Jazz Klub - Nowa Huta 1955-1961

The Jazz Klub was founded in Kraków-Nowa Huta thanks to the efforts and personal commitment to this historic undertaking of Stanisław Florek in 1957.

Many times I have wondered about the origins of the Jazz Klub in Nowa Huta. And whenever I tried to establish the real reason for its creation, there appeared a whole set of factors which made such a centre of musical culture necessary. Beyond any doubt, the chief motive for this kind of demand was the fascination with jazz music, which even then was winning ever wider circles of fans. I think that important impulses of interest in jazz came from the institution called YMCA - today the Youth Palace.

It was there that the first sounds of improvised music were heard from the stage in the form of concerts, and also during the afternoon dances at which the so-called "gilded youth" enjoyed itself. It was effectively spurred on by the Big Band created by the Szewczyk brothers.

Photo gallery - courtesy of Krystyna Downar

Click the pictures to enlarge

A peculiarity of that orchestra was their sister, who played the trumpet. Today women play (almost) all wind instruments and it no longer causes amazement, but at the time it was quite a sensation.

The State Secondary Music School in Kraków was also a place where some potential adepts of the philharmonic stage broke away in order to play jazz. As time went by, the jazz bug began to touch young musicians in various fields of their musical activity. One may risk the thesis that as early as the fifties the playing of jazz music was escalating with extraordinary force.

An enormous role in this field was played, among others, by the 1st National Jazz Festival in Sopot and then by Jazz Jamboree in Warsaw. So the inhabitants of Nowa Huta, who absorbed every cultural phenomenon, could not miss the chance of meeting this new genre or current of music, which released emotions and enthusiasm. And so, at the very dawn of the activity of the Lenin Steelworks (HiL) House of Culture, which spread culture and education in Nowa Huta and played a leading role, an attempt was made to create a jazz formation and to present music which was winning its right of citizenship on an ever wider scale.

The first concert, which took place in 1955 at the DMR (Young Worker's House) in Bulwarowa Street in Nowa Huta, is shown in the photos below:

The jazz concerts, although they enjoyed ever greater success, still could not satisfy the growing circle of followers of this musical genre. For this reason the decision was taken to organise a real stage jazz concert in the auditorium of the Young Worker's House. And so, on 9 April 1956, a jazz concert took place in which the following bands took part:

Big Woody Herman - the continuation of the Szewczyk brothers' orchestra

Big Band Freda - leader Fredzik

Jazz Band - leader Marek Walczak

The programme was also enriched by a trio: Marek Walczak (piano), Ryszard Kędziora (double bass) and the drummer Zenon Kędziora.

It should be mentioned that in those days admission to the above concerts was by tickets which, at today's dollar rate, cost about 50 cents (that is, a normal cinema price). Tickets were widely available and could be bought at the box office of the DMR.

In time a group began to crystallise which took up the professional practice of jazz. And so, in 1957, the Jazz Klub began its activity under the leadership of Stanisław Florek, who directed this undertaking almost to the end of its existence.

At the first meeting of the Jazz Klub members it was agreed that, for the group to function, there had to be a proper set of instruments. For that reason a committee was chosen to prepare a list of the necessary equipment. In addition, the management of the HiL House of Culture (ZDK) was asked to allocate suitable rooms for rehearsals and for storing the instruments. The management looked favourably on our request and made rehearsal rooms available at 9 Oświęcimska Street.

The number of members grew in time to about 40 people. Regular rehearsals began, attended by amateur musicians as well as professionals. The first professional musician was Wojciech Kacperski, who gave us musical advice.

Musical instruments, hard to come by in those days, were obtained from various sources. Some of them were bought with money from membership fees, some were obtained from the WRN (Provincial National Council), and some were borrowed from other cultural centres.

SECTIONS OF THE JAZZ KLUB BANDS

Various musical sections worked within the Jazz Klub, each specialising in a different jazz style:

Dixieland Section - traditional New Orleans jazz, leader Marek Walczak

Modern Section - modern jazz, leader Józef Malik

Big Band Section - dance orchestra, leader Fredzik

Each section carried on its own artistic activity, organising rehearsals, concerts and performances. The Jazz Klub coordinated the work of all the sections and represented them outside.

MUSICIANS OF THE JAZZ KLUB

In the wake of that jazz event, further strictly jazz or quasi-jazz bands were formed. It thus became an undeniable fact that the growing number of jazz formations appearing in Nowa Huta served as the basis for organising the Jazz Klub at the Ognisko Młodych - a branch of the House of Culture (ZDK).

The jazz concerts took place in the "Violinka" café, which was located on the premises of the Ognisko Młodych. The jam sessions, the meetings of club members and of jazz lovers, in turn, were held in an adapted room next door, whose atmosphere and decor had a truly jazz character.

The concerts and jam sessions gathered sizeable crowds of young jazz enthusiasts. The special interest in this music was no accident. For it was performed by jazzmen who often already had a considerable reputation. Among them were certainly such musicians as: Jan "Ptaszyn" Wróblewski, Andrzej Kurylewicz, Wojciech Karolak, Andrzej Trzaskowski, Andrzej Dąbrowski, Krzysztof "Komeda" Trzciński.

It is essential to mention the musicians whom, in the monthly "JAZZ", in a report after a concert at the "Violinka", I described as rising stars on the Polish jazz scene. Before long they became leading musicians not only in Poland but on the scale of world jazz. And here are their names: Tomasz Stańko, Wiktor Pelermuter, Roman Dyląg "Gucio", Adam Makowicz.

The pride of the jazz club were our own - one might say home-grown - musicians. They were gathered in several bands: Kolorowy Jazz, Plastic Jazz, Teddy Jazz, Rytmus, Modern Sextet.

Nor can one omit the musicians who were, so to speak, formally connected with the Nowa Huta Jazz Klub, and also those whom a thread of sympathy eagerly led to that magical place in order to make music together, spontaneously and disinterestedly. They included: Zbigniew Balicki, Jan Byrczek, Jan Chmielewski, Andrzej Dutkiewicz, Katarzyna Gertner, Przemysław Gwoździowski, Zbigniew Irzeński, Zbigniew Kalinowski, Stanisław "Drążek" Kalwiński, Józef Krzeczek, Eugeniusz Lewicki, Morański Jerzy "Giga", Janusz Musiał, Andrzej Piela, Witold Robotycki, Andrzej Sajdak, Zbigniew Ząbek, Zdzisław Zientara.

The Nowa Huta Jazz Klub had legal status. It remained in close contact with the Kraków Jazz Klub, which made it possible to invite to our club, more often, musicians from the Kraków circle as well as those who played there as guests. It is also worth noting (and I do so not without satisfaction) that Kraków musicians (and not only they) were very willing to present their jazz skills at the Nowa Huta Jazz Klub. I think this was due to the unique atmosphere, the setting of the rooms in which the jazz meetings took place, but above all the euphoric reactions of the fans to the high-class improvised displays of the musicians performing there.

The unique atmosphere which accompanied us at the seat of the Jazz Klub was the work of Maciek Lelito. His fantastic wall paintings, in alliance with the musical improvisations, intensified the jazz experiences of the club's regulars.

Stanisław Florek - 9 January 2005, Kraków

The first concert of the Nowa Huta jazz band of the House of Culture (ZDK) in 1955