Tomasz Stańko

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Tomasz Stańko
Photo by Tomek Broszkiewicz
Photo by Tomek Broszkiewicz
Background information
Born July 11, 1942 (1942-07-11) (age 65)
Origin Rzeszów, Poland
Genre(s) Jazz
Instrument(s) Trumpet
Label(s) ECM (current)
Associated acts Krzysztof Komeda
Jazz Darlings
Edward Vesala
Globe Unity Orchestra
Adam Makowicz
Cecil Taylor
Bobo Stenson
Antymos Apostolis
Tony Oxley
Palle Danielsson
Zbigniew Seifert
Website www.tomaszstanko.com

Tomasz Stańko (b. July 11, 1942) is a Polish trumpet player, composer and improviser who records frequently for ECM, a musician regularly associated with free jazz and the avante-garde. Stańko established his own group in 1962 with the formation of the Jazz Darlings—a quartet that included himself and pianist Adam Makowicz. That following year he joined the Krzysztof Komeda quartet and remained with Komeda groups until 1967, appearing on the Komeda album Astigmatic in 1966 along with Zbigniew Namyslowski.[1] In 1968 Stanko formed a quintet that met critical acclaim—one that included Zbigniew Seifert on violin and alto saxophone—and in 1975 he formed the Tomasz Stańko-Adam Makowicz Unit. On through the 1970s and 1980s Stańko was performing with luminaries of the West, including Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland, Reggie Workman,[2] Rufus Reid, Lester Bowie, David Murray and Chico Freeman. In 1984 he was a member of Cecil Taylor's big band.[3]

Stanko lost his natural teeth in the 1990s, though over time he developed a new embouchure with the help of a skilled dentist and monotonous practice. He would spend long hours playing what he deemed to be "boring" long tones which helped to strengthen his lip, in spite of playing with the disadvantage of false teeth.[4]

Contents

[edit] Biography

I don't go out much. I don't drive a car. I don't have a hobby, like golf. Only music. I stopped drinking and I stopped doping. I stopped for financial reasons, to be independent, not for health. I am a strong guy.
Tomasz Stańko.[4]

Tomasz Stańko was born in Rzeszów, Poland on July 11, 1942.[5] His first encounters with jazz were through Voice of America radio programs and tours initiated by the U.S. State Department. Coming of age in Communist Poland, Stanko was impressed by the correlation jazz had with a message of freedom. In 1958 he saw his first jazz concert given by Dave Brubeck.[6] While attending the Cracow Music Academy he formed his first group in 1962, the Jazz Darlings, along with the pianist Adam Makowicz; the group took inspiration from the music of individuals such as Ornette Coleman, George Russell and Miles Davis and is considered by many critics to be the first group in Europe to perform in the free jazz medium.[7]

Tomasz Stanko performing in 2007.
Tomasz Stanko performing in 2007.

In 1963 Stanko joined the Krzysztof Komeda quintet, where he learned much of what he now knows of harmony, musical structure and asymmetry. During his career with Komeda, which concluded in 1967, Stanko did five tours with the pianist and recorded eleven albums with him. In 1968 Stanko formed a quintet that met critical acclaim—one that included Zbigniew Seifert on violin and alto saxophone.[8] In 1970 he joined the Globe Unity Orchestra, and in 1971 he did collaborations with Krysztof Penderecki and Don Cherry. Not long after he formed a quartet that included himself and the drummer Edward Vesala. His performances with Vesala are often considered to me some of his most important work.[7] In 1975 he formed the Tomasz Stańko-Adam Makowicz Unit.[8]

During the 1980s he traveled to India and recorded solo work in the Taj Mahal, and also worked with Vesala in groups led by Chico Freeman and Howard Johnson. In the mid-1980s he began doing extensive work with Cecil Taylor, performing in his big bands and also led various groups of his own, including COCX. Then, before returning to ECM Records, Stanko also worked in a trio that included himself, Arild Andersen and Jon Christensen.[7] In 1993 Stanko formed a new quartet comprised of the then 16 year-old drummer Michal Miskiewicz, along with Miskiewicz's two friends pianist Marcin Wasilewski and bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz.[9] In 1994 the quartet released their first ECM recording titled Matka Joanna, and he also formed an international quartet that included Bobo Stenson, Tony Oxley and Anders Jormin.[7] In 1997 Stanko formed a group which performed the songs of pianist Krzysztof Komeda, touring London, Copenhagen, Stockholm and appearing at jazz festivals like those in Nancy and Berlin. The idea for the project came from the president of ECM Records, Manfred Eicher.[4]

[edit] Criticism

Derk Richardson has written for the San Francisco Chronicle that, "Tomasz Stanko is not the first jazz musician to negotiate a rapprochement between gorgeous melodies and free improvisation. But he is one of the most eloquent proponents of extemporaneous lyricism working today."[10] Author Brian Morton has compared Stanko's lyricism to that of Miles Davis, calling it a "direct but individual offshoot."[11]

[edit] Discography

[edit] As leader

[edit] As collaborator

[edit] Soundtracks

[edit] DVD

[edit] Gallery

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Cook, Bernard A. (2001). Europe Since 1945: An Encyclopedia, Vol. II K-Z, 1020. 
  2. ^ Heffley, Mike (2005). Northern Sun, Southern Moon: Europe's Reinvention of Jazz, 176. 
  3. ^ Yanow, Scott (2000). Trumpet Kings: The Players who Shaped the Sound of Jazz Trumpet, 351. 
  4. ^ a b c Zwerin, Mike. "The Soul of Polish Jazz and the Free Market", International Herald Tribune. 
  5. ^ Yanow, Scott (2003). Jazz on Record: The First Sixty Years, 251. 
  6. ^ Chinen, Nate (2006). Trumpeting Freedom, in Spirit, Thought and Jazz. 
  7. ^ a b c d "Tomasz Stańko biography". 
  8. ^ a b Carr, Ian; Digby Fairweather; Brian Priestley. The Rough Guide to Jazz, 499. 
  9. ^ Himes, Geoffrey. "MARCIN WASILEWSKI SLAWOMIR KURKIEWICZ MICHAL MISKIEWICZ "Trio" ECM". 
  10. ^ Richardson, Derk. "Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko creates intense, rigorously intelligent acoustic jazz". 
  11. ^ Morton, Brian (2005). Miles Davis, 151. 

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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