«Raphael Roginski» is a Polish guitarist, composer, improviser, performer, and researcher of musical folklore. Originally trained in jazz and classical music, he expanded his practice to include musicology and ethnomusicology. His research focuses around the forgotten traditions of various different cultures; through his music – including the projects he led such as Hizbut Jámm, Żywizna, and Shofar – he has brought and continues to bring these traditional elements into the present day. His artful and beautiful guitar playing echoes across recent album Tal​​​à​​​n  (2023), which he performs live at Rewire. It is a ghostly album of improvisations for solo guitar which traverse the solemn quietude of American primitive guitar, the lively glissandi of jazz, and the forlorn jangles of blues guitar.

The word tal​​​à​​​n itself is a very old, likely Scythian, word that can be translated as “maybe.” Rogiński speaks of the importance of this uncertainty and amorphous maybeness, claiming “that’s where my musical approach comes from – I take something in order to lose something else.” In this cycle of borrowing, changing, and giving back, Rogiński has developed a generous musical practice that glimmers with improvisational current, bluesy grit, and masterful composition.