Over the past few years, the Polish jazz quintet Prowizorka has gained a host of admirers. This comes as no surprise as this band does not only have an exciting stage presence bur also a rather unorthodox approach of well-known old style jazz repertoire. The reasons for the surprising freshness and originality of their playing lie both in the skillful arrangements of clarinetist Ryszard Kwasniewski as well as in the highly unusual instrumentation.

Prowizorka is a Dixieland orchestra, which is formed around the so-called gobophone, basically a beerglass provided with a kazoo. Europe’s one and only gobophone player, Tomasz Sacha, not only shows his mastery of this instrument during his skilled improvisations, alternately imitating instruments like trombone and trumpet, but he also proves to be a fantastic scat vocalist.

Sacha has a very good partner and opponent in Ryszard Kwasniewski on clarinet and soprano saxophone. They make a brave show, playing fervid duels and seamlessly passing over into each others choruses.

They are firmly supported by double bass, guitar and banjo. The absence of percussion – usually a standard element in a traditional band – is nowhere to be felt. Surprisingly creative romping with metrics and rhythmics, is banjoist Pawel; Tartanus. It is indeed his energetic and powerful playing that makes connections between the background and the frontline.

Bandleader and bass player Stanislav Piotrowski shows he’s an unobtrusive, yet smooth and supple accompanist. Whenever he exceeds his accompanying part he does it with a striking solo. The dashing guitar of Jacek Korohoda is an asset to the rhythm section, relentlessly keeping up the necessary pushing power and swing.

The steaming swing of this refreshingly unorthodox band has amazed and amused audiences all over Europe. After their first big – and prize winning – appearance at the Warsaw Jazz Festival the band rapidly gained popularity, also outside the eastblock.

Their sympathetic appearance in several TV shows and on many stages of concert halls and jazz clubs all over Europe has secured Prowizorka a warm place in the hearts of the friends of traditional jazz.

Though most of the band’s repertoire consists of songs from jazz greats such as Armstrong, Bechet, Hawkins a.o., almost inevitably, their education in classical music shows now and then. Some compositions are derived from the classical repertoire, skillfully transformed to jazz. Their versatility becomes quite obvious when one would like to hear Charlie Parker. One demand is enough for them to shift the points!

In one word, they’ve got everything to satisfy the jazz audience.