The day before Polish Radio 3 ran what turned out to be his last regular programme Trzy kwadranse jazzu (Three Quarters of Jazz). Most probably the longest-running music programme in the history of Polish broadcasting, it was launched by ‘Ptaszyn’ Wróblewski in 1970.
‘Ptaszyn’ Wróblewski made his professional debut in 1956, playing baritone saxophone in the Krzysztof Komeda Sextet.
Two years later, he was selected as the Polish representative to the International Newport Band, which played at the prestigious Newport Festival and whose guest stars included the likes of Louis Armstrong.
In a career spanning almost seven decades, ‘Ptaszyn’ Wróblewski performed at all the top jazz festivals, including those in Kongsberg, Norway; Ahus, Sweden; Pori, Finland; Nuremberg, Germany; and Szekesfehervar, Hungary.
He led many jazz combos, working closely with all of Poland’s jazz greats such as Tomasz Stańko, Zbigniew Namysłowski, Michał Urbaniak, Zbigniew Seifert, Andrzej Trzaskowski, Włodzimierz Nahorny, Adam Makowicz, Janusz Muniak, and Wojciech Karolak.
A highly versatile musician, ‘Ptaszyn’ Wróblewski’s was also a popular composer of songs and film soundtracks, as well as of symphonic music, his output including a concerto for orchestra and jazz quartet and a concerto for tenor saxophone and orchestra.
Jazz pianist and composer Włodek Pawlik told the media that the passing of ‘Ptaszyn’ Wróblewski is a sad day for the Polish jazz community.
“He was an icon, a legend, one of those who laid the foundations for the popularity of jazz in Poland," Pawlik said. "We all learnt something from him."
(mk/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP
Click on the audio player above for a report by Radio Poland's Marcin Matuszewski.