Born: March 27, 1936 in Kalisz, Poland
Early days. Wroblewski was born to lawyers’ family. In 1952 he graduated from Adam Asnyk Liceum in Kalisz. He attended simultaneously a Secondary Music School in Kalisz where he studied piano, clarinet and trumpet. Next he studied at the Farm Mechanization Department of Poznan Polytechnic and then at the Higher Musical School in Cracow. During his studies in Poznan he founded his own band and he also collaborated with Jerzy Milian Quintet. He graduated from the Secondary Music School in Kalisz in the clarinet and piano classes.
Professional career. He debuted in 1956 playing baritone saxophone in the Komeda Sextet in Poznan and in Sopot. In 1958 he was interviewed by George Wein, a US promoter of jazz, and as the result he was hired to the International Newport Band orchestra and as the only jazz musician from behind the Iron Curtain took part in the jazz festival in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. Later he appeared in several US cities as well as in Europe, Africa and India. From 1968 till 1978 he managed the Studio Jazzowe Polskiego Radia. His cooperation with Willis Conover led to creating a serial 3 kwadranse jazzu, which he led till 1970. He established or participated in many bands like: Jazz Believers (1958-1959), Andrzej Kurylewicz Quintet (1960-1961), Polish Jazz Quartet (1963-1966), Mainstream (1973-1977), SPPT Chalturnik (1970-77), Ptaszyn Wroblewski Quartet (1978-1984), Made In Poland (from 1993). He also composed film music and longer works: Wariant Warszawski – a concerto for orchestra, Maesteso cobinato – a concerto for a baritone saxophone and a symphony orchestra, a suite Czytanki na orkiestrę. He created a TV program Jan Ptaszyn Wroblewski prezentuje and promoted many young jazz musicians both in Poland and abroad. He has many recordings to his credit, his discography comprising over ten original albums and several dozen records on which he is featured. He gave concerts in Hungary, Yugoslavia, France, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, India, and the United States. At present he has his own sextet and - with Andrzej Jagodzinski - the band Czwartet.
Honors and awards. Golden Saxophone by the magazine "Dookoła Świata" (1958); Mateusz Swiecicki Prize (1996); honorary citizen of Kalisz (1999) and of Zamosc (2005); honorary Golden Washboard (2000); Golden Fryderyk prize for artistic life achievement; a Golden Medal “Zasluzony Kulturze ‘Gloria Artis’” (2006). In 2006 the publishing house "Książka i Wiedza" released a book about Jan "Ptaszyn" Wroblewski, "Globtroter" / "Globetrotter" by Jacek Wroblewski.
Selected discography. 1956 Sopot Jazz Festival;1958 All Stars Swingtet, Jazz Believers, Newport International Youth Band; 1960 Ptaszyn Wroblewski Quintet, Jazz Jamboree’60; 1961 Jazz Outsiders, Jerzy Milian Quintet + Jan Ptaszyn Wroblewski, Jazz Jamboree’61; 1962 Ballet Etudes: The Music of Komeda; 1963 Andrzej Kurylewicz Quintet; 1964 Polish Jazz Quartet; 1965 Ptaszyn Wroblewski Quartet, Jazz Jamboree’65; 1969 Polish Radio Jazz Studio; 1974 Sprzedawcy glonow; 1975 SPPT Chalturnik and Andrzej Rosiewicz; 1976 Skleroptak; 1977 Mainstream, Kisa Magnusson & Mainstream; 1978 Jam Session in Akwarium 1; 1980 Z lotu Ptaka; 983 New Presentation; 1989 Jan Ptaszyn Wroblewski: Polish Jazz; 1993, Live In Hades; 1995 Made in Poland; 1998 Henryk Wars Songs; 2005 Real Jazz; 2007 Supercalifragilistic.
Sources:
This article uses, among others, material from the Wikipedia article "Jan Wroblewski" licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. :
Wikipedia
and supplemented by the material from:
Ptaszyn Wroblewski homepage
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