Арт Планета

LESZEK MOZDZER


Cайт артиста: www.leszekmozdzer.com



An outstanding pianist, composer and producer, Możdżer is widely considered to be the greatest revelation of the Polish jazz of the last decade. Born in 1971, he has been playing the piano since the age of five. He has covered every stage of the formal education until graduating from the Gdansk Academy of Music named after Stanisław Moniuszko in 1996. He became interested in jazz relatively late - in the last grade - when he was 18. He was introduced into jazz in the band of Emil Kowalski, a clarinet player, but his proper start took place at the first rehearsal with a band called Miłość (Love) back in 1991. One year later, he received an individual award at the International Jazz Competition Jazz Juniors '92 held in Krakow. He was also a member of the Zbigniew Namysłowski Quartet. In the poll organized among Jazz Forum readers Możdżer was voted the Most Promising Musician of the year 1993 and 1994, the Best Jazz Pianist – each year since 1994 till present as well as the Musician of the Year 1995 and 1996.
Since then the young pianist has collected numerous music awards, including:
   
Krzysztof Komeda prize awarded in 1992 by the Foundation of Polish Culture
1st prize at the International Jazz Improvisation Competition in Katowice in 1994
Mateusz Święcicki Prize awarded by 3rd Channel of the Polish National Radio
Grand Prix Melomani – the Artist of the Year 1997 awarded by ŁÓdź Music Lovers’
Fryderyk 1998 – the Jazz Musician of the Year 1998
Prize of the Mayor of the City of Gdansk for outstanding artistic achievement
Grand Prize of the Polish Culture Foundation- 2006
Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Prize for the Polish Culture Promotion abroad - September 2007

On many occasions Możdżer recorded film music with Zbigniew Preisner he also regularly works with Jan Kaczmarek, polish composer working in LA, while recording music score (for 20th Century Fox and Mira Max). He has been invited to perform jointly with the celebrities of Polish jazz, such as Tomasz Stańko, Janusz Muniak, Michał Urbaniak and Piotr Wojtasik; and has also worked with acclaimed international musicians, including Arthur Blythe, Buster Williams, Billy Harper, Joe Lovano, Pat Metheny and Archie Shepp.

 
To date, Możdżer has recorded over 100 albums, including 12 released under his own name:
"Chopin - impressions " in 1994
"Talk to Jesus " in 1996 (considered to be the Album of the Year 1996 according to a survey by Jazz Forum)
"Facing the Wind " 1996 in a duo with an      American contrabassist, David Friesen
"Live in Sofia " in 1997 with Adam Pierończyk (voted the Album of the Year 1998 by the readers of Jazz Forum)
"Chopin Demain-Impressions " in 1999
"Live in Ukraine 2003 "
“Makowicz vs Możdżer” - At The Carnegie Hall NYC, EMI      2004
PIANO”, Arms Recrds 20
„Możdżer, Danielsson, Fresco - The Time”,      Outside Music 2005 ( Double Platinium Award in two months after album’s premiere)
“Możdżer, Danielsson, Fresco – Between  Us  And The Light”,  Outside Music 2006    ( Double Platinium Award in two weeks after albums premiere)
Lars Danielsson & Leszek Możdżer - Pasodoble, ACT 2007
Możdżer Danielsson Fresco LIVE CD&DVD, Outside Music 2007
Improvisations on the themes by Fryderyk Chopin have further strengthened his position of the artist and ranked him among the most outstanding individualities and virtuosos of the European jazz.
 His theatrical projects are also remarkable:
"Hair - love, rock musical" - Musical Theatre in Gdynia
"Tango with Lady M." - Polish Theatre of Dance in Poznan 
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" - Musical Theatre in Gdynia in October 2001
"Psyhosis" Sarah Kane, directed by Grzegorz Jarzyna, Dueseldorfer Schauspielhouse
 "Rewizor" M. Gogol, directed Andrzej Domalik, Teatr Dramatyczny, Warsaw,2002.
"Mandarynki i Pomarańcze" Julian Tuwim, dir. Wojciech Kościelniak,  Capitol - Music Theatre, Wroclaw 2003
“Śluby Panieńskie” by Aleksander Fredro, dir. Jan Englert, Teatr Narodowy, Warsaw 2007

Improvisations on the themes by Fryderyk Chopin have further strengthened his position of the artist and ranked him among the most outstanding individualities and virtuosos of the European jazz.
Year 2008 brought not only many great performances and successes during concerts in China, South Korea, Italy, Germany, Ireland, Czech Republic and Slovakia) but also new projects as FIREBIRD VII and MISSA GRATIATORIA. Together with Andrzej Bauer – outstanding cellist and Michał Skrok, named m.bunio.s, hit maker; Leszek Możdżer works on a project LUTOSPHERE, based on Witold Lutosławski works of art. LUTOSPHERE was shown to the audience many time up to date, but still waits for being released. 

Możdżer has toured all European countries, as well as the US, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzia, Brazil, Canada, Urugway and in Chile for the audience of almost 15 000 people.

"I consider him to be the greatest talent among Polish jazz pianists of recent years", "Personally, I think Leszek is the best Polish pianist." - Zbigniew Preisner

"Leszek Możdżer is a revelation we have not had for years. The leader has arrived on the stage. And, whether we like it or not, he is already becoming the most distinguished musician of the Polish jazz" - Jan Ptaszyn WrÓblewski

"A jazz pianist with exceptional gift for improvisation as well as a great individual style. Music of Leszek  Możdżer is an artistic phenomenon not to be missed" - Robert Holzmann

"Leszek Możdżer, one of the greatest piano virtuosos, could easily be dubbed the Star of the East" - Frankfurter Allgemeine (Germany)


Discography: