KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA
Przerwany lot / Smarkula - Soundtracks from Leonard Buczkowski movies
Label: PowerBros (2008)
Catalogue No: PB 00205
Format: CD
Tracks:
1-28. Smarkula 32:09
29-39. Przerwany lot 21:42
All compositions by Krzysztof Komeda
Przerwany lot (Interrupted Flight):
Director:
Leonard Buczkowski
Writers:
Jerzy Janicki and Andrzej Mularczyk
Release Date:
16 October 1964
About:
Set during a World War II drama of unfulfilled love between Polish girl and Soviet pilot. Their meeting many years later revives memories.
Cast:
Aleksander Bielawski ... Wowa
Elzbieta Czyzewska ... Urzula
Mieczyslaw Voit ... Jet maz
Józef Kondrat ... Ojciec
Helena Dabrowska ... Matka
Jerzy Kaczmarek ... Staszek
Wladyslaw Krasnowiecki ... Ksiadz
Katarzyna Laniewska ... Panna mloda
Bohdan Lazuka ... Pan Mlody
Barbara Klimkiewicz ... Stewardesa
Krystyna Feldman ... Office worker
Smarkula (Teenager):
Director:
Leonard Buczkowski
Writers:
Leonard Buczkowski and Roman Niewiarowicz
Release Date:
7 August 1964
About:
16 years old Krysia came to Warsaw, to his uncle. Unfortunately he is on the ship at the sea. Krysia meet Taxi Driver Florek. He decided to help her, and take her to his flat. It's beginning of troubles.
Cast:
Anna Prucnal ... Krysia Kowalska
Bronislaw Pawlik ... Florek
Czeslaw Wollejko ... Dr. Bogdan Lewandowski
Alina Janowska ... Dr. Wanda
Barbara Rylska ... Stefa
Mieczyslaw Kalenik ... Jerzy Wronicz
Jadwiga Chojnacka ... Wezykowa
Feliks Chmurkowski ... Man in Taxi
Halina Kossobudzka ... Saleswoman
Janina Sokolowska ... Jerzy's Mother
Krystyna Sienkiewicz ... Julka Wronicz
Teresa Belczynska ... Kidnapped Woman
Wiktor Bieganski ... Old Man
Jadwiga Kuryluk ... Child's Mother
Mieczyslaw Czechowicz ... Wacus
Bio (wikipedia):
Krzysztof Komeda (born Krzysztof Trzcinski 8 April 1931 in Poznan – 23 April 1969 in Warsaw) was a Polish film music composer and jazz pianist.
Early life
He grew up in Czestochowa, Ostrów Wielkopolski where he earned his A-level certificate in 1950 at the Male Gymnasium, participated in the Music and Poetry Club, and did further studies in Poznan focusing on medicine.
Komeda took music lessons from early childhood; to become a renowned virtuoso was his dream. He became the member of the Poznan conservatoire at the age of eight, but unfortunately, the war thwarted his plans. Komeda explored the theory of music, and learned to play piano, during this period and later, until 1950; however, he was aware of the loss of the past six years. After graduating from the Gymnasium, he had to decide upon further studies. He chose to specialize as an ear, nose and throat physician.
Komeda was interested in light and dance music. He met Witold Kujawski, the graduate of the same school and already a well-known swinging bass player, at the gymnasium (high school) in Gorzów Wielkopolski. It was Kujawski who acquainted Komeda-Trzcinski with jazz, and took him to Kraków. The romantic period of Polish jazz, called the catacombs, had its day in the spotlight, concert publicity did not exist then. Jam-sessions, in which participated such famous musicians as Matuszkiewicz, Borowiec, Walasek and Kujawski himself, took place in the legendary, small Witold’s apartment in Kraków.
Some years later, it became clear why Komeda was fascinated with be-bop performed by Andrzej Trzaskowski. The fascination with jazz and the friendship with famous musicians strengthened the connections of Krzysztof Trzcinski with music, even though he was a doctor by profession. He worked for some time with the first, postwar, pioneer Polish jazz band, a group called Melomani that was from Kraków and Lódz, and which mainstays were Matuszkiewicz, Trzaskowski and Kujawski.
Later on, he played with various pop groups from Poznan. One of them was Jerzy Grzewinski’s group, which soon transformed into dixieland band. Komeda appeared with Grzewinski on the I Jazz Festival in Sopot during August 1956, but he achieved success performing with saxophonist Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski and vibraphonist Jerzy Milian. The reason for that was simple: dixieland did not meet Komeda’s expectations at the time. He was most fascinated with modern jazz. Thanks to this passion, the Komeda Sextet was created. Krzysztof Trzcinski used the stage name 'Komeda' for the first time when he worked at a laryngological clinic, and wanted to conceal his interest in jazz from co-workers. Jazz was beginning its struggle for respectability with the communist authorities in the era of 'the thaw' and Polish society also; it was regarded as a cheap suspicious music from night clubs.
The Komeda Sextet became the first Polish jazz group playing modern jazz, and its pioneering performances opened the way for jazz in Poland. He played jazz that related to European traditions and which was the synthesis of two most popular groups at those times: The Modern Jazz Quartet and the Gerry Mulligan Quartet.
During thirteen years that passed after the I Sopot Jazz Festival, the artistic personality of Krzysztof Trzcinski became more mature, crystallized and lyrically poetic. Krzysztof was, above all, a constantly searching poet and he could find ways of individual expression of jazz inside himself, in Slavic lyricism, and in the traditions of Polish music. He excelled at creating a poetic atmosphere, and knew better than many others how to reach wide audiences. His music has an unmistakable style and its own, unique tone.
Into the 1960s
In years 1956 – 1962, Komeda with his group took part in other domestic festivals always preparing very ambitious programs. Those were also the years of first foreign successes: in Moscow, Grenoble and Paris. The interesting show was created at that time; it was called "Jazz and Poetry" and shown on Jazz Jamboree ’60, and later in Warsaw Philharmonic. Krzysztof Trzcinski’s adventure with film music also begun. Scores for the films of Roman Polanski such as Knife in the Water (1962), of Andrzej Wajda such as Innocent Sorcerers (1960), and of Janusz Morgerstern Good Bye (also 1960), Till Tomorrow were created. The period, which in Komeda’s artistic biography can be called the period of growing up and improving his own music language, was crowned with "Ballet Etudes" performed on Jazz Jamboree ’62. Although the reaction of domestic critics for the Etudes was rather cold, it opened the door of Europe for Krzysztof Komeda Trzcinski.
Komeda visited Scandinavia for the first time in spring 1960, and he came back there since then every year. All of his performances at the ‘Gyllene Cirkeln’ (Golden Circle) in Stockholm and at the Montmartre Jazz Club in Copenhagen, where the most famous celebrities of American jazz performed, turned out to be a real success. Metronome, the Swedish record company recorded his music played by an international quintet: Allan Botschinsky (trumpet), Jan "Ptaszyn" Wróblewski (tenor saxophone), Krzysztof Komeda (piano), Roman Dylag (stage name: Gucio; contrabass) and Rune Carlsson (percussion). The famous Danish director Hennig Carlsen ordered music to his movies: Hvad Med Os, Kattorna, and Sult (the movie based on Knut Hamsun’s novel Hunger). After successes in Scandinavia, came next successes: jazz festivals in Prague, Blend, Koenigsberg; toure of Bulgaria and both West and East Germany. The Komeda Quartet (Tomasz Stanko (trumpet), Roman Dylag (bass), Rune Carlsson (percussion), and Zbigniew Namyslowski (saxophone) recorded in May 1967 ‘Lirik und Jazz’ for the West Germany record company Electrola. Komeda stayed in Los Angeles in 1968 where he composed film music for Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby and Kulik’s The Riot.
In December 1968, in Los Angeles, Komeda had a tragic accident which led to a haematoma of the brain. There are various accounts of what happened: car accident in the autumn of 1968, being pushed off an escarpment by writer Marek Hlasko during a drinking party. After having been transported to Poland, he died as a result of wrong treatment of haematoma. Roman Polanski mentions in his memories that as a result of friendly rough and tumble with Marek Hlasko, Komeda fell down and suffered head injuries.
Influence
As a jazz musician, he exerted crucial influence on creating an original style, often described as the Polish school of jazz, which subsequently influenced the Polish jazz scene's development after his death.
Composer
1. Riot (1969)
2. Qu'est-ce qui fait courir Jacky? (1969)
3. Rosemary's Baby (1968) (as Christopher Komeda)
4. Mia and Roman (1968)
5. Människor möts och ljuv musik uppstår i hjärtat (1967)
... aka Mennesker mødes og sød musik opstår i hjertet (Denmark)
... aka People Meet (UK)
... aka People Meet and Sweet Music Fills the Heart (USA)
6. Départ, Le (1967) (as K.T. Komeda)
7. Klatki (1967)
8. Dance of the Vampires (1967) (as Christopher Komeda)
... aka The Fearless Vampire Killers (USA)
... aka The Fearless Vampire Killers or: Pardon Me, But Your Teeth Are in My Neck (USA: DVD box title)
9. The Fearless Vampire Killers: Vampires 101 (1967)
10. Bariera (1966)
... aka Barrier (USA)
11. Sult (1966)
... aka Hunger (USA)
... aka Svält (Sweden)
12. Niekochana (1966)
... aka Unloved
13. Ping-pong (1966)
14. Perly i dukaty (1966)
15. Przedswiateczny wieczor (1966)
... aka Christmas Eve
... aka Evening Before Christmas
16. Markiza de Pompadour (1966)
17. Cul-de-sac (1966) (as Komeda)
18. Pingwin (1965)
... aka Penguin
19. Kattorna (1965)
... aka The Cats (USA)
20. Przerwany lot (1964) (as Krzysztof Trzcinski-Komeda)
... aka Interrupted Flight
21. Prawo i piesc (1964)
... aka The Law and the Fist
22. Plus belles escroqueries du monde, Les (1964) (segment "La Rivière des Diamants")
... aka Più belle truffe del mondo, Le (Italy)
... aka The Beautiful Swindlers
... aka The World's Most Beautiful Swindlers
... aka Wereld wil bedrogen worden, De (Netherlands)
... aka World's Greatest Swindles
23. Ssaki (1963) (as Krzysztof T. Komeda)
... aka Mammals (USA)
24. Hvad med os? (1963)
... aka Epilogue
... aka How About Us?
25. Smarkula (1963) (as Krzysztof Trzczinski-Komeda)
... aka Teenager
26. Zbrodniarz i panna (1963) (as Krzysztof T. Komeda)
... aka The Criminal and the Lady
... aka The Murderer and the Girl
27. Mój stary (1962)
... aka My Old Man
28. Jutro premiera (1962)
... aka Opening Tomorrow
29. Nóz w wodzie (1962) (as Krzysztof T. Komeda)
... aka Knife in the Water (USA)
... aka Nóż w wodzie (Poland)
30. Wyrok (1962) (as Krzysztof Trczinski-Komeda)
... aka The Verdict (International: English title)
... aka Verdict
31. Ambulans (1961)
32. Cmentarz Remu (1961)
33. Gros et le maigre, Le (1961) (as Christophe T. Komeda)
... aka The Fat and the Lean (International: English title)
34. Niewinni czarodzieje (1960)
... aka Innocent Sorcerers (International: English title: literal title)
35. Do widzenia, do jutra (1960)
... aka Good Bye, Till Tomorrow
... aka See You Tomorrow
36. Szklana gora (1960)
... aka The Glass Mountain
37. Gdy spadaja anioly (1959)
... aka When Angels Fall
... aka When Angels Fall Down...
38. Dwaj ludzie z szafa (1958) (as Krzysztof T. Komeda)
... aka Two Men and a Wardrobe
Soundtracks:
1. The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002) (writer: "Rosemary's Baby" (1968), "Lullaby" (1968))
2. "Livshunger" (1 episode, 2002)
- Episode #1.2 (2002) TV episode (music: "ROSEMARY'S BABY", "CUL DE SAC")
3. Vuxna människor (1999) (performer: "It's alright, baby")
... aka Adult Behavior
4. "The Powerpuff Girls" (1998) TV series (unknown episodes)
... aka PPG (USA: short title)
... aka Youlide-Chui nu (Hong Kong: English title)
5. Riot (1969) (music: "100 YEARS")
6. Rosemary's Baby (1968) ("Lullaby")
