Leszek Możdżer

Leszek Możdżer (Polish pronunciation: [ˈlɛʂɛk ˈmɔʐd͡ʐɛr] born Lesław Henryk Możdżer, 23 March 1971, Gdańsk) is a Polish jazz pianist, music producer and film score composer.

Leszek Możdżer
Leszek Możdżer, 2023
Background information
Birth name	Lesław Możdżer
Born	(1971-03-23) March 23, 1971 (age 53) Gdańsk, Poland
Genres	Jazz, Yass
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer
Instrument(s)	Piano
Labels	Outside Music
Website	mozdzer.com

Leszek Możdżer in 2011

Life and career

Możdżer was born on 23 March 1971 in Gdańsk. He began to play the piano at his parents' suggestion when he was five. In 1996, he received his diploma from the Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk. He studied in the piano class under Andrzej Artykiewicz. He began his artistic career in clarinettist Emil Kowalewski's band and subsequently with the Miłość music band. The artist has collaborated with film score composers Jan A.P. Kaczmarek and Zbigniew Preisner. He formed a jazz trio together with double-bassist Lars Danielsson and drummer Zohar Fresco. Other prominent artists he has collaborated with include Marcus Miller, David Gilmour, Lester Bowie, Archie Shepp, Arthur Blythe, Tomasz Stańko, Pat Metheny, Janusz Muniak, Phil Manzanera, Zbigniew Namysłowski, Michał Urbaniak, L.U.C, Anna Maria Jopek, Behemoth, Myslovitz, Iva Bittová, Cæcilie Norby, David Friesen.^[1][2]

 

Możdżer in 2006

In 1994, he claimed 1st place at the International Jazz Improvisation Contest in Katowice. In 1998, he received the Jazzman of the Year Fryderyk Award. In 1999, he became the laureate of the Gdansk Mayor Award for his outstanding artistic achievements. In 2001, he was awarded the Ad Astra Award bestowed by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage to "an outstanding young musician". In 2004, he received the Paszport Polityki Award in the entertainment category. In 2011, he won another Fryderyk Award for best original soundtrack for his album Kaczmarek by Możdżer, a collection of contemporary film music. In 2013, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.^[1]

In 2010, he performed a special music show at the Węglowy Targ in Gdańsk as part of the Solidarity of Arts 2010 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the foundation of the Solidarity movement as well as the 200th anniversary of Frédéric Chopin's birth.

In 2012, he served as a member of jury at the Montreux Jazz Piano Competition.^[3]

In 2017, his opera Immanuel Kant based on the works of Thomas Bernhard premiered at the Wrocław Opera.^[4]

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions	Certifications
		POL ^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10]^[11]^[12]^[13]^[14]^[15]^[16]
Chopin - impresje	Released: 1994 Label: Polonia Records Formats: CD	—
Talk to Jesus	Released: 1996 Label: GOWI Records Formats: CD	—
Chopin Demain-Impressions	Released: December 30, 1999 Label: Opus 111 Formats: CD	—
Solo in Ukraine	Released: December 30, 2003 Label: GOWI Records Formats: CD	—
Teatrowi Logos na XV-lecie	Released: 2003 Label: Teatr Logos Formats: CD	—
Piano	Released: June 16, 2004^[17] Label: ARMS Records Formats: CD	7	POL: Platinum^[18]
Piano Live	Released: December 19, 2004^[19] Label: ARMS Records Formats: CD	36
Missa Gratiatoria	Released: March 16, 2009^[20] Label: Alternator Formats: CD	—
Bernstein & Gershwin	Released: March 19, 2010 Label: Polskie Radio Formats: CD	33
Impressions on Chopin	Released: July 30, 2010^[21] Label: Universal Music Poland Formats: CD, digital download^[22]	8
Kaczmarek by Możdżer	Released: March 29, 2010^[23] Label: Universal Music Poland Formats: CD	16	POL: Platinum^[18]
Komeda	Released: June 27, 2011^[24] Label: ACT Formats: CD, digital download^[25]	1	POL: 2× Platinum^[18]
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Collaborative albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions	Certifications
		POL ^[5]
Anniversary Concert For Hestia with Adam Pierończyk	Released: 1996 Label: Hestia Formats: CD	—
Facing the Wind with David Friesen	Released: 1996 Label: Power Bros Formats: CD	—
Live in Sofia with Adam Pierończyk	Released: 1998 Label: Not Two Formats: CD	—
10 Łatwych utworów na fortepian with Zbigniew Preisner	Released: September 25, 1999 Label: Pomaton EMI Formats: CD, digital download^[26]	—	POL: Gold^[27]
Birthday Live with Olo Walicki, Cezary Konrad and Andrzej Olejniczak	Released: 2001 Label: Blue Note Poznań Jazz Club Formats: CD	—
Makowicz vs. Możdżer at the Carnegie Hall with Adam Makowicz	Released: November 21, 2004^[28] Label: Pomaton EMI Formats: CD	10	POL: Platinum^[18]
Metalla Pretiosa with Olo Walicki and Maurice de Martin & The Gdansk Philharmonic Brass	Released: November 28, 2004 Label: Olo Walicki Production Formats: CD	—
Seven Pieces for Improvising Piano and Strings with Aukso Orchestra	Released: 2004 Label: Lemon Music Formats: CD	—
Tulipany Daniel Bloom featuring Leszek Możdżer Trio	Released: March 7, 2005 Label: Warner Music Poland Formats: CD, digital download^[29]	18
Live in Warsaw with Adam Klocek	Released: June 27, 2005 Label: Universal Music Poland Formats: CD, digital download^[30]	49
The Time with Lars Danielsson and Zohar Fresco	Released: October 26, 2005^[31] Label: Outside Music Formats: CD	2	POL: Diamond^[32]
Wrocław 2004 with Adam Makowicz	Released: December 9, 2005 Label: EMI Music Poland Formats: CD	—
Between us and the light with Lars Danielsson and Zohar Fresco	Released: November 20, 2006^[33] Label: Outside Music Formats: CD	7	POL: 2× Platinum^[18]
Pasodoble with Lars Danielsson	Released: April 27, 2007^[34] Label: ACT Formats: CD, digital download^[35]	17	POL: Platinum^[18]
Melisa with Przemek Dyakowski and Sławek Jaskułke	Released: May 21, 2007^[36] Label: Fonografika Formats: CD	—
Live with Lars Danielsson and Zohar Fresco	Released: November 28, 2007^[37] Label: Outside Music Formats: CD	35
Tarantella with Lars Danielsson	Released: February 23, 2009 Label: ACT Formats: CD	48
The Last Set Live At The A-Trane with Walter Norris	Released: October 16, 2012^[38] Label: ACT Formats: CD
Polska with Lars Danielsson and Zohar Fresco	Released: October 25, 2013^[39] Label: Outside Music Formats: CD, digital download^[40]	2	POL: 2× Platinum^[18]
Earth Particles with Holland Baroque	Released: 2018-05-11^[41] Label: Holland Baroque Formats: CD, vinyl^[42]	---	NL: Gold
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

See also

• Music of Poland
• List of Poles
• Tomasz Stańko
• Krzysztof Komeda

References

1. "Leszek Możdżer". Retrieved 28 November 2020.
2. "Leszek Możdżer" (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-11-28.
3. "Możdżer w jury Montreux Jazz Piano Competition 2012" (in Polish). 9 July 2012. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
4. "Leszek Możdżer o swojej pierwszej operze "Immanuel Kant": Upadek rządów jest tuż-tuż" (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-11-28.
5. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". olis.onyx.pl. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
6. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". olis.onyx.pl. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
7. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". olis.onyx.pl. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
8. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". olis.onyx.pl. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
9. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". olis.onyx.pl. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
10. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". olis.onyx.pl. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
11. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". olis.onyx.pl. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
12. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". olis.onyx.pl. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
13. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". olis.onyx.pl. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
14. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". olis.onyx.pl. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
15. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". olis.onyx.pl. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
16. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". olis.onyx.pl. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
17. "Piano - Lesław Możdżer - Muzyka - WP.PL". muzyka.wp.pl. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
18. . Archived from the original on August 18, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
19. "Piano - Live - Lesław Możdżer - Muzyka - WP.PL". muzyka.wp.pl. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
20. "Leszek Możdżer - Missa Gratiatoria - Muzyka w Interia.pl". muzyka.interia.pl. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
21. "Impressions on Chopin - Muzyka - WP.PL". muzyka.wp.pl. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
22. "Impressions On Chopin by Leszek Mozdzer on iTunes". itunes.apple.com. 15 February 2010. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
23. "Leszek Możdżer - Kaczmarek by Możdżer - Muzyka w Interia.pl". muzyka.interia.pl. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
24. "Leszek Możdżer - Komeda - Muzyka w Interia.pl". muzyka.interia.pl. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
25. "Komeda by Leszek Mozdzer on iTunes". itunes.apple.com. 24 June 2011. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
26. "10 Easy Pieces for Piano (Polish Version, 10 Latwych Utworow Na Fortepian) by Leszek Mozdzer on iTunes". itunes.apple.com. 3 September 2012. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
27. . Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
28. "Makowicz vs. Możdżer at the Carnegie Hall - Lesław Możdżer - Muzyka - WP.PL". muzyka.wp.pl. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
29. "Tulipany (feat. Mozdzer) [Original Soundtrack] by Daniel Bloom on iTunes". itunes.apple.com. 7 March 2005. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
30. "Bach, Piazzola & Others: Works for Cello & Piano by Leszek Mozdzer & Adam Klocek on iTunes". itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
31. "Leszek Możdżer - The Time - Muzyka w Interia.pl". muzyka.interia.pl. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
32. . Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
33. "Leszek Możdżer - Between Us And The Light - Muzyka w Interia.pl". muzyka.interia.pl. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
34. "Pasodoble - Lesław Możdżer - Muzyka - WP.PL". muzyka.wp.pl. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
35. "Pasodoble by Lars Danielsson & Leszek Mozdzer on iTunes". itunes.apple.com. 27 April 2007. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
36. "Leszek Możdżer - Melisa - Muzyka w Interia.pl". muzyka.interia.pl. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
37. "Leszek Możdżer - Live CD&DVD - Muzyka w Interia.pl". muzyka.interia.pl. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
38. "Walter Norris & Leszek Możdżer - The Last Set - Live At The A-Trane (CD, Album) at Discogs". discogs.com. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
39. "Leszek Możdżer - Polska - Muzyka w Interia.pl". muzyka.interia.pl. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
40. "Polska by Leszek Mozdzer, Lars Danielsson & Zohar Fresco on iTunes". itunes.apple.com. 25 October 2013. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
41. "Holland Baroque Leszek Mozdzer - Earth Particles (CD), Holland Baroque Leszek Mozdzer... | bol.com". www.bol.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 2023-03-14.
42. "Balance". Holland Baroque (in Dutch). Retrieved 2023-03-14.

External links

• Official website