Pinski Zoo & Wojtek Konikiewicz at Hen And Chicken

Pinski Zoo met Wojtek Konikiewicz exactly 30 years ago that JAN KOPINSKI first led PINSKI ZOO on several extensive tours through a bleak, but musically exciting post-martial law Poland.

Several collaborations, tours, recordings and journeys of research in Poland, playing their defiant, uncompromising music at major festivals, but also in towns and villages barely visited by western groups. Albums include a rare Poljazz album – Live in Warsaw, a UK album- Zone K and Jan’s recent of reflections upon Poland – Mirrors.

JAN KOPINSKI’s sax sound originated in the inspiring late Coltrane, Ayler era, with a mixture of Jazz passion, abstract funk and melancholic Polish folk influenced cries. PZ co-founder, Steve Iliffe’s brilliantly dense and angular keyboards, a dazzling rhythm section of electric bassists, Karl Bingham and Stefan Kopinski and stunning drummer, Pat Illingworth can conjure jazz excitement in a mix of whiplash grooves and tender composition....

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Pinski Zoo met Wojtek Konikiewicz exactly 30 years ago that JAN KOPINSKI first led PINSKI ZOO on several extensive tours through a bleak, but musically exciting post-martial law Poland.

Several collaborations, tours, recordings and journeys of research in Poland, playing their defiant, uncompromising music at major festivals, but also in towns and villages barely visited by western groups. Albums include a rare Poljazz album – Live in Warsaw, a UK album- Zone K and Jan’s recent of reflections upon Poland – Mirrors.

JAN KOPINSKI’s sax sound originated in the inspiring late Coltrane, Ayler era, with a mixture of Jazz passion, abstract funk and melancholic Polish folk influenced cries. PZ co-founder, Steve Iliffe’s brilliantly dense and angular keyboards, a dazzling rhythm section of electric bassists, Karl Bingham and Stefan Kopinski and stunning drummer, Pat Illingworth can conjure jazz excitement in a mix of whiplash grooves and tender composition.

Hugely influential in the formation of defiant Polish jazz co-operatives such as Free Cooperation, Tribute to Miles Orchestra, pianist Wojtek Konikiewicz has that dedicated technique, but open minded approach that has led to collaborations with cross genre music including improv, folk and sacral music within Poland and worldwide including USA, India, Japan Mexico.

“ Organic, no-surrender, spiritually uplifting music” AllAbout jazz.

“ A huge influence on today’s current British jazz scene” Time Out

“Volatile mixture of freedom and funk.” New York Times

“Kopinski is one of Britain’s few authentic voices on saxophone” Hi-Fi News and Record Review

Almost impossible to categorize they swing from virtuosic jazz to gritty funk with freedom and movement, veering into left -field territory and returning with snappy anthem-like tunes. Unpredictable and exciting, they carved a unique style in the UK and won praise from critics at home and abroad. Their eclectic fusion of style foreshadowed the move towards mixing influences in much of today's modern music. With 8 albums and extensive touring in Europe, Poland and New York in the late 80's and 90's; they are now back after several years of individual projects.PINSKI ZOO were voted Best Small Band at the British International Jazz Awards in Cannes 1991 and in 2011included in The Guardian and Observer's top 100 Jazz recordings in A History of Modern Music.

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