Rebel Spirits

Marcin Masecki considers that he has two parents, jazz and classical music. As a pianist, he is steeped in the tradition of learning piano as a young child with all the purity and precision that comes with that. In this interview, you get the sense of how that triggered Marcin’s disruptive streak, and how that has been central to his approach to music. There is reverence and intellectual rebellion. Like many accomplished musicians, there is music in his family. Marcin has spoken of his grandmother teaching him piano exercises, and it was on her vintage Steinway that he recorded his album, Die Kunst der Fuge: Bach/Masecki, with a dictaphone. Yes, with a dictaphone. In fact, this is a key point, because Marcin’s appreciation of the imperfect, the broken, and the cult of the Lo Fi is what brings his soulfulness and natural feel for music to the fore. Such qualities can set musicians apart. Marcin has worked in many contexts, and there's a clear sense from his career, that it's important for him to be free to change his setup. He has recorded solo in a duo and sextet, in bands of nine and 10, as well as big bands. He's released classical jazz and alternative pop music, and even an album of Polish Carols sung in Arabic. In this interview, he focuses on his album of Polonaises. Using a 10 piece band, Marcin hoped to integrate this historical national dance of Poland with jazz and a bit of attitude, once again, bringing forward his appreciation of the defective and the unsettling. There is a picture of the complex journey this musician is on, one in which he continually challenges himself again and again. It's a fascinating insight into this artist.

Music from the episode

Deuxième Grand Polonaise from Marcin Masecki’s album ‘Polonezy’

Further reading

• Marcin Masecki / bio on Culture.pl

Further watching

• Masecki/Młynarski Big Band / on YouTube.com
• Masecki/Rogiewicz Duo at Adam Mickiewicz Institute / on Culture.pl
• Masecki plays Scarlatti / on YouTube.com

Credits

This episode of Rebel Spirits was hosted by Debra Richards. The show is brought to you by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.

Written and produced by Wojciech Oleksiak

Executive production by Move Me Media

Edited by Wojciech Oleksiak

Design by Dawid Ryski

Scoring & sound design by Wojciech Oleksiak

Copyrights

The publisher would like to thank all copyright owners for their kind permission to reproduce their material. Should, despite our intensive research, any person entitled to rights have been overlooked, legitimate claims shall be compensated within the usual provisions.

 

Like most Polish jazz musicians, Zbigniew Namysłowski learned the basics of jazz listening to Willis Conover’s “Jazz Hour”. Originally starting his musical career playing piano, cello and trombone, Namysłowski became infatuated with the saxophone after meeting composer Krzysztof Komeda, who happened to be carrying an alto saxophone with him, on a train. During that chance encounter, Namysłowski gave the instrument a try and hasn’t stopped playing the saxophone ever since. His original experiments mixing jazz and folk quickly caught people’s attention and in 1962, Willis Conover himself invited Namysłowski and his band to the US to play at the Newport Jazz Festival. This incredible opportunity marked the eve of Namysłowski’s brilliant international career.

Time stamps

[01:00] Jazz and communism
[02:00] Sopot festivals
[04:30] The alto saxophone
[06:06] The Voice of America jazz lessons
[10:02]The American tour
[12:23] Jazz Jamboree
[13:40] Folk
[17:17] Komeda
[18:52] Favorites
[23:28] The passport
[26:24] Polish-American jazz
[27:00] Young talents

Music from the episode

[11:00]  Composition:  Kalatówki ‘59 
Artist: The Wreckers
Album: At the last moment

[14:15]  Composition: Piątawka 
Artist: Zbigniew Namysłowski Quartet
Album: Lola

[19:47]  Composition: Winobranie / Jak nie ma szmalu to jest łaź  
Artist: Zbigniew Namysłowski
Album: Winobranie 

Further reading

• Zbigniew Namysłowski // on Culture.pl

• Interview with Zbigniew Namysłowski // on londonjazznews.com

Further watching

• Zbigniew Namysłowski performing in 2021

• Zbigniew Namysłowski performing “Kujawiak goes Funky” in 1997 

• Zbigniew Namysłowski performing with folk musians during Jazz Jamboree in 1994

Credits

This episode of Rebel Spirits was hosted by Paweł Brodowski. The show is brought to you by Culture.pl, the flagship brand of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.

Written by Wojciech Oleksiak & Monika Proba
Produced by Move Me Media
Edited by Wojciech Oleksiak
Proofread by Adam Żuławski
Translated by Mateusz Schmidt
Design by Dawid Ryski
Scoring & sound design by Wojciech Oleksiak

Copyrights

The publisher would like to thank all copyright owners for their kind permission to reproduce their material. Should, despite our intensive research, any person entitled to rights have been overlooked, legitimate claims shall be compensated within the usual provisions.

Adam Makowicz grew up in a house where a piano was the centre of the home. His mother had long planned for him to become a classical virtuoso, but a meeting with a musician who introduced him to jazz changed this path completely. Adam packed his bags and left for Kraków, where he moved into a jazz nightclub and immediately became part of the city’s jazz scene. It was here where his thorough classical education and incredible talent led him to create his unique virtuoso style, one that merged the technique associated with classical music with the vibrance of jazz. In this episode, this standout Polish jazz pianist talks about freedom, beauty and interpretation in jazz music.

Time stamps:

[01:06] The centre of our home
[02:03] Art Tatum
[02:59] Radio
[04:40] Rebel
[05:09] Under the piano
[06:49] Duo with Urszula Dudziak
[09:30] John Hammond
[11:06] Freedom
[13:23] The first polish jazz virtuoso
[14:04] Solo
[15:10] Beauty 
[15:58] New York
[17:34] Martial Law
[19:51] Chopin
[22:20] Home

Read the transcript of this episode

Music from this episode

[07:00] Composition: Darkness and Newborn Light
Artist: Urszula Dudziak and Adam Makowicz
Album: Newborn Light 

[10:08] Composition: Chopin's Willows
Artist Adam Makowicz
Album: Adam 

[20:44] Composition: Prelude No. 24 In D Minor
Artist: Adam Makowicz, Leszek Możdżer
Album: Możdżer vs. Makowicz at the Carnegie Hall 

Further Reading 

• Adam Makowicz // on Culture.pl

• Willis Conover: The American Godfather of Polish Jazz // on Culture.pl

• Interview with Willis Conover // on memory.loc.gov

Further Watching

• Adam Makowicz performing in 1986

• Adam Makowicz performing with Leszek Możdżer

• Unit // Full album

Credits

This episode of Rebel Spirits was hosted by Paweł Brodowski. The show is brought to you by Culture.pl, the flagship brand of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.

Written by Wojciech Oleksiak & Monika Proba
Produced by Move Me Media
Edited by Wojciech Oleksiak
Proofread by Adam Żuławski
Scoring & sound design by Wojciech Oleksiak

Copyrights

The publisher would like to thank all copyright owners for their kind permission to reproduce their material. Should, despite our intensive research, any person entitled to rights have been overlooked, legitimate claims shall be compensated within the usual provisions.

“Polish jazz group - 100$ a night”

Displayed on the posters in Michał Urbaniak’s band’s van while playing across Europe in the 60s, this hippy travelling player was soon to become one of the most innovative Polish jazz musicians in history. Though his  European career was quickly evolving,  the old continent simply didn’t feel like enough. From a very young age, Michał knew at heart that he was a New Yorker, eventually jumping at the first chance he got to move to the world’s jazz capital and signing with the legendary Columbia Records. The rest is history.

Time stamps

[01:11]  The Boys of America
[02:29]  An Introduction to Miles
[03:22]  New Yorker at heart
[07:52]  100$ a night
[09:55]  The violin
[11:23] New York
[12:14]  Columbia
[13:19]  Folk
[16:16]  The impossible deal
[19:08]  Young talents
[19:52]  Meeting Miles
[23:15]  Poetry & jazz
[27:22]  Young musicians

Music from the episode

[07:33] Composition: Bengal
Artist: Super Constellation
Album editions: Super Constellation / Fusion I

[14:13] Composition: New York Baca
Artist: Michał Urbaniak/Michał Urbaniak’s Fusion
Album: Atma

[20:34] Composition: Don’t Lose Your Mind
Artist: Miles Davis
Album: Tutu

[25:44] Composition: Square Park Sunday
Artist: Urbanator
Album: Urbanator

Further reading

• Michał Urbaniak // on Culture.pl

• Interview with Michał Urbaniak // on Culture.pl

• Michał Urbaniak’s web page

Further watching

•  “New Yorker by Choice” // documentary film about Michał Urbaniak

• "Chameleon" by Urbanator // Music video

• Michał Urbaniak performing with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra

Credits

This episode of Rebel Spirits was hosted by Paweł Brodowski. The show is brought to you by Culture.pl, the flagship brand of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.

Written by Wojciech Oleksiak & Monika Proba
Produced by Move Me Media
Edited by Wojciech Oleksiak
Proofread by Adam Żuławski
Design by Dawid Ryski
Scoring & sound design by Wojciech Oleksiak

Copyrights

The publisher would like to thank all copyright owners for their kind permission to reproduce their material. Should, despite our intensive research, any person entitled to rights have been overlooked, legitimate claims shall be compensated within the usual provisions.

The project was carried out thanks to the cooperation with Polskie Nagrania / Warner Music Poland, Sony Music Publishing Poland Sp. z o.o and Urbaniak.com Foundation.

It may be hard to believe, but when Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski started playing music, jazz was censored in Poland. As a result of Stalin’s cultural politics that governed what kinds of art and culture could be consumed in the country,  anything that may have been associated with western imperialism was formally excluded from public life. However, these rigid policies only made jazz more appealing, leading many young people across the country, like Ptaszyn, to fall in love with it. After Stalin’s death in 1953, Ptaszyn entered the newly re-born jazz scene with a bang and quickly became the epitome of the genre. Not only one of Polish jazz’s most brilliant musicians, Ptaszyn is also seen by many as its voice. For over 50 years he’s hosted  “45 Minutes of Jazz” a Polish radio show dedicated to jazz that continues to inspire several new generations of musicians and jazz aficionados. Time stamps

[01:11] Outlawed music
[03:36] Forbidden love
[04:21] Willis Conover
[06:53] First jazz events
[09:19] Sopot Jazz Festival
[12:54] Warsaw - Newport
[17:26] Polish Jazz records
[20:01] What is Polish jazz?
[21:03] Polish Jazz Quartet
[22:37] The Polish Radio Jazz Studio Orchestra
[24:48] 45 minutes of jazz
[26:28] Cruise ships
[28:05] The end of the communist regime
[28:43] The nineties

Music from the episode

[06:53] Composition: Memory of Bach
Artist: Sextet Komedy
Album: Jazz 56. I Ogólnopolski Festiwal muzyki jazzowej 

[19:42] Composition: One Step Nearer You
Artist: Kurylewicz Quintet
Album: Go Right

[28:33] Composition: Czarownica  
Artist: Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski Sextet
Album: Komeda. Moja słodka europejska ojczyzna

Further reading

• Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski // on Culture.pl

• 'Birds Of A Feather...' The Godfather Of Polish Jazz, Jan 'Birdman' Wroblewski, At Birdland // on top40-charts.com

Watch more

• Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski performing in Poland in 1981 Jan Ptaszyn

• Wróblewski performing at the Sibiu Jazz Festival in 2009

Credits

This episode of Rebel Spirits was hosted by Paweł Brodowski. The show is brought to you by Culture.pl, the flagship brand of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.

Written by Bartosz Borowiec & Jan Burzyński
Produced by Move Me Media
Hosted by Paweł Brodowski
Edited by Wojciech Oleksiak
Proofread by Adam Żuławski
Translated by Mateusz Schmidt
Design by Dawid Ryski
Scoring & sound design by Wojciech Oleksiak

Copyrights

The publisher would like to thank all copyright owners for their kind permission to reproduce their material. Should, despite our intensive research, any person entitled to rights have been overlooked, legitimate claims shall be compensated within the usual provisions.

Urszula’s love for unruly musical experiments got her kicked out from music school when she was a young girl. A few years later, like many young Poles, she stumbled upon The Voice of America - a radio station meant to bring American culture and censorship-free news to people locked up behind the Iron Curtain. This program is where Urszula heard jazz for the first time. Blown away by the uniqueness of the music, one of the voices she heard marked her particularly - the voice of Ella Fitzgerald. Hearing Ella made her realize the extent of creative freedom jazz could offer, specifically, her understanding that people's voices can serve as musical instruments. From then on, Urszula started developing her distinctive style of wordless vocalisation that can transport listeners to another dimension.

Time stamps

[01:55] The accordion
[02:44] Trouble in school 
[03:21] The Voice of America
[04:44] Ella Fitzgerald
[07:09] American jazz
[08:35] Krzysztof Komeda
[10:44] Love
[11:29] Scandinavian restaurants
[13:33] All that smoke
[15:02] Discovering electronics
[16:30] Duo with Adam Makowicz
[19:16] New York
[22:33] Papaya 
[29:24] The best age

Click here to read the transcript for this episode

Music from the episode

[14:08] Composition: Bengal
Artist: Super Constellation 
Album editions: Super Constellation / Fusion I 

[17:37] Composition: Darkness and Newborn Light
Artist: Urszula Dudziak and Adam Makowicz
Album: Newborn Light 

[22:33] Composition: Papaya 
Artist: Urszula Dudziak
Album: Urszula

[26:18] Composition: Kama 
Artist: Michał Urbaniak/Michał Urbaniak’s Fusion
Album: Atma

Further reading

• Urszula Dudziak // on Culture.pl

• A Foreigners Guide to Polish Jazz // on Culture.pl

• Willis Conover: The American Godfather of Polish Jazz // on Culture.pl

• From bop to żal: how jazz became the voice of freedom in Poland // on Guardian.com

Further watching

• Urszula performing in 1973

• Urszula performing in 1998

• Filipino soldiers dancing the Papaya dance

Credits

This episode of Rebel Spirits was hosted by Paweł Brodowski. The show is brought to you by Culture.pl, the flagship brand of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.

Written by Wojciech Oleksiak & Monika Proba
Produced by Move Me Media
Hosted by Paweł Brodowski
Edited by Wojciech Oleksiak
Proofread by Adam Żuławski
Translated by Mateusz Schmidt
Design by Dawid Ryski
Scoring & sound design by Wojciech Oleksiak

Copyrights

The publisher would like to thank all copyright owners for their kind permission to reproduce their material. Should, despite our intensive research, any person entitled to rights have been overlooked, legitimate claims shall be compensated within the usual provisions.

A podcast about five Polish jazz musicians who came of age in the 1950s and became mesmerised by the music they heard on the outlawed American radio station Voice of America.

You’ll hear about difficult decisions, compromises, and longing for a better world. How they went from learning to play jazz from worn-out vinyls to becoming icons that continue to inspire the music world today.

Hosted by Paweł Brodowski, brought to you by Culture.pl, the flagship brand of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.

‘Rebel Spirits: The Story of Polish Jazz’, coming June 2021. Available wherever you get your podcasts, and on Culture.pl.