Virtual Virtuosos
The Virtual Virtuosos are:
Bass: Krzysztof Ścierański is widely considered the most versatile and inventive jazz and rock bass player in Poland but says he should have been born a Brazilian. This is not surprising since his rhythmic creativity is legendary although, equally, his melodic sensibility leaves the listener agape. In an illustrious career which spans over three decades Krzysztof has led his own jazz and rock ensembles as well working with leading lights of jazz from Zbigniew Namysłowski to Michał Urbaniak. He tours incessantly and has played at countless festivals and given hundreds of concerts, once causing a riot in Indonesia. In 2006 Krzysztof created “The Colors”, a fusion ensemble which included Paul Wertico as well as Marek Raduli on guitar and Bernard Maseli on vibraphone.
More about Krzysztof: scieranski.com.pl
Drums: Paul Wertico started to play drums at the age of 12 and turned professional by fifteen. In 1983 Paul became a member of the Pat Metheny Group and for close to two decades went on to win seven Grammy Awards with the band. He has been a band leader as well as a collaborator with some of the leading names of jazz and rock and been acclaimed as “one of the most musical and well-rounded drummers in music today”. Paul’s “day job” is Assistant Professor of Jazz and Head of Jazz Studies at Roosevelt University. His connection with Poland has been long-standing, most notably in his enduring collaboration with the prog-rock band SBB. He has written for and been featured in numerous music magazines and hosts a jazz radio show in his native Chicago.
More about Paul: paulwertico.com
Keyboards: Tom Ludvigson was trained as an ethnographer and considers himself a student of Bronisław Malinowski so not surprisingly his music career has taken him down paths which can be best described as cross-cultural. Equally at home in a blues ballad as turning synthesizer dials in an experimental piece, Tom has been at the forefront of the New Zealand jazz scene for three decades as founder and leader of several jazz and blues ensembles. He is fluent in a range of instruments from woodwinds to guitar and percussion but of late works mainly on the piano and synthesizers and has been a prolific composer and arranger of film scores, musical director for stage performances, session player and teacher. His current projects include the experimental trio Trip and several award-winning television documentaries.
More about Tom: jazzscore.com
Photographic projection: Ralph Talmont was given his first camera for his ninth birthday and that was the end of any choice in the matter of selecting a profession. Over the last quarter-century his photographs have been used by leading magazines and corporations around the world and he has published, photographed or written over twenty five books on broad-ranging subjects. The panoramic photographs which accompany the Virtual Virtuosos come from an ongoing series titled Urban Symphony and have been taken in cities around the world using one camera and one lens. Ralph is also a multimedia entrepreneur and producer and has conceived of and produced the Virtual Virtuosos Jam, which has grown out of a series of performances guitarist Nigel Gavin and Ralph gave at the Auckland festival in New Zealand a few years ago.
More about Ralph: talmont.com
