He started his artistic career in the 1970's, working with bands such as Dżamble and August Trio. He moved to the United States in January 1981, where he spent two years living in New York. While there, he met Jaco Pastorius, Mike Clark and Robbie Gonzalez. Then in the mid-80's he moved to Canada, where he continued to gain musical experience and to make contacts with musicians that have served him well to this day. He performed in a variety of different bands, some of which he led. His primary musical interest lay in funk, rhythm & blues and jazz bands.
Since the 90's Kochan has been living in Poland. Although he had been leading bands since the 80's, his first recordings didn't appear until the beginning of the 90's. He recorded with Pat LaBarbera, John Abercrombie and Kenny Wheeler, with whom he was playing post-bop jazz. Together with Ed Schuller and Adam Pierończyk he also recorded the first Polish audiophile jazz album, Plastinated Black Sheep, on a golden CD. During this period Kochan was interested in the fusion experience, which is particularly apparent in John Abercrombie's lines.
At the beginning of the 21st century Kochan started to explore a type of music that blended jazz, electronica and club beats. The results can be heard on the records Double Life of a Chair, New Expensive Head and One Eyed Horse, as well as in the music of bands like Acoustic Jazz in Electronic Environment(AJEE) and Paansori Project.
Kochan has played as both sideman and leader with a number of musicians, including such prominent figures as Dave Liebman, Greg Osby, Marc Copland, John Abercrombie, Gary Thomas, Joey Calderazzo, Kenny Wheeler, Jerry Bergonzi, Eddie Henderson, Franz Hautzinger, Cuong Vu, Eivind Aarset, Zbigniew Namysłowski, Leszek Możdżer and Tomasz Stańko. His style is easy to identify – it is dense, explicit and filled with musical and rhythmic nuances.
Projects: Acoustic Jazz in Electronic Environment (AJEE), Paansori Project
Selected discography:
- Blue Rain (Power Bros, 1997)
- Corporate Highlanders (1993; with John Abercrombie)
- Tomorrow's Dreams (1994; with Kenny Wheeler)
- Gray Angel (1995; with Abercrombie and Jerry Bergonzim)
- Our Standards (1996; with Joe Calderazzo and Lars Danielsson)
- Standard Transmission (1997; with Abercrombie and LaBarbera)
- Alberta (1998; with Wheeler and Maciej Sikała)
- Plastinated Black Sheep (1999; with Eddie Schuller and Adam Pierończyk)
- Monorain (2001; with Pierończyk, Michel Donato and Jean Pierre Zanella)
- Double Life of a Chair (2002; with Palle Mikelborg and Briggan Krauss)
- Another Blowfish (2002; with Erik Vloeimans, Donato and Piotr Wojtasik)
- New Expensive Head (2003; with Cuong Vu, Eivind Aarset and Skerik)
- One Eyed Horse (2005; with Greg Osby and Franz Hautzinger)
- Man of No Words (2008; with Gary Thomas, Dominik Wania and Michał Barański)
Author: Marek Romański, January 2009.
