Jazz

Adam Makowicz - "Adam Makowicz, George Mraz" (1994)

2016-01-24T17:05:25Z

Adam Makowicz - "Adam Makowicz, George Mraz" (1994)


01. Don't Ever Leave Me
02. 400 West D - Flat
03. Where is Love
04. Anything Goes
05. Mito
06. Say it Isn't So
07. Culebra
08. Concordance
09. I Loves You Porgy
10. Introduction
11. Cherokee

Adam Makowicz - piano
George Mraz - bass

The fifth volume in the Concord Duo Series matches pianist Adam Makowciz and bassist George Mraz in a concert at the Maybeck Recital Hall; both musicians are virtuosoes originally from Eastern Europe who found fame in the U.S. On what is very much a duo set, Mraz gets nearly as much solo space as Makowicz. Their repertoire mixes together six fresh renditions of standards with four of the pianist's complex originals and the harmonically advanced music (which features plenty of close interplay) has enough variety to continually hold one's interest. ---Scott Yanow, Rovi

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Adam Makowicz - A Tribute To Art Tatum (1997)

2014-09-27T16:06:27Z

Adam Makowicz - A Tribute To Art Tatum (1997)


01. I Cover The Waterfront
02. Humoresque
03. Willow Weep For Me
04. I Know That You Know
05. Prelude To A Kiss
06. Begin The Beguine
07. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
08. Jitterbug Waltz
09. Night and Day
10. Caravan
11. In A Sentimental Mood
12. I Can't Get Started
13. Just One Of Those Things

Adam Makowicz - piano solo

Is there a movie lurking here? Consider this. In the mid-1950s Adam Makowicz was a classical pianist living in Poland. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, the young pianist hears an Art Tatum recording. It's a moment of epiphany. "Angels' music," Makowicz exclaims excitedly. It's also a moment fraught with danger. Indeed, Tatum's music has been plucked from the ether in a broadcast emanating from the outlawed "Voice of America." Compounding the intrigue is the fact that in Poland, jazz is forbidden. Nonetheless, the music's freedom and Tatum's inspired virtuosity impress the young Makowicz to the point that his life is forever changed.

Cut in 1997, in a recording studio, Makowicz pours out his pianistic paean to the giant who led him to jazz and a new life in America. Although we'll have to wait for Hollywood to flesh out the details of the story, here, we have an homage in which the music more than tells the tale. As annotator Mike Joyce notes in his liners, "Tatum's impact on Makowicz was swift, profound and irreversible." Unfairly, that asset has been turned into a liability by some who have confused influence with imitation. By any standard, Makowicz is brilliant. And while the legacy of Tatum resonates deeply, so too does Makowicz. Indeed, whether tossing off "Just One of Those Things" or tripping blithely with "Jitterbug Waltz," Makowicz is magical! --- Chuck Berg, jazztimes.com

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Adam Makowicz - Live at Maybeck Recital Hall (1992)

2012-03-30T16:16:12Z

Adam Makowicz - Live at Maybeck Recital Hall (1992)


01. Tatum on My Mind
02. Get Out of Town
03. Easy to Love
04. I Get a Kick Out of You
05. You Do Something to Me
06. I Concentrate on You
07. You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To
08. Night and Day
09. Begin the Beguine
10. Love for Sale
11. Just One of Those Things

Adam Makowicz - piano

Digitally Recorded live at Maybeck Recita Hall, Berkeley, CA July 19, 1992.

Some jazz pianists sound best in trios, with their shortcomings appearing during solo recitals, like the series recorded at Maybeck Recital Hall. Such was definitely not the case for Adam Makowicz, who has always been very much a two-handed pianist with phenomenal technique. As if to show what he has, he begins this CD with his own complex original, "Tatum on My Mind." After that, he digs into ten well-worn Cole Porter songs that Tatum and others had recorded through the years, coming up with interesting reinterpretations of such tunes as "Get Out of Town," "I Get a Kick Out of You," "You Do Something to Me," "Begin the Beguine," and "Just One of Those Things." Although Makowicz has recorded sessions that contained more variety, his total command of the piano is particularly well displayed throughout this memorable set. ---Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

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Adam Makowicz - Live Embers (2005)

2010-02-12T23:07:56Z

Adam Makowicz - Live Embers (2005)


1.Żarzące Się Węgielki I (Live Embers I) 	1:35 	
2.Raz Tak, Raz Nie (Once Yes, Once No) 	5:00 	
3.Passiflora 	2:45 	
4.Pociecha (Solace) 	4:15 	
5.Ballada Dla R (Ballade For R) 	2:45 	
6.Liczenie Od Końca (Countdown) 	2:55 	
7.Tańcząca Panda (The Dancing Panda) 	4:15 	
8.Milowe Kroki (Giant Steps) 	2:45 	
9.Opalizacja (Opalescence) 	4:00 	
10.Artysta Kabaretowy (The Entertainer) 	4:55 	
11.Żarzące Się Węgielki II (Live Embers II) 	2:30 	

Adam Makowicz - piano

"I play what I want", say Adam Makowicz. And, incidentally, "what-he-wants" pleases also the audience. "I endeavor to communicate listeners with all the emotion and joy that playing gives me." He does it perfectly well, and this is the reason for his popularity and enthusiasm around his solo music.

No doubt, he is one of the most eminent European jazz pianists; some people say that he is... the best. And it is quite possible, since after the last Piano Conclave that brought together European giants of the piano, a Swiss critic wrote: "None of the pianists revealed such a variety of style - from Art Tatum to Keith Jarrett - as Makowicz. His impressions were the biggest solo attraction of the evening." That's it: Tatum and Jarrett. It is them that Makowicz often refers to as to his favorites. Nevertheless, it is not merely their influence that made his music so attractive. Their ideas were employed by Makowicz as a substratum for creating his own deeply personal but very communicative music.

This music reminds of Tatum's rippling passages, Jarrett's lyricism, stride piano and... ragtime. The whole image of jazz found its place in Makowicz's art. "Live Embers" is a perfect portrait of his music. The title original composition, which opens and closes the record, is a sort of a clamp buckling the whole miscellaneous material of the disc; it is also somehow the artist's creed, a recapitulation of everything that is happening on the record. Besides original Makowicz's compositions, one may find here Scott Joplin's rags, "The Entertainer" and "Solace", as well as the extremely different Coltrane's "Count Down" and "Giant Steps". Unbelievable technique, extreme sensitivity and imagination of the pianist made this record an important event not only in Polish jazz, but also a genuine and sensational masterpiece, that seldom is available in jazz of Europe and... the world. If these words seem to you exaggerated, I can only say: just listen to it. ---Chazz for Jazz (Long Beach CA)

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Adam Makowicz - Naughty Baby (1987)

2011-09-20T18:36:47Z

Adam Makowicz - Naughty Baby (1987)


1-Somebody Loves Me
2-They All Laughed
3-Prelude 2
4-Maybe
5-Fascinating Rhythm
6-Naughty Baby					play
7-Oh Bess, Oh Where's My Bess
8-Embraceable You				play
9-Rhapsody in Blue
10-My Man's Gone Now
11-Summertime

Musicians:
Adam Makowicz: piano
Charlie Haden, Dave Holland: bass
Al Foster: drums

Adam Makowicz plays on this album 11 George Gershwin songs, including "They All Laughed," "Prelude #2," "Fascinating Rhythm" and more. The pianist is joined by two bassists, Dave Holland and Charlie Haden. Great music for jazz lovers! --- nme.com

This is quite simply a supreme piano album. The album's subtitle "Honoring George Gershwin" is substantiated by the witty arrangements of material ranging from "They All Laughed" to "Rhapsody in Blue", as well as by the playing of all four participants.

The album is included in "The Essential Jazz Records vol. 2" by Max Harrison and others, [my reason for seeking it out] where Harrison gives a full review and places it in relation to the pianist's other early recordings. To summarise, Makowicz is usually credited with phenomenal technique, but with little discussion of the use to which he puts it, but this of course is to miss the point. To quote Harrison, "Nowhere does the individuality of expression arise solely from complexity of method, as the toccata-like "Fascinatin' Rhythm" shows. This is close to a straightforward trio performance, at least at first; but as it unfolds this gesture towards conventionality serves to emphasise the personal nature of Makowicz's ideas in themselves and of the pianistic forms in which he casts them." --- T. A. King, amazon.com

The most unusual aspect of this typically exciting recital by Adam Makowicz is that on six of the 11 songs, the pianist is joined by two bassists, Dave Holland and Charlie Haden. Drummer Al Foster completes the group, and Haden is the only bassist on the remaining selections. Makowicz explores 11 George Gershwin songs, including "They All Laughed," "Prelude #2," "Fascinating Rhythm" and "Rhapsody In Blue." Although he shows great respect for the melodies, the pianist does come up with some fresh variations, even on the warhorses. ---Scott Yanow, allmusic.com

Adam Makowicz causó una fuerte impresión al llegar por primera vez a USA y en aquella época era habitualmente comparado con Art Tatum. Aunque su técnica está cercana al nivel de Tatum, Makowicz siempre tuvo su propio estilo mezclando distintos aspectos del jazz, del swing al bop. Comenzó tocando jazz a fines de los 50 y con Tomasz Stanko formó los Jazz Darings, una de las primeras bandas europeas de free-jazz. Lideró sus propios grupos en Varsovia y entre 1965 y 1970 tocó el piano eléctrico en la banda de Michal Urbaniak. También trabajó con Urszula Dudziak y grabó unos cuantos álbumes en Polonia antes de llegar en 1977 a los Estados Unidos. Aunque ya no tiene la misma publicidad de la que gozó inicialmente, Makowicz continúa mejorando como pianista. Ha grabado muchos discos como líder para Columbia, Stash, Choice, Sheffield Lab, Novus y Concord.

El aspecto más inusual de este típico recital de Makowicz es que en 6 de los 11 temas el pianista es acompańado por dos bajistas, Dave Holland y Charlie Haden. Completa el grupo el baterista Al Foster y en el resto de los temas queda Haden como único bajista. Makowicz explora 11 composiciones de George Gershwin incluyendo "They All Laughed", "Prelude #2", "Fascinating Rhythm" y "Rhapsody In Blue". Aunque demuestra gran respeto por las melodías, el pianista propone con frescura ciertas variaciones aún en aquellos temas que son un clásico caballo de batalla. ---allmusic.com

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Adam Makowicz - Winter Flowers (1993)

2012-04-02T15:56:53Z

Adam Makowicz - Winter Flowers (1993)


1 Blue Cobea 5:15
2 Dancing On The Toes 4:05
3 First Flight To The Clouds 5:35
4 My Scandinavian Dance 5:10
5 Blues No. 1 2:40
6 Melody For Jan 3:25
7 Do You Dig Debussy? 5:05
8 A Stroll Through The Streets Of Warsaw 4:05
9 Light Ray 3:35
10 Winter Flowers 7:05

Adam Makowicz – piano

This 1977 studio session by pianist Adam Makowicz consists of 12 originals, most of which reflect his extensive background in classical music. The pianist's technique is formidable as he improvises around his themes; though none of them are particularly memorable, he frequently shows his playful side and is obviously influenced by a host of pianists, including Art Tatum and Bill Evans. The romping "Blues No. 1" is a showpiece reminiscent of Tatum, while the Evans-like lyricism is present on the impressionist ballad "Do You Dig Debussy?" Released initially by a Czechoslovakian label in 1978, this session was also at least briefly available as a VWC CD. ---Ken Dryden, allmusic.com

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Adam Makowicz Trio - My Favorite Things - Music of Richard Rodgers (1994)

2012-04-09T20:14:45Z

Adam Makowicz Trio - My Favorite Things - Music of Richard Rodgers (1994)


1. Where or When 4:59
2. I Didn't Know What Time It Was 5:21
3. The Surrey With the Fringe on Top 5:15
4. My Favorite Things 6:37
5. The Lady Is a Tramp 6:12
6. This Can't Be Love 3:55
7. My Funny Valentine 4:23
8. My Romance 6:29
9. Lover 6:25
10. It Might as Well Be Spring 7:32
11. Have You Met Miss Jones? 5:00

Musicians:
Adam Makowicz, Piano
George Mraz, Bass
Alan Dawson, Drums

Czechoslovakian immigrants Adam Makowicz and George Mraz are both jazz virtuosos on their instruments, piano and bass, and they are in great form here as they find new layers of beauty in these familiar yet well-crafted tunes. Mraz's bowed melody on "My Funny Valentine" is a highlight. Makowicz playfully quotes a short phrase from "Fiddler On the Roof" during his "Lady Is a Tramp" solo. Alan Dawson, one of the most consistently tasteful and solidly swinging drummers in jazz, is also on his game here. If you like jazz piano trios and classic tunes, it doesn't get any better than this. --- J. Levinson (Media, PA USA)

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Adam Makowicz Trio - The Music of Jerome Kern (1993)

2013-10-15T15:58:25Z

Adam Makowicz Trio - The Music of Jerome Kern (1993)


1. All the Things You Are
2. The Way You Look Tonight
3. Who?
4. The Song Is You
5. I Won't Dance
6. Ol' Man River
7. Long Ago (And Far Away)
8. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
9. Yesterdays
10. Dearly Beloved
11. I'm Old Fashioned

Musicians:
Adam Makowicz, piano
George Mraz, bass
Alan Dawson, drumer

Adam Makowicz is a pianist heavily influenced by Art Tatum. Makowicz explains being amazed (like so many) by Tatum as he listened to him for hours in his native Poland. That led the door to listening to other pianists such as Hines, Teddy Wilson, etc., eventually serving as a catalyst for his going out on his own.

The two influences I notice are Tatum and Monk. Tatum's influence is very strong, felt in the runs throughout many of the songs and also the style of the introductions, although the runs are less pervasive than in Tatum's case. However, when they do appear they are spectacularly performed, and have the advantage of technology that Tatum didn't have, resulting in a very crisp sound.

Monk's influence is more subtle. Like Monk, Makowicz prefers not to stray too far from the melody letting that be the basis of his improvisation, although he can do creative things with the harmony (although not nearly as strident as Monk).

The trio's music is very easy to listen to (it's melodic, and swings), yet has many moments which warrant close listening as well. The average length of the songs is between 5 and 6 minutes, so there is enough time for some exploration beyond a simple statement of the melody. One devise Makowicz uses more often than many is to play in parallel (that is, keeping the same chords as the melody goes up or down), which leads to some interesting effects.

It is ironic that Kern so disliked jazz musicians "tinkering" with his melodies when they so effortlessly lend themselves to improvisation with wonderful effect in the hands of talented musicians such as these. --- Tom Ewall, polish-jazz.blogspot.com

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Adam Makowicz – Unit (1973)

2010-03-09T09:31:15Z

Adam Makowicz – Unit (1973)


1. The Song From The Valleys / Pieśń z dolin (A. Makowicz)
2. War Song / Pieśń wojenna (A. Makowicz)
3. The Songs From The Hills / Pieśń ze wzgórz (A. Makowicz)
4. Drinking Song / Pieśń pijacka (A. Makowicz)
5. Sacred Song / Pieśń religijna (A. Makowicz)
6. Seven for Five (W. Karolak)
7. Suggestion / Propozycja (C. Bartkowski)
8. Blues (A. Makowicz, C. Bartkowski)
9. I'ts Not Bad / Nie jest źle (K. Komeda)
10. Cherokee (Ray Noble)

Musicians:
Adam Makowicz - Fender piano, Fender bass & piano
Czesław Bartkowski - drums & percussion

Recorded in Warsaw, March 1973

During the past several years of my career as a jazz pianist, I've had a steady and direct contact with my listeners at concerts and clubs. Their reaction, emotions and appreciation mean everything to me and give me a great satisfaction. They also give me the drive to search and create something new. The result of this search is an LP made with Czeslaw Bartkowski. A Definite drawback in making this record was the absence of the audience. I had to imagine them and the club atmosphere so the music would be authentic and spontaneous, alive and very personal. If, and to what extent I have succeeded - my listeners will decide.--- Adam Makowicz

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Makowicz vs. Mozdzer At The Carnegie Hall (2004)

2011-04-10T22:08:22Z

Makowicz vs. Mozdzer At The Carnegie Hall (2004)


1 . Frederic Chopin - Prelude No. 24 in D minor, Op. 28 Adam Makowicz solo
2 . Frederic Chopin - Fantasie - Impromptu, Op. 66 Adam Makowicz solo
3 . Frederic Chopin - Prelude G major No. 3, Op. 28 Makowicz - Możdżer duo		play
4 . Frederic Chopin - Prelude E major No. 7, Op. 28 Makowicz - Możdżer duo
5 . Frederic Chopin - Prelude A flat major No. 17, Op. 28 Makowicz - Możdżer duo
6 . Tatum On My Mind by Adam Makowicz Leszek Możdżer solo
7 . Richard Rodgers - The Surrey With The Fringe On Top Makowicz - Możdżer duo
8 . Leonard Bernstein - Some Other Time Makowicz - Możdżer duo
9 . George Gershwin - Love Is Here To Stay Makowicz - Możdżer duo
10 . Cole Porter - Begin The Beguine Makowicz - Możdżer duo
11 . Cole Porter - Begin The Beguine Makowicz - Możdżer duo
12 . Duke Ellington / Juan Tizol - Caravan Makowicz - Możdżer duo
13 . Krzysztof Komeda - Rosemary's Baby								play

Adam Makowicz has long dazzled audiences, both with his classical concert repertoire and his abilities as a virtuoso jazz pianist in the mold of Art Tatum. The Polish expatriate, who has long called the United States home, joined forces with the younger Polish pianist Leszek Mozdzer for a 2004 concert in the Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall. The senior pianist plays first, offering a rollicking reworking of Fryderyk Chopin's Prelude No. 24 in D minor that would have pleased Tatum, followed by an intricate reworking of Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu that makes it sound as if it were a ballad conceived during the swing era. Mozdzer joins Makowicz for a trio of Chopin preludes, likewise jazzing the classics, but avoiding the possible train wrecks that await many jazz pianists in such a setting. Mozdzer probably raised a few eyebrows with his solo interpretation of Makowicz's signature composition, "Tatum On My Mind," but his arrangement of the senior man's work is anything but a carbon copy, especially with the loose rhythmic structure of his introduction. The remainder of the concert features the two men together, including gems from the Great American Songbook such as a romp through "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top," a shimmering take of "Some Other Time," a Tatum-flavored "Begin the Beguine," and a rather exotic dash through "Caravan." Their surprise encore is the moody "Rosemary's Baby." Issued in Poland, this impressive CD is readily available through. --- Ken Dryden, Rovi

25 września w Carnegie Hall (Weill Recital Hall) odbył się niepowtarzalny koncert Makowicz vs. Możdżer , którego współorganizatorami byli Instytut Kultury Polskiej w NY i Pomaton EMI. Dwaj mistrzowie wagi ciężkiej jazzowego fortepianu zagrali kompozycje własne oraz Chopina, Ellingtona...

Pomysł na koncertowy pojedynek w Carnegie Hall Adama Makowicza i Leszka Możdżera wziął się...ze snu Pawła Potoroczyna. "Odebrałem kiedyś telefon i usłyszałem w słuchawce "Dzień dobry. Tu mówi Paweł Potorczyn z Instytutu Kultury Polskiej w Nowym Jorku. Śnił mi się Pan wczoraj. Śniła mi się owacja na stojąco po Pańskim koncercie z Adamem Makowiczem w Carnegie Hall. Co Pan na to?". Odpowiedziałem, że to bardzo piękny sen i oby się ziścił. Tak doszło do tego koncertu" wspomina Leszek Możdżer.

Repertuar koncertu wybrał Adam Makowicz. Złożyły się na niego interpretacje kompozycji Chopina oraz standardy muzyki jazzowej z lat trzydziestych i czterdziestych. Możdżerowi znacznie bliższy jest Chopin. Słynie z niebanalnych, jazzowych transkrypcji utworów wielkiego kompozytora. Na płycie możemy usłyszeć trzy preludia, które artyści wykonują wspólnie oraz jedno preludium i fantazję Impromptu wykonywaną solo przez Makowicza. Fantazje Chopina słyną z tego, że dają największą swobodę interpretacyjną, ale przez to potrafią sprawić niemałą trudność. Leszka Możdżera z kolei możemy usłyszeć solo w kompozycji Adama Makowicza, pt. "Tatum on my mind". To symboliczny wybór, ponieważ utwór ten powstał jako hołd dla mistrza artysty, Arta Tatuma - pianisty, który wyniósł solową pianistykę jazzową do rangi osobnego zjawiska w jazzie nowoczesnym.

Równie interesująco w interpretacjach duetu brzmią amerykańskie standardy autorstwa Leonarda Bernsteina, Georga Gershwina, Cole Portera i Duke’a Ellingtona (muzycy sięgnęli po jeden z popisowych utworów jego orkiestry - "Caravan"). Ten fragment płyty inauguruje klasyk musicalowy - "The Surrey with the fringe on the top" skomponowany przez Richarda Rogersa do musicalu "Oklahoma". Miłośnicy kina mogą pamiętać go z jednej z najzabawniejszych scen słynnej komedii romantycznej, "Kiedy Harry poznał Sally". Całość wieńczy natomiast kompozycja znacznie bardziej mroczna i nastrojowa - "Dziecko Rosemary" autorstwa Krzysztofa Komedy. Utwór ten, który na stałe wszedł do kanonu najważniejszych polskich kompozycji jazzowych pochodzi ze ścieżki dźwiękowej, którą Komeda stworzył na potrzeby filmu Romana Polańskiego pod tym samym tytułem.

W Carnegie Hall znany na całym świecie mistrz miał stoczyć pojedynek z ruszającym dopiero na podbój świata uczniem. Zamiast tego zarówno koncert, jak i dokumentująca go płyta są wyrazem dojrzałego spotkania dwóch wielkich muzyków, którzy podziałali na siebie inspirująco. ---EMI

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