Jazz pianist, born on 24 February 1974 in Warsaw.
Michał Tokaj is a graduate of the Karol Szymanowski Primary and Secondary School of Music in Warsaw (1993). In 1998 he graduated from the Jazz and Entertainment Music Faculty at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice.
He made his debut in 1993 with the Kazimierz Jonkisz Quartet. In 1995 together with the band Joint Venture and in 1997 with the Marcin Żupański band he gained the 1st position at the Jazz Juniors Festival in Kraków . In 1999 he won the International Jazz Improvisation Competition in Katowice.
Michał Tokaj performed in Europe and in the USA. He worked with Jan "Ptaszyn" Wróblewski, Ewa Bem, Henryk Miśkiewicz and Eddie Henderson. Since 2001 he has been teaching at the Frederick Chopin Music School Complex in Warsaw. In 2002 he was nominated for the Fryderyk Prize (called the "Polish Grammy") in the category "Jazzman of the Year". He has cooperated frequently with the quintet of the Czech bass player Jaromir Honzak, with whom he recorded the album Present Past which in 2003 received the "Andel" prize and that of the Czech magazine "Harmonie" for the best jazz album of the year. In 2004 with the Japanese record publishing house Gats Production he recorded a CD entitled Bird Alone, performed with double-bass player Darek Oleszkiewicz and drummer Łukasz Żyta.
Projects:
- Michał Tokaj Trio (Dariusz Oleszkiewicz - bass, Łukasz Żyta - drums)
Selected discography:
- Michał Tokaj Trio "Bird Alone" (Gats Production, 2004)
- My Lullaby, with Agnieszka Skrzypek
- Sny / Dreams, with Grzegorz Karnas
- Present Past, with Jaromir Honzak Quintet
Opinions:
Michał Tokaj Trio "Bird Alone"
"It is the most important surprise of the last months. The record which comes to us from Japan, but was recorded in Poland. The first minutes show quality of sound and narration of Michał Tokaj (...) Extraordinary Dariusz Oleszkiewicz and Łukasz Żyta! Slow narration of Michał Tokaj leaves a lot of space for partners." (Tomasz Szachowski, Jazz Forum Magazine)
Author: Marek Romański, January 2009