Krzysztof Kijas / Wojciech Karolak / Arek Skolik – Between Breath and Wind
SJRecords 097. Release date: October 1, 2026.
Digital release (streaming platforms): October 16, 2026.
The album is available as a WAV download (24-bit / 48 kHz), including the album artwork, for PLN 60 / 15 EURO
Between Breath and Wind
Most of the material on Krzysztof Kijas's debut album consists of unique recordings made in 2016 in a trio setting. In the studio, the artist was joined by his dream lineup: the late, legendary Hammond organ master Wojciech Karolak and one of Poland's most highly regarded drummers, Arek Skolik. The album is the culmination of their many years of collaboration on stage.
The album features interpretations of well-known jazz standards, including "A Child Is Born" – recorded in two different versions – "Groove Merchant", "That's All", and "Recorda Me". The repertoire is complemented by a classic Polish song, "Dobranoc, już czas na sen" ("Goodnight, It's Time to Sleep") by Jerzy Wasowski.
One particularly special moment on the album is "Warming Up" – a completely unplanned, brief, and free-flowing improvisation by Wojciech Karolak. The artist played it solo as a warm-up just before the actual recording session began. This spontaneously captured moment offers a rare opportunity to hear the master in an exceptionally natural and intimate musical setting.
Another important part of the album is Krzysztof Kijas's original composition "I Met a Legend", dedicated to the memory of Wojciech Karolak. The piece was recorded in 2023 with Arek Skolik on drums and the outstanding organist Kajetan Galas. It creates a unique bridge between the historic 2016 session and the present day, while serving as a deeply personal tribute to one of the most important figures in Polish jazz.
Krzysztof Kijas:
My musical journey began at the age of 12, when I started learning to play the trumpet at the music school in Gliwice. For many years, the trumpet was my main instrument – and also the one through which I first discovered jazz. At the age of 19, I attended jazz workshops in Chodzież, which became an important source of inspiration and artistic development for me.
Over time, for various reasons, I switched from the trumpet to the chromatic harmonica – an instrument that fascinated me with its sound, character, and improvisational possibilities.
In 2010, I performed my first concert on the harmonica as the leader of the Gliwice-based Harmonica Jazz Band. A year later, I began an incredibly inspiring collaboration with Wojciech Karolak. Over the following years, I had the honor of performing around 20 concerts with him at various venues across Poland.
Meeting this jazz legend had a profound influence on my artistic development. In 2016, we recorded the material that now forms the core of my debut album, "Between Breath and Wind".
In recent years, I have collaborated with outstanding artists from the Polish jazz scene, including Joachim Mencel, Kajetan Galas, Arek Skolik, Maciej Adamczak, Piotr Krzemiński, and Leszek Hefi Wiśniowski, as well as musicians from Gliwice in the bands CZAR MAKAKA and Music Painters.
