Krzysztof "Puma" Piasecki
Graduated from the Academy of Music in Katowice, Department of Jazz and Popular Music, composer, arranger, and educator — one of the most versatile Polish guitarists. He was awarded the Bronze Gloria Artis Medal for Merit.
He has recorded twelve original albums and participated in dozens of recordings as a session musician. He is a laureate of the International Jazz Improvisation Contest in Katowice and was granted a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston. In 1997, he was named Best Jazz Guitarist by the prestigious magazine Gitara i Bas.
He has shared the stage with many world-class musicians, including Mike Stern, Bob Malach, David Weckl, Scott Henderson, Dennis Chambers, and Jeff Berlin. He has performed in numerous clubs in Poland and abroad, including Berlin’s A-Trane. His musical range spans from rock’n’roll, blues, and swing to modern jazz and fusion.
He made his stage debut in Poland in the late 1970s. Over time, he developed his own musical style, gaining experience through collaborations with Wiesław Pieregorólka Big Band, Alex Band (Aleksander Maliszewski), Zbigniew Górny Orchestra, Koman Band, and Pronko Band.
He has performed in jazz clubs across Scandinavia, Germany, and the United States. His festival appearances include Jazz Jamboree, Złota Tarka, Jazz Jantar, Jazz nad Odrą, Jazz Festival in “Piwnica pod Baranami”, and Festival de Jazz de San Sebastián, as well as the Polish Song Festival in Opole and Sopot Festival.
He has accompanied world-renowned artists such as José Feliciano, Shirley Bassey, Alan White (YES, Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton), Cindy Blackman (Joe Henderson, Lenny Kravitz, Cassandra Wilson), Johnny Rabb (Frank Gambale, Maynard Ferguson), Tony Royster Jr. (Branford Marsalis, Terry Lewis), Carmine Appice (Jeff Beck, Ozzy Osbourne, Pink Floyd), as well as Bill Mollenhoff, The Drifters, Ralf Rickert, Carl Palmer (RLP), Charlie Green, Siggy Davis, José Aponte, and Steve Carrington.
He has also collaborated with leading Polish artists, including Józef Skrzek, Hanna Banaszak, Ewa Bem, Urszula Dudziak, Grażyna Łobaszewska, Krystyna Prońko, Maryla Rodowicz, Lora Szafran, Anna Panas, Grażyna Auguścik, Anna Serafińska, Kuba Badach, Mieczysław Szcześniak, Spinach, Ryszard Rynkowski, Zbigniew Wodecki, and the vocal group Vox.
He values long-term artistic collaborations with groups such as Heavy Metal Sextet, Walk Away, Zbigniew Lewandowski Quintet, Bober’s Friends, Free Cooperation – Cosmic Edition (Wojtek Konikiewicz), and the Opole Radio Orchestra (Edward Spyrka), as well as international projects like Human Elements and Yurala.
He has worked with many leading Polish jazz musicians, including Jarosław Śmietana, Zbigniew Namysłowski, Tomasz Szukalski, Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski, Krzesimir Dębski, Krzysztof Ścierański, Bernard Maseli, Piotr Baron, Leszek Możdżer, Adam Skrzypek, Janusz Skowron, Henryk Miśkiewicz, Krzysztof Przybyłowicz, Zbigniew Wrombel, Piotr Wojtasik, Andrzej Rusek, Maciej Sikała, Tadeusz Leśniak, Jerzy Główczewski, Janusz Stefański, Jacek Pelc, Cezary Konrad, Dominik Wania, and Janusz Grzywacz. Many of them have appeared on his original albums.
He is actively involved in education, working with young musicians as a lecturer at the Mała Akademia Jazzu in Gorzów. He participates in workshops such as Blues nad Bobrem in Bolesławiec and international jazz workshops within the Hanza Jazz Festival in Koszalin. This work continues to expand his artistic experience.
He has also collaborated with the Capitol Musical Theatre in Wrocław.
He is the founder of the Opole Jazz Association.
At the moment he is colaborating with Teatr Muzyczny Capitol in Wroclaw (Music's Theater of Capitol) and he is working with the following groups:
- WILD CATS
- Krzysztof "Puma" Piasecki - guit.,
- Tadeusz Leśniak - keyb.,
- Zbigniew Lewandowski - drums.,
- Tomasz Grabowy - bass.,
- Jerzy Główczewski - saxphone
- Acoustic Combo
- Krzysztof "Puma" Piasecki - guit.,
- Jarosław Śmietana - guit.
- and others
- Quartet
- Krzysztof "Puma" Piasecki - guit.,
- Krzesimir Dębski - violin
- Zbigniew Lewandowski - drums
- Adam Skrzypek - bass
- The 3RIO
- Krzysztof "Puma" Piasecki - guit.,
- Kenny Martin - drums.,
- Stan Michalak - bass.
- Krzysztof "Puma" Piasecki Quartet
- Krzysztof "Puma" Piasecki - guit.,
- Paweł Serafiński - Hammond,
- Adam Skrzypek - bass,
- Adam Buczek - drums,
Stan Michalak
He is an extraordinary Polish bass player.
Since 1965 to 1984 studied double bass, violin and piano. 1989- scholarship of Alban Berg Foundation in Vienna. He worked in studio with Hans Joachim Roedelius ( the pioneer of Contemporary Electronic Music and recorded few CD's (incl. ,,Theatre Works '' - with Brian Eno ). He performed and recorded with great EARTHA KITT and with Herb Geller, Oliver Johnson, Kosta Lucacs, Charles Owens, Billy Bang, Jocelyn B.Smith, Souleymane Toure, Daryl Waters, Abdu Salim, Patrick Farrant, Nirankar Khalsa, Jean -Paul Bourelly, Omar Sosa, DJ Spooky, Mariana Baraj, Eddie Henderson, Frank Lacy, Reggie Moore, Ashraf Sharif Khan ( sitar ), Sadiq Bey, Johnny Rabb. He contributed in theatre and multimedia projects with music by Yola Wesolowska. Stan also recorded few CD's with Eartha Kitt „ Live at the Theater des Westens '' with Fuasi & Ensemble „ Fuasimodo rings a bell'', „ Cafe Central'', with Sharifa & Wordsong „ Sharifa's favorite things ''( WEA//Warner ) with Siggy Davis and J.P Bourelly „Just as I am '' and Christof Vonderau ( CD ,,Cave Painting "). CD 2009: OTA Records "TALES FROM THE EARTH" feat. Omar Sosa / Mark Weinsten / Aly Keita / Jean - Paul Bourelly / Stan Michalak / Marque Gilmore / Aho Luc Nicaise / Mathias Agbokou. Composed music for pantomime performances by Tomasz Dajewski. Contributed in several projects with hip-hop artist Spinache and with multimedia artist Jörmungarden. Performance with his own project In The Open.
Kenny Martin (New York - USA)
He was born in Brooklyn and raised in Jamaica, Queens in New York. A graduate of Springfield Gardens High School, Berklee College of Music in Boston and Five Towns College (New York), master classes led by Elvin Jones, Artie Simmons, Billy Cobham, Tony Williams, Jack deJonette, Lenny White, Narada Michael Walden.
In the years 1981-1993 global touring and recording seven CD's with the legendary, cult group DEFUNKT ("Thermonuclear Sweat", "Heroes, " "Live at the Knitting Factory, " "The Legend of Defunkt").
Concerts and studio recordings include from The Golden Gospel Singers, Jaco Pastorius, Teddy Wilson, Kenny Kirkland, Melvin Gibbs, Mike Stern, Nippy Noya, Bob Singleton, Latoya Jackson, Candy Dulfer, Barbara Dannerleine, Alison Moyet, Scott Hamilton, Monty Alexander, Xiam, Jasper van 't-Pili Pili Hof, Wolfgang Schmidt, Gary Valente, Ed Schuller, Joseph Bowie, Lester Bowie, Jean Paul Bourelly, Omar Sosa, Jocelyn B. Smith, Uli Lenz, No Angels, with the Siggy Davis - "Just as I am '', with Xiam-"The Shadow Of My Soul", with Sharif & Wordsong-"Sharifa's Favorite Things" (WEA / Warner).
Composition and performance of music for the show R.A.F. Berlin's famous Berliner Ensemble theater.
