Jan Malisz's father, Józef, worked as a wedding fiddler as far back as the 1930s. He passed on his music playing skills, as well as his instrument, to Jan, who eventually founded his own band. Józef also gave his son some lessons in accordion and mandolin. The band also uses a baraban (drum) which Józef Malisz made back in the 1950s. Having spent years with various bands from the Pogórze region, Jan was able to learn many tunes from older musicians. Nevertheless, the lessons from his father ended up having the most influence on him.
My father always told me: play whatever you want. And if you have nothing to play, just make up new tunes. When you know how to create melodies, you will have as many of them as you want, and you won't need to learn from anyone else.
– Jan Malisz said on the air of the Polish Radio Programme II.
That explains why his band plays so many original compositions. Apart from Jan, the core lineup of the band includes his children, Kacper (fiddle) and Zuzanna (cello, drum, vocals). In its expanded form, the band also features Edyta Marć (drum and vocals) and Jan's another son, Dariusz (double bass). The idea was that the smaller line-up would perform traditional tunes from the Żywiec region, while the large one – music from the Carpathians.
Kapela Maliszów draws inspiration from the traditional music of the Carpathian peoples. It also reaches for the Balkan traditions (from Romania, Serbia, Macedonia). More recently, the band turned to the music of its original region – the border of Beskids and Pogórze – and started focusing on traditional dances and ditties from the Gorlice county.
– they write about themselves on their Soundcloud page.