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Antoni Gralak – from fascination by The Beatles’ guitar tunes, through experiments with jazz and rock, to spiritual searches for sound at the linkage of cultures – his career is a story of artistic independence, courage, and constant need for exploration.
Antoni Gralak – career beginning
Antoni ‘Ziut’ Gralak was born in 1955 in Boguszów-Gorce. He grew up and had his first contacts with music in Częstochowa. Eventually he became one of the most popular Polish jazz trumpeters, however, his first inspirations came from a different kind of music. He listened to The Beatles, which resulted in igniting a love for rock music in his heart. The first instrument that Gralak learned to play was not a trumpet, but a guitar. He practiced on a guitar, playing songs by the most popular music artists of that time.
As we know now, ‘Ziut’ did not stick to rock music. In his youth, he was looking for his musical path and eventually became interested in jazz. Fascinated by this genre, he wanted to hear it live. After seeing performances by Tomasz Stańko and Zbigniew Namysłowski, he came to the conclusion that jazz in its essence can be more demanding, so to get to know it, he had to learn it.
100nka GRALAK – Snoo Fee
Antoni Gralak began his studies at the Pop Music Faculty at The Academy of Music in Katowice. As he himself claims, however, he learned the most through practice. He joined a band founded by another student, Włodzimierz Zuterek. The young musicians, with knowledge gained during their studies, past musical experiences and, above all, love for music, achieved success, winning the 1976’s Festiwal Orkiestr Jazzowych in Poznań.
Gralak’s impressive performance resulted in a job offer, to play in the orchestra, from the famous Polish jazzman Jerzy Milian. Ultimately, however, their collaboration did not last long due to their different approaches to jazz music. Additionally, as the artist admits, he partied a lot at that time, what complicated both playing in the band and his education at the university. He was eventually expelled from both.
Antoni Gralak – jazz
After his adventure with the Orkiestra Rozrywkowa Polskiego Radia i Telewizji in Katowice (Milian’s band), Gralak returned to Częstochowa. There he joined a band that clearly pushed his musical career forward and gave him first recognition – Tie Break. Other members of the band were Czesław Łęk, Krzysztof Majchrzak and Janusz ‘Yanina’ Iwański. The group was formed in 1979 and was known for experimenting with jazz, funk, rock and new wave. Gralak joined the band in its early period. Tie Break with Gralak won the first prize at the Jazz Juniors festival in 1980, thus becoming recognizable among jazz fans. The band’s debut album was released many years after its formation – only in 1989.
At that time, Gralak did not limit himself to Tie Break, also joining the band Free Cooperation. It was a large jazz band that combined elements of free jazz, electronics, and other musical genres. This orchestra was composed of avant-garde artists, and one of its main goals was to put some freshness into jazz music.
Another band that Antoni ‘Ziut’ Gralak played in was Young Power. This group performed at the Jazz nad Odrą festival in 1986, receiving positive reviews. Encouraged by the good reviews, the musicians decided to use the fruitfulness of their cooperation and continued playing and creating music together. The work in Young Power resulted in the band’s performances at many festivals in Western Europe. Over the years, the group released three albums:
- Young Power (1987)
- Nam Myo Ho Renge Kyo (1989)
- Man of Tra (1991)
Gralak’s musical successes made him decide to lead his own band. He founded two music groups: Graal (1990s) and YeShe. With the former, Antoni Gralak recorded six albums. The band combined jazz improvisation with free-funk and rock expression and various ethnic traditions, giving the whole thing a grotesque-psychedelic-ludic sound. This band played an important role in the Polish jazz scene, introducing new sounds and combining various musical traditions.
YeShe is Antoni Gralak’s second original project, founded in 2001. It combines elements of jazz, electronics, ethnic music and contemporary improvisation, creating a unique sound on the border of nu jazz, drum’n’bass and club music. The group released three albums:
- Universal (2000)
- YeShe (2003)
- Piastowska 1 (2012)
Ziut currently
Antoni Gralak has played in many bands throughout his career, playing both larger and smaller roles. He stays in touch with many of the bands he collaborated with in the second half of the 20th century to this day.
Although Gralak has long been active off the mainstream, his work after 2010 shows that he is not slowing down – he continues to surprise with new projects that can move and intrigue listeners. One of Gralak’s most important projects in the 21st century was the album Primitivo, recorded in collaboration with Bartłomiej Oleś. The album refers to archetypal rhythms and sounds. This music is deeply immersed in spiritual and cultural sources – inspired by Africa, Mexico and Tibet, among others – and at the same time strongly rooted in the European tradition of improvisation.
Antoni Gralak – Ganga
In 2022, Gralak presented his musical skills in the band 100nka on the album No.1. He created this project together with younger musicians: Tomasz Leś, Adam Stodolski and Przemysław Borowiecki. The effect of their cooperation is a raw, organic sound, rooted in acoustic tunes and full of improvisation. The album is a testimony to Gralak’s musical maturity, as well as his constant curiosity and willingness to take artistic risks.
In parallel with his studio activity, Gralak actively performs, taking part in many prestigious music events. He constantly tests the boundaries – both of his own possibilities and the definition of music. His work proves that artistic freedom and consistency in action can go hand in hand, creating space for an authentic, deep message.
Article: Paweł Skarzyński
Translate: Natalia Walentyńska
Photos: Facebook artysty
