Zbigniew
Seifert

A violinist who brought the energy of John Coltrane's playing to the violin; he died prematurely at the age of 32.

Zbigniew Seifert (1946 to 1979) is a jazz violinist regarded as the artist who brought John Coltrane's musical language to the violin. Born in Kraków, he started out as an alto saxophonist fascinated by Coltrane, and only over time did he focus fully on the violin. The phrasing, articulation and fierce melodic quality of his playing grew out of his saxophone experience and out of Coltrane's language.

From 1970 to 1973 he played in the quintet of Tomasz Stańko, first on saxophone and violin, later exclusively on violin. In 1973 he moved to Germany, where he collaborated with Hans Koller among others. He developed an international career, performing and recording with leading musicians of the European and American scene.

His career was cut short by cancer. Seifert died in 1979 at the age of 32. Despite his short life, he left a lasting mark as one of the most important innovators of the jazz violin, inspiring successive generations of violinists, including Adam Bałdych.