Melomani | |
|---|---|
 Melomani in 1956. L–R: Trzaskowski, Thomys, Matuszkiewicz, Kujawski, Sobociński, Wojciechowski and Studziński | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Melomani Jazz Group Hot Club Melomani |
| Origin | Łódź, Poland |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1951–1958 |
| Labels | Polskie Nagrania „Muza” |
| Past members | |
TheMelomani, later known asHot Club Melomani, were a pioneer Polishjazz band. Formed inŁódź in 1951 byJerzy Matuszkiewicz, they were the first self-styledPolish jazz musical group.[1]
Founded during the period ofStalinism, when jazz music, regarded as a synonymous with the "reactionary American culture", was officially banned by the thencommunist authorities, Melomani were forced to conduct underground activities until 1955.[2] By then, many musicians had contributed to the band, one of them beingKrzysztof Komeda, whose concepts inspired the group at one point to split into two different line-ups operating under the same name – a traditional one (playingdixieland) and a modern one (playingbebop).[2]
Following theWorld War II, new, communist government ofPeople'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 rebellious individuals and groups of the Polish youth (among themLeopold Tyrmand), who went underground to keep on playing thebanned music (hence, the period of late 1940s and early 1950s is calledthe catacombs).[3][4]
According to saxophonist and composerJerzy Matuszkiewicz, who was the founding member of the band, Melomani consisted of students of the famousNational Film School in Łódź, such asWitold Sobociński andAndrzej Wojciechowski (Matuszkiewicz also studied there) as well as young men from other big cities likeKraków andPoznań, because in Łódź itself, there were not enough jazz-oriented musicians.[5] Later on,Krzysztof Komeda, generally regarded as the best jazz player in Poland, also joined the band.[6] Other members were Witold Kujawski,Andrzej Kurylewicz andAndrzej Trzaskowski, but the lineup fluctuated.
Matuszkiewicz said in an interview given toGazeta 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.[7] 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 considered jazz, such asJelly Roll Morton's andW. C. Handy's compositions.
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 inSopot in 1955, eventually becoming the most popular jazz group in Poland. Inspired byKrzysztof Komeda's concepts, Hot Club Melomani at one point split up into two different line-ups operating under the same name – a traditional one (playingdixieland) and a modern one (playingbebop).[2]
The group existed until early 1958 when, following the so-calledthaw of some rules of the system (see:Polish October), jazz triumphantly returned to main venues of the country, and was played even in concert halls, which had been unheard of before. The first jazz performance in a Polish concert hall took place on January 5, 1958 inWarsaw and featured Melomani, marking the closing chapter of the group's career.[8] Soon afterwards the band dissolved, because, as Matuszkiewicz said, "it had fulfilled its task."[5]
After the break-up Matuszkiewicz became a successful composer of soundtracks of several Polish movies, Sobociński went on to become a famous cinematographer, and other members of the ensemble created their own bands, such as theAndrzej Trzaskowski Quintet. The latter's son is aCivic Platform politician and the currentcity mayor of Warsaw –Rafał Trzaskowski.
Hot Club Melomani's impact on Polish culture also inspiredAndrzej Wajda'sInnocent Sorcerers (1960) as some of the film's characters names, like played byRoman Polanski "Dudek" Polo, are direct references to Melomani's real life members ("Duduś" Matuszkiewicz).[9] The movie also features cameos from several ex-members of the group, such as Trzaskowski and Wojciechowski.[10]
In 2019 the Jube Legends label released Melomani Jazz Group's recordings as part of itsAll That Jazz series asVolume 115: Jammin' in Warsaw.
On October 6, 2023 a documentary filmNa zawsze Melomani (2023) directed by Rafał Mierzejewski was released.[11]
Melomani
| Hot Club Melomani (traditional)
Hot Club Melomani (modern)
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| International | |
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| National | |
