Internationaler Jazz-Workshop Chodziez
Andzrej Olejniczak
Born In Zdunska Wola, Poland, He started his musical studies at the age of six: first piano, and later clarinem and saxophone. When he was 13 he moved to Łódź and started his studies at the High School of Music, which he finished with highest qualifications. In 1976 he graduated with the degree of “Master in Music” specialized in clarinet. In 1975 he was awarded the 2nd prize at the Polish Jazz Improvisation general Contest, in Katowice. In 1976 he was awarded the first prize at the XIII Jazz Festival on the River Odra, in the soloist category, and the 3rd prize as a band leader.
In the meantime he began to collaborate as a soloist with the Polish Radio and Television Orchestra of Łódź, the Radio and Television Orchestra of Poznań and the Big Band of the National Radio and Television of Warsaw. Between 1976 and 1979 he was a member of various jazz bands such as: “Extra Ball”, “Sunship”, “Novi Singers”, “Swing Session”, and tourned all over Europe. In 1978, with the group “Katowice”, he was awarded the gold medal at the International Jazz Contest in Prague. In 1983, he won the 1st prize with the group “String Connection” in the international contest Jazz Hoeilaart’83 in Belgium. This group was chosen the best Polish jazz group by the readers of the magazine “Jazz Forum” in 1983 and 1984. They participated as well in one of the most important jazz festivals in the world – Montreal Jazz Festival. In 1984 he settled down in the Bilbao area, where he taught clarinet and saxophone at the School Music in Bilbao.
Then he moved to the School of Music in Lejona, and in 2002 he also became a professor of the Superior Music Center of the Basque Country. In 1985 Andrzej met Tete Montoliu who asked him to be a part of his new quartet and for 4 years he participated with Tete in Jazz Festivals in Spain, Italy and France. In the field of classical music, in 1985 he performed as a soloist with The Bilbao Symphonic Orchestra, the “Concert for Saxophone and Symphonic Orchestra” by Rene Challan. In 1986 Olejniczak played in the International Jazz Festival of San Remo as a part of the International Big Band conducted by Gerry Mulligan. At the beginning of 1991 he started to form his own jazz bands and he participates in concerts and festivals. In 2001 he played Alec Wilder’s “Concert for Saxophone and Chamber Orchestra” at the Festival of Contemporary Music of Lejona.
He worked with: Joe Newman, Kenny Drew, Horace Parland, Lou Blackburn, Jimmy Owens, N.H.O. Pedersen, Alvin Queen, Ranee Lee, Oliver Jackson, Georges Arvanitas among others.
The homepage of Andrzej Olejniczak: www.euskalnet.net/olej/
