Mietek sets the poetry of the great Jan Twardowski  on the occasion of the poet's centennial -to wonderful Brazilian inspired music, with a great crew of Brazilian, Polish, and American musicians and engineers. 
music: Mietek Szczesniak, poetry: Jan Twardowski
guitars: Paulinho Garcia, percussion: Heitor Garcia, Geraldo de Oliveira, piano: Leandro Lopez, bg vocals: Paulinho Garcia, Grazyna Auguscik, strings arranged by Marcin Pospieszalski and Lidla Pospieszalska, string quartet:Monika Wrzos, Jadwiga Dyla-violin
Jolanta Brandys- viola
Wioletta Marecka-cello
recorded in Chicago with Steve Rashid, Woodside Avenue Studios
and The Longhouse in Los Angeles with Rob Hoffman and Wendy Waldman 
and Czestochowa, Poland with Robert Szydlo

NIEROWNI

ABOUT MIETEK



Mietek, a critically acclaimed recording artist and established superstar in Poland, has achieved notable milestones throughout his career: having begun working as a young singer during the difficult and repressive days of communism--survived very hard years, ultimately winning many festival competitions throughout Poland and Europe, and finally the right to record his own music--to be considered today a national treasure in Poland. 

His newest studio recording, Signs, is his first English language album, written and  co-produced with the GRAMMY®-nominated American songwriter/producer Wendy Waldman. Recorded on two continents with a crew of brilliant Polish and American musicians and writers - is a panoramic collection of songs reflecting influences ranging in content from Slavic and Eastern music to American-style gospel tracks recorded with the legendary HB Barnum and Life Choir in Los Angeles - the album's bold vision casts Mietek as storyteller and guide to a musical world without borders. During the album's sessions, Barnum (who has arranged music for icons such as Aretha Franklin, Donna Summer, Frank Sinatra and numerous others) noted to Mietek and Waldman that they are "building a new culture" with this powerful new project. 

When Waldman met Mietek on a songwriting exchange program in January 2007, she was instantaneously taken with his enormous talent and heart and having worked with many fine musicians,  she knew without a doubt that in Mietek she had met one of the greatest artists of our times. They worked on the album Signs for several years, commuting between the States and Poland. Waldman believes that Mietek’s is a new and fresh voice which needs to be heard worldwide.

Hailing from the ancient city of Kalisz, one of the oldest in Europe, Mietek  grew up under communism, and started singing in front of live audiences at the age of six. In his teens, he began attracting attention as a very gifted singer. At the age of twenty one, he made his official debut at the Polish Song Festival, where he won the main prize. He continued participating in international festivals around the world, from Alma–Ata, Russia, Turkey, Hong Kong,  and Israel to most of the European countries and the USA. However, he was still not “allowed” to record his own album for several years. When he finally did, in 1990, he hit the charts immediately and became a singing star in newly liberated Poland.  Mietek has released numerous hit records as an artist as well as a songwriter for other acts. There are countless YouTube videos, songs, and excellent musical projects of all types on the Internet today reflecting his wide scope of musical talent and interest.

Together with Edyta Gorniak, Mietek recorded "Dumka na Dwa Serca," the most popular Polish film soundtrack song of all time and a vocal tour-de-force for both artists. The track cemented Mietek's reputation as the finest male singer in Poland, an opinion which is widely held today. Polish audiences everywhere know and love Mietek - he sings with choirs, orchestras, for children, with other artists, for charity, on television, in concert - his distinctive and soulful voice can be heard on TV soundtracks, in video games, church programs, jazz festivals and of course, on pop radio. 

Western audiences have had very limited exposure to the great modern artists from Eastern Europe until now, some countries more than others--particularly Poland. These superb talents have been locked behind decades of communism and its aftermath and the restrictions placed on them as they developed. Mietek says that growing up, neither he nor any of his artist friends ever dreamed about coming to the west because it was almost impossible to get a passport--but they studied everything they could get their hands on, and as a result, there is a rich musical world waiting to be discovered in Poland and beyond.  Mietek was allowed to travel as a representative of Poland in various European contests, but true interaction with western musicians is only now beginning.  Poland’s democracy is 24 years old--and the collaboration between these stupendous musicians and our own artists here in America will be growing as time goes by.  Mietek is the face and voice of that new collaboration.

As a Pole, he sits at the crossroads of many rich musical traditions, both eastern and western, all of which appear in his masterful and soulful vocal style, the production values in his recordings, his superb songwriting, and the wide variety of artists with whom he has collaborated. His insatiable curiosity to explore new musical worlds has led him to work in many fields:  world music, pop, gospel, jazz, classical, soul, funk, and Brazililan music. His influences come both from the west and the east--a passion for American pop and jazz combines with a love of Arabic and Asian music, all reflected in his vocal approach.

It is time for the world to hear Mietek.





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