Leliva Jazz Band, collaborating with Tarnowskie Centrum Kultury, was established by Edward Wnek (banjo-player) in 1978. The name of the band originates from the crest “Leliva”, which belonged to the founders of Tarnow city. The initial name of the band, which was Ragtime Capella, emphasized a strong preference of ragtime music, but later on the repertoire was enriched with jazz standards from 20s and 30s. The arrangements of musical compositions refer to one of the best traditions of that genre – new orleans jazz, especially Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five and Hot Seven bands.
Leliva Jazz Band is a “Zlota Tarka – Gold Washboard 2005” prizewinner during the XXXV Old Jazz Meeting in Iława and also a few other traditional jazz contests winner such as: Bogdan Styczynski Contest - Warsow 2005, Henryk Majewski Contest “Gold Scarab” – Kolbuszowa 2006. Leliva Jazz Band was also awarded the “Uskrzydlony – 2005” prize for band’s contribution to the promotion of Tarnów city. The annual polls of Jazz Forum Monthly titled JAZZ TOP consistently classify Leliva Jazz Band in the middle of top ten Polish traditional bands.
According to the needs the team performs in a stationary configuration - with drums and bass, or mobile configuration (as a marching band) - with washboard and sousaphone.
LJB team annually participates in many festivals in the country and abroad. It repeatedly visited such countries as Germany, France, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Russia. In 2006 Leliva Jazz Band had the honour to represent Polish traditional jazz during the Euro Jazz Festival – Rueil-Malmaisone in Paris. In 2014 play 44. Internationales Dixieland Festival Dresden. The bandhosts the annual festival "Jazzowy Rynek” in Tarnow.
Leliva Jazz Band regularly performs in Bombay-Music jazz club in Tarnów run by Partyka brothers.
Band members:
1. Stanislaw Stanczyk (tp)
2. Jozef Partyka (tb)
3. Kazimierz Partyka (ts, as)
4. Kazimierz Król (cl, as)
5. Roman Bartnicki (dr, sousaphone)
6. Roman Starzec (b, washboard)
7. Edward Wnek (bjo, arr, lead)
