Trumpeter/composer Chris Batchelor has assembled a group of top UK players to interpret the beautifully melancholic compositions of trumpeter Tomasz Stańko, from the early recordings such as Balladyna, through to the classic albums Dark Eyes, From the Green Hill and Litania, including Komeda’s iconic ballad ‘Sleep Safe and Warm‘.
UK Jazz News: What does Stańko’s music mean to you and when did you first encounter his music?
Chris Batchelor: I have been a big fan of Tomasz Stańko ever since I first heard him in the early 1980’s. He was one of those rare musicians with an instantly recognisable and unique sound, smudged and crackling, and an intriguing mix of delicate lyricism and fiery free improvisation.
There are traces of Miles Davis’ and Ornette Coleman’s approaches in Stańko’s playing, but the moods created by his compositions are distinctly European and lead the listener down an alternative path. Stańko’s influence goes on, with the huge legacy of recordings and writing recently added to by the posthumous release of the excellent September Night on ECM.
UKJN: You invited some of the greatest British jazz musicians to this project… who exactly, and why?
CB: I have invited Mark Lockheart, Liam Noble, Dave Whitford and Will Glaser to play at this tribute. They are all incredibly talented musicians, sensitive to Stańko’s aesthetic, creative within set structures and also in more open improvisational settings, and are able to spontaneously stretch and develop the material.
Stańko talks about his music using “arched time” – he describes two moving walkways, one going at a constant speed, the other slowing down and speeding up (rubato). He then asks his musicians to imagine moving between the two walkways. These are the kind of refined concepts which these outstanding players are able to work with.

UKJN: What will the group be playing?
CB: The Jazz Café POSK concert will feature a range of his compositions – free ballads, waltzes, grooves, with pieces taken from early albums like “Balladyna” through to later ECM records such as “From the Green Hill”, “Dark Eyes”, “Litania” and “Leosia” – as well as some pieces written for film and theatre.
Stańko’s music is atmospheric, cinematic, melodic and above all accessible. He said, “to me, the ideal composition is one that speaks to everyone. The sophisticated listener will catch the nuances, while a different listener will come to my concerts because he likes my hat. That’s the ideal of art.”
Line up:
Chris Batchelor – trumpet
Mark Lockheart – tenor sax
Liam Noble – piano
Dave Whitford – double bass
Will Glaser – drums
Tomasz Furmanek is Artistic Manager at Jazz Café POSK.
The concert ‘Remembering Tomasz Stańko’ by Chris Batchelor Quintet takes place on Friday 1 November 2024 at Jazz Café POSK, 238-246 Kin Street, London W6 0RF.