Orzechowski hopes to revive soul of jazz
‘I do not want to be imitator’
One of the most appreciated of contemporary composers; Krzysztof Penderecki admired him while older jazzmen were of the opinion that needed to mature. I speak of the man that boldly proclaimed, “Everything has to be destroyed; in music and minds!”
His name is Piotr Orzechowski, a talented young pianist from Chopin’s country fondly nicknamed, the ‘Pianohooligan’ as it describes his style of playing and maybe something more. Rebellion! “I am against copyists. There are so many of them in music,” he exclaims.
There is a model of young pianists in our minds - romantic as Chopin, reflex of face in piano wing, dreamy eyes, absent a bit, framed by a tempest of hairs. He is a total contradiction of such a picture. He looks like Mike Skinner, a British rapper from The Streets: few millimetres long hairs, unshaved growth, sport shoes. Piano-hooligan is also the nickname of his CD. The official title is ‘Experiment: Penderecki’. On the cover there is logo of the legendary company, Decca.
Presented
He is only 22. Many artists throughout their whole career would dream about a record with such a company. In spite of his image, privately Piotr (Polish version of Peter) looks not like a stiff-necked street boy but rather an Academy student. In 2011, he won The Main Prize of the most prestigious in the world Montreux Jazz Piano Competition; he was just 20 then. That running since 46 years Swiss Festival on the Geneva Lake shoreline presented or created as many stars that their list would be longer than this article is.
In the Festival Sacrum Profanum, Piotr recorded compositions by Steve Reich with Adrian Utley from Portishead. They were enthusiastic about Piotr. He impressed so much legendary American trumpeter, older by half a century Randy Brecker, partner on concerts and records of Jaco Pastorius, Frank Zappa or Bruce Springsteen among others that he agreed for common concert tour with Piotr and his High Definition jazz quartet.
‘Jazz went in the wrong direction’ says Piotr, encouraged by his successes. “There is a need to play everything precisely, there are obligatory scales you have to use and note overcome, obligatory chords sequences and so on. That’ a nonsense! We have to play the same as the Americans played half of century ago. Those people work in museums. I do not intend to be ‘a museum custodian’. I want to revive the soul of jazz, go away from academic music. I am waiting for confrontation!”
Half a year ago he played at the mass Good Fest(-ival) in Debica. It is a small town at the South province of Poland, the birthplace of Krzysztof Penderecki. The popular event with golden mass hits and grilled sausages has run since thirty years. However the audience is not especially prepared for the experimental performance of their compatriot Penderecki music in jazz version. However they bought it. People aroused interest. They gathered around the stage. Girls were wondering that such a hipster came to Debica to play strange music.
Perform
Good Fest in Debica was an experiment for both sides but Piotr dreams to play his music at a massive youth festival. He doesn’t want to perform for elites only. “This is a success to play without compromises and reach the people. Music even complicated should be very frank. Majority of contemporary jazzmen mass audience is suspicious, they became exclusive for selective audience.”
‘”This an extremely talented guy, with fantastic workmanship, the same with abilities to create the image,” says his producer, Filip Berkowicz. Sometimes enough to contact him with proper people, Penderecki for example. “I had an idea to play his music. Filip organized the meeting, Penderecki was eager to know the idea. He never composes on piano and was surprised that it is possible to transpose his major work on it.”
Orzechowski began his adventure with music before he had chance for decision. Parents are academic musicians: mother – a pianist, father – a cellist. His older sister, also a musician, after graduating Krakow Academy became his impresario. At the age of five, he started to play. At seven – he won 1st Prize on Krakow Festival of Instrumentalist & Multi-instrumentalist. He repeated success in the next year already. At Music School he was always ahead of the programme.
At twelve, he turned to jazz. The music is not hid only passion: He recorded few film studies and in 2009 his movie ‘The Imagined Earth’ won film competition at the frame of Andrzej Wajda Film Festival.
His musical inspirations range from Bach, Beethoven to Shostakovich, Reich and so encompassing the minimal and avant-garde. Divergence from melodies, tones, turn to knocks, murmurs. Jazz circle is suspicious, calming – we have a modern pianist.
“Music has big influence on the people. Why not to use it in many ways? I want to try. Music should have such power. It should improve the people, convert to good. If the dress-boys from the street began to listen to music I would take inspiration also from them. I am furious about their ignorance, boredom, aggression. The same is in music. Everybody says no other way, no solution. I believe it’s possible. I would like to feel good in the community of normal people, not idiots and ignorant. Even for genial people it is a necessary evil but I would like to change it. You can take my word: one day I will prepare so wide a project that the crowd will understand. Only I have to find proper people, musical warriors ready to destroy mental excavations.”
Realize
Revolutionary manifesto of young pianist: maybe he is too young to realize that one day he too will become a classic? But he is considered such a phenomenon, that he is worth hearing.
I have good news: he will be a guest of April Jazz Festival in Kuwait with mentioned great classic of American Jazz Randy Brecker. Congratulations for organizers and future listeners.
Before both Jazz Messengers – American Senior and Polish Junior will visit Kuwait we will have opportunity to listen to leading pianist from Amsterdam. Guest of Kuwait Chamber Philharmonia nearest concert, Marcel Worms graduated Sweelinck Conservatory studied under Dutch and Russian Professors.
Since the beginning he was interested in modern music. At the centenary anniversary of Darius Milhaud’s birthday, he organized Ensemble Polytonal which performed whole composer output presented in Holland and France. He premiered early piano works of Arnold Schoenberg, performed the complete piano works of Leos Janacek, including four hands piece that he discovered in Brno.
His programme - Jazz in 20th Century Piano Music was broadcast by nation-wide Dutch radio. It was also subsequently released on CDs. As a result Marcel Worms was invited to play this program in many European countries, North America, Russia, South Africa and Indonesia. He launched this program in New York and Washington DC and returned to the US for recitals since then almost every year.
Since the end of the last century, Marcel Worms started a series of piano music program inspired by great painters starting from Mondrian. Several respectable contemporary composers had been commissioned to write for it. After series of concerts from the National Gallery of Art in Washington to Pushkin Museum in Moscow, the Washington Post critic wrote: ‘All this was virtuoso fare and Worms played with joy, grace and, at times, humour that was contagious and captivating.’ Next series of programs were focused on Vincent van Gogh and Picasso. All are recorded on CDs and DVDs.
His other project, ‘Blues for piano’ brought output of 170 new Blues pieces have been composed for this project in around fifty different countries around the world. The programme toured the world from Conservatories in Beijing and Shanghai, through Warsaw Autumn Festival to Mexico City Jazz Festival. In 2004 he performed it even in Iran, Georgia, Sri Lanka, Uganda and Sudan. It is recorded on four CD. Next his idea is ‘Tango for Piano” for Six Continents Project on the 60th anniversary of UNESCO occasion.
Marcel Worms will perform on Thursday, March 7 at Al-Hashemi II, Radisson Blu. It looks that Music Spring has begun in Kuwait. Mabrouk! For the country and – for us.
Editor’s Note: Cezary Owerkowicz the chairman of the Kuwait Chamber of Philharmonia and talented pianist. He regularly organises concerts by well-known musicians for the benefit of music lovers and to widen the knowledge of music in Kuwait. His e-mail address is: cowerkowicz @yahoo.com and cowerkowicz@hotmail.com