A field blues Mass was organized at the parish of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Kwiatowe housing estate in Bolesławiec. Workshop participants prepared by Aleksandra Sozańska-Kut performed religious songs in blues and gospel arrangements. The service began with “Być bliżej Ciebie”, followed by “Przed Bogiem staję się bosą” in a gospel arrangement.
The storm interrupted the Mass, and it was moved inside the church. The subsequent pieces had to be improvised, including the famous song “Lucky old sun”, which the workshop participants had carefully prepared and which is known from performances by Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles and Johnny Cash.
– This year’s Mass was extreme – says Aleksandra Sozańska-Kut. – The arrangements were made as they were being performed, which proves that the workshop participants’ level and skills are high. The young people coped wonderfully with the sudden change in the program and weather. We did not perform a few pieces, and we will not perform them this year.
After the Mass, a concert was given by Poland’s leading gospel singer, Ewa Uryga. She performed with her excellent band. Dariusz Ziółek played bass, Grzegorz Poliszak played drums, and Piotr Wrombel played keyboards. The artist performed ten songs. She preceded each one with a Polish translation of the lyrics, which she sang in English.
Ewa Uryga sang about love and trust in God, and about God being everything in the life of a believer. The artist’s repertoire also included Stevie Wonder’s song “Free”. – I believe that Stevie Wonder is truly mystical – said Ewa Uryga. – I discovered this when I was translating his lyrics. The song “Free” was written in the 1970s. When Stevie sings “Free as a river flowing freely through infinity”, I always wonder what freedom means to Stevie Wonder.
Ewa Uryga asked the audience to sing “Hallelujah” with her and greatly praised the singing of those gathered in the church. She ended the concert with an encore and a standing ovation. Introducing her musicians, she thanked them and the audience, but above all, she thanked Jesus.
Her latest album, “Jedno Spojrzenie”, can be purchased at Empik stores. The record contains vocal pieces performed by the artist with the accompaniment of a symphony orchestra, a jazz ensemble and invited guests, including Henryk Miśkiewicz, Andrzej Lampert, Zbigniew Wodecki and Janusz Szrom.
The concert was co-financed by the Marshal’s Office of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship.
(information: Grażyna Hanaf)