Krzysztof Majchrzak
Musician, composer and producer Krzysztof Majchrzak permanently lives in France. He's led and confounded many musical projects, as LABIRYNT, TIE BREAK, SUNSET, MAJCHRZAK PROJEKT and participated in tours and festivals in Poland, France, United States, Canada, Germany .... Inventor of his own unique sounds, master at preparated bass improvisation, he's a member of several artistic society. Krzysztof Majchrzak was born in Czestochowa (Poland). Even though being a musician was always one of his life's dreams, it took him a long time to decide on future plans. It wasn't until he was 21 when a vacancy in double-bass class at Conservatory of Music in Czestochowa had appeared and Krzysztof Majchrzak has mind about further education.
It was at school where he had met the people with whom he created TIE BREAK: Janusz Iwanski, Czeslaw Lek and Antoni Gralak. In 1980 the group won the first prize at Jazz Junoirs festival in Cracow. About that time Krzysztof Majchrzak had to give up on double-bass due to his hand disability and switched to electric bass, which he's been playing ever since. The most important among the festivals at which TIE BREAK performed were "Jazz nad Odra" and "Jazz Jamboree". Later on Krzysztof Majchrzak was also a part of NEW JAZZ BAND together with A. Przybielski, W. Kiniorski, A. Korecki, M. Zduniak, J. Piaskowski, J. Iwanski, A. Gralak, S. Jouvanudis and H. Gembalski, also a member of Jaroslaw Smietana's SYMPHONIC SOUND ORCHESTRA, in which many outstanding musicians like Zbigniew Namyslowski, Krzesimir Debski, K. Scieranski , Jan Ptaszyn Wrobleski, Tomasz Szukalski performed.
Even later, he formed SUNSET with H. Gembalski, M. Zduniak or Jerzy "Yeti" Weglewski - drums, A.Korecki, M. Pospieszalski, J. Iwanski or Ryszard Styla on guitar, and played at some concert with Adam Kawonczyk. Above that he played with musicians like Wojciech Konikiewicz, Wojciech Puszek, Jorgos Skolias, Zbigniew Brysiak, Radoslaw Nowakowski.
In 1988 K. Majchrzak moved to France, and as he admitted in one of his interviews, it was a mystery trip, having no connexions nor acquaintances. Yet he soon began to feel there at home, started a collaboration with DUNE with Philippe "Pipon" Garcia, Stan Pierrel, "Kouki" Portelano, and later played with Caravane Brocoli in a performance dedicated to Billie Holiday. He also took part in concerts organized by France Inter, Radio France Internationale and Europe1 with Edgar Ravahatra from Madagascar, and played at the Francofolie French music festival in La Rochelle. One of his more noteworthy projects was a duo performed with a Moldavian violinist - Oktavian Tzaranou. Afterward he joined the TOURMALINE band as they went on a tour of Canada. While there, Tourmaline also made performances at Montreal Jazz Festival and Festival d'Ete in Quebec City , and even appeared in a TV5 Canadian TV show.
In 1993 Majchrzak started his cooperation with STREET BLUES, a Polish/French blues band led with Tomasz Dziano. Three years later they released their first album titled "Driving licence", and in 2000, another one, "The prodigal Son". During the whole period, apart from performing at numerous festivals together wit STREET BLUES, he was involved in yet another band - D.Y.M. with T.Dziano, Philippe Garcia and J. Iwanski. In 1994 some new projects came out - first LONELY KOSMIKS with Gembalski and Garcia, and then LABIRYNT - a famous trio with Gembalski and Zduniak. In 1998 the latter band let out an album, "Labirynt", produced by an American company Teal Creek Records. Later a second album, "Ethnic", was produced by Polonia Records, and in 2004, on their 10th anniversary, LABIRYNT went on tour in France and enrigestred a new album "Exit" produced by Teal Creek Records. In march /april 2006 Krzysztof Majchrzak went on a tour of U.S.A. (recorded next album with LABIRYNT at Michael Cooper Recording Studio in Sisters, and a television program/podcast for PJJ-TV in Portland, several concerts and workshop at Western Oregon University.
Krzysztof Majchrzak contributed to many other bands, e.g. Exagere-Moi-Ensemble, LES LAST X, Grand Duc, Mohican, Z'Ebra, Poesique, l'O.G.R.E., Tom Bergeron QUARTET, M.G.B. Orchestra. In 2001 he formed and led a group called MAJCHRZAK PROJEKT, Trio YMG (Yanina - Majchrzak- Garcia). Above that he played with musicians like Tom Bergeron, Philippe Gilbert, Laurent Levesque, Pascal Baudrault (Canada), Rick Hollander (USA), Walter Lang (Germany), Patrick Roux, Stephane Lambert, Laurent Blumenthal, Patrick Sapin, Keller Coker (USA),Laurent Vichard, Michel Godard, Christopher Woitach (USA), and before them Magic Slim, Bill Thomas, Jean Jacques Milteau,Earl Howell and John Primer. He also performs solo.
Majchrzak belongs to several artistic unions, like the Polish Jazz Society, and in France: the Music and Dance Performing Artists Union (SPEDIDAM), the Music Performing Artists Union (ADAMI) and the Author-Composers Union (SACEM); he also runs a music workshop in France, with classes on improvisation and electric bass.
Majchrzak's playing demonstrates that his influences include the American post-bop tradition, the international creative music movement, Ornette Coleman's harmolodic concept, John Cage, Bela Bartok and Polish Folk Music. The influence of multicultural France can be heard throughout Majchrzak's work - we can trace Hindu as well as Arabian motifs in his music. Rock music has also been highly valued by Majchrzak - one of the individuals most important to him is Jimmy Hendrix, and he's been substantially impressed by Jack Bruce, the bassist of The Cream. Majchrzak attaches great significance to improvisation, thus plays preparated bass, and often includes ethnic elements into his compositions. He's been in constant search for original and unique sounds and has opposed the repeating of jazz patterns.
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