15 Facts About Krzysztof Komeda

Krzysztof Trzcinski, known professionally as Krzysztof Komeda, was a Polish film music composer and jazz pianist.

Krzysztof Komeda grew up in Czestochowa and Ostrow Wielkopolski where in 1950 he graduated from 'liceum for Boys'.

Krzysztof Komeda finished his six-year-long studies and obtained a medical doctor diploma in 1956.

Krzysztof Komeda took music lessons from early childhood; to become a virtuoso was his dream.

Krzysztof Komeda became a member of the Poznan conservatorium at the age of eight, but World War II thwarted his plans.

Krzysztof 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.

Krzysztof Komeda met Witold Kujawski, a graduate of the same school and active as a swing bass player, at the gymnasium in Ostrow Wielkopolski.

Some years later, it became clear why Krzysztof Komeda was fascinated with be-bop performed by Andrzej Trzaskowski.

Krzysztof Komeda appeared with Grzewinski on the I Jazz Festival in Sopot in August 1956, but he achieved success performing with saxophonist Jan "Ptaszyn" Wroblewski and vibraphonist Jerzy Milian, because dixieland did not meet Krzysztof Komeda's expectations at the time.

Krzysztof Komeda played jazz that related to European traditions and which was the synthesis of the two of the most popular American groups at that time: the Modern Jazz Quartet and the Gerry Mulligan Quartet.

Krzysztof Komeda was, above all, a constantly searching poet who could find ways of individual expression of himself within jazz, in Slavic lyricism, and in the traditions of Polish music.

Krzysztof Komeda visited Scandinavia for the first time in spring 1960, and he went back there every year thereafter.

Krzysztof Komeda wrote the music for Henning Carlsen's film The Cats.

Krzysztof Komeda stayed in Los Angeles in 1968 where he composed film music for Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby and Buzz Kulik's Riot.

In December 1968, in Los Angeles, Krzysztof Komeda had a tragic accident which led to a haematoma of the brain.