The Lautari Trio, whose members describe themselves as an ethno-jazz chamber folk group, was formed in 2000 and is currently based in Poznan, Poland. The ensemble adapts and energizes elements of many traditions of Central and Eastern Europe. The group's name refers to the Roma (Gypsy) itinerant musicians: masters of improvisation who created "gypsy jazz". Lautari's founder and leader, Maciej Filipczuk, has said: In forming this group and choosing this name, I wanted to acknowledge their history and to express my absorption of the musical traditions and culture of Romania, which I continue to discover, step by step, during my repeated journeys there. Other simple folk forms also serve as inspiration for the group. Lautari's repertoire includes instrumental compositions inspired by traditional music of Poland, east and south Carpathian mountains, the Balkans, and the Black Sea seashore. In addition to their own compositions, the trio bases its work on musical notations from the Kurpie region of Poland, on archival recordings from Greece, Macedonia, and the music of Ashkenazi Jews, and above all on the group's personal contacts with folk musicians who still cultivate their own traditions and playing techniques (Poland, Romania, Ukraine). The Lautari Trio's conscious merging of violin and folk instruments with jazz-like piano allows for a blend of the traditional and the contemporary. Maciej Filipczuk on violin and derbouka (drum) will be joined by Jacek Halas on piano and Michal Zak on wooden flutes, clarinet, bombarde (double reed) and folk wind instruments. All three Lautari members are widely respected for their projects with folk groups. Lautari has received numerous awards in Poland, where its recording Muzica Lautareasca Nova was recognized as one of the top folk recordings of the year - its main motifs coming from music of Poland's borderland territories where many cultural influences merge. The Lautari Trio will be playing music from their Musica Lautareasca Nova project, of which they write: The basis of the album is our belief that the most interesting aspects of folk music originate in "borderland" areas where many cultures interpenetrate each other (e.g. Bukovina, Transylvania, Bessarabia, and Dobruja). In such environments musical motifs cross geographical borders and, arriving from distant places, join together to become statements of understanding without losing their original identities. The musical structure of Musica Lautareasca Nova is dual. On the one hand we emphasize unitedness, homogeneity, and harmony of sound; on the other hand we leave space for individual expression and improvisation. A unique timbre - in which tradition encounters modernity - is deliberately created by the juxtaposition of violin and folk wind instruments (birbina - traditional Lithuanian clarinet; telenka - shepherd flute) with a jazz-like piano. Maciej Filipczuk (violin, vioara cu guarna, derbouka) has cooperated with Orkiestra p.w. Sw. Mikolaja (MC: The Music of the Mountains), the group Hojra and Teatr Piesni Kozla. Together with Jacek Halas and Stefan Puchalski he constitutes the trio Harom Jó Barát. Associated with Poznanski Dom Tanca, he is a part of a project called Podrózny Kolektyw Skrzypcowy (The Travelling Violinists Team). In addition, he is a co-founder of Transkapela, a group playing the styles of Klezmer music of the Carpathian mountains. In search of musical inspiration, he travels as frequently as possible to Romania, Georgia, Albania, Armenia, Hungary, Ukraine and Lithuania, where he listens to and plays with performers of traditional music. Among his many folk-related interests are the cultures and music of the Romanian Gypsies and the Ashkenazi Jews, as well as polyphonic church music. As part of the "Arche Vivum" project he has been awarded a scholarship by the Polish Ministry of Culture. He is a disciple of violinist Kazimierz Meto from Glina, Mazovia. Jacek Halas (piano) is a graduate of Poznan's Academy of Fine Arts, where he specialized in sculpture. An ardent lover of traditional folk cultures, for many years, alone or accompanied by friends, he has pursued the living manifestations of these cultures at the crossroads of Europe, particularly within Poland. From the performance of traditional Christmas carols and allelujas with the Theatre and School of "Wegajty", through an apprenticeship with village musicians with Bractwo Ubogich ("The Brotherhood of the Poor"), and a thorough grounding in klezmer music with the duo Ruach, Transylvanian dances with Robert Lakatos, and ethno-journeys with Stefan Puchalski in Két Jó Barát (honoured at Nowa Tradycja 2000), many years of contacts and cooperation with artists and musicians all over Europe, together with his many experiences in the theatre and fine arts - all these influences contribute to the unique expressiveness of his music. Since 1996 Alicja and Jacek Halas together with Joanna and Jan SBowiDski have constituted Muzykanci - a folk group at the leading edge of Polish folk performance (Grand Prix Nowa Tradycja '99, Grand Prix Euro Folk '99, Folkowy Fonogram Roku '99). Jacek also studies traditional lyre music and beggars' songs. Since Spring of 2001 he has presided over the Poznanski Dom Tanca and since January 2001 he has been a member of Lautari. Michal Zak (wooden flutes, clarinet, shawm and folk wind instruments) has long been involved with folk music performance. Among his other achievements, he is the founder of Bal Kuzest and Tredrez, two groups that perform Breton folk music. He is also the leader of Len, a trio performing Breton laments and Polish folk songs. In order to enrich his knowledge and improve his mastery of this music, he regularly visits Celtic Britanny, where he takes part in numerous workshops for wind instrumentalists, and plays under the supervision of Breton masters of the flute and bombarde, along with enjoying the local festivals of traditional arts and culture. Michal is also fascinated by the traditional music of the Middle East and the Balkans. He is connected with Poznanski Dom Tanca. He has also played concerts with Open Folk and Dekameron. In December 2001 he began playing with Kairos, and since January 2003 he has been the woodwind playing member of Lautari. www.lautari.art.pl
