ADAM MAKOWICZ – a jazz legend, master of improvisation, piano virtuoso, and philanthropist. 

 European “Jazz Forum” magazine voted Adam a “Number One Jazz Pianist” six years in the row.

Adam was born in 1940 to Polish parents in Czech Silesia. From the age of six he was raised in Poland

 “I studied classical music at the Chopin Conservatory of Music in Krakow. In the mid-fifties I discovered Willis Conover and his broadcast of the “Music USA Jazz Hour” which was emitted every night by the Voice of America. It changed my life forever. I chose a new life of freedom and improvisation- considered by authorities to be ‘decadent’- over the career of a classical pianist my parents and teachers envisioned for me”. Adam made a strong impression when he first came to the U.S. and at the time, he was often compared to Art Tatum. Although his technique on Tatum’s level, Makowicz has long had his own style, mixing together different aspects of jazz, ranging from swing to hard bop.

Decorated with the Officer’s Cross of Merit of the Republic of Poland and many other important and respected acknowledgements, Adam recorded several dozens of albums and performed in the world’s best concert venues.Writing in the Toronto Star, Geoff Chapman summarized Adam’s considerable musical appeal: “A rare artist who grips and holds attention, Makowicz handles the classics of the American songbook with an aplomb equal to the way he deals with the devastatingly complex structures of his own compositions. A gifted improviser with splendid technical prowess, the pianist can also offer warmth and affection in melodic lines, the balance of fine taste, pungent swing and a jubilant approach inevitably generating audience cheer.” Each Fall for past several years, in the Silesian city of Ustron (Poland), Adam has performed sold out recitals with the sole purpose of rising funds destined to help in financing the medical therapies and professional assistance to children and young adults afflicted with brain injuries. Recently, Adam Makowicz joined the illustrious group of 400 most influential polish emigrants in the 400 years of the history of the USA.                               

“Adam will make the history books”

(Earl ‘Fatha’ Hines)

“Adam Makowicz is one of the three or four greatest living jazz pianists”

(Alistair Cooke, PBS commentator)

“Adam Makowicz has been praised by Benny Goodman, compared with Art Tatum, Errol Gardner and Teddy Wilson. Honored by jazz publications and toasted all over Europe as a genius. Mr.Makowicz’s fiery style,firm chording and rapid Tatumesque right hand phrasing make him more than deserving of the accolades he has received”

(Jim Fuselli, Wall Street Journal)

“Makowicz plays with beauty, compassion, and vision. He is one of the most phenomenally spectacular pianists in jazz”. (Hugh Wyatt, “New York Daily News”)

“Adam Makowicz is a magician of the keyboard.”

(W. R. Stokes, “Washington Post”)

“With a fertile imagination and an unlimited technique, he is not only an extraordinary pianist, he is also an unusual and fascinating composer.”

(Gene Lees, “Jazzletter”)

“Makowicz’s command of the piano is ultimate… He is the Liszt of jazz piano… a phenomenal player whose musicianship is on the highest level.”

(Stephen Pedersen, “The Mail-Star”, “The Chronicle-Herald”, Canada)

“By any standard,Makowicz is brilliant. And while legacy of Tatum resonates deeply, so too does Makowicz…. Makowicz is magical.”

(Chuck Berg, Jazz Times)

“Here is the most astonishingly gifted improviser to come along in a couple of decades. Adam is once in a lifetime.”

(Detroit News)