Komeda

A history graduate of the University of Gdansk, Magdalena Grzebalkowska is a multi-award-winning journalist and author of four books of non-fiction. In addition to her biography of Krzysztof Komeda, she has also written best-selling biographies of the Polish poet-priest, Jan Twardowski; and the Beksinskis, (artist father, Zdzislaw, and music journalist-son, Tomasz).

• The first festival of the sweater bandsThirty-eight years to go…There was a big problemTwenty-three years to go…Lack of disciplineTwenty-one years to go…Nineteen years to go…Catacombs - Reprimand - Ustronie Morskie 1952Seventeen years to go…Milian - Wróblewski - The finest jam in Poland - 1955 - Jazz Hour - Komeda’s Sextet - Before the festival - Rehearsals, rehearsals, rehearsals - Maria-Zofia - On tour - Dosh - Regular gigs make us fly low - Festival second time around - Moscow - Two men and a wardrobe - Not Mr ‘Lyrmann’s’ fault - Blues for GomułkaTwelve years to go…Kraków - Piwnica - Affinity to Monk, but unmusical - Mr Cool - Światosław Richter goes by delivery van - Jazz ’58 Eleven years to go…Jazz Camping ’59 - Innocent sorcerers - Komeda chisels the sounds - A few howlers, a few mistakesTen years to go…Of course – the capital! - We, young ones, we’re right – Grenoble - The fat and the lean - Guyetsky from Kiev - Tingel-Tangel - Fancying each other - Dorota Cedro singing in Hybrydy - Sham dance - Gigs and films - Knife in the water - Watch out: he might bite - Greetings from Sunny BeachSeven years to go…Everyone looks glum - Marshal Rola-Żymierski, cheers! - A river of diamonds - Hvad med os? – Notebook - Where is Stańko? - Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! - People! Komeda’s in town! - Law and the fist - Social life and love life - Jazz in Polen - Split, then Hvar - Repulsion - Total Komeda - Svantetic – Kattorna - Yugoslavia, Norway, YugoslaviaFour years to go…Should Katelbach arrive - Astigmatic - Sult - Rest - BMW - Terrible country – Barrier - Fearless vampire killers - Le départ - Meine süsse Europäische Heimat - RequiemTwo years to go… Lullaby - City - Can you feel anything? – Elana – Wife - My music’s had an excellent receptionEight months to go…In Żoliborz - Whole group of losers - Fall - Oriole Lane Six months to go…Flight - Hello! What’s on the other side?Seventeen days to go…ReturnSelect Discography by Alyn Shipton, Royal Academy of MusicAcknowledgements * Notes * Select bibliography Index of names * Source of illustrations