“Don’t Play the Music! Let the Music Play!” – M. Urbaniak
On December 4, Polish musicians Michał Urbaniak and Grażyna Auguścik will come together for a concert at the Copernicus Center in Chicago. Although both have been living and performing in the US for most of their careers, this will be there first concert together ever, joined by other jazz and blues musicians from the Chicago area. Michal Urbaniak will perform blues with Felton Crews – bass, Rick Hall – guitar, Marty Sammon – keyboard and Brady Williams – drums, while Grażyna Auguścik will sing jazz with Rob Clearfield – piano and keyboard, Jon Deitemyer – drums, John Kregor – guitar and Matt Ulery – bass.
Michał Urbaniak, a Polish-born “citizen of the world” who became famous after recording the album Tutu with the greatest jazz legend, Miles Davis. Urbaniak is a violinist, composer, arranger and leader of projects, including: “Urbanizer,” “Urbanator,” “UrbSymphony,” “Fusion” and “Jazz Legends.” He was the first to play on a violin with five strings, built especially for him. Urbaniak has performed at all of the major jazz venues and festivals throughout the world, but his is also associated with film and theater. He was the first person to introduce jazz and rap to the symphony format through a project called “UrbSymphony.” Urbaniak has made over 60 albums, and his last album Miles of Blue was certified platinum. A book about his life entitled I, Urbanator was written by Andrew Makovetski in 2011.
Grażyna Auguścik is a singer, composer, producer and arranger. Auguścik’s unique style challenges traditional definitions of jazz, showing that she is a musician without boundaries. Auguścik’s discography contains 17 albums, 10 of which were released under her own record label, GMA Records. Auguścik’s Pastels album was chosen as one of the best albums of 1998 by National Public Radio listeners. The prestigious European Jazz Forum Magazine named her the best Jazz vocalist of 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006. The Grażyna Auguścik Orkestral Universale Project, presented at Millenium Park in Chicago in 2006 received a standing ovation. Her Chopin World Sound concert in 2010 that gathered over 10,000 people in Chicago’s Millenium Park was chosen as one of the 10 most important performances during the last three decades in the Chicago area. “She’s a music machine” declared C. Loudon of the Jazz Times.
Friday, December 4, 2015 | 8:00 p.m.
Urbaniak & Auguscik In Concert
Copernicus Center
5216 W Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL 60630
Tickets: $25-45 at www.ticketfly.com
[Sources: press release from polishmuseumofamerica.org, copernicuscenter.org]