Adam Makowicz

When Adam Makowicz first arrived in the United States, his performances generated considerable attention and prompted frequent comparisons to Art Tatum. Although his technical command nearly matches Tatum’s, Makowicz has maintained a personal voice for decades by integrating jazz idioms that stretch from swing to hard bop. He began performing jazz in the late 1950s and, together with Tomasz Stanko, founded the Jazz Darings, one of the earliest European free-jazz ensembles. Beginning in 1965 he led his own groups in Warsaw, and in 1970 he appeared on electric piano with Michal Urbaniak. He also collaborated with Urszula Dudziak and made several recordings in Poland before relocating to the United States in 1977. Although the initial attention sparked by John Hammond’s endorsement eventually subsided, Makowicz has continued to refine his pianism. As a leader he has documented his work on numerous albums for Columbia, Stash, Choice, Sheffield Lab, Novus, and Concord.