EABS

The second decade of the 21st century was marked by a thorough rejuvenation of the jazz scene worldwide, as demonstrated by centers such as Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and London. A new generation of musicians brought about a true renaissance of the genre, once again moving it from the underground into the mainstream and attracting new groups of listeners. The same mission drives the musicians of the Wrocław-based band EABS, who since 2012 have been working on the concept of “reconstruction from deconstruction,” redefining classics from decades past by colliding them with the latest genres of contemporary urban music, thereby creating a completely new quality and a unique sound. Some may say this is no longer jazz, but sometimes something must be demolished in order to build something entirely new on old foundations.

The Wrocław camp of musicians tightened its ranks during the legendary Electro-Acoustic Beat Sessions at the now-defunct Puzzle club (2012-2014). A recording of these sessions, capturing the essence of the meetings, can now be heard on the first release bearing the EABS acronym – the Puzzle Mixtape [Astigmatic Records, 2016], once distributed for free but now hard to find. Among the guests who passed through these sessions were MED (Stones Throw), Coultrain, Ben Lamar Gay (International Anthem), and Jeru The Damaja. The closure of the club was the impulse for further development, which in the following years allowed EABS to become one of the most important voices in the Polish jazz scene. Although listeners had to wait nearly three more years for the debut album officially released under the name EABS, it was at that time that the Wrocław collective began to distance itself from hip-hop understood as a genre dominated by rappers. What defines the uniqueness of EABS, however, is not only their instrumental mastery and the contemporaneity of their musical language, but also their hip-hop origins and socio-political engagement.

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In the photo: EABS, photo by Zuza Gąsiorowska