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Polish jazz

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Polish jazz has a history that spans periods of both acceptance and political repression.

Polish jazz before Communism

The beginning of jazz in Poland is difficult to determine. As early as of the 1930s clubs in Warsaw, Kraków, Rzeszów or Poznań would play some jazz. This tended to be swing and some of it was influenced by the traditional classical music. American popular music (particularly of George Gershwin's) was in great demand.[1] Eddie Rosner might be one of the first jazz musicians of significance in Poland. A great many Polish jazz musicians in this era were of Jewish or German origin.

Stalinist repression

After the Communist takeover, jazz was initially repressed. Although groups like Melomani existed, jazz was officially condemned and forbidden from the radio.[2] Musicians learned about jazz by listening to a shortwave radio broadcast of Willis Conover's Voice of America Jazz Hour or smuggling jazz records from abroad.[3]

Liberalisation

After the death of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, jazz in Poland gained renewed freedom. In 1958 Dave Brubeck visited Poland and the nation's jazz scene became influenced by cool jazz. By the sixties three strands had emerged as dominant; trad jazz, "mainstream", and free jazz. Krzysztof Komeda became the leader of a modern jazz movement that did not copy the American way of playing but developed its own "European" style.[4]

Polish jazz musicians

See also

Web sources

  1. ^ Polish culture article
  2. ^ All About Jazz article on Polish jazz
  3. ^ Jazz Records in Poland
  4. ^ European Jazz

at Culture.pl

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