Internationaler Jazz-Workshop Chodziez

Marek Balata

Marek Bałata (Bah-wah-tah) is probably the premier male vocalist in all of Eastern Europe in the realm of improvised music. His wide ranging creativity has also engaged him deeply in visual arts (graphic art, audio-visual performance) and theatre ( The Magician of Lublin by I.B.Singer and Bloody Wedding by F.G.Lorca ). He has performed and recorded with the great Polish jazz musicians: Zbigniew Namyslowski, Andrzej Jagodzinski, Slawomir Kulpowicz, Krzysztof Scieranski, Tomasz Szukalski, Henryk Miskiewicz ... and has also performed in Poland with original (USA/PL) formation (vocals and bass only) CANTABILE IN JAZZ featuring Urszula Dudziak, Michele Hendricks, Judy Niemack and Anthony Jackson. Balata has produced a CD of his own compositions entitled “Voice Paintings” (1994), in which he has taken the rich, folkloric roots of his native Krakow and merged them with his considerable understanding of American blues and bebop and the harmonic language of F.Chopin. He has a daring virtuosity and imagination, a startlingly wide range and flawless intonation. Singing or even rapping in both English and Polish, Balata has a gift for both languages and tone colour. He is also a founder of TRILOGY with great American pianist Art Lande and Austrian flute-player Gunter Wehinger. The group`s 1997 tour in Poland concluded with a brilliant concert broadcast nationally at the Polish Radio Studio in Warsaw. This resulted in the trio`s CD “Trilogy” released in 1998 on the GOWI label in Poland. And then in April 1999 the group had successful tour in USA (California and Colorado) with special guest Paul McCandless at Yoshi ’s - Oakland. He came back to America in 2003 but as a soloist of the Oratorio THE LORD CALLS US performed in Chicago at Orchestra Hall and Toronto and again in 2005 he came back to Toronto to sing at The John Paul II Legacy concert with the Oratorio DEVINE MERCY at Roy Thomson Hall and also in Chicago in 2007. In july 2007 he came back to Toronto to sing at the big concert Come a little closer ...benefits University of Toronto Epilepsy Research Program. (by Art Lande)

Marek Balata has also performed with great artist as: Billy Hart , Ronnie Burrage, Steve Lacy, Steve Davis , Peter Madsen , Jeanfrancois Prins , Patricia Beysens ,Jack Van Poll , Heinrich Von Kalnein , Marco Piludu , Andy Manndorff , SONGLINES (A,D,PL,CH), KEZMOKUM and m.others ...

Discography:

Marek Balata, Zbigniew Namyslowski, Jacek Niedziela, Krzysztof Scieranski / EWA KARPF WIERSZE (Trans Art. )
Marek Balata / Art Lande / Gunter Wehinger - T R I L O G Y (Gowi)
Marek Balata - V O I C E P A I N T I N G S (KochJazz) - Marek Balata - K O L E D Y (KochJazz)
Slawomir Kulpowicz featuring Marek Balata - S A M A R P A N S O N G S (KochJazz)
Krzysztof Scieranski - F A R A W A Y F R O M H O M E (Soundpol)
W. Nahorny / B. Loebl - K O L E D Y N A C A L Y ROK (Polonia)
POP ORATORIUM MILOSIERDZIE BOZE ( Lum 001 )
SONGLINES - M.Balata / H.V.Kalnein / U.Rennert / A.Tang / Gregor Hilbe (TCB – Montreux ) new
http://www.cafe-museum.de/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=78&Itemid=109
KLEZMOKUM / Ancient & Newer Roots - (Bvhast Rec)

balata

Festivals & tours:

Jak Jazz - Jakarta Jazz Festival - Indonesia,
Inventionen - Drums Festival in Berliner Philharmonie,
Brosella International Festival - Belgium,
Kaunas Jazz festival - Lithuania,
Jazz At The Philharmonic Hall - St. Petersburg,
Bratislava International Contemporary Festival Bratislava Jazz Days - Slovakia,
Gostenhofer Jazz Tage - Nurnberg,
Solo-Duo-Trio Festival - Cracow,
Warsaw Autumn Contemporary Festival World Art - Wieliczka
USA, Canada, Indonesia, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Czech, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belorus, Russia, Kuwait, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Lithuania, ...

Prizes:

From 1990 to 2007 (except two years): the Best Jazz Vocalist - Jazz Top / Readers Poll of the Jazz Forum Magazine
1988: 1st Prize at the International Meeting of the Jazz Vocalists in Zamosc / Poland
1983, 1982: Honor Prize at the Jazz Juniors Festival in Cracow / Poland