Bacówka u Śpulka became a symbolic heart of the festival. A shepherds’ meal, demonstrations of traditional sheep herding, and a concert by the ensemble Skład Niearchaiczny seamlessly connected everyday pastoral life with artistic experience.
An evening gathering in Rajcza, devoted to stories about wolves and the wild side of the Beskids, introduced a more mythical and trance-like dimension to the festival. The concert by the band HÉR completed the day, demonstrating how universal themes of nature, ritual, and community can be—regardless of the geographical origins of the music.
The culmination of the festival came on Sunday with the autumn sheep drive (redyk) in Rycerka Górna. Participants accompanied the flock descending from the mountain pastures, witnessing the rituals of counting and returning sheep to their owners. It was in this setting—among sheep and pastoral structures—that the final concert of the Ethno Jazz World Beskidy Orchestra took place. The premiere program, developed collectively by musicians and wanderers, became a musical summary of the entire journey—both physical and artistic.
The festival began with rehearsals and workshops during which regional musicians, invited jazz artists, and participants—referred to as musical wanderers—jointly developed material for the final concert. The entire creative process was guided by Piotr Damasiewicz, who not only ensured artistic coherence but also initiated dialogue between different musical languages. It was during this time that the Ethno Jazz World Beskidy Orchestra began to take shape—a temporary yet intense creative collective.
After the workshop sessions, participants set off along mountain trails. The division into groups and overnight stays at the PTTK mountain huts on Przegibek and Wielka Racza introduced a natural rhythm of walking that became one of the festival’s core elements. Evening gatherings by the bonfires, stories told by mountain guides about nocturnal life in the Beskids, and collective sound recording sessions created a unique space for listening—not only to music, but also to silence, wind, and animal calls. Improvised music-making by highlanders and jazz musicians around the fire became one of the most moving moments of the entire event.
Ethno Jazz Beskidy September 26-28. 2025
A Musical Transhumance that United Mountains, People, and Sound
The Ethno Jazz Beskidy Festival was an event unlike any other music festival in Poland, and perhaps even in Europe. For three days, the Beskid Mountains became a living space of transhumance—a journey of people, sounds, and traditions—where folk music, jazz, and world music met on mountain trails, by bonfires, and in shepherds’ enclosures. The festival was co-organized by the L.A.S. Listening and Sounding Foundation, with Piotr Damasiewicz, the foundation’s president, serving as the artistic director. A musician and composer, Damasiewicz has long been dedicated to connecting improvisation with local musical traditions.
This year’s edition focused on Wallachian culture, deeply rooted in shepherding, seasonal migration, and pastoral spirituality. From the very first day, it was clear that Ethno Jazz Beskidy would not follow the conventional “stage-based” festival formula. Music unfolded through movement, walking, and changing landscapes—just as pastoral culture had functioned for centuries.
CONNECT WITH US
LISTENING AND SOUNDING FOUNDATION 2024
FOUNDATION
LISTENING AND SOUNDING