- Krzysztof Komeda
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- Krzysztof Medyna & Andrzej Winnicki
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- Russ Johnson
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- Michael Bates
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- Dave Anthony
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Krzysztof Komeda
(1931-1969)
In his short life (until his untimely death in a tragic accident in Hollywood at the age of 38), Krzysztof Komeda wrote music to over 40 films, including such Polish cinematic classics as Roman Polanski’s "Knife in the Water" and Andrzej Wajda’s "Innocent Sorcerers." Polanski’s first film, "Two Men and a Wardrobe" (1957), was also Komeda’s first time scoring for the screen. Polanski would go on to use Komeda’s music in almost all of his films over the course of the next decade, eventually inviting him to Hollywood in 1967 to score his American film debut, "Rosemary’s Baby." According to Polanski himself, the popular and critical success of "Rosemary’s Baby" "owed much to Komeda’s empathy and creative imagination. Not only is the 'Rosemary’s Baby' score extraordinary musically, it’s also one of the only major hit soundtracks of the late 60s, along with Ennio Marricone’s 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.'"
ECM recording artist trumpeter Tomasz Stanko, worked on all of Krzysztof Komeda’s Polish soundtracks from 1964 onwards and was the composer’s closest musical associate and band member from 1963 until 1968.
Even though Komeda’s film scores quite often made use of Jazz and improvisation, it is the music he wrote to perform and record as a pianist with his own jazz groups, especially 1965 recording of "Astigmatic," that helped to develop a uniquely European (in structure and lyrical content, especially) style in jazz composition. He is widely credited as being one of the founding fathers of the modern jazz movement in Poland.
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Krzysztof Medyna & Andrzej Winnicki
Their musical roots in Poland as well, the founders of Komeda Project, saxophonist Krzysztof Medyna and pianist Andrzej Winnicki toured Europe extensively during the 1980's with their original jazz group Breakwater. The group was featured at European jazz festivals, won an international jazz competition (as the group and the best instrumentalist - Krzysztof Medyna) and was broadcast on national radio and television.
Later, Medyna also performed and recorded as a member of Slawomir Kulpowicz’s group In/Formation (including at Eastern Europe’s biggest jazz festival - Warsaw’s Jazz Jamboree), frequently touring side by side with ECM recording artist Tomasz Stanko.
In the United States, Winnicki and Medyna revived their original group during the 90’s under the name Electric Breakwater, performing in such places in the New York Tri-State area as Zanzibar, The Five Spot, St. Peter's Church (known for ministering to the jazz community in NYC), Trumpets, Club Bene, and many others. Electric Breakwater’s CD "In the Bush" with Mark Egan on bass and Rodney Holmes on drums, is available on Amazon.com.
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Russ Johnson
Russ Johnson, a Manhattan School of Music graduate, is fast becoming one of the most sought after performers in the New York "downtown" music scene. He has performed and/or recorded with a long list of heavyweights including: Kenny Wheeler, Bill Frisell, Joe Lovano, Richie Beirach, Mark Ribot, Charles Earland, David Liebman, Joe Maneri, The Jazz Passengers, Oliver Lake, Myra Melford, Anthony Davis, Mick Rossi, Elvis Costello, Debbie Harry, Michael Bublé, Curtis Fowlkes, Roy Nathanson, Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Brian Blade, Dick Oatts, Aretha Franklin, Tony Malaby, Jenny Scheinman, and Mat Maneri.
Russ is also active as an educator/clinician, having taught at colleges and universities across the U.S. and in Europe. He is currently teaching at The Center for Preparatory Studies in Music (CPSM) at Queens College, and is a member of the faculty at the Maine Jazz Camp.
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Michael Bates
A native of Canada, Michael Bates is a graduate of the University of Toronto and has studied with bassist/composer Mark Helias, Don Thompson, Dave Young and has also worked under the former principal bassist of the Tokyo Symphony,Yoshio Nagashima. He has toured Hong Kong, China, Korea and Japan and performed across the United States and across Canada. Michael Bates is on faculty at the Banff Centre of the Arts as Program Co-ordinator of the International Jazz Workshop where he works with the artistic director, Dave Douglas. He currently resides in New York City.
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Dave Anthony
Drummer Dave Anthony holds a degree from Manhattan School of Music. He began his professional career touring and recording with Oscar Award winning Tan Dun, composer of the "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" movie score. He has recorded and/or performed with Glen Burtnick (songwriter/Styx), "Electric Breakwater" (CD-"In the Bush") and Broadway’s "Swing" and "Moving Out".
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