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Polish jazz great Michał Urbaniak to be laid to rest at Warsaw’s Powązki Cemetery

07.01.2026 09:15
Michał Urbaniak, the prominent Polish jazz violinist and saxophonist who died last month at the age of 82, will be buried in a state funeral at Warsaw’s Military Powązki Cemetery on Wednesday.
Michał Urbaniak, pictured in September 2024.
Michał Urbaniak, pictured in September 2024.Photo: PAP/Marian Zubrzycki

Urbaniak died on December 20, a week after giving an interview in which he announced plans for a film about his life and musical career.

He will be laid to rest in the cemetery’s Avenue of the Meritorious—the final resting place of celebrated writers, actors, musicians and public figuresnext to the grave of another Polish jazz icon, Jan 'Ptaszyn' Wróblewski, a saxophonist and composer who died in May 2024, aged 88.

Urbaniak was widely viewed as one of the most influential figures in the history of Polish jazz.

He worked closely with the likes of Miles Davis, Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul, Billy Cobham and Stéphane Grappelli, and performed at venues such as New York's Carnegie Hall.

He recorded dozens of albums under his own name and composed soundtracks for films and incidental music for the theatre.

In 1992, the influential jazz magazine DownBeat ranked Urbaniak first in five categories, placing him among the genre's top global performers.

(mk/gs)