Zbigniew
Namysłowski

Alto saxophonist and composer, author of Lola, who blended jazz with Polish folk rhythms.

Zbigniew Namysłowski (1939 to 2022) was an alto saxophonist, composer and multi-instrumentalist, one of the pillars of Polish jazz mentioned alongside Krzysztof Komeda, Tomasz Stańko and Andrzej Trzaskowski. He began his career in the 1950s, and from the early 1960s he led his own bands, performing at leading European festivals.

His work was distinguished by the combination of modern jazz with Polish folk tradition. In his compositions he drew on the scales and rhythmic structures of Polish dances such as the kujawiak, mazur and oberek, as well as the highlander idiom, avoiding literal quotation. The album Lola, recorded in London in 1964, was one of the first Polish jazz recordings released in the West.

Namysłowski was strongly associated with the Polish Jazz series, which released his most important albums. Records such as Winobranie and Kujaviak Goes Funky gained cult status and were cited in Jazz Forum polls among the best recordings in the history of Polish jazz.