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Rafal Sarnecki
In 2005 he moved to New York where he received a high scholarship at the prestigious Jazz and Contemporary Music program at the New School University in Manhattan. In 2008 he finished his undergraduate degree from The New School with Academic Honors. In 2010 he received his MA degree in jazz performance from the Aaron Copland School of Music also in New York.
Rafal has performed in 8 European countries and toured the West and the East coast of the US. He has studied with some of the greatest musicians on the NY jazz scene such as: Paul Bollenback, Buster Williams, Reggie Workman and Peter Bernstein.
In January 2008, Rafal recorded his first CD, “Songs From a New Place”. The CD includes Rafal's original compositions, and was released in October 2008. In February 2009 it was nominated to the FRYDERYK 2009 music award, which is a Polish version of the American Grammy award. In January 2010 Rafal recorded his second album as a band leader entitled “The Madman Rambles Again”. The album was released in February 2011 by the Fresh Sound New Talent label.
Currently he is living in Brooklyn composing and performing music with a variety of groups including: Lucas Pino Nonet, Majid Khaliq Group, Danielle Freeman OperaJazz Quartet, Woogie Lee Quartet and his own group Rafal Sarnecki Sextet.
Awards
- FRYDERYK 2009 nomination (Polish version of the GRAMMY award) - 1st Award on the International Jazz Guitar Competition "Guitar City 2002" in Warsaw, Poland
Tags
Fryderyk HD: Sounds Good
by Iouri Lnogradski
The “HD" in this artist's name might seem like an objective coincidence (more on that below) or an elaborate PR nod to the obvious abbreviation for High Definition, “high precision." However, the reality is much more complex and cosmopolitan. The musician's full name is Frédéric Hoang Dong. He was born in Poland to ethnic Vietnamese parents. The notion of “high precision" in his life story emerges during his musical education when he unexpectedly decides to specialize in sound engineering after ...
Continue ReadingFryderyk HD: Sounds Good
by Scott Gudell
Fryderyk HD has a lot of pins in his musical map. His parents are Vietnamese and Polish, he was born in Poland and trained at both the Frederic Chopin University of Music (Warsaw) and Berklee College of Music (Boston.) His initial entry into the world of music was via sound engineering but he eventually switched to writing and performing with piano his instrument of choice. Sounds Good almost seems like a 'greatest hits' for the young pianist since ...
Continue ReadingFryderyk HD: Sounds Good
by Geno Thackara
Fryderyk HD clearly knows his stuff in the jazz world and, just as clearly, considers it a jumping-off point more than a home niche. His first outing has all the marks of a fresh mind whirling with a myriad of ideas, and ready to try them all on for size. Thankfully, it is also the kind of debut which is about exploring and synthesizing one's influences more than recycling them. Sounds Good can appeal to an impressive range of tastes ...
Continue ReadingSamo Salamon & Friends: Almost Alone Vol 1
by Glenn Astarita
To keep the train on the track during the Covid lockdowns, artists must think outside the box. Such is the case with this first volume of duets performed by renowned Slovenian guitarist Samo Salamon and European guitarists via the Internet by using web-based meeting programs and file-sharing processes. And besides performing on acoustic and electric guitars, Salamon incorporates a Moog synth on several tracks, largely used for textural backdrops. He also uses the body of his acoustic as a percussion ...
Continue ReadingSamo Salamon: Almost Alone Vol 1
by Hrayr Attarian
Slovenian guitarist Samo Salamon is as prolific as he is innovative. His restless explorations have resulted in a large, versatile discography that ranges from the orchestral to the free flowing with a variety of ensembles. His 2020 release Almost Alone Vol. 1 is a set of eleven duets each with a different international guitarist. It is the first in a planned three-record series. Every track features a different set of motifs yet the eloquent lyricism of the dialogues ...
Continue ReadingAnnie Chen: Secret Treetop
by Angelo Leonardi
Nel suo secondo album la cantante cinese Annie Chen compie un bel passo avanti, imboccando un percorso più complesso ed eclettico, anche se meno accattivante rispetto all'esordio di Pisces The Dreamer. Se in quel disco del 2014 esprimeva la sua adesione ai classici modelli del canto jazz qui Annie sperimenta una sintesi tra jazz moderno e modelli vocali e strumentali di provenienza orientale. Scelte condivise da un organico culturalmente eterogeneo, comprendente il chitarrista polacco Rafal Sarnecki, il violinista giapponese Tomoko ...
Continue ReadingLucas Pino's No Net Nonet: That's a Computer
by Jerome Wilson
Lucas Pino is a New York-based tenor saxophonist who leads the No Net Nonet, a band that fits snugly into the jazz tradition but displays its own style of creativity. Despite what this CD's title suggests, this group's music is full of emotion and warmth. That is evident from the outset with “Antiquity," written by alto saxophonist Alex LoRe; this is a floating melody that meshes undulating lines of tenor, piano and guitar together within a cocoon of ...
Continue ReadingJazz Po Polsku Live Sessions 2022 Schedule Announced
Source:
Jakub Krzeszowski
Every Sunday, from September to December, we will see a new series of concerts in two Warsaw venues—BARdzo Bardzo and Jassmine. As part of the Jazz Po Polsku project, 25 performances will be recorded with the participation of the audience and released in China and Korea. The series begins on the first weekend of September with concerts by Stanisław Słowiński Quintet, Imagination Quartet and Jakub Mizeracki Trio. As part of the Jazz Po Polsku project “Live Session for China and ...
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Recent Listening In Brief: A Sextet And Three Duos
Source:
Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
Rafal Sarnecki, Climbing Trees (Outside In Music) A native of Warsaw, guitarist Sarnecki moved to New York City in 2005. An adventurous—even daring—composer, he heads a sextet whose members have similar inclinations. His ten compositions here range from the agitated pointillism and serene contemplation of “Homo Sapiens” to a three-part suite, “Little Dolphin,” that includes an intense Lucas Pino tenor saxophone solo and an ethereal vocal part performed by Sarnecki’s fellow Pole Bogna Kicinska. Ms Kicinska is an attractive presence ...
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WM Project releases debut From a Familiar Place featuring Jeremy Pelt, Marshall Gilkes and Rafal Sarnecki
Source:
All About Jazz
WM Project has released their debut album From a Familiar Place on WM Records. While WM Project is a brand-new constellation, the musical masterminds behind it, pianist Andrzej Winnicki and tenor saxophonist Krzysztof Medyna, go back a long way. They have played together in the fusion group Electric Breakwater, and have furthered appreciation of Polish composer and pianist Krzysztof Komeda through their widely acclaimed Komeda Project. KP's Requiem, featuring bassist Scott Colley, drummer Nasheet Waits and trumpeter Russ Johnson, made ...
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"The youthful energy which emanates from every note on the CD perfectly corresponds with the surprising musical maturity of the leader, both on a compositional level and in its narrative drama and its individual phrases." - Konrad Zywiecki, Jazz Forum
"It's amazing that this young artist already has so much to say... when you hear him it takes your breath away." - Rzeczpospolita
Photos
Music
Secret Treetop
From: Secret TreetopBy Rafal Sarnecki
Antiquity
From: That's a ComputerBy Rafal Sarnecki
Solar Eclipse
From: Climbing TreesBy Rafal Sarnecki
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy feat. Jeremy Pelt
From: From a Familiar PlaceBy Rafal Sarnecki
Bucaramanga
From: The Madman Rambles AgainBy Rafal Sarnecki
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