Hello! Here the Warsaw Village Band Spring newsletter.

„New Tradition”: Folk Album Of The Year and "Wirtualne Gęśle".

On 16th May 2013 Warsaw Village Band performed on XVIth Polish Radio Folk Festival "New Tradition", receiving two prizes for the 6th WVB album „NORD”: Polish Radio Best Folk Music Album Award (ex-aequo with „Adieu” of Adam Strug – congratulations!) and Best Folk Music Album Of The Year By Polish Internet Users "Wirtualne Gęśle" 2012 Award! Both are another prestigious distinctions for "NORD", beside the Quarterly Critics' Choice Of The German Record Critics' Awards, the Songlines Music Awards Final and TOP 15 of the World Music Charts Europe. We're very happy for, both audience' and professionals', great reception of the last album.

Above – WVB & Familly + two just received Polish Awards. Thank you so much! [photo by Piotr Gilarski]

Retransmissions - WVB gigs on air!

The Warsaw Village Band performance on the „New Tradition” Festival available to watch on Polish Radio websites.

Another concert on ait in forthcoming weeks:
03.06.2013 – D – Deutschlandradio Kultur, 20:00 – retranssmission of the Warsaw Village Band gig from Husum, Germany, 16th April 2013.
04.06.2013 – S – Sveriges Radio 2, 19:00 – retranssmission of the WVB gig in legendary venue Babel in Malmö, Sweden, from 23rd March 2013.

The WVB jubilee gig "15,5" on air in TVP Polonia:
- 1st part: 18.05. - 18:50; 22.05. - 13:50;
- 2nd part: 25.05. - 18:50; 29.05. - 13:50;


The forthcoming dates of live WVB performances:

24.05.2013 - PL - Wrocław – Juwenalia, 19:40
26.05.2013 - PL - Toruń - Kopernikus Fest, tickets free, 16:30
08.06.2013 - PL - Poznań - Ethno Port Festival + Mercedes Peón , tickets free, 20:00 – special concert on the front of the Imperial Castle in Poznań with featuring of the magnificent multiinstrumentalist and singer from Spain' Galicia, with whom WVB had common tour in November 2012!

09.06.2013 - PL - Sosnowiec - Sosnowiec City Days
16.06.2013 - PL - Wojnicz - Wojnicz Castellany Days
22.06.2013 – PL – Świdnica
29.06.2012 - PL - Kazimierz Dolny - 47th National Folk Bands And Singers Festival – more details soon.

Feel invite for the WVB gigs! The plans for next months including i.a. concerts in France, Germany, Switzerland and Scotland, on summer Festivals: Aarhus Jazz, Ancient Trance, Sziget and Crossroads Festival in Kraków.

A few interesting articles about WVB published in last weeks:

Enjoy the enthusiastic review of „NORD” from Columbia, and the very nice interview with WVB founder and musician Maciej Szajkiwski, about „NORD” and wider context of WVB acitivities in prestigious French world music magazine Mondomix. Take a look on the world music alphabet, created by the WVB members for Polish "HIRO" magazine, and review of the Warsaw Village Band  „open-air" concert on the front of Landschaftsmuseum in Unewatt, as part of Folkbaltica Festival.

See you!

Breaking news! Amazing guests on forthcoming Warsaw Village Band gig in Nantes!

On 6th April, Warsaw Village Band will perform on Scène « Tribal » as part of the prestigious  "Eurofonik" Festival in Nantes, France.

The invitation to featuring in the concert was accepted by fatnastic musicians: legendary Swedish ensamble HEDNINGARNA, and magnificent singer and multi-instrumentalist from Galicia - MERCEDES PEÓN!!!

Let us recall: WVB recorded with Hedningarna common tracks on the last WVB album "NORD" and performed together on special concert for the Inauguration of Polish Presidency in EU on 1st July 2011 in Warsaw, and with Mercedes Peón WVB performed 3 times on special concert tour in November 2012 and also done the recordings together. "Pagans" will perform on Scène « Tribal » just before the WVB and Mercedes on Scène « Brèches » a few hours earlier - don't miss their gigs!

It's going to be a unforgettable evening! See you in Nantes!

PS. Next WVB gigs in April:
14.04.2013 - LU - Luxembourg
18.04.2013 - D - Husum - FolkBaltica
19.04.2013 - D - Flensburg - FolkBaltica
20.04.2013 - DK - Unewatt - FolkBaltica
21.04.2013 - D - Flensburg - FolkBaltica

The Jury Of The Polish Radio Folk Phonogramme Of The Year 2012 Awards: Dariusz Anaszko, Andrew Cronshaw, Bartek Chaciński, Tomasz Janas and Piotr Kędziorek awarded the Warsaw Village Band "NORD" CD with 1st prize and Polish Radio Folk Phonogramme Of The Year 2012 title (ex aequo with "Adieu” album of Adam Strug). Thank you!

Meanwhile in Scandinavia - fantastic acclaimed WVB Spring Scandinavia Tour, with amazing gigs in Helsinki (Finland), Voss (Norway) and Malmö (Sweden)! 3500 travelled kilometers from 20th to 24th March, frame drum demolishion - there happened a lot! "Violin was crying, and so I did too..." - it's final sentence of  enthusiastic review from the Band performance in Savoi Teatteri published by "Helsingin Sanomat", one of the biggest Finnish daily newspapers. Below - the concert announcement also from HS.

Meanwhile in Poland, the photographer Radek Polak, the "Uprooting" and "NORD" promo shots author, took his camera again to take another pictures of WVB. Enjoy them!

We have also another amazing fanwork! Enjoy the "Stepp this and that"s, final track of WVB "NORD" album, videoclip by Szczepan Skibicki. This amazing, slow-motion work, presents the beauty of ancient Forests and villages of Podlasie region in the eastern part of Poland, during very, very cold (-20'C) winter's nights. Check this out!

Habemus nominationis! Great news from London!

Warsaw Village Band, with their new album "NORD", in the final 4 of one of the most prestigious world music awards: Songlines Music Awards 2013 in "Best Group" category!

The previous winners of, launched 2008, SMA were such acclaimed artists and groups as i.a.: Tinariwen, Femi Kuti, Anoushka Shankhar, Yo-Yo Ma, Goran Bregovic, Amadou & Mariam, Staff Benda Bilili.

About reaching the final dvote decided the votes of the Internet users from around the world - thank you WVB fans for your support!

The winners, in an internal vote, will select the Songlines' redaction, and the results will be announced 26th April, when the 92nd issue of the magazine will be out of printing house.

Another good news from Hungary!

WVB show officially announced on this year's edition of one of the biggest Europe's Festivals. On 8th August Warsaw Village Band will perform on World Music Party Stage at Sziget Festival 2013 in Budapest! See you on Óbudai Island!  

Cheers!

PS. Meanwhile in the Internet - interesting bootleg video from the WOMAD 2010 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Warsaw Village Band with new line-up and mainly old, Infinity repertouire. Highly recommended! "Buenas noches Las Palmas!"

Short summary with most important WVB achievements and awards from the second part of the jubilee 2012 year!

Warsaw Village Band was awarded with: „Quarterly Critics' Choice" of The German Record Critics' Award in "world music" category for their 6th album "NORD". It's one of the most prestigious awards in the world, thank you for your attention and appreciation of the WVB work.

In the summary of World Music Charts Europe Warsaw Village Band „NORD” was include as 15th best world music album of the year. With 1009 rated album it's massive success, WVB was the highest rated album from this part of the Europe!

WVB featured on the cover of the Polish-focused issue of the biggest German folk/world music magazine FOLKER.

"Vor fünfzehn Jahren gründete sich die Warsaw Village Band; längst gilt sie als das Vorzeige-Ensemble der Folk- und Weltmusikszene Polens. "NORD" zeigt eindrücklich, warum! Die scharfen, dissonanten Frauenstimmen, die scheppernde Percussion auf Trommel mit aufmontiertem Becken, aber auch die melancholischen, reich verzierten Melodielinien der Geige und die zarten Cymbaltöne – das alles sind Klänge, die unmittelbar aus der polnischen Volksmusik-Tradition entliehen sind. Aber dabei belässt es die Warsaw Village Band nicht. Eingebettet werden die archaischen Töne in ein Gewand aus modernen Klängen. Mal wird eine einfache Melodie durch schräge Akkorde oder durch Hall-Effekte verfremdet, dann kommentiert ein Trompeter das Geschehen mit jazzigen Improvisationen; vor allem aber lebt die Musik vom Rhythmus. Stampfendes Metrum, wilde Muster, Ostinatofiguren und Schamanentrommeln sorgen für einen permanenten Groove." - from the magazine's review of "NORD".

Very good documentary of the WVB meeting with Mercedes Peón, as part of the „EtnoFallow” project, was prepared by „Transetnika” Association.

In Poland, WVB was awarded with the Year's Award of the Colture and National Heritage Minister Nagrodą in "folk art" category.

We recommend the fan-work video to "Who's getting married" from "People's Spring" (2001) made by Gosia Wojtkowiak. Real masterpiece - thank you so much!

PS. The end of 2012 brings also very sad news. Władysław Trebunia-Tutka, The Trebunie-Tutki band founder, died age 70. He was one of the greatest Podhale musicians ever and our big inspiration and friend.

The beginning of 2013 brings also another bad news. One of the most important traditional master of the Warsaw Village Band Marian Pełka, outstanding pedal accordion player and musician from Kłudno village, died age 77. His band is one of WVB guests on the "Uprooting" CD, WVB tribute to the oldest generation of village musicians, the Marian Pełka Band was a guest on some of the WVB concerts and is featured also in the BBC documentary "European Roots - Warsaw Village Band - Journey".

Below - the obituaries of both old-school masters from the British "Songlines".