Mazowiecki Instytut Kultury (Mazovian Institute of Culture) invites you to the November meeting of the Record-Book Discussion Club (Dyskusyjny Klub Płytowo-Książkowy), which will be dedicated to the person of the outstanding Polish jazz saxophonist, Krzysztof Medyna. The event will take place on November 16, 2026, at 19:00 at the Czytelni Słów i Dźwięków Elektra (Electra Library of Words and Sounds), located at 12 Elektoralna Street. The aim of the meeting is to discuss the artist's autobiography, published in 2024, titled "Krotochwile, saksofon i jazz, czyli całe moje życie" (Krotochwile, Saxophone and Jazz, or My Whole Life).
About the Event and the Book
The conversation with the guest will be moderated by Elżbieta Szymańska from the Mazovian Institute of Culture. Admission to this event is completely free, allowing for open participation by the audience interested in jazz and the history of Polish culture. The DKKP (Record-Book Discussion Club) cycle aims to promote physical media of word, image, and sound, with monthly meetings alternating between musical and literary publications.
The book, which will serve as a prelude to the conversation, is a story of a musician's extraordinary fate. Medyna's autobiography covers the period from his childhood in post-war Poland, through the years spent in the realities of the Polish People's Republic (PRL) and attempts to cross borders, to life in exile in New York jazz clubs. It is not only a chronicle of a musical career but also a history of Poland and America interspersed with humor, coincidences, friendships, and difficult choices. The text was created based on conversations conducted with the musician by Mariusz A. Wolf, who ensured the preservation of the hero's natural, personal tone of speech, creating a coherent and colorful narrative. The publication is addressed to both jazz lovers and those interested in Polish emigration stories and 20th-century history seen from the perspective of an individual.
Krzysztof Medyna's Biography
Krzysztof Medyna was born in 1949 in Jelenia Góra. His interest in music and talent manifested themselves in childhood, initially on the piano, and later on the clarinet. He was led to the world of jazz by Willis Conover's radio broadcasts from the Voice of America Jazz Hour, which were important for an entire generation. In the early 1960s, the artist moved to Szczecin, where he developed his skills in the local jazz environment, among others in the groups Pocztylion Band and Bryczka Cioci Filomeny.
Medyna began his professional career in the early 1970s. He refined his playing during jazz workshops in Chodzież under the guidance of Zbigniew Seifert. He played with such formations as Janusz Weiss's quintet and the Quidam Jazz Quartet. In 1978, together with pianist Andrzej Winnicki, he founded the band Breakwater, which performed in jazz clubs across Poland, including Warsaw's Akwarium, as well as at famous festivals such as Jazz Jamboree and Zaduszki Jazzowe (Jazz Requiem).
An important moment in the artist's biography was his emigration to the United States in January 1982. In New York, he established cooperation with numerous musicians, including Rodney Holmes, Jeremy Pelt, and Nasheet Waits. In 1992, the band Breakwater was reborn in an American lineup, performing in prestigious venues such as The Five Spot, Bar 55, and Zanzibar. Archival recordings from that period served as material for the release of the album "Live in New York City 1993–95."
A special place in Medyna's creative work was occupied by the music of Krzysztof Komeda. In 2002, together with Andrzej Winnicki, the saxophonist founded the Kwintet Komeda Project, with which he recorded the album "Crazy Girl". The formation's next achievement was the 2009 album "Requiem". This album gained critical acclaim and, in a ranking by the New York weekly "Village Voice", it placed on the list of the 100 best jazz albums of that year. This event underscores the significance of Medyna's work in the international context of the jazz scene.