Piotr Zabrodzki

Singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer. One of the key figures of the Warsaw independent scene and perhaps its most versatile member.

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Born in 1982 in Warsaw, Piotr Zabrodzki graduated from the Frederic Chopin State Music School. He studied there as a pianist, though today he is proficient in a wide range of instruments. There was even an urban legend spread through independent music circles that the musician was thrown out of the Dadaistic band Kwadratowi, since the band’s artistic vision was to have its members play instruments they couldn't handle. Supposedly, Zabrodzki didn't fit in because he was too good at anyone he chose. The artist, however, dismisses this rumour: 'As a saxophonist, I fit in perfectly'.

If there were a festival dedicated to Zabrodzki's work, it would have to last at least a week, and it would attract audiences who would otherwise never meet at a concert. Although many associate him with bands related to the independent label Lado ABC, the artist also has substantial accomplishments in the reggae and dancehall scene. As Mista Pita, he co-founded the group Cinq G, with whom he released four albums. Tomasz Plata reviewed their debut album P.I.Ę.Ć.G.I.E. Panama (2004), in Gazeta Wyborcza:

Cinq G has everything to capture the minds of big-city teenagers: brilliance, brazenness, catchy choruses.

When asked about this period in his career, Zabrodzki replied, 'The band came about quite spontaneously. I was and still am a huge fan of Caribbean music. What did this experience bring? A lot of joy and many interesting acquaintances'.

In Cinq G, Zabrodzki met rapper Duże Pe, for whom he made guest appearances on the albums Cisza & Spokój (Quiet & Peace) and Zapiski z Życia na Terytorium Wroga (Notes from Life in the Enemy’s Territory). As Mista Pita, he also sang on the EP Obywatele IV Świata (Fourth World Citizens) by Masala Soundsystem, a group Duże Pe co-founded. Zabrodzki has also worked on albums by other Polish reggae and dancehall artists. He can be heard on Dread za Dreadem by Dreadsquad and Plenty by Marika. As a keyboard player, he took part in the recording sessions for solo albums by Natalia and Paulina Przybysz.

Various genres and instruments

At the same time that he was working on albums that explored reggae and R&B, Zabrodzki was involved in groups specialising in jazz, noise and avant-garde. In 2006, with his band Blast Muzungu, he recorded the album Gaijin Gabba, a mixture of grindcore and free jazz in the style of Naked City. Next year he released the album Karakany, recorded as a duet with avant-garde Japanese drummer Tatsuya Yoshida. He played piano and bass guitar on the album.

The most surprising amongst Zabrodzki's collaborative albums, however, was probably Namanga. He joined forces with the doyen of Polish avant-garde, tubist Zdzisław Piernik. Comprising of Zabrodzki's compositions the album was released in 2008. Zabrodzki recalled:

I met him through my friend, composer Janek Komar. He is a charming man, as well as an extraordinary, outstanding musician. Cooperation with him went very well. Some parts were performed from notes I wrote, whilst in others, I asked for improvisation. I should add that Mr Piernik is a great improviser.

Moving around different musical styles, Zabrodzki often also changed instruments. On subsequent records, we can hear him as a pianist, bassist and vocalist. Reaching back to pre-war music, he plays the banjola, whereas when remixing Herbie Hancock, he uses a variety of synthesisers. He also plays the positive organ and all kinds of electronic instruments.

When I was still a teenager, I started practising the bass guitar and taking piano lessons at the same time. Ever since I was a child, I have also been fascinated by organs, both church and Hammond. I now play many instruments, including banjola, which I learned to play as a fully trained musician.

Back to the future

For Zabrodzki, the 2010s were marked primarily by musical projects realised under the umbrella of the independent record label Lado ABC. In 2010, Zabrodzki appeared on the album Disco Externo, where he played on almost a dozen instruments. Mariusz Herma wrote about it on the pages of Przekrój:

Immoderate in the variety of arrangements and compositional imagination, the quartet cultivates the tradition of drawing melodies directly from the world of cartoons and computer games.

Next year, Zabrodzki, in collaboration with Patryk Dąbrowski under the name Efekt Moozgu, recorded the electro-grindcore album Slumberjackin'. At the same time, the album Baaba Kulka was released to widespread acclaim. With Zabrodzki as bassist, Baaba collaborated with singer Gabriela Kulka to record bossa-nova-flavoured covers of Iron Maiden.

In Lado ABC's catalogue, there was also a place for the band LXMP, which Zabrodzki co-created with drummer Macio Moretti. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Herbie Hancock's classic album, the musicians recorded variations based on it, entitled Back to The Future Shock.

One of the editions of Unsound Festival, where we, as LXMP, were headlining, had 'Future Shock' as its motto. And that's why Macio came up with the Hancock idea. At Unsound, we presented our version of Herbie's album for the first time. Indeed, the degree to which the original album has been indeed wild is a controversial issue. The process of balancing between the original pieces and our reinterpretation was very much about finding the right proportions between boredom and madness.

Back to the past

Slightly absurd humour seems to be a vital element of Zabrodzki's artistic output. Enough to say that the artist has been changing the headwear in which he appears on stage even more often than he changes the instruments. Their variety is simply bewildering.

I started this habit at the International Jazz Workshop in Puławy in the mid-1990s. So far, the size of my collection has not caused any problems.

For this reason, it is sometimes difficult to decide whether to take some of Zabrodzki's statements entirely seriously. This can be seen when he spoke of his work on the album 1976: A Space Odyssey, on which the band Mitch & Mitch in an expanded line-up gave a new life to Zbigniew Wodecki's songs. It was undoubtedly the biggest commercial success of the Lado ABC label. When asked about lessons he learned from working with the wildly popular singer and instrumentalist, Zabrodzki responded as follows:

There is one practice that Zbychu taught me. He always paid great attention to the proper setting of the piano bench height. And he infected me with this.

Back in the 1990s, Zabrodzki met Jan Młynarski – vocalist, drummer, and son of the renowned poet and singer Wojciech Młynarski. The two musicians have been regularly working together with such bands as Baaba, Polonka (formerly: Pole), and as a duo. For the longest time, however, they have performed together in the Warszawskie Combo Taneczne group, which plays traditional, often pre-war folk songs, sticking to backyard instrumentation. The band has recorded four albums. For the record Sto lat Panie Staśku! dedicated to legendary bard Stanisław Grzesiuk, they received the prestigious Fryderyk Award in the category Album of the Year – Folk/World Music.

Written by Jan Błaszczak Nov 2021, edited by AZ Dec 2021.

contemporary polish jazz

polish jazz

jazz musician