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Tomasz Stańko (11 July 1942 – 29 July 2018) was a Polish trumpeter and composer. Stańko is strongly associated with free jazz and the avant-garde.

Coming to prominence in the early 1960s alongside pianist Adam Makowicz in the Jazz Darings, Stańko collaborated with pianist Krzysztof Komeda on Komeda's album Astigmatic, recorded in late 1965. In 1968 Stańko formed an acclaimed quintet that included Zbigniew Seifert on violin and alto saxophone, and in 1975 he formed the Tomasz Stańko-Adam Makowicz Unit.

Stańko established a reputation as a leading figure not only in Polish jazz, but on the world stage as well, working with many notable musicians, including Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland, Reggie Workman, Rufus Reid, Lester Bowie, David Murray, Manu Katché and Chico Freeman. In 1984 he was a member of Cecil Taylor's big band.

Biography
Tomasz Stańko was born in Rzeszów, Poland, on July 11, 1942. His first encounters with jazz were through Voice of America radio programs and tours initiated by the U.S. State Department. Coming of age in Communist Poland, Stańko was impressed by the correlation jazz had with a message of freedom. In 1958 he saw his first jazz concert given by Dave Brubeck. Along with the pianist Adam Makowicz; the group took inspiration from the music of musicians such as Ornette Coleman, George Russell and Miles Davis and was considered by many critics to be the first group in Europe to perform in the free jazz idiom.

In 1963 Stańko joined the Krzysztof Komeda quintet, where he learned much about harmony, musical structure and asymmetry. During his career with Komeda, which concluded in 1967, Stańko did five tours with the pianist and recorded eleven albums with him. In 1968 Stańko formed a quintet that met critical acclaim—one that included Zbigniew Seifert on violin and alto saxophone. In 1970, he joined the Globe Unity Orchestra, and in 1971 he collaborated with Krzysztof Penderecki and Don Cherry. Not long after he formed a quartet that included himself Tomasz Szukalski and the Finnish drummer Edward Vesala. His performances with Vesala are often considered to be some of his most important work. In 1975, he formed the Tomasz Stańko-Adam Makowicz Unit.

During the 1980s, he traveled to India and recorded solo work in the Taj Mahal, and also worked with Vesala in groups led by Chico Freeman and Howard Johnson. In the mid-1980s, he began doing extensive work with Cecil Taylor, performing in his big bands and also led various groups of his own, including COCX (with Vitold Rek and Apostolis Anthimos).

1990s

Stańko lost his natural teeth in the 1990s, although over time he developed a new embouchure with the help of a skilled dentist and monotonous practice. He would spend long hours playing what he deemed to be "boring" long tones which helped to strengthen his lip, in spite of playing with the disadvantage of false teeth.

In the early 1990s Stańko has released  “Tales For A Girl, 12, And A Shaky Chica” – duo with Janusz Skowron (synthesizers), and “Bluish”, recorded in a trio with Arild Andersen and Jon Christensen. ,  In 1993 Stańko formed an international quartet with Bobo Stenson, Tony Oxley and Anders Jormin. . In the same year their first recording “Bosonossa and Other Ballads” has been released by GOWI records.

In 1994 Stańko got signed again by ECM Records. Together with the international quartet he records “Matka Joanna” – an album inspired by the 1961 film by Jerzy Kawalerowicz  - and “Leosia”, dedicated to trumpeter’s late mother. Next album “Litania” is recorded in a septet with Joakim Milder, Bernt Rosengren, Bobo Stenson, Terje Rypdal, Palle Danielsson and Jon Christensen. It is a collecition of works by Polish jazz pianist and composer and Stańko’s mentor Krzysztof Komeda. The idea for the project came from ECM president Manfred Eicher. This release was supported by an international tour which included touring London, Copenhagen, Stockholm and appearing at jazz festivals like those in Nancy and Berlin.

In 1998 Eicher has organized a recording session with Stańko, Dino Saluzzi, John Surman, Michelle Makarski, Anders Jormin and Jon Christensen. The result of this encounter is the album “From the Green Hill”. The album was awarded with the German Critics' Prize (Deutscher Schallplattenpreis) as "The Record of the Year 2000".

At the same time, Tomasz Stańko forms a Polish quartet with then 16-year-old drummer Michał Miśkiewicz, along with Miśkiewicz's two friends, pianist Marcin Wasilewski and bassist Sławomir Kurkiewicz. In 1994 Stańko initially invited them to record songs for theater and film. The first album as a quartet “Soul of Things” was recorded in 2001 and released in 2002 by ECM.

2000s

The early 2000s was a time of extensive international touring. This experience led to a second album of Stańko’s  Polish quartet “Suspended Night s”. Billboard Magazine has noted that this album was one of the bestselling jazz album in 2004 in the US. Together with “Suspended Nights” ECM releases a collection of Tomasz Stańko recording in it’s Rarum/Selected Recordings series.

In 2005, the quartet records the last joint album “Lontano”. The album is released a year later by ECM. Having an established position on the world jazz stage, each album of the quartet is celebrated along Europe and the United States. In 2005, the band also takes the first tour around Asia and Australia.

In 2005 he created music for the Warsaw Uprising Museum titled "Freedom in August".

The second half of the first decade 2000 is the time of unlimited searches and new depots. This time is a new youth in Stańko's career: a chapter of experiments, creating projects, searching for new sounds. As a result of these experiences, in 2007 a new band, a Scandinavian quintet composed of Alexi Tuomarila, Jakob Bro, Anders Christensen and Olavi Louhivuori, is formed, with whom in 2009 Stańko records the album "Dark Eyes" (ECM).

The end of the first decade of the 21st century marks the beginning of the New York period in the life of a trumpeter. The formal opening of this chapter is living in Manhattan and regular concerts in New York courts and clubs, such as Birdland, Jazz Standard and Merking Hall. Stańko uses the opportunity to meet with local musicians and absorbs new ideas and richness of sounds. New projects are spontaneously created, including with Lee Konitz, Craig Taborn, Thomas Morgan, Gerald Cleaver, Chris Potter and others. The idea of ​​the New York Quartet is being created, which - after various arrangements - eventually forms in 2012.

2010s

In 2010, the Stańko’s autobiography “Desperado” is published in Poland. The book is a multi-part interview conducted by Rafał Księżyk.

In 2011, the Smithsonian Institute, the world's largest museum and education and research complex, publishes a six-disc compilation of Jazz: The Smithsonian Anthology, which is closed with a piece by Tomasz Stańko “Suspended Night Variation VIII”.

The second decade of the 21st century is Stańko's new, poetic project. Its beginnings date back to 2009 when Jerzy Ilg, editor-in-chief of Znak Publishing House, invited the trumpeter to one of the last poetry nights of Wisława Szymborska. During the meeting at the Krakow Opera, the poet reads her songs, Stańko accompanies her on the trumpet. The recording CD from this concert is attached to the next issue of the volume of poems by Wisława Szymborska “Here”.

Meeting the poet became the key to a new stage in the career of a trumpeter. Some of her poems gave Stańko's new compositions inspiration and titles. Stańko dedicates her his album “Wisława”, recorded with a new New York quartet featuring Thomas Morgan, Gerald Cleaver and David Virelles, released by ECM in 2013.

in 2014 Stańko is invited to compose a suite on the occasion of the opening of the core exhibion of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. It is released on the album “POLIN” recorded in New York together with Ravi Coltrane, David Virelles, Dezron Douglas and Kush Abadey.

Stańko last studio album “December Avenue” was released in March 31 2017.

Stańko died in Warsaw on July 29, 2018.

Critical appreciation Derek Richardson, writing for the San Francisco Chronicle said, "Tomasz Stanko is not the first jazz musician to negotiate a rapprochement between gorgeous melodies and free improvisation. But he is one of the most eloquent proponents of extemporaneous lyricism working today." Author Brian Morton compared Stanko's lyricism to that of Miles Davis, calling it a "direct but individual offshoot."