Saagara (POL / IND)
Traditional/Global
Jazz
Saagara (POL / IND)
The string musician (clarinet, taragato) Wacław Zimpel, born in 1983, emerged on the Polish jazz scene in the mid-2000s. In the 2010s, he then became one of the most sought-after artists as a member of various groups, performing in a notably wide range of genres, from avant-garde to free jazz, post-minimalism and electronic music. In addition to the post-minimalist, avant-jazz group LAM and the experimental big band-like The Resonance Ensemble – not to mention joint productions under his own name, including with the electronic musician Shackleton – Zimpel has also created the band Saagara , which is his best-known group on an international level as it explores the boundaries of genre with four Indian musicians. In their first ever concert in Hungary, Saagara will present their third album, released in October.
After his successes in Poland, Wacław Zimpel finally achieved his big international breakthrough with his minimalist and meditative solo record Lines, released in February 2016, with the only album from the LAM project following in October of the same year. Zimpel then departed for India to form another group. Inspired by Terry Riley and La Monte Young, Zimpel initially travelled to India in 2012 to research the roots of minimalist music. The impact the local Bengaluru masters of South Indian Carnatic music had on Zimpel prompted him to create the group Saagara with musicians he met in the area. The band released its first album in 2015. A noted jazz musician, Zimpel practiced the style with great devotion for an entire year in order to form a more profound connection with his bandmates, Ghiridhar Udupa, Aggu Baba, K Raja and Mysore N. Karthik. After performing concerts with music from the record, which combines Carnatic traditions and chamber jazz, Zimpel made some minor adjustments to his concept. For Saagara's second record in 2017, 2, Zimpel involved a Berlin electronic music producer, mooryc, who added electronic elements to the jazz-influenced Indian-Western musical fusion. Following a collaboration with James Holden, Zimpel has become increasingly immersed in his joint records with Shackleton. This influence will be felt on the third Saagara record, which has taken shape over a number of years. The first ever Saagara concert in Hungary in October 2024 will coincide with the release of the album, 3 on the Glitterbeat record label, which is influential on the global music scene. The record features a cliché-free, transcendent fusion of Western electronics and ancient musical traditions.
