The album, inspired by Polish folk tunes, is available on CD and on vinyl. Anna Maria Jopek will be making her way to Japan for a promo tour in April 2019. “My strong bond with Japan is thanks to Chopin, no kidding,” says Jopek. “The Japanese sensitivity to Polish scales and the Polish spirit of music has given me, a Pole singing in Polish, the opportunity to become listened to and understood to a greater degree than anywhere else in the world. I truly wish that “Ulotne” would give my Japanese listeners as much joy as signing beside one of the greatest masters of our times had given me.”
“Czas kobiety” [A Woman’s Time] has been released worldwide
Today marks the world digital premiere of “Czas Kobiety” by AMJ and Robert Kubiszyn. Let us remember that the recording is the soundtrack to Leszek Mądzik’s spectacle at Teatr Stary in Lublin. This is AMJ’s first CD without any words whatsoever. The concept ideally fits into her research on sound and exploration of new ways of singing. The project is released online today. DOWNLOAD
“Throughout Mądzik’s oeuvre, woman is a phenomenon that unites the two driving forces of theatre–the erotic and the sacred–but most predominately one of the keys to understanding the phenomenon of the human fate.” (Jaroslaw Cymerman for Teatr Stary in Lublin)
“I long for love. For meeting a woman. In my theatre, I touch the pure affection for a woman, which provides one with a sense of security.” (Leszek Mądzik
“Working with Leszek, I had placed boundless trust in him. For him, I had learned again how to be born and how to sing my finiteness. My voice, a pure stream of sound, had become my body, and my body had become my voice.” (AMJ)
Review of the “Ulotne” album is going to be in January’s issue of DownBeat, the world’s most important jazz magazine! “Non-English-speaking singers face the challenge of having to express themselves enough to transcend the language barrier for American audiences, but like Celtic vocal explorer Loreena McKennitt, Jopek has the ability to make that barrier immaterial. The meaning of these songs is clear, even if you don’t understand Polish.” James Hale (Downbeat)
Yesterday I sang with Sting. It was the Absolute. You realise how much it means to me. Sting’s voice has guided me through life. You must be sick at this point with my anecdote about the school locker I used for music notations and books with a poster of His face hanging inside for years. I would open it at 8 a.m. before my lessons, chuck Bach’s notes into it with my hands shaking and the feeling that I practiced too little – and then I would always feel the gaze of Sting’s peaceful eyes. The moment I looked into them I immediately knew that things would work out somehow, that I’d be okay. I could always count on Him, both in happy and sad times. At the delivery room, during a marathon, when my rib or heart broke, even on 9/11 when the world was tumbling down… Sting and His music were always there for me.
Photo: Robert Wolański
He is my biggest inspiration. He has been at the back of my mind in all my music projects. I always wonder how He would handle certain artistic issues. He is my role model. After all, He has invented a distinctively new language in music. The mixture of everything I love: jazz, rock, pop, classical music, folk, poetry – everything kept in a perfect proportion. Mastery of the form.
For me and my friends from the band, it was an honour and distinction to open the gala in Toruń for Sting. The idea of the duet together arose spontaneously. I finished my set (the Audience was marvelous, thank you!) and what happened next had thrown me into another orbit. Sting took his guitar, invited me to His dressing room, we worked out who would sing what, and a moment later I was sharing the stage with Him.
I still can’t believe that it really happened! There was a moment I will never forget. A short instant in the dressing room. His hands on the guitar neck and His voice, “sauté,” right beside my ear. I wished I could listen and follow this voice forever… Unimaginable happiness…
My birthday is approaching. You have always been so kind and generous to me. Please don’t be so this time. Please, please… I mean it. I have been given more than one could ever get. I know how many of you thought about me yesterday and dreamed my dream for me of the duet. I did feel that. Your energy…
It is my talisman. Thank you Sting. Thank you to You. Hugs to everyone!
