Michał Urbaniak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michal Urbaniak
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Michal Urbaniak in 2019
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| Background information | |
| Born | 22 January 1943 Warsaw, Poland |
| Genres | Jazz, jazz fusion, funk, hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Violin, lyricon, saxophone |
| Labels | Ubx |
| Associated acts | Urbanator, Miles Davis, UrbSymphony |
Michał Urbaniak (born January 22, 1943) is a famous Polish jazz musician. He plays the violin, a special electric saxophone called a lyricon, and the regular saxophone. His music mixes different styles like folk music, rhythm and blues, hip hop, and even symphonic music.
Contents
The Start of a Musical Journey
Michał Urbaniak was born in Warsaw, Poland. He started learning music in high school in Łódź, Poland. Later, in 1961, he continued his violin studies in Warsaw.
Early Bands and Tours
Even though he studied violin, he also taught himself to play the alto saxophone. He first played in a Dixieland band. Then, he joined a group called the Jazz Rockers with Zbigniew Namysłowski. They performed at the Jazz Jamboree festival in 1961.
After that, he was invited to play with Andrzej Trzaskowski. In 1962, he toured the United States with Andrzej Trzaskowski's band, the Wreckers. They played at many festivals and clubs in cities like Newport, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and New York City.
When he returned to Poland, Michał Urbaniak worked with Krzysztof Komeda's quintet from 1962 to 1964. They traveled to Scandinavia. After some performances there, Urbaniak decided to stay until 1969.
In Scandinavia, he formed a band with Urszula Dudziak and Wojciech Karolak. This group became very successful. It was the beginning of what would later be known as the Michał Urbaniak Fusion band.
Back to the Violin and New York
After his time in Scandinavia, Urbaniak returned to Poland and started playing the violin again. He had focused on the saxophone for a while. He then created the Michał Urbaniak Group. This group included Urszula Dudziak (vocals), Adam Makowicz (piano), Pawel Jarzebski (bass), and Czeslaw Bartkowski (drums).
They recorded their first international albums, Parathyphus B and Instinct. They also played at many festivals, including Jazz Jamboree from 1969 to 1972. At the Montreux festival in 1971, Urbaniak won a "Grand Prix" award for being the best soloist. He also received a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston.
After many successful concerts in Europe and the United States, Michał Urbaniak played his last concert in Poland in May 1973. He then moved to the United States with Urszula Dudziak on September 11, 1973. He has lived there ever since and is now a U.S. citizen.
New Sounds in America
Even though he received a scholarship to Berklee, he did not study there. Instead, John H. Hammond helped him sign a contract with Columbia Records. Columbia released his album Super Constellation under the band name Fusion. For his tours, he invited Polish musicians like Czesław Bartkowski, Paweł Jarzębski, and Wojciech Karolak.
In 1974, Urbaniak officially formed the band Fusion. He started mixing the sounds of Polish folk music with his funky New York-style jazz. With this band, he recorded another album for Columbia in New York called Atma.
Michał Urbaniak continued to create new and exciting music projects. These included Urbanator, which was one of the first bands to mix rap and hip hop with jazz. He also formed Urbanizer in 1978, which combined his band with an R&B vocal group. Another big project was UrbSymphony. On January 27, 1995, UrbSymphony performed a concert with a rapper and a large 60-piece symphony orchestra.
Unique Instruments and Collaborations
Since 1970, Urbaniak has played a special five-string violin made just for him. He also uses a violin synthesizer that he calls his "talking" violin. Besides these, he plays soprano, alto, and tenor saxophones, and the lyricon. His unique blend of jazz with a touch of Polish folk music became very popular among American jazz musicians.
He performed in famous clubs like the Village Vanguard and Village Gate. He also played in well-known concert halls such as Carnegie Hall, Beacon Theatre, and Avery Fisher Hall.
Michał Urbaniak has played with many legendary musicians. These include Billy Cobham, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, George Benson, and Joe Zawinul. In 1985, he was invited to play on the album Tutu with the jazz legend Miles Davis.
In 2012, he also appeared in a Polish film called My Father's Bike.
Selected Music Albums
Michał Urbaniak has released many albums throughout his career. Here are some of them:
Albums as a Band Leader
- Urbaniak's Orchestra (1968)
- Live Recording (1971)
- Super Constellation (1973)
- Paratyphus B (1973)
- Atma (1974)
- Fusion (1974)
- Body English (1976)
- Urban Express (1979)
- Serenade for the City (1980)
- Folk Songs: Children's Melodies (1981)
- My One and Only Love (1982)
- Take Good Care of My Heart (1984)
- Milky Way (1987)
- Songs for Poland (1988)
- New York Five at the Village Vanguard (1989)
- Manhattan Man (1992)
- Urbanator (1993)
- Urbanator II (1996)
- Live in Holy City (1997)
- Ask Me Now (2000)
- Urbsymphony (2003)
- Urbanator III (2005)
- Miles of Blue (2009)
- For Warsaw with Love (2019)
Albums as a Guest Musician
Michał Urbaniak has also played on albums by other artists:
- With Urszula Dudziak: Urszula (1976), Midnight Rain (1977), Future Talk (1979)
- With Oliver Nelson: Swiss Suite (1971)
- With Arif Mardin: Journey (1974)
- With Don Pullen: Tomorrow's Promises (1977)
- With Larry Coryell: The Lion and the Ram (1977)
- With Billy Cobham: Stratus (1981), Glass Menagerie (2002)
- With Miles Davis: Tutu (1986), Music from Siesta (1987)
- With Michael Franks: The Camera Never Lies (1987)
- With Earl Klugh: Whispers and Promises (1989)
- With Lenny White: Present Tense (1995)
See also
In Spanish: Michał Urbaniak para niños
