Biography – Wojciech Staroniewicz

Wojciech Staroniewicz is a well-known Polish saxophonist and composer, who has been performing in front of audiences for many years and he keeps on surprising his fans with new original musical projects.

His broad spectrum of musical style has been captured on several albums to date: Karambola, Quiet City, Hand made, Conversession, Alternations, A’freak-an Project, Tranquillo, A’FreAk-KomEdA Project, North Park and Strange Vacation.

Staroniewicz has also been invited to collaborate as a side-man with other well-known musicians and bands which include (but are not limited to) the Norwegian band Loud Jazz Band, Wlodzimierz Nahorny Sextet and the Metro musical. Throughout his career he has been performing with a variety of excellent musicians such as: Andrzej Jagodziński, Włodek Pawlik, Cezary Konrad, Krzysztof Herdzin, Adam Cegielski, Nippy Noya, Helge Lien, Erik Johannessen, Brian Melvin and most of the leading jazz musicians of Trojmiasto.

Wojciech Staroniewicz is the only Polish saxophone player (and one of only 21 other saxophonists that qualified from all around the world) to have gone as far as semifinals
of the International Jazz Improvisation Competition in Washington, D.C. ‘91. Other awards include: the 1st collective prize and the first individual prize for the best composed piece at the Jazz Juniors Festival ‘85; 1st prize Golden Key to Career at the Pomeranian Jazz Autumn with the band Set-Off; 2nd prize at the International Contest for Youth Orchestras in Hoeilaart, Belgium. Staroniewicz is also a winner of the prestigious Sopocka Muza award (‘09, in the category of art and culture), funded by the mayor of Sopot.

Wojciech performed on the main stages of: Jazz Jamboree, Warsaw Summer Jazz Days and Gdynia Summer Jazz Days – the same stages where Kenny Garrett, Chick Corea and David Sanchez also performed.

Over the past few years Staroniewicz has participated in the following jazz festivals: Gdynia Summer Jazz Days ‘95; Warsaw Summer Jazz Days ‘95; Poznań Jazz Fair ‘96; Sopot Molo Jazz Festival ‘97, ‘98 and ‘99; Gdynia Summer Jazz Days ‘99;Jazz Jamboree Warsaw ‘99;International Festival of Percussion Music Opole ‘00, Jazz Club Fasching Stockholm ‘00; VII Shanghai International Music Festival, Düsseldorfer Jazz Rally ‘02; Corso Polonia Rome ‘03; Jazzfrühling Neubrandenburg ‘04; Villa Celimontana Jazz Polacco Rome ‘04; The Polish Jazz Hoeilaart Laureats Belgium ‘04; The Music Village Brussels ‘04 – The Polish Jazz Hoeilaart Laureats; Festival de Jazz La Brasov Romania ‘04; Espace Des Blancs Manteaux Paris ‘04; Krokus Jazz Festival Jelenia Góra ‘05; Polish-Israeli Jazz Festival Tel Aviv ‘05 ;III United Europe Jazz Festival Zakopane ‘06; Parkjazz Festival ‘Kortrijk, Belgium ‘06; Komeda Jazz Festiwal Siedlce ‘07; Summer Jazz FestivalKraków ‘08;Jazz Bridge Festival Bremen, Germany ‘08; Lotos Jazz Festiwal Bielsko-Biała ‘08; Era Jazz & Dance Festival Sopot ‘08; Jazz on the Odra River Wrocław ‘08; Green Town of Jazz Zielona Góra ‘08; Sopot Molo Jazz Festiwal ‘08; Lotos Jazz Festival Bielsko-Biała ‘09;Jazz Gdyni Gdynia ‘09; Impact Jazz Szczecin ‘09; Bohema Jazz Festival‘09; Jazz Jamboree Warszawa ‘10; Spirit of Burgas Romania ‘10; Oslo Konserthaus Norway ‘12.

Most recently, Staroniewicz has been active as a soloist with the Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Wojciech Rajski) and also with his own band which plays contemporary jazz based on his original compositions.

Between 2010 and 2012 Wojciech was a board member of the Polish Phonographic Academy (ZPAV)

Bands

Wojciech Staroniewicz “A’FreaK-aN Project”
Wojciech Staroniewicz feat. Erik Johannessen
Loud Jazz Band
“TRANQUILLO” – Staroniewicz / Jagodziński / Rajski
Przemek Dyakowski “Take it Easy”
Włodzimierz Nahorny Sextet

Selected discography

Take it Easy VI – „Ludmiła” – Allegro Records 2023
“30th Anniversary Concert” DVD Special Edition Live in Oslo Cosmopolite Scene – LJB MR 2022
“Strange Vacation – Allegro Records 2022
“Tranquillo” LP – Allegro Records 2021
“Loud Jazz Band Live in Oslo” – LJB Music Records 2020
“A’FreAK-aN Project – Live in Gdańsk” – Allegro Records 2019
“Take it Esay V – Ach to był szał…” – PKM/Radio Gdańsk 2019
“North Park” Allegro Records 2019
“Piosenki Warsa I Szpilmana” – Polskie Radio 2018
„Illinois Jacquet in Memoriam” – Ucho 2017
„The Giant Against The Girl” – Polskie Radio 2017
„The Sound of Christmas” – Universal 2016
„Take it Easy IV – SWING! – Allegro Records.2015
„A’FreaK-KomEdA Project” – Allegro Records 2015
”25th Aniversary Concert – LJB Music Records 2015
„From The Distance” Live in Warsaw DVD – LJB Music Records 2014
“Blue Night Session” – Allegro Records 2014
“Tranquillo” – Allegro Records 2013
Loud Jazz Band „From the Distance” – LJB Music Records 1013
“Przyjaciele grają Hajduna” – Allegro Records 2011
„A’freak-an Project” – Allegro Records 2011
Nahorny sekstet “Chopin Genius Loci” – Confiteor 2010
“Silence” – LJB Music Records 2010
„Alternations” – Allegro Records 2008
Loud Jazz Band „Living Windows” – LJB Music Records 2008
Loud Jazz Band „Passing” – LJB Music Records 2007
Staroniewicz / Melvin / Lemańczyk – „Conversession –Live” – Allegro Records 2006
„Dominik Bukowski & Projektor” – Allegro 2005
Loud Jazz Band – „The Way to Salina” (norwegian edition) – Allegro 2005
The Best Of Polish Jazz 2005 – Chazz Records USA, Compilation Polish Jazz Network
Loud Jazz Band „Don’t Stop The Train” – Allegro 2004
Follow the Soul – Allegro 2003
Fantazja Polska Nahorny Karłowicz – Polskie Radio S.A., Warszawa 2002 (nominowana do nagrody „Fryderyk”)
Hand-made – Allegro 2002
Fantazja Polska Nahorny Chopin – Polskie Radio S.A., Warszawa 2000
Karambola – Allegro/B52 1999 (nominowana do nagrody „Fryderyk”)
Quiet City – Polonia Records 1995
Loud Jazz Band „4 Ever 2 U” – Merkury 1995 (nominowana do nagrody „Fryderyk”)
Loud Jazz Band – Live „Akwarium” Jazz Club
On The Other Side – JAM 1989
Set-Off – PSJ 206/1987