BIO
Groovosophers Story
The Groovosophers band was formed in Krakow in March 2023, continuing the tradition of the Goddard Quartet/Quintet band, founded in 1997 at jazz workshops in Chodziez (first lineup: Filip Goddard Wyrwa - guitar, Tomasz Karaszewski - saxophone, Blazej Chochorowski - bass, Sebastian Perlowski). Goddard Quartet band recorded three demo albums and participated in the recording of an album by vocalist Robert Gałuszczynski, Patrycja Gola and Irena Kijewska, performed in clubs in many Polish cities and at the Jazz nad Odra festival in 1998 as well as was awarded with first place in the instrumental bands category at the festival in Proszowice in 1999).
At a concert of the Hammond Quartet in January 2023, Filip Wyrwa met with Grzegorz Madej (with whom he had the pleasure of performing in 2019 and 2021) and they spoke about playing together. One phone call later, Tomasz Karaszewski on saxophones joined the band (a graduate of the Faculty of Jazz and Popular Music of the Academy of Music in Katowice). Filip Wyrwa also called Filip Kuźminski, with whom he played in the Xposure band between 2013-2017. The last unknown was the drummer's stool. At the Czarno BiaÅ‚e Åšlady (part of the Polish cult Republika’s band past members tour) concert in Kraków, he told Grzegorz Bauer about the idea of returning to playing jazz/fusion music. Filip and Grzegorz Bauer played together between‑ 2009-2012 in Twelve Moons, and in 2021 they recorded an album Light Entanglement Machine with keyboardist Przemek Piekarz (the album was honored with the award for the best progressive phonographic release of 2021 by a Polish artist).
In November 2023, Filip Kuzminski was replaced on bass guitar by Marcin Essen (known, among others, from Another Pink Floyd).
After 20 years and 11 days since the last concert of the Goddard Quartet, we move to 2023, in which, under a new banner and with a renewed line-up (with Hammond organ!), the Groovosophers band started working on original compositions, also known from the repertoire of the Goddard band and jazz and fusion music standards in original arrangements (from the repertoire of artists such as John Scofield, Chick Corea, John Coltrane, Pat Metheny and Jimmy Smith).
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In August 2024, 4/5 of the Groovosophers took a part in Another Paradise project playing music of Phil Collins and Genesis.
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The band is playing energetic concerts in Polish jazz clubs and twice played at the Night of the Museum events at Pieskowa SkaÅ‚a Castle. In September 2024, the band also played as the headliner of the 8th Hammond Festival in Kielce at Hammond Museum as well as on the 6th Biennial International Conference of the Progect Network for Studies of Progressive Rock organised by The Krzyszto Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków, University of Oxford, UK, University of Rochester, USA, Solent University, UK and University of Ottawa, CA.
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In November, 2024, the band is going into studio to record their debut albumn. Stay tuned!
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Groovosophers are:
Tomasz Karaszewski – saxophones (Goddard, Funk Out, J Art, Placebo)
Filip Goddard Wyrwa – guitars (Goddard, Twelve Moons, Xposure, Hipgnosis)
Grzegorz Madej – Hammond organ (Grzegorz Madej Hammond Quartet, Maciej KÅ‚eczek, Janusz Baran Band)
Marcin Essen – bass guitar (Another Pink Floyd, Another Queen)
Grzegorz Bauer – drums (Twelve Moons, Another Pink Floyd, SokóÅ‚ Orchestra, Agnieszka Chrzanowska)