British male vocal quartet The Hilliard Ensemble will be performing with Norwegian saxophonist of Polish extraction Jan Garbarek at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Warsaw Sept. 29. This is their first concert in Poland and it will be a chance to hear material from their upcoming album Officium Novum, due for release later this month.

Garbarek is revered as one of the most important jazz musicians in the world today and is regarded as the elder statesman of Scandinavian jazz. Since the 1980s, he has mainly drawn on ethnic music from different parts of the world for his inspiration.

The Hilliard Ensemble is one of the most acclaimed male vocal quartets in the world. The Ensemble was founded by conductor and baritone Paul Hillier in 1974. The current lineup consists of David James (countertenor), Rogers Covey-Crump (tenor), John Potter (tenor) and Gordon Jones (baritone).

The Hilliard Ensemble’s collaboration with Garbarek has yielded the albums Officium (1994) and Mnemosyne (1999). Officium has sold more than 1.5 million copies, making this unlikely pairing one of ECM’s most profitable signings. The new album is mostly taken up with sacred medieval music from Armenia arranged by Komitas Vardapet (1869-1935) although there are also Byzantine songs, Celtic music, and works by Garbarek and Estonian composer Arvo Pärt.
M.B.

Sept. 29 at 9 p.m.,
Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
53 Kawęczyńska St., Warsaw
Tickets (zl.180 aisles and zl.250 nave) available from EMPiK, Media Markt and Saturn outlets or online from www.ticketpro.pl,
www.ebilet.pland www.ticketportal.pl
All places are seated and unnumbered
For more information, go to www.jazzrazporaz.pl