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Pawel Kaczmarczyk

Paweł Kaczmarczyk is a leading Polish jazz pianist and composer known for his innovative ensembles, international recordings (including for ACT Music) and artistic leadership in jazz festivals and collaborations worldwide.

About Me

Paweł Kaczmarczyk is a Kraków-born jazz pianist, composer, arranger and sideman whose music blends deep tradition with bold creative exploration. One of Poland’s pre-eminent jazz artists of his generation, he began performing on jazz stages as a teenager and early on won major competitions, including Jazz Juniors and Jazz nad Odrą. He studied jazz piano at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice and soon co-founded the influential KBD Trio, which received critical acclaim and awards in Poland. Over the years Kaczmarczyk has recorded extensively, including groundbreaking albums with his own Audiofeeling ensembles. His 2009 release Complexity in Simplicity on the prestigious ACT Music label opened doors to an international career, making him one of the few Polish jazz leaders signed to such a renowned European imprint. He has collaborated with leading jazz artists, performed at festivals across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the United States, and served as long-time artistic director of the Jazz Juniors festival. Known for his virtuosic technique, inventive compositions and imaginative projects — from tributes to jazz icons in Directions in Music to reinterpretations of film music and patriotic themes — Kaczmarczyk continues to expand the boundaries of contemporary jazz while maintaining a deep connection to its roots. One of Poland's pre-eminent jazz pianists from the younger generation, composer, soloist and sideman. Called a revelation of Polish and European jazz scene; valued most of all for his virtuosity, creativity and surprisingly mature technique. Being only a teenager he started to participate in a various jazz festivals and competitions where he received many awards. Year 2000 for Pawel Kaczmarczyk is the beginning of informal education under the aegis of legendary jazzman Janusz Muniak, with whom he cooperates to this very day. He took the first place in the New Hope category of Jazz Forum Magazine's “Jazz Top” readers' poll from 2004 through 2007. His debut album by KBD Trio (with Michal Baranski on bass, and Pawel Dobrowolski on drums) has received many positive reviews as well as his second album “Audiofeeling”, but it was “Complexity in Simplicity” released by prestigious ACT Music in 2009 that opened him the door to an international career. Pawel Kaczmarczyk has become the third polish musicians (after Stanko and Wasilewski) who is recording for such a prestigious European label as a leader of his own band. “Complexity in Simplicity” by Paweł Kaczmarczyk Audiofeeling Band was acclaimed the Album of The Year in the poll organized among Jazz Forum readers and what seems most significant is Paweł Kaczmarczyk’s victory as the Pianist of The Year. Paweł Kaczmarczyk Audiofeeling Band is now touring intensively and at the same time Pawel Kaczmarczyk is being invited to participate in many different projects by other artists. The young pianist has collected numerous music awards, including: 2002 - 1st place at the 26th “Jazz Juniors” International Competition for Young and Debuting Jazz Groups (with Kaczmarczyk/Jaros/Dobrowolski Trio) 2002 - the title of Best Instrumentalist at Poland's Jazz Juniors competition 2004 - Grand Prix at the 40th “Jazz on the Oder” Jazz Festival in Wroclaw (with KBD Trio) 2004 - several medals at the “Kultursalen Horbiger” competition in Vienna (with Kaczmarczyk/Nowicki/Traczyk/Dobrowolski Quartet) 2004 - “Key to a Career” prize at the “Pomeranian Jazz Autumn” festival 2006 - 1st place at the “JUNIOR JAZZ 2006” International Competition for Jazz Groups in Usti nad Labem (Czech Republic) Album of The Year (2007) in Jazz Forum Magazine's “Jazz Top” readers' poll (for “Audiofeeling”) Fryderyk (Nomination) (2008) (for “The Songs From A New Place” by Rafal Sarnecki) Pianist of The Year (2009) in Jazz Forum Magazine's “Jazz Top” readers' poll Album of The Year (2009) in Jazz Forum Magazine's “Jazz Top” readers' poll (for “Complexity in Simplicity”) ”Melomani” Jazz Society's Jazz Oscars Grand Prix in the Artist of The Year 2009 category ”Melomani” Jazz Society's Jazz Oscars Grand Prix in the Album of The Year 2009 category (for “Complexity in Simplicity”) Fryderyk (Nomination) - the Jazz Musician of the Year 2009 Pawel Kaczmarczyk has performed at a large number jazz festivals, including London Jazz Festival (London - UK), Leverkusener Jazztage (Leverkusen-Germany), Jazz Goes To Town (Hradec Kralove-Czech Republic), Jazz Meeting (Berlin-Germany), Gulf Jazz Festival (Kuwait), Gulf Jazz Nights (Dubai - United Arab Emirates), Goerlitz Jazztage (Goerlitz- Germany), Jazz en Nord (Lille-France), Jazzy Colors Festiwal (Paris-France), the Palatia Jazz Festival (Dirmstein-Germany), Prishtina Jazz Festival (Kosova), the Lamantin Jazz Festival (Szombathely-Hungary), Jazz Bez... (L'viv - Ukraine), Krakow's “Zaduszki Jazzowe In Chicago” (USA) and “Piwnica pod Baranami” Summer Festival, Warsaw Summer Jazz Days, Lotos Jazz Festival – Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa, and many others. Pawel Kaczmarczyk has worked with a wide range of musicians, including Emil Mangelsdorff, Monty Waters, Lee Konitz, Steve McCraven, John Betsch, Wayne Dockery, Ruth Wilhelmine Meyer, Theodosii Spassov, Vitold Rek, Janusz Muniak, Piotr Wojtasik, Adam Pieronczyk, Zbigniew Namysłowski, Piotr Baron, Jorgos Skolias, Marek Bałata, Kazimierz Jonkisz, Artur Rojek (Myslovitz), Zbigniew Wegehaupt. Discography Albums: 1. Kaczmarczyk/Barański/Dobrowolski Trio „LIVE” (Radio Katowice/Jazz Forum 2005) 2. Kaczmarczyk „AUDIOFEELING” (ARMS Records 2007) 3. Paweł Kaczmarczyk Audiofeeling Band “COMPLEXITY IN SIMPLICITY” (ACT Music 2009) As guest: 1. Rafał Sarnecki “Songs From A New Place” (ARMS Records 2008) 2. New Bone “It’s Not Easy” (GOWI Records 2009) 3. Grzech Piotrowski „Emotronica” (Alchemik Studio 2009) 4. Leszek HeFi Wiśniowski feat. Krzesimir Dębski “KINETYKA” (EW Music 2010) 5. Rafał Sarnecki „The Madman Rambles Again” (Fresh Sound Records 2011)

My Jazz Story

My House Concert Story

I attended a jazz house concert in a small living room where the distance between the musicians and the audience disappeared completely. There was no stage, no amplification — just sound, breath, and attention. It reminded me that jazz was born in rooms like this: close, risky, and deeply human.