Urszula
Dudziak

A vocalist who turned the voice into an instrument; a pioneer of electronic vocal processing in jazz.

Urszula Dudziak (born 22 October 1943) is one of the most important Polish jazz vocalists. She began singing in the late 1950s, inspired by recordings of Ella Fitzgerald. She became famous for her innovative approach to the voice, abandoning lyrics in favor of vocalise bolder than classic scat and using electronic devices that expanded the possibilities of her multi-octave voice.

In the late 1960s, together with Michał Urbaniak, whom she married and with whom she co-led a band, she began performing abroad, and in the 1970s the couple settled in New York. This opened up her international career and collaboration with leading figures in jazz, including Gil Evans, Archie Shepp and Lester Bowie.

Her track Papaya from the 1970s gained a second life, becoming a hit in Asia and Latin America around 2007. Dudziak remains a pioneer of experimental jazz singing and one of the most recognizable Polish artists in the world.