Melomani
Encyclopedia
Melomani also known as Hot-Club Melomani, was a pioneer Polish
jazz
band, created by the first self-styled Polish jazz musicians.
It was founded in 1951 (or, according to other sources, in 1947) in Łódź, in the period of Stalinism
, when jazz music was officially banned in Poland, as it was regarded synonymous with the reactionary American culture and considered as part of Western, rotten imperialism.
since late 1920s, mostly in fashionable restaurants and bars in major cities, such as Warsaw
, Krakow
or Poznan
. Among most popular authors, played in Poland in the 1930s, were George Gershwin
, Richard Rodgers
and Lorenz Hart
. However, there were no established, independent bands.
Following World War II
, new, communist government of People's Republic of Poland
banned jazz music, after the initial period of fascination and limited artistic freedom in 1946 and 1947. It was seen as part of the decadent, American culture and as such jazz was outlawed, together with modern art. This stance of the government was disliked among rebellous individuals and groups of the Polish youth (among them Leopold Tyrmand
), who went underground to keep on playing their favorite music (hence, the period of late 1940s and early 1950s is called the catacombs) .
, who is the founding member of the band, Melomani consisted of students of the famous National Film School in Łódź, such as Witold Sobociński
and Andrzej Wojciechowski (Matuszkiewicz also studied there) as well as other persons from Krakow
and Poznan
, because in Łódź itself, there were not enough jazz-oriented musicians . Later on, Krzysztof Komeda
, generally regarded as the best jazz player in Poland, also joined the band. Other members were Witold Kujawski, Aleksander Tomys, Andrzej Kurylewicz
and Andrzej Trzaskowski
, but the lineup fluctuated.
Matuszkiewicz said in an interview given to Gazeta Wyborcza
that even though playing jazz was illegal, officers of communist police
, who controlled concerts, did not really know what jazz was. Usually, at the beginning of a concert, the officers were given a glass of vodka and did not care about the remaining part of the show. Given the circumstances (Polish musicians were separated from the West and Western jazz records were scarce), it is not surprising that the young enthusiasts were amateurs in comparison with American or even European musicians. The standard of performing jazz in Poland was low . However, this did not matter to the fans, as they embraced the band as the forbidden fruit. Melomani played the sort of music that they thought was jazz, such as Jelly Roll Morton
and W.C. Handy.
Initially, Melomani played to a very limited audience, but starting since the mid-1950s, they expanded their base, and were invited to several festivals, such as legendary Jam Session 1, which took place in Sopot
in 1955.
), jazz triumphantly returned to main venues of the country, and was played even in concert halls, which had been unheard of before. First concert of a Polish jazz band in a concert hall took place on January 5, 1958 in Warsaw
and as one may expect, it featured Melomani
. Soon afterwards the band dissolved, because, as Matuszkiewicz said, it had fulfilled its task . Members of the ensemble created their own bands and Matuszkiewicz became a successful composer of soundtracks of several Polish movies.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
band, created by the first self-styled Polish jazz musicians.
It was founded in 1951 (or, according to other sources, in 1947) in Łódź, in the period of Stalinism
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
, when jazz music was officially banned in Poland, as it was regarded synonymous with the reactionary American culture and considered as part of Western, rotten imperialism.
Origins
Jazz music was played in the Second Polish RepublicSecond Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
since late 1920s, mostly in fashionable restaurants and bars in major cities, such as Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Krakow
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
or Poznan
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
. Among most popular authors, played in Poland in the 1930s, were George Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
, Richard Rodgers
Richard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
and Lorenz Hart
Lorenz Hart
Lorenz "Larry" Milton Hart was the lyricist half of the famed Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart...
. However, there were no established, independent bands.
Following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, new, communist government of People's Republic of Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
banned jazz music, after the initial period of fascination and limited artistic freedom in 1946 and 1947. It was seen as part of the decadent, American culture and as such jazz was outlawed, together with modern art. This stance of the government was disliked among rebellous individuals and groups of the Polish youth (among them Leopold Tyrmand
Leopold Tyrmand
Leopold Tyrmand was a Polish novelist and editor. He studied architecture for a year at L'Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris before the war, and during the war was a resistance fighter in Poland, a waiter in Germany , and a prisoner in a Norwegian concentration camp...
), who went underground to keep on playing their favorite music (hence, the period of late 1940s and early 1950s is called the catacombs) .
Creation of the band
According to saxophonist and composer Jerzy MatuszkiewiczJerzy Matuszkiewicz
Jerzy Matuszkiewicz is a Polish jazz musician and composer. He was a pioneer of the post-WWII jazz movement in Poland. Between 1950-58 he was head of the well-known Polish jazz group, Melomani. Throughout 1964 he performed both inside and outside of Poland. In 1965 he began to mainly produce music...
, who is the founding member of the band, Melomani consisted of students of the famous National Film School in Łódź, such as Witold Sobociński
Witold Sobocinski
Witold Sobocinski is a Polish cinematographer, academic teacher as well as former jazz musician...
and Andrzej Wojciechowski (Matuszkiewicz also studied there) as well as other persons from Krakow
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
and Poznan
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
, because in Łódź itself, there were not enough jazz-oriented musicians . Later on, Krzysztof Komeda
Krzysztof Komeda
Krzysztof Komeda was a Polish film music composer and jazz pianist. Perhaps best-known for his work in film scores, Komeda wrote the scores for Roman Polanski’s films Rosemary’s Baby, The Fearless Vampire Killers, Knife in the Water and Cul-de-sac...
, generally regarded as the best jazz player in Poland, also joined the band. Other members were Witold Kujawski, Aleksander Tomys, Andrzej Kurylewicz
Andrzej Kurylewicz
Andrzej Kurylewicz , was a Polish jazz musician, composer, pianist, trombonist and conductor....
and Andrzej Trzaskowski
Andrzej Trzaskowski
Andrzej Trzaskowski was an eminent Polish composer and jazz musician who, between 1959 and 1990, composed the music and/or conducted the score for some thirty films....
, but the lineup fluctuated.
Matuszkiewicz said in an interview given to Gazeta Wyborcza
Gazeta Wyborcza
Gazeta Wyborcza is a leading Polish newspaper. It covers the gamut of political, international and general news. Like all the Polish newspapers, it is printed on compact-sized paper, and is published by the multimedia corporation Agora SA...
that even though playing jazz was illegal, officers of communist police
Milicja Obywatelska
Milicja Obywatelska was a state police institution in the People's Republic of Poland. It was created in 1944 by Soviet-sponsored PKWN, effectively replacing the pre-war police force. In 1990 it was transformed back into Policja....
, who controlled concerts, did not really know what jazz was. Usually, at the beginning of a concert, the officers were given a glass of vodka and did not care about the remaining part of the show. Given the circumstances (Polish musicians were separated from the West and Western jazz records were scarce), it is not surprising that the young enthusiasts were amateurs in comparison with American or even European musicians. The standard of performing jazz in Poland was low . However, this did not matter to the fans, as they embraced the band as the forbidden fruit. Melomani played the sort of music that they thought was jazz, such as Jelly Roll Morton
Jelly Roll Morton
Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe , known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American ragtime and early jazz pianist, bandleader and composer....
and W.C. Handy.
Initially, Melomani played to a very limited audience, but starting since the mid-1950s, they expanded their base, and were invited to several festivals, such as legendary Jam Session 1, which took place in Sopot
Sopot
Sopot is a seaside town in Eastern Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland, with a population of approximately 40,000....
in 1955.
Aftermath
Melomani existed until early 1958 when, following the so-called thaw of some rules of the system (see: Polish OctoberPolish October
Polish October, also known as October 1956, Polish thaw, or Gomułka's thaw, marked a change in the Polish internal political scene in the second half of 1956...
), jazz triumphantly returned to main venues of the country, and was played even in concert halls, which had been unheard of before. First concert of a Polish jazz band in a concert hall took place on January 5, 1958 in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
and as one may expect, it featured Melomani
. Soon afterwards the band dissolved, because, as Matuszkiewicz said, it had fulfilled its task . Members of the ensemble created their own bands and Matuszkiewicz became a successful composer of soundtracks of several Polish movies.