presents

Piotr Baron
Saxophone
Piotr Baron is a graduate of the Academy of Music in Wrocław and made his debut in 1977. In 1978 he was awarded as a soloist at the Jazz nad Odrą festival. In 1980 he was awarded the second prize at the same festival. In 1984, he won the soloist Grand Prix at the San Sebastián Jazz Aldia festival in Spain.
In 1998 he was the concertmaster (first alto saxophone) of the EBU Big Band in Stockholm. He took part in a number of projects on the border of jazz and classical music, incl. in the series "Monada" by Cezary Duchnowski, the symphonic poem "Sceny z Macondo" by Jacek Niedziela-Meira or the suite "Looking for Balance" by Krzysztof Herdzin.
He was a co-founder of the Traveling Birds Quintet. He is currently the leader of a trio, quartet and quintet. In addition, he cooperates with leading European jazz groups (including Piotr Wojtasik Group, Jaromir Honzak Quartet East).
He composed music for theater including Wrocław Puppet Theater, National Stary Theater in Kraków, Słupsk Dramatic Theater, Wrocław Contemporary Theater.
He has been featured in over 100 albums including with Art Farmer, Eddie Henderson, Victor Lewis and John Hicks. He is the creator of ten original projects: Take One (1995), Tango (1996), Blue Rain (1997), Bogurodzica (2000), Reference (2004) - an album recorded in New York and Salve Regina (2007) - an album recorded in Pasadena in collaboration with Ishmael "Wadada" Leo Smith - trumpet, Darek "Oles" Oleszkiewicz - double bass and Marvin "Smitty" Smith - drums.
Piotr's next projects were Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus(2008), recorded in November 2007 with Michał Tokaj, Michał Barański, Łukasz Żyta and special guests: Natalia Niemen, Mieczysław Szcześniak, Piotr Wojtasik and Tomas Celis Sanchez; Kaddish (2011), Jazz na Hrade (2012), Wodecki Jazz (2019), Traveling Birds Quintet.
He worked as a teacher and lecturer in saxophone, jazz harmony and improvisation at the Jazz Institute of the State Higher Vocational School in Nysa, at the Wrocław School of Jazz and Popular Music, as well as at the Jazz Faculty of IKSM at the University of Zielona Góra.
Piotr conducted open jazz lectures in the USA at the University Of California Irvine, California Institute Of The Arts in Valencia, at Ankara Bilkent University in Turkey, at the Kunst Universitaet Graz in Austria, he taught at summer jazz workshops in Prague, Lviv and many Polish cities.
From 1994 to 2011 he hosted his own program on Polish Radio Wrocław, and from 2012 to today on radioJAZZ.fm. Reviewer and journalist (including "Jazz Forum"), author of several scientific publications.
From December 2015 to August 2018, he worked at the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage as an advisor to the Undersecretary of State and Deputy Director of the Department. From September 2018, he was appointed director of the Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra.
In recognition of his position and merits, Piotr Baron became the company artist of Cannonball Musical Instruments, Drake Mouthpieces and D'Addario Woodwinds.
For a quarter of a century, Piotr has been at the forefront of the "Jazz Top" poll of the "Jazz Forum" magazine in the tenor and soprano saxophone category.
Nominated for the "Fryderyk" award as the musician of the year in 2000, 2004 and 2009, and in the album of the year category, "Bogurodzica" and "Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus" were nominated.
For the thirtieth anniversary of his artistic work, Piotr Baron was awarded the Bronze Medal for Merit to Culture - Gloria Artis and the Honorary Badge of the Polish Jazz Association.
In 2018, he was awarded the Silver Medal for Merit to Culture - Gloria Artis.

You can listen to Piotr Baron on the following album(s)/song(s):
Emerald Jazz Forest
Desert Moon - Live
Dance of the Hermit - Live
Sacred Insanity - Live

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