Adam Makowicz

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Adam Makowicz

Adam Makowicz (* 18th August 1940 in Hnojník , district Cieszyn , Silesia as Adam Matyszkowicz ) is a Polish jazz pianist who today in Toronto lives. He is mainly known for his solo concerts.

Life

Makowicz was born to Polish parents in what is now the Czech Republic, grew up in Poland and studied classical piano at the Chopin Conservatory in Krakow. He came to jazz, which was frowned upon in communist Poland at the time, through the broadcasts of " Voice of America ", especially a recording by Art Tatum that he heard in 1957. In 1962 he played in a trio with Tomasz Stańko ("Thomasz Stankos Jazz Darings"). In 1965 he moved to Warsaw, where he had his own trio and in the 1960s toured around the world with the NOVI Singers (Europe, Cuba, New Zealand, India, Australia, Soviet Union), among others in the quartet of Zbigniew Namysłowski . With the Novi Singers he made his first record in 1965 ("AM Trio and the Novi Singers", bookplate, Zurich). He played u. a. with Ben Webster and Jan Garbarek . From 1971 to 1974 he played in Michał Urbaniak's band . In 1973 his album Adam Makowics Unit was released by Muza in Poland. He was voted the best jazz pianist by the readers of the “Jazz Forum” in Poland. In 1974 he was a member of the “Piano Conclave”, then toured with Stańko and Czesław Bartkowski . Then he was "discovered" by John Hammond , who sent him on a successful 10-week tour through the USA in 1977 and established him internationally as a solo pianist. In 1977 his solo album Adam was released by Columbia and he played with Earl Hines and Teddy Wilson on the "Erroll Garner Tribute Concert". In 1978 he moved to New York City . In 1986 he was in a duo with bassist Ray Drummond on a European tour. When he was banned in Poland in the 1980s, he took part in the “Let Poland be Poland” initiative in the USA. Since 1989 he has also played regularly every year in Poland. He moved to Toronto in the 2000s.

He has an eclectic style of play. His masterful technique has been compared to that of Art Tatum and Erroll Garner .

He also borrows time and again from classical music, in particular Frédéric Chopin , for example on Reflections on Chopin (AM Records 2000) or From My Field (2006, in addition to jazz standards), as well as, for example, at a concert on the occasion of Chopin's 150th anniversary of death in of the French Embassy in Washington, DC 1999. Makowicz also composes and records his own pieces.

Choice discography

  • Adam Makowicz piano , Polish Jazz vol. 43, Muza SX 1218, 1975
  • Adam , 1977, CBS Columbia
  • The Name is Makowicz-live at Sheffield Lab 1983, with Phil Woods , Marc Johnson , Bill Goodwin , Gene Estes
  • Moonray 1986
  • Interface 1987
  • The Music of Jerome Kern (1993), Concord / Bellaphon
  • Live at Maybeck Recital Hall (1993), Concord / Bellaphon
  • My Favorite Things: The Music of Richard Rodgers (1994), Concord
  • A Tribute to Art Tatum (1997), VWC Records
  • Gershwin Bank Slaski , 1998 (in Poland)
  • Reflections on Chopin , 2000, AM Records
  • Adam Makowicz plays Duke Ellington , 2000, Musicians Showcase Records
  • Songs for Manhattan Adam Makowicz , 2003 (Solo)
  • A Tribute to George Gershwin , 2003 (DVD)
  • Makowich vs Mozdzer at Carnegie Hall , 2004, EMI, PL: Double platinum× 2Double platinum )

literature

Web links

Commons : Adam Makowicz  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The place Hnojník (Gnojnik) belongs to the Zaolzie , which was annexed by Poland after the Munich Agreement in 1938 and became part of Nazi Germany after the German invasion of Poland in 1939. After 1945 the area fell back to Czechoslovakia and is now part of the Czech Republic.
  2. ↑ Adam Makowicz (real name: Adam Matyszkowicz), jazz pianist. Born on August 18, 1940 in Gnostik (Hnojnik, Czech Silesia). Retrieved January 5, 2014 .
  3. ↑ Awards for music sales: PL
personal data
SURNAME Makowicz, Adam
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Matyszkowicz, Adam (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Polish jazz pianist
DATE OF BIRTH August 18, 1940
PLACE OF BIRTH Hnojník , Cieszyn district , Silesia