“Staff†was put together in November of 2004. It consists of young musicians : Tomasz Markanicz (alto sax), Bartosz Staszkiewicz (grand piano, Rhodes piano), Maciek Matysiak (double bass) and Michal Bryndal (drums). Throughout the year of its activity the group has managed to come out with over a dozen of their own compositions. Some of them have recently been recorded in a live session in Radio Gdansk studio. “Staff†has already played a number of gigs among which the important was the one at the Skok Jazz Sopot Festival that featured also groups like Brandford Marsalis Quartet. The musicians also brought their music abroad featuring in the Festival of Partner Towns in Leiden (Holland). They took part in many music contests and won the First Prize in the 8th National Meeting of Young Jazz Bands in Gdynia (Bryndal was also awarded as the best instrumentalist). When reached finals in “Key to Career†in Gorzow Wielkopolski, “Krokus Jazz Festival†in Jelenia Gora and many more. On November 2006 we played in Germany (Goettingen Jazz Festivel 2006) The mood of this concert was incredible for us and for the audience (very good review in newspapers). Stylisticly, “Staff†brings to mind the atmosphere of ECM. The compositions are frequently open in structure where accidental moves, individual impulses and collective pursuits are more than welcomed. Silent, almost introvertic parts bump into chaotic bursts of aleatorism and atonality. The music of “Staff†reflects the inspirations of the instrumentalists deriving as much from classical jazz music as from minimal music and the contemporary black music.
