Makowicz-Medyna-Dingler Jazz Ensemble at Blue Note Jazz Festival in NYC

Blue Note Jazz Festival is proud to welcome iconic Polish pianist Adam Makowicz with his esteemed group, the MAKOWICZ-MEDYNA-DINGLER Jazz Ensemble, for a special event presented by INGLOT, the festival’s presenting sponsor and one of the world’s leading cosmetic brands.

Adam Makowicz, Polish-American pianist and composer living in the New York area. He performs jazz and classical piano pieces, as well as his own compositions. Besides playing solo, he has worked with such musicians among many as Earl Hines, Ben Webster, Phil Woods, Jack DeJohnette, as well as with the National Symphony of Washington DC, at the Kennedy Centre, at the Carnegie Hall, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London, the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, and other major orchestras at concert halls in the Americas and in Europe. His technical skills as jazz pianist have been compared to that of Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, and Erroll Garner, among others.

He studied classical music at the Chopin Conservatory of Music in Kraków. Overcoming cultural restrictions under communism, he developed a passion for modern jazz. At the time, political freedom and improvisation were disapproved of by the pro-Soviet authorities. Nonetheless, he embarked on a new professional life by switching from a career of a classical pianist to that of a touring jazz pianist. After years of hardship, Makowicz got a regular gig at a small jazz club in the cellar of a house in Kraków.

By the mid-1970s, Makowicz established himself as one of the leading pianists in Europe. He was named the "Best jazz pianist" by the readers of Jazz Forum magazine, and was awarded a gold medal for his contribution to the arts.

In 1977 Makowicz went on a 10-week concert tour of the United States, produced by John Hammond. At that time he recorded a solo album entitled Adam on CBS. In 1978 he settled in New York. Since that time he has recorded over 30 CDs in America and Europe.

Krystof Medyna (saxophone) began his musical career at age 5. His mother was a trained classical pianist and his grandfather a conductor. From 1975-1978, Krystof lived and performed in Scandinavia. Upon his return to Poland, he founded the group Breakwater, with pianist Andrzej Winnicki. At the 1979 Jazz nad Odra Jazz Festival in Wroclaw, Poland, Breakwater won the award for Best Group, and Krystof won the award for best solo instrumentalist.

Krystof has been living Stateside since 1982. Since then, he has been performing in the New York area with such musicians as Greg Maker, Fukushi Tainaka, Jeremy Pelt, Rodney Holmes, Nasheet Waits, Scott Colley, and Drew Gress, among others. In 1993, again with Andrzej Winnicki, Krystof reestablished Breakwater, this time as a Polish-American group. In 1999, the group recorded its first album, In The Bush, under its new name, Electric Breakwater. In The Bush features bassist Mark Egan and drummer Rodney Holmes.

In autumn 2002, Krystof and Andrzej formed a new group, Komeda Project. In 2007, the group took to the stage to promote their newly released album, Crazy Girl. The Quintet continued on to perform at Trumpet Jazz Club, Van Gogh’s Ear, Cornelia Street Cafe, and the Williamsburg Jazz Festival. In 2009 they released their second album as Komeda Project, entitled Requiem.

By the end of 2017 as WM Project (Winnicki-Medyna) they released the album From A Familiar Place featuring Jeremy Pelt and Marshall Gilkes.

Born in 1986 in New York City, Jeff Dingler is a bass player and composer. His bass work has seen him included in a variety of settings covering a wide range of genres of music. From straight ahead jazz with The Nelson Riddle Orchestra, to Macedonian rhythms with Brad Shepik’s Balkan Peppers, all the way to Ethiopian folk styles of The Addis Acoustic Project. Jeff’s recent album “In Transit” has received acclaim worldwide for its blending of straight ahead jazz and Ethiopian folk music. Jeff served for two years as professor of jazz studies at Mekene Yesus University in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and holds a Master of Music degree from NYU.