Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about
Krzysztof Komeda's 91st Birthday
Today’s Doodle celebrates the 91st birthday of Krzysztof Komeda, an influential film composer, jazz pianist and medical doctor from Poland. He’s widely remembered as one of the immortals of Polish music and an influential artist in the history of Polish jazz, despite the fact he was never formally trained in composition, harmony or orchestration.
From an early age, Komeda was surrounded by music—he started piano lessons at age 7 and played in his first jam session at 19. While attending the Medical Academy in Poznań, he kept his passion for music a secret from his colleagues since it was frowned upon for medical professionals to play western music. It was then that he chose to use a childhood nickname as his artistic alter-ego, Komeda.
In 1956, the rising jazz star debuted his Komeda Sextet and found their first major success that year at the 1st Jazz Festival in Sopot. The following year, they won a silver medal at the 6th International Youth Festival in Moscow. He eventually set up his own trio, quartet, and quintet during this decade, rotating between the same few trusted musicians to play alongside him.
The 60’s saw Komeda’s influence and success as a composer flourish all throughout Europe and the world. He wrote over 40 scores for major films, was named Jazzman of the Year by “Jazz” magazine and released his critically acclaimed album, titled “Astigmatic”. The album is widely accepted as his best work, and cemented him as one of the founding fathers of European jazz.
Komeda’s signature aesthetic and groundbreaking style of jazz composition is still celebrated to this day, and his memory is honored by the annual Komeda Jazz Festival in Poland.
Happy Birthday Krzysztof Komeda and as always have a chilled day from the Viking
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