Wojtek Karolak

Born in Warsaw, Poland on May 28, 1939, Wojciech Krzysztof was a jazz multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for his work on the Hammond B-3 organ but has also played both saxophone and piano on many recordings. He began his career in 1958 playing alto saxophone with the Jazz Believers before joining Andrzej Trzaskowski’s the Wreckers. Moving from saxophone to piano in 1961, he formed his own trio and began writing and recording his own material. As the premiere jazz band in Poland, they played with many of the world’s greatest musical talents including Ray Charles, Don Ellis, and Annie Rossi. He began playing with Jan ‘Ptaszyn’ Wróblewski’s Polish Jazz Quartet and recorded the album Go Right with leader/trumpeter Andrzej Kurylewics. He relocated to Sweden in 1965 and remained there in 1972, during which time he took up the Hammond B3 organ and the Fender Rhodes electric piano. In order to purchase his own Hammond B3 organ, he began playing rock and blues music in local clubs. By the time he returned to Poland, he had earned enough to purchase his Hammond B3 in 1973. He performed with violinist Michal Urbaniak, touring Europe throughout 1973 and 1974. His union with Urbaniak resulted in the album Moving South (1973). Wojciech Krzysztof also spent time in Western Europe working with Red Mitchell, Leroy Lowe, and others. After returning to Poland, he joined up with Jan ‘Ptaszyn’ Wróblewski and co-led the band Mainstream, who released a self-titled album in 1974. His first official album as a leader was 1975’s Easy! His next major release was Time Killers (1985), a jazz supergroup that also featured saxophonist Tomasz Szukalski and drummer Czeslaw Bartkowski. The Time Killers album was then voted the best Polish jazz record of the decade. Wojciech Krzysztof continued to perform and record throughout the 1990s and 2000, collaborating with guitarist Jarosław Śmietana, saxophonist Piotr Baron and drummer Zbigniew Lewandowski. Wojciech Krzysztof was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, Poland's second highest civilian honor. Wojciech Krzysztof died on June 23, 2021.