Polish Jazz - Freedom at Last
From catacombs to the free society
- the Story of Polish Jazz
Chapter 4: Polish Jazz in 1970's
Part 1
Milestones:
European Jazz Federation & Jazz Forum Magazine
Jazz Jamboree Festival
Tomasz Stanko
Zbigniew Seifert
The decade of 1970s in Poland's history could be referred
as "Edward the First Regime". Edward (Gierek) was initially
a secretary of the Katowice communist party organization, where
he created a personal power base and became the recognized leader
of the young technocrat faction of the party. In December 1970,
a price hike led to a wave of strikes. When rioting over economic
conditions broke out in late 1970, Gierek replaced Gomulka, who
was forced to "retire", as party first secretary. Gierek
promised economic reform and instituted a program to modernize industry
and increase the availability of consumer goods, doing so mostly
through foreign loans. His good relations with Western politicians,
especially France's Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and Germany's
Helmut Schmidt, were a catalyst for his receiving western aid and
loans which translated into more pro-consumer friendly policies
of government, an immediate rise in standards of living and
entertainment
(meaning second TV channel with frequent reruns of older American
shows), and Coca Cola or Pepsi on the shelves of every supermarket.
Gierek famous plea to "the working class" of Poland (Could
You Help?)Audio Clip: Edward Gierek's "Pomozecie?"
became his recipe for "New Poland": Western technology
and investments + Communist regime in power = Success.
Although it has never wished for, Gierek's regime achieved something
more then an initial economical prosperity - the resurrection of
Polish civil society. Encouraged by pro-Western policies of 1970s
government, US president Jimmy Carter's rhetoric of human rights
and ratification by Poland of 1975 Helsinki Declaration, which "promoted
and encouraged the effective exercise of civil, political, economic,
social, cultural and other rights and freedoms"; political
dissidents in Poland resurfaced. Initially consisting only of very
few brave ones, the independent political movement in Poland, decided
to officially claim the rights they were denied to Poles for last
30+ years.
The
jazz community in Poland was in avant-guard of of the democratic
changes. Created in late 50's the Polish Jazz Federation evolved
into European Jazz Association and in 1966 created its own magazine
- "Jazz
Forum". Under leadership of Jan Byrczek, and later
on Pawel Brodowski, "Jazz
Forum" became the leading jazz magazine in Poland, surpassing
Jan Balcerak's "Jazz" and expended its reach beyond Poland.
At the high of its success the magazine was printed in three independent
versions, in three different languages (Polish, English, and
German), attracted critics from all over the world, and had distribution
in 103 countries with offices in Warsaw, Vienna and New York City.
Polish Jazz leaders were also able to open its own concert agency,
and organize concerts and jazz festivals with many international
jazz stars. The magazine international statue attracted some
of the most important Polish critics, including Roman Kowal, Kaziemierz
Czyz, Tomasz Szachowski, Janusz Szprot, Jan Borkowski, and Andrzej
Trzaskowski. In 1973 "The Club of the White Raven" - a
record club was created by Marek Cabanowski from the Polish Jazz
Society, basically an independent record label with exclusive focus
on the jazz music - all of this in the country with one record company
owned and by the government!
During the 1960's and 1970's Jazz field in Poland evolved into
something else, something very unusual by Iron Curtain's standards,
and something beyond jazz - a free and independent community with
vibrant institutions of a civil society in (still) totalitarian
country. Many years before famous Ronald Regan's plea to Mikhail
Gorbatchev "Tear down this wall Mr. Gorbatchev!";
the Wall has been demolished brick by brick by Jazz forces. Of course
Jazz itself could not take all the credit for democratic changes
that started happening in Poland - organized by independent intellectual
and political elites of 1970s Poland, the Workers’ Defense
Committee (Komitet Obrony Robotnikow, KOR) was a first political
group that emerged to give aid to prisoners detained after Radom's
labor strikes in 1976 and their families. KOR was a precursor and
inspiration to efforts of Solidarity a few years later. 1978 election
of Karol Wojtyla as Pope John Paul II, and his triumphal tour of
Poland in the following year, had also a critical impact in strengthening
the opposition to Communism in Poland.
Pro-Western government policies of early 70s benefited Polish Jazz.
Musicians were allowed to travel more freely, fans of Jazz had finally
a chance to hear the Jazz message from the horse mouth. The line
up from 1972 Jazz Jamboree International Jazz Festival shows it
the best: Elvin Jones, Charlie Mingus, "Cannonball" Adderley,
Cat Anderson, Ray Brooks and Jimmy Smith. Ironically, the local
critics, still faithful to different drum beat, and in homage to
Polish-Russian "friendship", devoted most of their attention
to third-rate bands from the Soviet Union, making them appear as
first-class stars, and praising the Russian Oleg Lundstrem Big Band
for "introducing Russian folk elements to classic swing."
Same idiotic comments were also not spared to Polish musicians who
tried to reach beyond. Jacek Zurek, a well-known critic, was
very harsh toward Tomasz Stanko band, observing that "the
deformed remnants of Komeda's music became a pretext for chaotic
and noisy improvisations which were fed to weary listeners for five
hours". Thankfully, the public did not care about nasty
critics and pathetically exploitation of Jazz Jamboree as a pro-Soviet
tool, and made this festival their own, annual celebration of social
freedom, love for anything that American, and cosmopolitism. 1970s
were a golden era of Jazz Jamboree, the festival attracted many
Jazz fans from Eastern Europe, especially Eastern Germany, Czechoslovakia,
Hungary, and Scandinavia. Every October, during the time of annual
jamborees, Warsaw was transformed into a multinational, sophisticated
city, and it was Jazz music that provided the cohesive element that
integrated young people coming to Poland from all countries of Eastern
and Northern Europe.
Many musicians defined the Polish Jazz of the 1970s, they all played
distinctive and different types of music, but they all had something
in common: world-class Jazz.
In 1962, 20 years old trumpet player called
Tomasz Stanko and pianist Adam
Makowicz, created the "Jazz Darings", later described
by Jazz critic J. E. Berndt as the "first European free
Jazz combo". Stanko was a graduate of Cracow Music Academy
when in 1963 he received and invitation from Krzysztof Komeda to
join his band. Their collaboration lasted until Komeda's tragic
death. Komeda's music, while remote from free jazz, was highly modern
and had a significant impact on young Stanko, who admitted: "The
lyricism, the feeling of playing only what's essential, the approach
to structure, to asymmetry, many harmonic details. I was so lucky
that I started out with him". In 1968, Zbigniew
Seifert joined the newly formed Stanko Quintet, soon switched
from alto sax to electric violin, and the next chapter of European
Jazz history began. Beside Stanko and Seifert, the line-up
of the Quintet included Janusz Muniak on the saxophones and flute,
Jan Gonciarczyk / Bronislaw Suchanek on the bass and Janusz Stefanski
on the drums. The Quintet made three records: "Music
for K" (1970), "Jazz Message from Poland" (1972)
and "Purple Sun" (1973) but the albums could not compare
to the magic of Quintet's life performances. The music of Quintet
escaped easy definitions. Sophisticated, collective improvisations
and breath taking instrumental solos were bands' trademarks; hypnotic
cosmic-like interactions between members of the band, and between
the band and the life public, complemented the whole experience.
Stanko Quintet disbanded in 1973 on the pick of its creative potential
and after achieving cult-like following in Europe. Always
interested in musical progression, Stanko went through period of
fascinating collaborations with artists including Alex Schlippenbach
Globe Unity Orchestra, Krzysztof Penderecki, Don Cherry, Stu Martin,
Dave Holland, Garry Peacock, and Jan Garbarek. He also experimented
with electronics and electro-acoustic sounds, as well with concept
of concerts for trumpet solo, at places as unusual as temple Taj
Mahal in India. His most important work of the 1970's may have been
with Finnish drummer Edward Vesala. Their series of albums, which
included "Balladyna" and "TWET",
defined new directions for improvised music in the next decades.
Audio
Clip: Tomasz Stanko - TWET (TWET)
Beginning of 1980's documents short lived but very important in
Stanko's carrier partnership with inFormation - a trio lead by
McCoy Tyner - influenced pianist Slawomir Kulpowicz, one of the
most innovative bass players in Europe - Vitold Rek, and the legendary
drummer Czeslaw "Maly" Bartkowski. The quartet recorded
two albums in Poland in early 1980's: "A
i J" and "Music
81", capturing the period of political turmoil and social
oppression (marshal law). Stanko's cooperation with inFormation
is a fascinating document of artistic freedom, independence and
creativity; musically leaping forward to another Stanko's "Polish
Quartet" from the beginning of the 21 Century (Wasilewski,
Miskiewicz, Kurkiewicz). In 1980's Stanko also collaborated with
Chico Freeman in Freeman's group Heavy Life, and worked with James
Spaulding, Jack DeJohnette, and Rufus Reid. He was also briefly
part of Cecil Taylor's big band in 1984. Shortly afterward, he formed
another ensemble, Freelectronic, and experimented with post-Miles
musical concepts on albums "Lady Gone", "Chameleon"
and "C.O.C.X.".
Always inspired by writers famous for their "improvised narration"
like William Faulkner, William S. Burroughs, and James Joyce; Stanko
spend part of the 80's exploring legacy of Polish writer Stanislaw
Ignacy Witkiewicz (Witkacy) with whom he shared interest in influence
of narcotics in the process of artistic creation. His "Witkacy's
period" awarded his fans with album "Peyotl
- Witkacy". Commenting later on use of the drugs, Stanko
concluded: "As Jimmie Hendrix once said: 'Drugs are for
adolescents'. Perhaps it took me a while but I am not a kid anymore".
The beginning of 1990's brought a final articulation of mature
Stanko's style. The first album of the new decade was "Bluish"
released by Krzysztof Popek's
label Power Bros. Following this breakthrough album Stanko
re-established an alliance with ECM Records, which issued some of
Stanko's most acclaimed work, including "Matka Joanna",
"Leosia" that featured pianist Bobo Stenson; "Litania"
- a tribute to Komeda; a cross continental ensemble featured at
"From the Green Hill" , and series of albums with Marcin
Wasilewski (piano), Slawomir Kurkiewicz
(bass), and Michal Miskiewicz
(drums), that received uniform acclaim among the critics and jazz
fans worldwide. In 2002, after votes from 21 distinguished European
jazz critics, he received the very first European Jazz Award, which
is intended to honor the most outstanding European jazz musicians.
Starting his brilliant career in late 1960's, Stanko Quartet's alumni
Zbigniew Seifert,
quickly became leading European Jazz voice and the first violist
capable to “transcend” the spirit of Coltrane music.
Born June 6th, 1946, he began studying the violin at the age of
six and ten years later also took up the saxophone. He studied violin
at the University of Krakow, while also playing alto in his jazz
group. The music of John Coltrane proved to be a strong influence
throughout Seifert's career. As Scott Yanow observed: "Zbigniew
Seifert was the violin what John Coltrane was to the saxophone".
From an early age and later on as a member of Stanko's Quintet (1969-1973),
he had made a name for himself in Europe. As a leader Seifert (who
was affectionately known as Zbiggy) performed music that ranged
from free Jazz to fusion. During his short life he thankfully
was able to collaborate with some of the brightest stars of both
American and European Jazz, including Hans Koller, Joachim
Kuhn, Billy Hart, Michael Brecker, John Scofield, Eddie Gomez, Charlie
Mariano, Jack DeJohnette, and band Oregon with whom he recorded
masterpiece album "Violin". In the mid to late seventies,
Seifert recorded a series of albums as a leader, that established
him as one of the most unique voices in jazz, and one of the most
sophisticated improvisers on the violin. Tragically, his promising
American and world career abruptly ended with his death to leukemia
in 1979. Audio
Clip: Zbigniew Seifert - Coral (Kilimanjaro)
