Man of the Light

Legendary violinist Zbigniew Seifert’s biography is now also available in English.

“Man Of The Light.  The Life and Work of Zbigniew Seifert” comes complete with a unique CD –  first release of a recording by the Zbigniew Seifert-Richie Beirach duo from 1976. The biography overflows with photographs, scans of memorabilia, and posters. It was written by Aneta Norek-Skrycka, president of the Zbigniew Seifert Foundation and director of the International Zbigniew Seifert Jazz Violin Competition in Krakow. The book’s editor is Robert Curry, a one-time English editor of JAZZ FORUM.

The book and CD are available at only € 12 from https://seifertcompetition.com/en/store/product_detail/535.

Author’s Preface

Zbigniew Seifert (born in Cracow, Poland on  June 7, 1946; died in Buffalo, USA, on February 15, 1979 of cancer) was a jazz violinist of genius and founder of an original style. Fascinated with the music of John Coltrane, he made it his aim to “translate” into the language of the violin what he loved most in the saxophone music of his master. The very nature of his instrument, his classical-music education and (some suggest) his “Slav soul” all contributed to making Seifert’s achievements far broader than might be suggested by the sobriquet “the Coltrane of the jazz violin”. Several decades after his death, audiences still admire the virtuosity, emotional depth and intensity of his music. The astonishing emotional ardour of Seifert’s music, particularly in his final years, conveyed the immediacy of his lifetime passion and his struggle in the face of imminent death. In the race against time, he had to work with maximum efficiency to obtain optimal results, first go. He was robbed of time to see all his artistic dreams come true.

Seifert’s place in the pantheon of world jazz giants is unquestionable. As a great fan of his music, I decided several years ago to organise all the collected materials into a logical whole and share my enthusiasm with readers. The first edition of my biography of Zbigniew Seifert came out in 2009, and coincided with the “Zbigniew Seifert in Memoriam” festival held to mark the 30th anniversary of his death. I collected material for the book over a period of five years, initially as part of my diploma work at the Academy of Music in Cracow towards a thesis entitled, “The Influence of Karol Szymanowski’s Music on the Work of Zbigniew Seifert, Eminent Jazz Violinist,” which I submitted in 2006. Later, when preparing the first edition of the present book (2009), I conducted further research in Polish and German libraries.

The book presents Seifert’s life and work in chronological order. I have tried to include as much relevant information as necessary to make the publication as complete and accurate as possible. Much of the text consists of quotations from documents of the period; they will also serve to familiarise readers with contemporaneous life and times.

The CD enclosed with the first edition of “Man Of The Light.  The Life and Work of Zbigniew Seifert”featured his Jazz Concerto for Violin, Symphony Orchestra and Rhythm Section as well as an interview conducted in 1978 by Antoni Krupa a reporter of Radio Cracow. This second edition of the book comes with a unique, 1976 recording of the Zbigniew Seifert – Richie Beirach Duo never before released and known only to tiny audience of experts. Richie Beirach donated this recording to the Zbigniew Seifert Foundation and gave permission for its release with the book.

My biography of Zbigniew Seifert is intended to be a repository of factual information concerning one of the most interesting figures in the history of world jazz. It is my hope that everyone interested in the life and work of the great jazz violinist will find it of some use.

Aneta Norek-Skrycka