Jarek Smietana

Jarek Smietana
Birth name Jarosław Smietana
Born (1951-03-29) March 29, 1951
Kraków, Poland
Genres Jazz
Occupation(s) Musician, composer
Instruments Guitar
Years active 1970–present
Website jareksmietana.pl

Jarosław "Jarek" Smietana (29 March 1951 – 2 September 2013 in Kraków) is a Polish jazz guitarist, composer and band leader.[1][2][3]

Early life and education

Smietana was born in Kraków.[4] He studied at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice. [5]

Career

In 1972, with the blues band "Hall", he won an award at the Jazz nad Odrą festival.

Smietana lead the band Extra Ball in 1974.[5] He continued to lead this band until 1981. He later was the leader of the Sounds Big Band Symphonic Sound Orchestra,[6] the Polish Jazz Stars Band.[7] He was also a co-leader of the Namysłowski-Śmietana Quartet.[5]

Śmietana has performed at festivals,[3] concert tours, and workshops in the USA, India, Asia and South America.

In 1998 he was the winner of the Fryderyk[8] 1998 award for "Songs and Other Ballads". He was presented with the President of Cracow Prize for cultural achievement.[9]

During his musical career he played and recorded with well-known artists, including Art Farmer,[10] Freddie Hubbard, Eddie Henderson, Joe Zawinul, Gary Bartz, Carter Jefferson, Vince Mednoza, John Abercrombie, Hamiet Bluiett, Idris Muhammad, Ronnie Burrage, Harvie Swartz, Mike Stern, Jack Wilkins, Zbigniew Seifert, Cameron Brown, Andy McKee, Greg Brandy, David Gilmore, Nigel Kennedy,[11][12] Dave Friedman, Didier Lockwood, Jerry Goodman.

Śmietana composed over 200 jazz songs. He has led many workshops and masterclasses.

He has recorded more than 25 album as a band leader,[13] as well as performing as a sideman on the recordings of other artists. Śmietana has collaborated with other jazz musicians to perform live shows at concert venues and festivals.

He is the father of violinist Alicja Smietana. He died in 2013.[4] In 2015, a contest, the "International Jarek Śmietana Jazz Guitar Competition" was initiated in his memory. It was held in Kraków. [14]

Discography

Singles

References

  1. ↑ Czech Music. Music Information Center of the Czech Music Foundation. 1995.
  2. ↑ Jazz Times. Jazztimes. 1996. p. 81.
  3. 1 2 "Agnieszka Iwanska Quartet All That I Am CD Release All Souls Day Jazz Festival '09". Jazz Chicago, Nov. 9, 2009
  4. 1 2 "RIP Jarosław (Jarek) Śmietana - 1951-2013". LondonJazzNews.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Smeitana, Jarek ZdZislaw". The International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002. Psychology Press. 2002. pp. 473–. ISBN 978-1-85743-161-2.
  6. ↑ Czech Music. Music Information Center of the Czech Music Foundation. 1995.
  7. ↑ "Polish jazz blossoms at the Chopin Theatre". Chicago Tribune, November 13, 2012
  8. ↑ Fryderyki prize 1998
  9. ↑ "Gitarzysta Jarek Śmietana jest ciężko chory. Guz mózgu - Muzyka". polskieradio.pl September 3, 2013
  10. 1 2 "Polnischer Gitarrist Jarek Smietana an Gehirntumor gestorben". Jazz Pages, 03.09.2013.
  11. ↑ "Review of Nigel Kennedy in the National Concert Hall". Entertainment Music Reviews. Pat O'Kelly, 16/07/2014
  12. ↑ "Nigel Kennedy: Still pulling the strings". The Independent Christina Patterson, 31 August 2012
  13. ↑ International Association of Jazz Record Collectors (1996). IAJRC Journal. International Association of Jazz Record Collectors. p. 141.
  14. ↑ "REPORT: Int. Jarek Śmietana Jazz Guitar Competition in Kraków". LondonJazzNews

External links

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