Trumpeter and composer Tomasz Stanko (b. 1942 Rzeszow, Poland) was present at the birth of modern European jazz. He's most closely associated with the man who was at the center of seemingly all art forms in Poland in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Krzysztof Komeda. Although his early work has been described, even by himself, as "free" or "avant garde," one can always hear a melodic lyricism in Stanko's lines which softens the overall effect.
Stanko remains idolized in his native Poland, and he makes no bones about his debt to Komeda. Throughout his forty-year career there have been but two constants: an intensity in which every note is important, and an immediately identifiable trumpet sound, which, while starting from Miles Davis and Chet Baker, is distinctly his own and Northern European, if not Polish. His music can be dark and melancholy, making use of Polish folk themes, and filled to bursting with modern influences both American and European. Yet it is never maudlin and always cuts straight to the Soul of Things (ECM, 2002; see below).
These recordings reveal Stanko as a man of intense thoughtfulness who has created and played some of the most strikingly individual music ever recorded. What Stanko will explore next, no one, perhaps even Stanko himself, can say. Assuredly it will be instantly recognizable. In this respect, he has proven to be a quintessential jazz musician.
Note: the Polish releases listed below are available from Cadence on the web.
Related Links
Tomasz Stanko interviews (2004): 1 | 2
Marcin Wasilewski interview (2005)
Polish Jazz for Dummies: 60 Years of Jazz from Poland
The Polish Jazz Network
 | Krzysztof Komeda: Astigmatic (Power Bros 00163, 1965)
A self-taught pianist and composer, Komeda was not a particularly strong soloist, but his piano work controls the flow and pace of each piece from the background. His compositions have a strong feel of architecture, tying together simple melodic or rhythmic cells to create larger works with very strong dramatic effects. His music strongly evokes imagery, not surprising given his other musical life as a composer of film scores. The title piece is positively terrifying and riveting and sounds like nothing else. Stanko is quite recognizable from his slow vibrato and half-valving as he "speaks" freely in front of the shifting background. |
 | Krzysztof Komeda: Nighttime, Daytime Requiem (Power Bros 00159, 1967)
"Nighttime, Daytime Requiem" was written in response to the death of John Coltrane. It sounds nothing like Coltrane's music (except for a time during a sax solo) and is not a homage. Through more than 27 minutes, Komeda controls time and the listener's interest through linking changing structures full of sadness and anguish of loss—coupled with anger at the meaningless of it all, but with thankfulness for the fact that Coltrane lived. Stanko's solo starts softly and ends up shouting at the darkness. "Ballad for Bernt," a gorgeous if unorthodox ballad, is dedicated to the tenor sax player Bernt Rosengren, who was with Komeda before Stanko. |
 | Tomasz Stanko: Music for K (Power Bros 00131, 1970)
Stanko's first album as a leader is clearly dedicated to Komeda, but it is music for him, not by him: Free music within a compositional framework which sets up tension between these opposing forces that makes it click. One can hear Stanko's connection to Komeda's compositional thought and process, although the intensity has been taken to another level. The music absolutely burns from the outset in "Czatownik (The Ambusher)," and later in "Cry" as a repeated horn moan becomes the theme. The title work, "Music for K," a sixteen-minute paean to Komeda, echoes the music above, but with much more extroverted energy. |
Tomasz Stanko at All About Jazz.
Visit Tomasz Stanko on the web.
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Tomasz Stanko
 Paul Gordon wrote on 2007-06-05 12:00:24: Thanks for all you have written. I discovered Stanko only reently through Suspended Night - what a superb album - and then went on to buy ... Green Hill which I find utterly captivating. I have been a fan of Dino Saluzzi for some years so it is wonderful to hear them working together. What a group. This is contemporary music at its very best. (The only thing wrong with the opening piece is that it is not twice as long.) I found your comments really helpful and shall now work my way through the rest of this amazing man's amazing music. 
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