About artist
Born in Warsaw 09.09.1939.He studied piano and cello in music schools in Krakow and Warsaw, and he played on these two instruments on his first jazz performance in Sopot International Jazz Festival in 1957. Then he played also trombone in traditional groups. But soon he switched to alto sax witch became his main instrument.
In early 60-s. he formed the group Jazz Rockers which included Michal Urbaniak on tenor sax. In 1962 they both joined The Wreckers quintet for a month-long, coast-to-coast tour in the USA that culminated in their appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival.
Namyslowski subsequently formed his own quartet, scoring a huge success in England, where he recorded an album in 1964 „LOLA”, Decca SLK 4644. He went on to perform all over Europe on almost all major jazz festivals, also in Israel 1992 and 2002, India, Australia, New Zealand, the U.S.A. 1962, 1978, 1987, Cuba, Mexico 1989, 1999 and most recently Israel, Sweden Brazil, Kuwait and Austria in 2002 and South Africa -2003.
Namyslowski albums, recorded in Poland, Germany, England, Sweden (with Tony Williams on drums), Italy, Greece, Hungary and the U.S.A., demonstrate his outstanding improvisational talent, his composing skills and his inventiveness, which is rooted in modern jazz but always open to new trends. The most known recording Winobranie and Kuyaviak Goes Funky became hits in Poland and won II and III price as the “Best Polish Records Of All Times”, and himself as a 2-nd personality of Polish jazz at all. Perhaps the best proof of his originality is his convincing fusion of jazz, Polish and other folk music: Little Lamb Lost, Piatawka, Siodmawka, Bop-Berek, Mazurka Uborka, Der Schmalz Tango, Gogoszary, and many more.
