Wacław Zimpel & Saagara

In collaboration with Polja and Jerma festivals, Karmakoma invites Wacław Zimpel, one of the most creative jazz musicians of today, and his band Saagara. Polja saw its fourth edition earlier this year and the impact of this small festival in Šutci was so deep it inspired a whole other festival in South Eastern Serbia with brotherly programming called Jerma. After the first edition, Jerma teams up with Polja to bring you this extraordinary program. Polish multi-instrumentalist and a true “musical chameleon” (The New York Times) graduated in classical clarinet performance at the Academy of Music in Poznań. To set the tone for his electronic rituals, Wacław calls in more instruments, like the proto-harmonica from Laos called khaen. Last year, he released “Train Spotter,” a solo album for The state51 Conspiracy. His list of collaborators includes James Holden, Rabih Beaini, Trilok Gurtu, Maallem Mokhtar Gania, Forest Swords, Ken Vandermark, Hamid Drake, and many more. “Expert manipulation of urban-ritual electronics and loops anchored to a human perspective and folk-trance tradition, Zimpel prioritizes depth and understanding whichever his chosen context.” He is here to present Saagara, his band, which includes Giridhar Udupa, Mysore N. Karthik, Bharghava Halambi, and K. Raja. DJ sets by Jelena Martinović and Matej Rusmir.