Krzysztof Komeda: Kraksa

A set of recordings made by Krzysztof Komeda at the Educational Film Studio in ?od?. Phenomenal jazz illustrations for three excellent films by Edward Etler from 1963-65 and an absolute rarity - film music performed by Komeda's Sextet from 1956!

In the first half of the 1960s, Krzysztof Komeda successfully divided his time between composing his own jazz music and performing it with his bands, and working on film scores. In this field, he also often drew on jazz forms and harmonies - which can be clearly heard, for example, in the educational films directed by Edward Etler. The music for Kraksa features poignant saxophone phrases, Okolice peronow intrigues with its subtlety, while Twarz wroga features trance motifs and almost free jazz escapades. The album is complemented by a sensational find: music recorded by Komeda's Sextet in 1956 for Stanis?aw Kokesz's film Mrowcze szlaki (Ant Trails). This was Komeda's first venture into film music, two years before he began working with Roman Polanski.

The recordings on the album have been remastered from the original tapes from the archives of the Educational Film Studio in ?od?. The booklet includes photos from the films and a sketch by Andrzej Winiszewski on Krzysztof Komeda's collaboration with the WFO. Kraksa continues a series of albums exploring the rich musical archives of the Educational Film Studio in ?od?. It is a multi-layered journey into a factory of the unexpected, where artists as diverse as Zdzis?aw Szostak, Wojciech Kilar, Henryk Ku?niak, and Jozef Skrzek with SBB discovered their potential.

1-7. Kraksa (1963)
8-16. Okolice peronow (1964)
17-21. Twarz wroga (1965)
22-24. Mrowcze szlaki (1956)