In October 2019, after more than 33 years, the archive record from the first landing of Sun Ra Arkestra in Poland was released to the public. On the occasion of the Sun Ra Live in Kalisz 1986 premiere, EABS has prepared a special concert related to this release. Moments later, during the lockdown, a deep reflection on the philosophy of the incomer from Saturn influenced the recording session and the final shape of the album Discipline of Sun Ra. Then there were quite serious changes in the selection of songs and even more ambitious attempts at the recreation of originals, pushing some compositions not only towards hip-hop (in the spirit of inspired by Gil Scott-Heron or David Axelrod), but also genres such as juke or house. “By infinity, Mr.Ra means creating jazz of the future, but also covering the past”- the same idea is carried by polish musicians. On the Slavic Spirits album, EABS was inspired by the ancient past. As we now know, discovering Sun Ra’s concept wasn’t coincidental. He also believed and shared the philosophy of coming through the darkness to see the sun and enlightenment. In case there’s no hope for living on our planet, we need to look for metaphorical escapism. That’s where the idea of building a cosmic ship under ‘Polish Space Program’ was born.

If one was to interpret the whole output of EABS in general, an inquisitive listener would notice that each subsequent album stems from the previous one. The overtones are similar and they can be treated as variations on the same theme. The only thing that changes is the background of the story. It is all about life and death, the beginning and the end of the world, and the role of human beings entangled in all this existentially. Following the futurism lessons from Sun Ra, the band travels to the year 2061, continuing their mission in space in the company of a living legend, Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski. 

"ALL THESE WORLDS ARE YOURS – EXCEPT EUROPA. ATTEMPT NO LANDING THERE." – this was the ominous message from the mythical Monolith of Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey. The quote became a metaphor for the situation the EABS crew found themselves in when the pandemic hit. It was not only Europe that became inaccessible, the whole world shut down. A reflection emerged that only empathy and cooperation could save humanity. We will not be able to face the greater threat that may come from the outside together by fighting wars among ourselves on Earth. A similar analogy can be seen in Arthur C. Clarke's book series, which was made even more famous by Stanley Kubrick with his iconic screen adaptation, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Released in 1986, the third part of the series has served as an inspiration for the fourth EABS album titled 2061, a soundtrack to the film that hasn't been made yet.

Next year (2023) EABS quintet met in a musical fusion with the band named Jaubi. The result is a combination of futuristic jazz from Poland with traditional music from Pakistan. Three years ago, a unique concert took place in the Norwegian Melahauset in Oslo, bringing together musicians from all over the world. Jaubi, a Lahore-band, together with a pianist from Wrocław, Marek "Latarnik" Pędziwiatr, and a saxophonist from London, Tenderlonious, played their first concert with material from the album "Nafs at Peace", which was not released yet back then, and a year later in 2020 it became one of the highest rated jazz albums according to The Guardian, Bandcamp, Downbeat, Pitchfork and many others. When the plan of the trip to Lahore was made real to record music together and combine different musical traditions, it was certain that it would be necessary to do the opposite way and meet in Poland as well. This way, musicians would be able to record new music with an even larger line-up. This time, Astigmatic Records have joined forces with the Adam Mickiewicz Institute to present the outcomes of a joint recording session. The combination of piano, synthesizers, a powerful brass section, and the bold bass and drums characteristic of EABS will be coming together with the masters of tabla and sarangi, as well as the subtle touches of electric guitar. A real crowd on stage: 8 musicians. You simply cannot miss this international orchestra!

2023 was a breakthrough year for EABS in many ways. It was all thanks to the well received, fully self-produced album entitled In Search of a Better Tomorrow, recorded in collaboration with the Pakistani band Jaubi. The record provided the opportunity to tour in France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and China. It was praised by media outlets such as Le Monde, L'Echo, Politis, Stern, Bandcamp and Gazeta Wyborcza, while The Guardian included the release in its 'The Best Global Albums of 2023'. EABS' forthcoming sixth album is a return to their roots – literally and figuratively. It is an in-depth study on rhythm, which materialised in the form of the album titled Reflections of Purple Sun. The back to the roots part not only manifests itself in the lack of guest instrumentalists, but also in a renewed focus on the history of Polish jazz. The band's debut album Repetitions... was dedicated to Krzysztof Komeda. This time, the band picked up the entire Purple Sun album, which Tomasz Stańko recorded half a century ago. From the POV of Purple Sun fans, a hard-to-find and somewhat forgotten album, it may seem like a doomed undertaking. However, in order to pay tribute to one of the most iconic figures of Polish jazz, it was worth embarking on this mission and attempting to engage in a non-verbal conversation with the Slavic spirit that Master Tomasz Stańko undoubtedly was.