Pianist’s New Album Features An Array Of Jazz Artists – Times-Standard

Pianist / composer Lukasz Pawlik has released a new recording, “Long -Distance Connections”.

“Long-Distance Connections” is Pawlik’s second album released under his own name after “Lonely Journey” (2016). The new album was recorded on three continents and features famous jazz musicians, such as Randy Brecker, Tom Kennedy, Gary Novak, Mike Stern, Dave Weckl, as well as a group of big names in the Polish jazz scene, including Dawid Główczewski, Cezary Konrad, Michał Kapczuk, Szymon Kamykowski and Australian percussionist Phil South. The album, originally released in Poland in 2019, was released in the United States by US label Summit Records last month.

Pawlik’s music on the album combines elements of jazz, fusion, world music, electronics with the traditional sounds of the acoustic piano or cello. Despite the structural complexity of the material, the themes of the songs are melodic and prompt the star musicians to make passionate statements through their solos. The intense rhythms of the music are animated by the drummers (Konrad, Novak, Weckl). Their coexistence on the album offers a unique opportunity to witness a remarkable feast of colors and different faces of a rhythmic virtuosity at the same time. Another attraction for listeners is undoubtedly Stern’s presence on three tracks, which opens a new chapter in the collaboration between the two musicians which began three years ago on Pawlik’s previous record, “Lonely Journey”.

While the results of the Pawlik-Stern collaboration have materialized for several years, both in the studio and on stage, this is the first act of a joint musical creation by Pawlik and Brecker.

Pawlik was born into a family with a rich musical tradition. Both of her parents are successful concert pianists. Growing up, he was exposed to classical music as well as jazz from an early age and began his musical education from an early age. The first instruments he chose were piano and drums, although it was the cello that became his main instrument for the following years. The relationship with this instrument has lasted until today.

Pawlik has had the opportunity to play in renowned German orchestras, such as Dubaï Düsseldorf Symphoniker and Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal. He was also the winner of numerous cello competitions, including first prize at the K. Wiłkomirski Cello Competition in Poznań, allowing him to study in the United States, which turned out to be a milestone in his musical journey. It was during his studies at Western Michigan University that he took a keen interest in jazz. Five semesters spent studying the intricacies of different types of music, composition and counterpoint, creative interactions with other students prompted him to begin to develop his own musical language.

The first important platform for his attempts at composition was the international jazz group Kattorna, a group formed to celebrate the music of Krzysztof Komeda, whose works Pawlik strove to popularize internationally. However, over time the band’s repertoire began to revolve around Pawlik’s musical visions, meanwhile winning top honors in many jazz competitions, such as Warsaw Hopes, Berlin Jazz Award, Krokus Jazz Festival, Jazz Nad Odrą. In 2010, the band recorded a critically-acclaimed album, “Straying To The Moon”, which mainly featured music by Pawlik. After a few years spent as a member of symphony orchestras, Pawlik started working on new material for the upcoming CD under his name. It was the very first album, on which Pawlik appeared as a performer, songwriter and producer.