The Best of Zbigniew Wodecki
On Friday, September 20, a group of artists from Poland played the concert “The best of Zbigniew Wodecki” in front of a large Polish audience at the Polish and Slavic Center in New York. The concert was organized by the founders of the Pełni Kultury Foundation, established in 2015, whose mission is to unite people around goodness and beauty. They want to enjoy the preservation of culture together. The founders of the Foundation are: Paweł Mierniczak – President, with twenty-five years of experience in implementing cultural and educational projects in Poland and around the world. Culture manager, concert organizer. Co-producer and promoter of the musical spectacle Święty z Wadowice John Paul II and Krzysztof Odrobina – Vice-President, musician, pianist, composer, teacher, music producer, long-time Artistic Director, originator and creator of the Młyn Jazz Festival Wadowice, co-founder of the Małopolski Big Band. He runs a music school in Wadowice educating young music students. In his stage work, he collaborated with Zbigniew Wodecki, playing in his band, and with musicians such as: Kuba Badach, Michał Urbaniak, Staszek Soyka, Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski. He has 20 years of experience in organizing concerts, competitions and festivals. Author of music for many films.
The guests were welcomed by the Executive Director of CPS, Agnieszka Granatowska and Consul Anna Wańczyk. Consul Krzysztof Płaski with his wife and a member of the Board of Directors of PSC, Bożena Konkiel, were also present.
Then Paweł Mierniczak, the president of the Foundation welcomed the guests, introduced the artists and invited them to the concerts that they will be performing twice for the Polish diaspora in the coming days, entitled “The Saint of Wadowice – John Paul II”. He thanked the partners of this performance, which were: the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York, the Polish-Slavic Center in New York, the Parish of Our Lady of Consolation in Brooklyn, Margaret’s Magnificent Catering and Kraków Tourism Alliance.
The concert “The best of Zbigniew Wodecki” premiered two years ago, has been performed so far in Krakow, Vilnius and Wadowice, and now it’s time for New York!
During the concert, we listened to the greatest hits of this outstanding Polish vocalist and musician, who has been associated with Krakow throughout his life. Wodecki’s beautiful songs: “Zacznij od Bacha” “Opowiadaj mi tak”, “Z Cię chcę patrz świat”, “Lubię zwrot” and others performed by great singers moved the audience.
Singers: Natalia Szczypula, soprano, finalist of The Voice of Poland 11, hailed as a revelation at the Sącz Jazz Festival in November 2021. She studied vocals at the London Centre of Contemporary Music in Great Britain. She gives concerts in Poland and all over the world, including at the Shanghai Philharmonic, in Chicago, in New York. She collaborates with the Polish Film Music Orchestra, the Carpathia Symphony and the Unity Orchestra. The bond of Natalia’s work is soul roots, jazz elegance and memorable pop motifs.
Rafał Żur, baritone, graduate of the Academy of Music in Krakow, vocalist and composer. His creative experience includes soul motifs, jazz, hip-hop, blues, Jewish songs, which, when combined with beautiful realizations of Puccini’s classics, create a colorful artistic portrait of Rafał, who has been performing on the biggest music stages in Poland for years. The artist’s mature, deep and moving voice touches the sensitive strings of the recipient.
Piotr Szewczyk – tenor, graduate of the Krakow School of Jazz and Popular Music and the Academy of Physical Education in Krakow. Author of lyrics and music from Podhale. He creates pieces in a folk/pop atmosphere. A lover of folk culture. He gives concerts all over Poland and abroad.
A guest performance was also given by the famous singing theatre, film and television actor, musician and composer, Patryk Szwichtenberg, actor of the Bagatela Theatre in Kraków since 2018. A graduate of the Acting Department of the PWST in Kraków. He collaborated with the Capitol Musical Theatre in Wrocław, the WARSawy Theatre and the Gdynia Musical Theatre as well as the Warsaw Uprising Museum. He sang sentimentally the famous hit by Nat King Cole, and later Sinatra and Wodecki, “Mona Lisa”. Then he performed “Chałupy Welcome to” and the iconic “Przczółka Maja”, inspiring the audience to sing and dance together. There was no end to the encores, the artists, especially Natalia, danced with great grace, as did the audience.
The singers were accompanied by the Krzysztof Odrobina Band. The band consists of excellent instrumentalists who collaborate with leading Polish orchestras and artists, including AUKSO, Big Band Małopolski and Kuba Badach. They were: Marta Huget-Skiba – violin, Mateusz Moś – violin, Anna Grzybała – viola, Joanna Urbańska-Mikszuta – cello, Krzysztof Odrobina – keyboard instruments, Maciej Gruchacz – guitar, Patryk Bizukojć – bass guitar, Łukasz Kurek – drums and Bartłomiej Noszka – saxophone.
The amused audience asked for another visit, and the PSC and the consulate promised to help fulfill this request.
Text and photos: Zosia Zeleska-Bobrowski
