Colours of Poland in Bogdanów: Kari Sál, Adam Bałdych and the "Echoes of Lemko"

Artists:

• Kari Sál – vocals, guitar, kalimba
• Adam Bałdych – violin 
• Piotr Bogutyn – guitar
• Mateusz Kaszuba – piano
• Roman Chraniuk – double bass
• Dawid Fortuna – drums

Program:

• Traditional Lemko songs in modern jazz arrangements

Compere: Jasin Rammal-Rykała

The Holiest Trinity Church in Bogdanów, ul. Ks. Mieczysława Kozakowskiego 4a, 97-371 Bogdanów

A small square covered in greenery, the quietly purling Hoczewka and the hills of Bieszczady in the background – this is what Baligród, the hometown of Kari Sál, looks like. These terrains were the home of the Lemko ancestors of the artist for centuries before they were displaced to live in Szczecin as part of the “Vistula” operation. Her grandmother was one of the few who decided to come back here. “My family home was a true “Bieszczady central station”. It was the meeting place of my friends and the friends of my parents. These meetings often turned into long parties during which they sung poetry, songs from the Bieszczady region and the Lemko songs” reminisces the vocalist. She decided to breathe new life not just into into the traditional pieces passed on from generation to generation in her family, but also the songs gathered by the father of Polish ethnography, Oskar Kolberg. This is the origin story of the “Łemkowskie echa” (“Echoes of Lemko”), which is a fusion of distant musical worlds: the traditional white singing, the swiftness of the song and the playing of an acclaimed jazz ensemble led by Adam Bałdych – the luminary of Polish jazz and the husband of the artist. During autumn we will hear “Łemkowskie echa” issued as a studio album. In the meantime, hearing it is solely possible during concerts. The first of those occurred in the Baligród Dormition of Mother Mary Church. “This was an event directed at my neighbours, people, who have known these pieces since their childhood. Many of them still reminisce about that evening and are grateful that we showcase this tradition to the world as it assuredly deserves it” says Kari Sál.

Top photo: Kari Sál i Adam Bałdych, phot. Wiktor Franko

Bogdanów is among the oldest villages in the Wola Krzysztoporska municipality. Its beginnings date back to the fourteenth century, while the village parish has been operating at least since 1394. Interestingly, the pastorial ministry of the church also included the inhabitants of the nearby Wola Krzysztoporska up until 1946 despite it being a larger yet younger locality. The road from the Bogdanowice church was described as following by Włodzimierz Dajcz in his book “Odłamki czasu” (“Shards of time”): “Unfortunately, the road was twisty, uneven, riddled with ruts. Next to it was a path beaten by pedestrians. The parishioners walked this path for five versts until arriving at the famous, old and monumental Bogdanów church. In the summer, they usually walked barefoot. On Sundays and holidays, Bogdanów became a busy location, in particular during the June indulgence under the call of the Holy Trinity”. The first Bogdanów church was likely made of larch, the second – stone. The current temple dates back to the year 1922. It is worth paying attention to the side chapel of Mother Mary and the painting in it, which is the “Bogdanów Mother Mary – Health of the Sick” painted by Helena Tymowska of the Kamiński House, who was closely associated with this area.

WARNING

• The concert was initially supposed to take place in Opoczno – such information may appear on some of the festival materials. The change of location occurred for reasons beyond the organizer’s control.