When I was 15 years old I became friends with Robert. I must have met Roberts long time neighbor Jan Minkiewicz not long after. Jan, or Boris as everybody I knew called him, was Polish but lived in the Netherlands from a very young age. That didn’t stop him from feeling great commitment to the situation in Poland and it’s citizens. He was the official spokesman for Solidarnosc in West Europe during the 80’s and always remained a true activist. 

He would come to parties or watch Ajax games with us and although he was the age of my parents, he had a very youthful energy about him, always cheerful and ready to tell a story. I have great memories of talking to him about music and football, or just joking around.

In 2014, Jan died suddenly from a cardiac arrest. He was only 68, much too young for someone so full of life and energy. About a year and a half ago, I was at a dinner where I spoke to Jan’s wife Barbara. She knows I’m a big jazz fan and since Jan also was a big jazz enthusiast, she invited me to come and visit her to have a look at the collection of records she had lying around. This mix is a selection of the music I took home after that visit. Most of the artist are Polish and were unknown to me before hearing these records, but I’m very happy about the music I got to hear because of Barbara’s amazingly kind gesture. Here’s to you Boris!

Boris' Record Collection - Mix February 2021

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Boris' Record Collection - Mix February 2021

Jesse Koolhaas