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Michał Urbaniak (born January 22, 1943) is a Polish jazz musician who plays violin, lyricon, and saxophone. His music includes elements of folk music, rhythm and blues, hip hop, and
symphonic music An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, ...
.


History

He was born in Warsaw, Poland. Urbaniak started his music education during high school in Łódź, Poland, and continued from 1961 in Warsaw in the violin class of Tadeusz Wroński. Learning to play on the alto saxophone alone, he first played in a Dixieland band, and later with Zbigniew Namysłowski and the Jazz Rockers, with whom he performed during the Jazz Jamboree festival in 1961. After this, he was invited to play with Andrzej Trzaskowski, and toured the United States in 1962 with the Andrzej Trzaskowski band, the Wreckers, playing at festivals and clubs in
Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...
, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and New York City. After returning to Poland, he worked with Krzysztof Komeda's quintet (1962–1964). Together, they left for Scandinavia, where, after finishing a couple of contracts, Urbaniak remained until 1969. There he created a band with Urszula Dudziak and
Wojciech Karolak Wojciech Krzysztof (Wojtek) Karolak (28 May 1939 – 23 June 2021)
...
, which gained considerable success and was later to be the starting point for the Michał Urbaniak Fusion. After Urbaniak returned to Poland and the violin (which he abandoned for the saxophone during the time in Scandinavia), he created the Michał Urbaniak Group, to which he invited, among others, Urszula Dudziak (vocals), Adam Makowicz (piano), Pawel Jarzebski – bass and Czeslaw Bartkowski – drums They recorded their first international albums, ''Parathyphus B'', ''Instinct'' and played in many festivals, including Jazz Jamboree in 1969–1972. During the Montreux 1971 festival, Urbaniak was awarded "Grand Prix" for the best soloist and received a scholarship to the
Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...
in Boston. After many triumphant concerts in Europe and the United States, in May 1973 he played for the last time before a Polish audience and emigrated with Urszula Dudziak on September 11, 1973, to the United States, where he now lives as a U.S. citizen. Despite getting an award from Berklee, he did not study there. Recommended by
John H. Hammond John Henry Hammond II (December 15, 1910 – July 10, 1987) was an American record producer, civil rights activist, and music critic active from the 1930s to the early 1980s. In his service as a talent scout, Hammond became one of the most infl ...
, Urbaniak signed a contract with
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
, who published the West German album ''Super Constellation'' under the name Fusion. For the tour, he invited Polish musicians, including Czesław Bartkowski, Paweł Jarzębski and
Wojciech Karolak Wojciech Krzysztof (Wojtek) Karolak (28 May 1939 – 23 June 2021)
...
. In 1974, Urbaniak formed the band Fusion and introduced melodic and rhythmic elements of Polish folk music into his funky New York-based music. With this band Urbaniak recorded another album for Columbia in New York: ''Atma''. Urbaniak followed his musical journey with innovative projects such as Urbanator (the first band to fuse rap & hip-hop in jazz), , Urbanizer (a project with his band and four-piece R&B vocal group, 1978) and UrbSymphony. On January 27, 1995, UrbSymphony performed and recorded a concert with a rapper and a 60-piece symphony orchestra. Since 1970 Urbaniak has been playing his custom-made, five-string violin furnished especially for him, a violin
synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
nicknamed "talking" violin; soprano, alto and tenor saxophones; and lyricon, an electric saxophone-like horn. His fusion with a hint of folklore was becoming popular among American jazz musicians. He started to play in well known clubs such as the Village Vanguard and Village Gate, in famous concert halls such as
Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...
, Beacon Theatre, and Avery Fisher Hall. Urbaniak has played with Billy Cobham,
Buster Williams Charles Anthony "Buster" Williams (born April 17, 1942) is an American jazz bassist. Williams is known for his membership in pianist Herbie Hancock's early 1970s group, working with guitarist Larry Coryell from the 1980s to present, working in th ...
,
Chick Corea Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz composer, pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", " 500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba", and ...
, Elvin Jones,
Freddie Hubbard Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives fo ...
, George Benson,
Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he help ...
,
Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent l ...
,
Joe Zawinul Josef Erich Zawinul ( '; 7 July 1932 – 11 September 2007) was an Austrian jazz and jazz fusion keyboardist and composer. First coming to prominence with saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, Zawinul went on to play with Miles Davis and to bec ...
,
Kenny Barron Kenny Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist, who has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the bebop era. Biography Born in Philadel ...
,
Larry Coryell Larry Coryell (born Lorenz Albert Van DeLinder III; April 2, 1943 – February 19, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist. Early life Larry Coryell was born in Galveston, Texas, United States. He never knew his biological father, a musician. He w ...
,
Lenny White Leonard "Lenny" White III (born December 19, 1949) is an American jazz fusion drummer who was a member of the band Return to Forever led by Chick Corea in the 1970s. White has been called "one of the founding fathers of jazz fusion". He has won ...
,
Marcus Miller William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. (born June 14, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his work as a bassist. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandros ...
, Quincy Jones,
Ron Carter Ronald Levin Carter (born May 4, 1937) is an American jazz double bassist. His appearances on 2,221 recording sessions make him the most-recorded jazz bassist in history. He has won three Grammy awards, and is also a cellist who has recorded nu ...
, Roy Haynes, Vladyslav Sendecki, Wayne Shorter, and Weather Report. In 1985, he was invited to play during the recording of '' Tutu'' with Miles Davis. In 2012, he acted in the Polish film ''My Father's Bike''.


Discography


As leader

* ''Urbaniak's Orchestra'' (1968) * ''Paratyphus B'' (1970) * ''Inactin'' (1971) * ''
New Violin Summit The Summit format is used in jazz to bring together performers on a particular musical instrument. Though these recordings often feature other musicians (notably a rhythm section), the main instrument is focused upon in a celebratory way. The sax ...
'' with Don Harris, Jean-Luc Ponty (1972) * ''Super Constellation'' (and ''Constellation in Concert'') (1973) * ''Polish Jazz'' (1973) * ''Atma'' (1974) * ''Fusion'' (1974) * ''Funk Factory'' (1975) * ''Fusion III'' (EMI, 1975) * ''Body English'' (1976) * ''The Beginning'' (Catalyst, 1976) * ''Tribute to Komeda'' (BASF, 1976) * ''Urbaniak'' (Inner City, 1977) * ''Ecstasy'' (Marlin, 1978) * ''Urban Express'' (EastWest, 1979) * ''Daybreak'' (
Pausa In linguistics, pausa (Latin for 'break', from Greek παῦσις, ''pausis'' 'stopping, ceasing') is the hiatus between prosodic declination units. The concept is somewhat broad, as it is primarily used to refer to allophones that occur in cer ...
, 1980) * ''Music for Violin and Jazz Quartet'' (1980) * ''Serenade for the City'' (1980) * ''Folk Songs: Children's Melodies'' (Antilles, 1981) * ''Jam at Sandy's'' (Jam, 1981) * ''My One and Only Love'' (SteepleChase, 1982) * ''The Larry Coryell and Michael Urbaniak Duo'' (Keynote, 1982) * ''Recital'' with Władysław Sendecki (1983) * ''A Quiet Day in Spring'' (Steeplechase, 1983) * ''Take Good Care of My Heart'' (Steeplechase, 1984) * ''New York Five at the Village Vanguard'' (1989) * ''Songs for Poland'' (Ubx, 1988) * ''Milky Way, Some Other Blues, Mardin'' (1990) * ''Cinemode'' (Rykodisc, 1990) * ''Songbird'' (SteepleChase, 1990) * ''Michal Urbaniak'' (Headfirst, 1991) * ''Manhattan Man'' (Milan, 1992) * ''Milky Way'' (L & R, 1992) * ''Burning Circuits, Urban Express, Manhattan Man'' (1992) * ''Urbanator'' (1993) * ''Friday Night at the Village Vanguard'' (Storyville, 1994) * ''Some Other Blues'' (Steeplechase, 1994) * ''Code Blue'' (1996) * ''Urbanator II'' (1996) * ''Live in Holy City'' (Ubx, 1997) * ''Urbaniax'' (1998) * ''Fusion'' (1999) * ''Ask Me Now'' (SteepleChase, 2000) * ''From Poland with Jazz'' (2002) * ''Urbsymphony'' (Ubx, 2003) * ''Decadence'' (Ubx, 2004) * ''Urbanizer'' (Ubx, 2004) * ''Urbanator III'' (2005) * ''Michal Urbaniak's Group'' (2005) * ''I Jazz Love You'' (Ubx, 2006) * ''Sax Love'' (Ubx, 2006) * ''Polish Wind'' (Minor Music, 2007) * ''Miles of Blue'' (2009)


As sideman

With Urszula Dudziak * 1976 ''Urszula'' * 1977 ''Midnight Rain'' * 1979 ''Future Talk'' * 1983 ''Sorrow Is Not Forever...But Love Is'' With others * 1971 ''
Swiss Suite ''Swiss Suite'' is a live album by American jazz composer/arranger Oliver Nelson featuring performances by a big band with soloists Gato Barbieri (tenor sax) and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (alto sax). The album was recorded at the Montreux Jazz Fest ...
'', Oliver Nelson * 1974 '' Journey'', Arif Mardin (Atlantic) * 1977 ''
Tomorrow's Promises ''Tomorrow's Promises'' is an album by American jazz pianist Don Pullen recorded in 1976 and 1977 and released on the Atlantic label.Don Pullen * 1977 ''
The Lion and the Ram ''The Lion and the Ram'' is an album by the American guitarist Larry Coryell that was released as by Arista Records in 1976. Reception At AllMusic, Wilson McCloy gave the album two stars and stated, "''The Lion and the Ram'' is an underrated gem ...
'',
Larry Coryell Larry Coryell (born Lorenz Albert Van DeLinder III; April 2, 1943 – February 19, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist. Early life Larry Coryell was born in Galveston, Texas, United States. He never knew his biological father, a musician. He w ...
* 1980 ''Swish'', Michael Brecker * 1981 ''Stratus'', Charly Antolini/ Billy Cobham * 1984 ''Islands'', Scott Cossu * 1986 '' Tutu'', Miles Davis * 1987 ''Music from Siesta'', Miles Davis/
Marcus Miller William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. (born June 14, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his work as a bassist. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandros ...
* 1987 '' The Camera Never Lies'', Michael Franks * 1989 ''
Whispers and Promises ''Whispers and Promises'' is an instrumental-pop studio album by Earl Klugh released in 1989. The album received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Performance at the 32nd Grammy Awards in 1990. In this release, Klugh delivers his well- ...
'', Earl Klugh * 1994 ''Rejoicing'', Paul Bley * 1994 ''Mo' Jamaica Funk'', Tom Browne * 1995 ''Present Tense'',
Lenny White Leonard "Lenny" White III (born December 19, 1949) is an American jazz fusion drummer who was a member of the band Return to Forever led by Chick Corea in the 1970s. White has been called "one of the founding fathers of jazz fusion". He has won ...
* 2002 ''Glass Menagerie'', Billy Cobham * 2003 ''Nevertheless'', Bob Malach * 2004 ''Music for Planets, People, and Washing Machines'',
Randy Bernsen Randy Bernsen (born July 15, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist. Career Bernsen was born in Needham, Massachusetts and grew up in Florida. He attended high school in Plantation and was active in the clubs of South Florida, starting at age 17 ...


References


External links

*
Michał Urbaniak
at Filmweb {{DEFAULTSORT:Urbaniak, Michal 1943 births Living people Male jazz composers Polish jazz composers Polish jazz musicians Polish jazz violinists 21st-century violinists 21st-century male musicians