"I consider him to be the greatest talent among Polish jazz pianists of recent years", "Personally, I think Leszek is the best Polish pianist."Zbigniew Preisner

"Leszek Możdżer is a revelation we have not had for years. The leader has arrived on the stage. And, whether we like it or not, he is already becoming the most distinguished musician of Polish jazz"Ptaszyn Wróblewski

"A jazz pianist with exceptional gift for improvisation as well as a great individual style. The music of Leszek Możdżer is an artistic phenomenon not to be missed"Robert Holzmann

"Leszek Możdżer, one of the greatest piano virtuosos, could easily be dubbed the Star of the East"Frankfurter Allgemeine (Germany)

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An outstanding pianist, composer and producer, Leszek Możdżer is widely considered to be Polish Jazz’s greatest revelation of the last decade. Born in 1971, he has been playing the piano since the age of five. He completed every stage of formal education until graduating in 1996 from the Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk. He became interested in jazz relatively late – in his last grade – when he was 18. He was introduced to jazz in the band of Emil Kowalski, a clarinet player, but his proper start took place at his first rehearsal with a band called Miłość (Love) back in 1991. One year later he received an individual award at the International Jazz Competition Jazz Juniors ’92 held in Cracow. He was also a member of the Zbigniew Namysłowski Quartet. In the poll organized among Jazz Forum readers Możdżer was chosen as the Most Promising Musician of the year 1993 and 1994, and the Best Jazz Pianist – in each consecutive year since 1994. Leszek was also many times honored as The Musician of the Year.

On many occasions Leszek Możdżer recorded music with Zbigniew Preisner (Requiem for my friend, 10 easy pieces for piano). He also works on a regular basis with Jan Kaczmarek, Polish composer living in LA, while recording music scores (for 20th Century Fox and Miramax). He has been invited to perform jointly with the most gifted and renowned Polish jazz musicians, such as: Tomasz Stańko, Janusz Muniak, Michał Urbaniak, Anna Maria Jopek, Adam Pierończyk and Piotr Wojtasik.

Możdżer has also performed and recorded with many internationally acclaimed musicians, including David Friesen, Pat Metheny, Arthur Blythe, Buster Williams, Billy Harper, Joe Lovano, Archi Shepp, David Liebman, Charles Fox, Lester Bowie, David Gilmour, Marcus Miller, John Scofield, Steve Swallow, Eddie Daniels and Tan Dun.

Since 2011 Leszek Możdżer has been the Artistic director of the music festival, Enter Music Festival, held annually in Poznań, on the Lake Strzeszyńskim shoreline.

Leszek Możdżer has recorded over 100 albums, many of them released under his name:

Chopin – impressions, 1994

Makowicz vs Możdżer  At The Carnegie Hall NYC, EMI 2004

PIANO, Arms Records 2004

The Time – Możdżer, Danielsson, Fresco; Outside Music 2005 (Double Platinum Award two months after premiere, now it’s Diamond)

Between Us And The Light – Możdżer, Danielsson, Fresco; Outside Music 2006 (Double Platinum Award two weeks after premiere)

Pasodoble – Lars Danielsson & Leszek Możdżer; ACT 2007

Live CD&DVD – Możdżer, Danielsson, Fresco; Outside Music 2007

Firebird VII – Phil Manzanera, Leszek Możdżer, Charles Hayward, Yaron Stavi; Expression Records 2008

Kaczmarek by Możdżer, Universal 2010 (Platinum Award)

Komeda – Leszek Możdżer, Act Music 2011 (Double Platinum Award)

The Last Set, Live at the A-Trane – Leszek Możdżer & Walter Norris, Act Music 2012

Wszystkie Kobiety Mateusza, Outside Music 2013

Jazz at Berlin Philharmonic I with Iiro Rantala and Michael Wollny, Act Music 2013

Polska – Możdżer Danielsson Fresco, Outside Music/Act Music 2013 (Double Platinum Award)

The Very Best of Leszek Możdżer, Magic Records 2014

Jazz at Berlin Philharmonic III with Lars Danielsson, Zohar Fresco and Atom String Quartet, Act Music 2015

Jazz at Berlin Philharmonic VII Piano Night with Iiro Rantala and Michael Wollny, Act Music 2017

Earth Particles with Holland Baroque, Outside Music 2017

 

The list of his theatrical and film scores projects is also quite remarkable:

„Hair – love, rock musical” – Musical Theatre in Gdynia

„Tango with Lady M.” – Polish Theatre of Dance in Poznań

„A Midsummer Night’s Dream” – Musical Theatre in Gdynia, October 2001

„Psychosis” by Sarah Kane, directed by Grzegorz Jarzyna, Duesseldorfer Schauspielhouse

„Rewizor” by M. Gogol, directed by Andrzej Domalik, Teatr Dramatyczny in Warsaw, 2002

„Mandarynki i Pomarańcze” by Julian Tuwim, directed by Wojciech Kościelniak, Capitol – Music Theatre, Wrocław 2003

„Śluby Panieńskie” by Aleksander Fredro, directed by Jan Englert, National Theatre, Warsaw 2007

„Operetka” by Witold Gombrowicz, directed by Michał Zadara, Capitol – Music Theatre, Wrocław 2007

„Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” by Tennessee Williams, directed by Grzegorz Chrapkiewicz, National Theatre in Warsaw, 2013

„Nienasycenie” directed by Witold Grodecki

„Pub 700” , „Ostatnia wieczerza” directed by Sylwester Latkowski

„Land of Oblivion” directed by Michale Boganim

„W sypialni” directed by Tomasz Wasilewski

„Wszystkie kobiety Mateusza” directed by Artur Więcek „Baron”

„ Albert Cinema” directed by Agnieszka Zwiefka

„Opera z mydła” directed by BodoKox

His variations and improvisations on the themes by Fryderyk Chopin have further strengthened his artistic position and ranked him among the most outstanding individuals and virtuosos of the European jazz stage.

Awards

1992 Krzysztof Komeda Prize awarded in 1992 by the Foundation of Polish Culture

1994 1st prize at the International Jazz Improvisation Competition in Katowice

Matusz Święcicki Prize awarded by 3rd Channel of the Polish National Radio

1997 Grand Prix Melomani – the Artist of the Year 1997 awarded by Łódź Music Lovers Society

1998 2011 Fryderyk – Jazz Musician of the Year 1998

2004 Prize of the Mayor of Gdansk for outstanding artistic achievement

2004 Paszport Polityki awarded by the Polish magazine Polityka

2006 Wielka Nagroda Fundacji Kultury

2006 Złota Batuta za Zasługi dla Kultury Polskiej – nagroda dla Leszka Możdżera podczas uroczystej inauguracji roku akademickiego 2006/2007 na Akademii Ekonomicznej w Krakowie

2007 Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Prize for Promotion of Polish Culture abroad

1994 2008 Readers of Jazz Forum prize: Pianist of the Year

2009 Prize of the President of Gdansk for artistic achievements, Neptuny

2010 Sztorm Roku Prize of Gazeta Wyborcza Trójmiasto for the best event in 2010 – Możdżer +

2011 Splendor Gedanensis – The City of Gdańsk in Music category

2010 2011 MocArty 2010 RMF Classic – Man of The Year 2010

2011 Fryderyk 2011 for the film music album Kaczmarek by Możdżer

2013 Knight's Cross – Order of Rebirth of Poland

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