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Adam Pieronczyk

Leading Polish jazz saxophonist, composer, band leader and producer. 

Recognized by international media as one of the most interesting and creative European musicians and one of the greatest innovators in Polish jazz. 

As a leader he has released almost 30 albums that have received numerous awards. He was named 18 times Jazz Forum magazine's Best Soprano Saxophonist. He has been nominated 18 times for Poland's Fryderyk award (Polish Grammy) in altogether 4 categories, winning the 2 most important statuettes - Jazz Musician of The Year and Jazz Album of The Year.

He served as Artistic Director for the Jazz aux Oudayas Festival and Jazz Au Chellah Festival in Rabat, Morocco (2005-2006), Sopot Jazz Festival in Poland (2011-2015) and since 2019 - Jazz Juniors Festival in Krakow. He has performed all over Europe, Kazachstan, Kirghistan, Russia, China, Israel, Morocco, Brazil, Mexico, Japan and USA.

He also composes music for theater productions, teaches at workshops and gives masterclasses in different parts of the world. 

Adam Pierończyk has worked with musicians such as: 

Sam Rivers, Archie Shepp, Miroslav Vitous, Gary Thomas, Greg Osby, Bobby McFerrin, Jeff 'Tain' Watts, Trilok Gurtu, Mino Cinelu, Tomasz Stanko, Ted Curson, Avishai Cohen, Adrian Mears, Ernst Reijseger, Wolfgang Puschnig, Lage Lund, Orlando Le Fleming, Joe Martin, Jean-Paul Bourelly, Majid Bekkas, Anthony Cox, Lars Danielsson, Nelson Veras, Anthony Joseph, John B. Arnold, Joey Calderazzo, Mircea Tiberian, Fisz Emade, Agata Zubel, Krzysztof Knittel, Marcin Wasilewski Trio and Leszek Mozdzer.

 more info at: www.adampieronczyk.net I www.facebook.com/AdamPieronczyk I www.instagram.com/adam_pieronczyk

Awards

* New Hope Of Polish Jazz in the annual "Jazz Forum" magazine ranking (1997); * Nomination for the Polish music award "Fryderyk" as Best Jazz Artist Of The Year (1997,1998, 2009); * Prize of the Musician Union in Poland as Best Artist Of The Year (1999); * was voted in the main Polish daily newspaper "Gazeta Wyborcza" One of the most influential jazz musicians in Poland for the XXI century" (2000); * Angel Of Jazz - Jazz festival prize of Bielsko-Biala (2003); * Best Soprano Saxophonist Of The Year - for 15th consecutive year voted in the annual Jazz Forum magazine ranking as (from 2003 to 2019). Pieronczyk's records have been also noticed as remarkable productions: * Best Jazz CD Of The Year nomination for "A Few Minutes In Space" (Adam Pieronczyk Trio ) for the Polish music award "Fryderyk" (1997); * Album of The Year (1998) in "Jazz Forum" magazine rankin and Jazz CD Of The Year" nomination for album - "Live In Sofia" (1998) ( Duo with Polish piano player Leszek Mozdzer ) * Album of the Year (2001) for "Digivooco" (Adam Pieronczyk Digivooco) voted in the Jazz Forum magazine ranking * Best Album of the Year - Polish industry music award - Fryderyk - for the album - Komeda - The Innocent Sorcerer - 2011 * Jazz Artist of the Year - Polish industry music award - Fryderyk - 2011


Tags

5
Liner Notes

Adam Pierończyk & Miroslav Vitous: Ad-Lib Orbits

Read "Adam Pierończyk & Miroslav Vitous: Ad-Lib Orbits" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


The duet performances on Ad-Lib Orbits feature the voices of two jazz generations. Adam Pieroncyzk, (b. 1970), the Polish saxophonist; and bassist Miroslav Vitous (b. 1947). Pieroncyzk has earned international acclaim for his homage to his countryman, Krzysztof Komeda on Komeda: The Innocent Sorcerer (Jazzwerkstatt Records, 2010) and on his odd and modernistic masterpiece, Monte Alban (Jazzsound, 2016). Vitous rose to top-level fame as a co-founder of the innovative group Weather Report in the 1970s. He has continued to push ...

2
Radio & Podcasts

Adam Pieronczyk, Francisco Mela & R.I.P. Jerry Granelli

Read "Adam Pieronczyk, Francisco Mela & R.I.P. Jerry Granelli" reviewed by Maurice Hogue


An intriguing track by saxophonist Adam Pieronczyk on a compilation of Polish jazz artists, 12 or so years back, ushered me into the current Polish scene, and I've been enjoying it since. Adam's latest features guitarist Jean-Paul Bourelly. drummer Francisco Mela was mentored by {m: McCoy Tyner}} so he's honouring that important relationship with a three-album release. While the pianist will change on each album, bassist William Parker will be a constant on Music Frees Our Souls. Matthew Shipp is ...

8
Multiple Reviews

A Pair From Polish Saxophonist Adam Pieronczyk

Read "A Pair From Polish Saxophonist Adam Pieronczyk" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Sometimes music sits in the cellar and ages like fine wine. In 2016, Polish saxophonist Adam Pieronczyk recorded in the quartet outing I'll Colour Around It and a solo soprano saxophone recital, Oaxaca Constellation, both self-produced. These two albums rise up from those wine cellar steps in 2021, ready for consumption, spinning out sounds as intrepid and modern as any Pieronczyk has made in his twenty-plus album discography, that includes a pair of terrific “Best of Year” releases—the sextet outing ...

8
Album Review

Adam Pieronczyk & Miroslav Vitous: Wings

Read "Wings" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Based in Krakow, Poland, saxophonist Adam Pieronczyk crafted, in 2010, perhaps the finest recorded tribute to his countryman, Krzysztof Komeda, with Komeda: The Innocent Sorcerer (Jazzwerkstatt). Komeda was a seminal Polish jazz man who shifted his focus to soundtrack work, most famously with film maker Roman Polanski, and most notably on the 1968 psycho-horror movie, Rosemary's Baby. Pieronczyk took on the tribute task with a two-saxophone-out-front, bass/drums/guitar rhythm section that captured Komeda's spirit to perfection. So how do ...

11
Album Review

Adam Pieronczyk Quartet: A-Trane Nights

Read "A-Trane Nights" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


When the subject of “Polish Jazz" comes up, the most likely name to get mentioned might be Krzysztof Komeda, the pioneering pianist who wrote the soundtrack music for several of Roman Polanski's films, most notably Rosemary's Baby (1968). Move up to current times and you'll find another Polish jazz artist of special note, saxophonist Adam Pieroncyzk, who crafted a marvelous tribute to Komeda in 2011, Komeda: The Innocent Sorcerer (Jazzwerkstatt). With A-Trane Nights, Pieronczyk offers something different. Replacing ...

237
Album Review

Adam Pieronczyk: Komeda: The Innocent Sorcerer

Read "Komeda: The Innocent Sorcerer" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Polish saxophonist Adam Pieronczyk pays tribute to his to his country's jazz pioneer, Krzysztof Komeda (b.1931, d.1969), with Komeda: The Innocent Sorcerer.Pianist/composer Komeda is better known for his film work, in the United States, than for his jazz work. The title of the CD is taken from the soundtrack he composed for the 1960 Andrezej Wadjda film of the same name. He also wrote music for films of Ingmar Bergman and, most famously Stateside, for Roman Polanski films ...

234
Album Review

Adam Pieronczyk: Amusos

Read "Amusos" reviewed by Johannes Voelz


He has released ten CDs under his own name, yet hardly anyone seems to have heard of him in the US. He has played with the most talented musicians of his country, yet international talent scouts have continuously overlooked him. Saxophonist Adam Pieronczyk, to be sure, is one of those well-kept secrets from the jazz periphery of Eastern Europe, a fully matured musician who just needs some spotlight to be discovered.

Born and raised in Poland, he ...

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230

Recording

Adam Pieronczyk - Komeda: The Innocent Sorcerer (Jazzwerkstatt, 2010)

Adam Pieronczyk - Komeda: The Innocent Sorcerer (Jazzwerkstatt, 2010)

Source: Music and More by Tim Niland

Composer and pianist Krzysztof Komeda was a legend in both jazz and film music, most well known for the Penguin crowned album Astigmaticand soundtrack work for several Roman Polanski movies. This album by talented tenor and soprano saxophonist Adam Pieronczyk takes a detailed look at eight Komeda compositions arranged by the leader for a band including Gary Thomas on tenor saxophone, Nelson Veras on guitar, Anthony Cox on bass and Lukasz Zyta on drums and percussion. The music has a ...

 

“…world-experienced master of fantasy and exceptional virtuosity…”

Frankfurter Allgemeiner Zeitung

 

“…one of the most important European jazz tenorists…”

The Jazz Book / From Ragtime to the 21st century - Joachim Ernst-Berendt

 

“The sound of his saxophones is rich, sensational and fantastic”

Jazz Tokyo

 

“Pieronczyk literally sings, often in an effortless, organic way, like birds on a spring morning, freely and without any sense of urgency, without any other agenda than just to sing for the beauty of the day, the beauty of life”

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

On The Way

Self Produced
2023

buy

I'll colour around it

Self Produced
2021

buy

Oaxaca Constellation

Self Produced
2021

buy

Live at NOSPR

Self Produced
2019

buy

Ad-Lib Orbits

Pao Records
2017

buy

Monte Alban

Self Produced
2016

buy

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