Jazz

Andrzej Kurylewicz & Polish Radio Big Band – Polish Jazz Vol.2 (1964)

2010-08-16T19:44:46Z

Andrzej Kurylewicz & Polish Radio Big Band – Polish Jazz Vol.2 (1964)


1. Selektor Junior (Karolak)
2. Guma (Karolak)
3. Kocur Naukowiec (Wróblewski)
4. Piasek(Urbaniak)
5. Wszystko o Kowalskich (Wróblewski)
6. Sympatie i Antypatie (Millian)
7. Byk (Kurylewicz)
8. Ballada dla Anny (Figiel)
9. Wieczorem po Marszałkowskiej (Kacperski)
10. Lisi Krok (Karolak)

Personel:
-W. Żurkowski, Z. Przybyszewski, A. Banasiak, A. Predella, H. Rzeźniczek, saxes
-F. Kowalski, J. Grabarski, F. Górkiewicz, T. Szostak, S. Mizeracki, trumpets
-P. Zdzitowiecki, W. Kacperski, S. Kowalczyk, K. Morawski, trombones
-A. Kurylewicz, Valve Trombone
-P. Figiel, piano
-E. Dyląg, bass
-S. Walter, drums

Andrzej Kurylewicz. Composer, pianist, trumpeter, trombonist, and conductor; born on 24 November 1932 in Lviv [then Lwów in Poland], died 13 April 2007.

He learned to play the piano since he was six, at the Music School in Lviv and after the war - in 1946-50 - at the Music Institute in Gliwice and the Secondary Music School in Krakow. He was a student of Krakow's State Higher School of Music in 1950-54, studying piano with Henryk Sztompka and composition with Stanisław Wiechowicz; however, he was expelled for playing jazz (forbidden at the time). In 1954, he was a pianist with the group MM 176, and set up his own quintet a year later, which was later transformed into the Polish Radio Organ Sextet in Krakow (in existence until 1962). In 1969 Andrzej Kurylewicz debuted as a composer of film music (Powrót / Return, dir. Jerzy Passendorfer, 1959-60).

As an instrumentalist and conductor, he performed in many European countries, the United States, Canada, and Cuba. In 1964-66 he conducted the Polish Radio and Television Orchestra in Warsaw. With his wife Wanda Warska, in 1969 he opened an artistic cellar in Warsaw, a regular venue for concerts, poetry evenings, and exhibitions. At the same time, in 1969-78 he ran the Formacja Muzyki Współczesnej / Contemporary Music Formation which played music from between modern jazz and avant-garde European music. They gave concerts all over the world, and Kurylewicz composed several pieces for the group. From 1980 he also devoted himself to composing classical music. He was a member of the Main Board of the Polish Composers' Union in 1987-91. He collaborated with the State University of Kansas in Lawrence at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s.

Andrzej Kurylewicz received numerous awards; in 1978 he won a prize at the 2nd Festival of Polish TV Art in Olsztyn for the music for the TV series Polskie Drogi / Polish Roads (dir. Janusz Morgenstern, 1976-78), in 1979 - a prize at the 6th Polish Film Festival in Gdańsk for the music for Lekcja martwego języka / Lesson of a dead language (dir. Janusz Majewski, 1979), and in 1981 a prize at the International Radio and Television Competition in Siena - the Prix Italia '81 - for his music for the film Droga / The Road (dir. Ryszard Ber, 1980). He also received a Polish Radio and Television Award (1965), a City of Warsaw Award (1978), and a City of Warsaw Medal (1997). In 1984 the city of Wilhelmshaven granted him the title of Stadtkünstler.

Andrzej Kurylewicz was one of the pioneers of jazz music in Poland. The price he paid for his enthusiastic love of jazz was expulsion from the music school in Krakow where he studied piano and composition in 1950-54. In those days the communist authorities considered jazz to be a harmful product of global imperialism and forbade anyone to play it. Kurylewicz did not give up and, taking advantage of the more lenient political line in the second half of the 1950s, set up the Polish Radio Jazz Band in Krakow, which he headed until 1962. An interest in bringing jazz and contemporary classical music closer together led him to set up his next group - the Contemporary Music Formation, with whom he worked in 1969-78 as a composer and instrumentalist; they were greatly successful at home and abroad. He was a valued jazz pianist as well as being an outstanding jazz trumpeter and a great trombonist. He gave up jazz in the late 1970s and devoted himself almost exclusively to composing classical music. In 1981 his String Quartet No. 1 was performed at the Warsaw Autumn festival. He was elected a member of the Main Board of the Polish Composers' Union in 1987, remaining a member until 1991. In his latter years he performed as a pianist, playing works by Karol Szymanowski and Fryderyk Chopin. --- Polish Music Information Center, Polish Composers' Union, April 2002

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Andrzej Kurylewicz & Wanda Warska - Somnambumlists (1961)

2011-10-12T08:38:38Z

Andrzej Kurylewicz & Wanda Warska - Somnambumlists (1961)


1.Moonray
2.Somnambulists						play
3.Stompin' at the Savoy					play
4.Lover man
5.You'd be so nice to come home to
6.But not for me
7.Ballada o straconej gazy (A ballad about a lost job)
8.Tubby

Andrzej Kurylewicz - piano
Wanda Warska - vocal
Jan Byrczek - double bass
Andrzej Dąbrowski - bass

Unfortunately I was able to listen to this album only in form of mp3. Therefore I couldn't read liner notes. I am not even sure who exactly play on this album. As in cases of many Polish jazz albums information is scarce, incomplete or nonexistent. With this album it is even more exasperating than usual as it is truly a pearl, brilliant work embodying many characteristic features of such a unique phenomenon as Polish jazz.

First, it is as much based on bop jazz as on classical music. Most of "founding fathers" of jazz in Poland (Andrzej Kurylewicz is one of them) had strong classical music background. But it didn't manifest itself in imitating what was already well known in classical music but rather in refreshing it using novelties which were brought to music by jazz. Of these novelties most important for Polish musicians were rhythm, improvisation, sound individuality and freedom to form.

Second, before II World War jazz had been present in Poland being however of no artistic importance. It had been then simply poor copy of American music. When in second half of 50ties it was born again, almost from the beginning it wore marks of the great art, being part or even walking in spearhead of the great renaissance of different arts in Poland. Those different art movements were not developing separately but they affected each other. Especially fruitful was relationship between Polish jazz and cinema. Like for example with Art Tatum ballad "Moonray", here in interpretation by legendary Wanda Warska, which became guiding theme for cult movie "Pociąg" (Train) directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz, one of the most important directors of so-called Polish film school.

Finally, Polish culture was strongly influenced by France. Among many things which had been taken over from that country is a tradition of chansons françaises. It means that songs are rather simple, melodious but at the same time being just a departure point for small theater where singer often uses acting techniques to strengthen artistic effect. That is exactly what vocalist Wanda Warska is doing on this album. She is backed by the highest quality jazz musicians in persons of pianist Andrzej Kurylewicz, bassist Jan Byrczek and drummer Andrzej Dąbrowski. I guess that Jerzy Milian is playing on vibraphone though I am not sure. Unfortunately I cannot find who is playing on trumpet... Summarizing, this is simply brilliant piece of music that I can only wholeheartedly recommend! ---Maciej Nowotny, polish-jazz.blogspot.com

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Andrzej Kurylewicz - 10+8 (1967)

2010-03-02T15:22:26Z

Andrzej Kurylewicz - 10+8 (1967)


1 Juz Ja Z Toba Nie Zostanę 
2 Requiem Dla Z. C. 
3 10 + 8 
4 Rondo 
6 Twarz Widza

Bass - Janusz Kozłowski
Bass, Tambourine - Jacek Ostaszewski
Drums - Sergiusz Perkowski
Saxophone - Wlodzimierz Nahorny
Trombone, Piano, Composed By - Andrzej Kurylewicz
Vocals - Wanda Warska

You may not be able to spell or pronounce this guy's name, but don't let that trouble you -- because the album's a stunner with qualities that go way beyond language! Kurylewicz plays trombone and piano on the record -- and is leading a group here with qualities that echo strongly with the "new thing" era of jazz in the US -- styles that are sometimes skittishly rhythmic, as in the work of Archie Shepp -- or sparely sound textural, as on Tony Williams' beautiful albums for Blue Note. And like the best new thing work of the 60s, the tracks are freely creative, yet never too out -- and nicely remember to swing when the spirit moves them! Highlights include the beautiful "Rondo", which features a bit of vocals by singer Wanda Warska, and the tightly snapping "Juz Ja Z Toba Nie Zostane (aka I Won't Stay With You)". Other tracks include "Requiem For ZC", "10 + 8", and "Twarz Wida". ---dustygroove.com

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Andrzej Kurylewicz – Go Right 1963

2009-10-15T15:57:55Z

Andrzej Kurylewicz – Go Right (1963)


1. Go Right 
2. Obsession 
3. Green Eyed Girl 
4. Yenom On 
5. So-So 
6. Nyamaland 
7. One Step Nearer You 
8. Minor Bop 
9. Microphonophobia

Andrzej Kurylewicz - trumpet
Jan Ptaszyn Wroblewski - tenor sax, flute
Wojciech Karolak - piano
Tadeusz Wojcik - bass
Andrzej Dabrowski - drums

Kurylewicz's biggest "hit" was the title score song made for 1970's TV series "Polskie Drogi". The song from this movie was recorded and re-interpreted by many artists (not only in Poland but also) worldwide. Including Pat Metheny! And what about GO RIGHT? This is the first Polish jazz LP album ever but unfortunately since late 1960's Kurylewicz began drifting from jazz field more toward contemporary classical music. --- rateyourmusic.com

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