Wednesday, April 29, 2026 at 7:00 PM (doors open at 6:30 PM)
Music Academy PaSo
5400 N. Lawler Ave., Chicago, IL
Free admission, please RSVP

Thursday, April 30, 2026
Roosevelt University
430 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL

Artur Dutkiewicz Trio
Artur Dutkiewicz – piano
Ethan Philion – bass
Sebastian Kuchczyński – drums

Artur Dutkiewicz will represent Polish jazz at the 15th International Jazz Day in Chicago.

International Jazz Day is a global event under the patronage of UNESCO, bringing together the world’s most prominent jazz artists and enthusiasts. The initiative was established by the legendary jazz pianist and composer Herbie Hancock, who serves as the UNESCO Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue. In 2026, Chicago serves as the Host City.

Known as the “Ambassador of Polish Jazz,” Artur Dutkiewicz is celebrated for his original style, which weaves jazz traditions with elements of Polish folklore and contemporary music.

The program will feature compositions by bandleader Artur Dutkiewicz from the albums Traveller and Comets Sing. The trio’s music is firmly rooted in jazz improvisation, seamlessly blending jazz with elements of free jazz, contemporary music, Polish folklore, and world music. The repertoire is presented with profound expression and a deep, emotive narrative.

The Artur Dutkiewicz Trio is led by pianist Artur Dutkiewicz, the trio features Ethan Philion on bass and Sebastian Kuchczyński on drums. The ensemble is celebrated for its original style, seamlessly weaving elements of Polish heritage into a modern jazz framework, creating an evocative and powerful soundscape.

Artur Dutkiewicz is an improvisational pianist and composer referred to by Jazz Forum as the “Ambassador of Polish Jazz.” He has performed in nearly 80 countries and is a graduate of the Jazz Department at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice. He was awarded the “Gloria Artis” medal by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

A laureate of numerous music competitions in Poland and abroad, he was a finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Competition in Washington, D.C. In 1988, he became the first Polish jazz musician to perform a recital at MIDEM in Cannes. He has released eight original albums both solo and with his trio; his latest album, From Sound to Silence: Nowosielski Live, was released in 2025.

He has performed at dozens of music festivals worldwide, including Jazz Jamboree (Warsaw), Munster Jazz Festival, Northsea Jazz Festival (The Hague), Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Festival Opera De Paris, Polish Film Festival (Los Angeles), Glasgow Jazz Festival, Thessaloniki Ethno Festival, Düsseldorf Jazz Rally, World Culture Festival (Berlin), Notturni in Palestro Festival (Milan), BJ Ninegates Jazz Festival (Beijing), Kontu Festival (Helsinki), Utsav International Jazz Festival (New Delhi), Melbourne International Jazz Festival, and Osaka EXPO 2025.

Additionally, he appeared on the stage of Ryszard Gwalbert Misiek’s innovative Instrumental Theater as both an actor and musician, co-creating music for performances. For many years, he taught piano at the International Jazz Workshops in Puławy and Chodzież. He has served as a juror for the International Jazz Piano Competition in Kalisz and as the chairman of the jury for the International Jazz Improvisation Competition in Vilnius (2006 and 2008), and has led numerous masterclasses around the world.

Andrzej Wąsik is a painter, graphic artist, and director, and a graduate of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. He has created music videos for prominent artists and institutions, including the National Forum of Music (NFM), NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra, Hanna Kulenty, Urszula Dudziak, Artur Dutkiewicz, Kasia Stankiewicz, Robert Janson, Renata Przemyk, and Fisz. He is also the creator of graphic designs and opening titles for various television programs and series.

His portfolio includes graphic design for major cultural events such as the Fryderyk Awards, Telekamery, the Multimedia Fountain Park, the Cross-Culture Festival, and the Culture Courtyard Festival. Additionally, he is the author of numerous album covers, books, and magazine designs, as well as the director of the documentary film Jan według Himilsbacha (Jan according to Himilsbach).

Ethan Philion is an award-winning bassist and composer recognized within the Chicago jazz community. A graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory and DePaul University in Chicago, he collaborates with the Jazz Institute of Chicago. In 2014, Philion received the Downbeat Magazine Student Music Award for Outstanding Soloist, and his septet was named Outstanding Small Jazz Ensemble. In 2019, he won the International Society of Bassists Jazz Competition.

He has performed with a vast array of jazz artists, including Rufus Reid, Greg Ward, Dana Hall, Mark Feldman, Russ Johnson, Howard Levy, Ryan Cohan, Tito Carillo, Gary Bartz, Alfonso Ponticelli, Ernest Dawkins, Geof Bradfield, Dee Alexander, Mark Gross, Alyssa Allgood, Thaddeus Tooks, Victor Garcia, Mike Allemana, Mai Sugimoto, and Paul Marinaro. His 2022 debut album, Meditations on Mingus, received stellar reviews from outlets such as the Chicago Tribune, JAZZIZ, Jazzwise, and WDCB.

Sebastian Kuchczyński is a graduate of the Jazz Institute of the Academy of Music in Katowice and the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He is currently a doctoral student at the Frost School of Music in Miami. He is the founder of the ensemble “Gravity Jazz Collective” and a three-time Fryderyk Award nominee.

Kuchczyński has collaborated with esteemed artists including Victor Mendoza, George Garzone, Zbigniew Namysłowski, Wojciech Karolak, Janusz Muniak, Piotr Wojtasik, Artur Dutkiewicz, Maciej Sikała, Janusz Skowron, Benjamin Drazen, Lora Szafran, and Monika Borzym. He is a laureate of numerous jazz competitions and released his first album, Yavia, in 2023. Sebastian Kuchczyński is currently a Fulbright Association scholar—an organization that serves as the primary organizer for the Artur Dutkiewicz Trio concert at Roosevelt University in Chicago.

The concert on Thursday, April 30, is co-presented by the Polish Cultural Institute New York.