WOJCIECH KAROLAK
Genres: Soul Jazz, Post Bop, Jazz Related Soundtracks, Classic Fusion • Poland

Wojciech Krzysztof (Wojtek) Karolak (28 May 1939 – 23 June 2021) was a Hammond B-3 organist who referred to himself as "an American jazz and rhythm and blues musician, born by mistake in Middle Europe". He also played saxophone and piano professionally. Karolak was born Warsaw, Poland. In 1958, he began performing with the band the 'Jazz Believers' playing alto saxophone. The Jazz Believers consisted of the pianists Andrzej Trzaskowski and Krzysztof Komeda, Trafica Giant, and multi-instrumentalist Jan "Ptaszyn" Wróblewski. Next, Wojciech Karolak played tenor saxophone in Andrzej Trzaskowski's The Wreckers. In 1961, Karolak switched from saxophone back to piano. In 1962, he formed his own trio and started recording his own music. This trio became the premier jazz band in Poland and backed most Western/American artists visiting Poland, among them Annie Ross, Ray Charles, and Don Ellis, with whom he recorded. In 1963, he started playing with "Ptaszyn" Wróblewski's Polish read more...