Irek Wojtczak – saxophone player, improviser, composer and arranger.
He graduated from the Academy of Music in Gdańsk.
Based in Sopot, since 2000, he has carved out a place for himself in the polish music scene as the leader of several groups, sideman, and session musician. Critics have called Wojtczak a musician very difficult to categorize and percive within a stylistic framework.
In 2017, Wojtczak’s quintet toured with the legendary saxophonist David Murray. He participated in a special project known as the Polish Brass Ensemble featuring Dave Douglas. He performed with, among others, Fonda/Stevens Group, Jim Black and Chris Speed, Herb Robertson, Jamie Baum Septet, Klaus Kugel and Mitch & Mitch. He’s recorded and performed with, among others, the Fonda/Stevens Group, Tymański Brass Ensemble, Contemporary Noise Sextet and Outlook Quartet (as a leader).
Co-creator of Groovekojad (awarded a Fryderyk for the album Smacznego), Tomek Sowiński Collective Improvisation Group, Freeyo, Wojtek Mazolewski Quintet, PRL-Quintet, and the Możdżer-Tymański Chopin project.
Wojtczak is a longtime promoter of Polish folk music which was an inspiration for two of his albums: Direct Memory Access (distinguished in the XIV Music Festival of the Polish Radio “Nowa Tradycja” in 2011) and Folk Five (recorded in collaboration with the Fonda/Stevens Group). This album was praised by critics of leading American magazine All About Jazz and the New York City Jazz Record such as: Karl Ackermann, C.Michael Bailey, Budd Kopman and Ken Waxman.
The song from the album Irek Wojtczak Folk Five appeared in sampler attached to the British music magazine The Wire (November 2015).
Co – creator of SHMIB – Simultaneous Hybrid of Musical Improvisation and Bioart.
