
Krzysztof Jan Sadowski (born 15 December 1936 in Warsaw) – Polish organist and jazz composer. His greatest hits: ‘To nie grzech’, ‘Spacer przy księżycu’, ‘Ten nasz zwyczajny świat’ and ‘Wiatr, wiosenny gitarzysta’.He made his debut in the mid-1950s. In 1957 he founded the band Modern Combo. He collaborated with leading Polish jazzmen, including Janusz Muniak, Zbigniew Namysłowski, Jan “Ptaszyn” Wróblewski, Andrzej Kurylewicz, as well as rock and pop bands and soloists (Czerwono-Czarni, Jerzy Grunwald, Józef Skrzek). He gave concerts in Poland and abroad. Between 1963 and 1966 he was the leader of the Bossa Nova Combo. In 1968 he began playing the organ and electronic keyboard instruments, creating the Krzysztof Sadowski Organ Group, with which he made numerous recordings for the Polish Radio and album recordings. He collaborated with Polish Television – he produced television programmes popularising classical music in an entertaining form and his own recitals (including Swing Party, K. Sadowski and his guests and Music for 200V).

He has performed and recorded with the Polish Radio Jazz Studio, Big Band Stodoła, Big Band Wrocław, Novi Singers group, Janusz Muniak, Tomasz Stańko. He has conducted Jazz Workshops in Chodzież and Puławy, as well as the music cafe Pod Kurantem in Warsaw. He is a composer of film music and songs for Maria Koterbska, Danuta Rinn, Maria’s daughter, Irena Santor, Katarzyna Sobczyk, Liliana Urbańska, Violetta Villas, Wanda Warska.

President of the Polish Jazz Association in the 1990s.
In 2005, awarded the Bronze Medal for “Meritorious Service to Culture Gloria Artis”[1].
In August 2019, media reports of sexual abuse of underage girls and boys by the musician, of which he was accused by investigative journalist Mariusz Zielke. In November 2022, the prosecutor discontinued the investigation into the case due to the statute of limitations. (wikipedia)

I can only hope that these accusations are not true.
The beginnings of fusion music in Poland may not have been very impressive – to recall the reviewed albums by Adam Makowicz or Spisku Six – but soon this trend caught up with the world level as well. One of the best proofs of this is the Three Thousands Points album signed by Krzysztof Sadowski and his Organ Group. The material develops ideas from the three years older ‘Na kosmodromie’ (released outside the Polish Jazz series), making even bolder – and somewhat more interesting – use of the possibilities of electric instrumentation. Compared to its predecessor, the longplay is also more coherent and stylistically consistent. The apt selection of own and other people’s compositions also proved to be a key to success. In addition, the excellent line-up has to be mentioned. Or actually two. This is because there were recordings made on two different occasions over a period of eight months, in completely different circumstances.

The entire first side of the vinyl record is filled with the three-part “Suite of Three Thousand”, recorded on 29 October 1974 at the Polish Radio studio during the 17th edition of the Jazz Jamboree festival. In addition to Sadowski – who exceptionally plays not only his primary instrument, the Hammond organ, but also the electric piano – the recording featured his wife, flutist Liliana Urbańska, bassist Wojciech Bruślik, Bulgarian-born saxophonist Veselin Nikolov, drummer Zbigniew Kitliński and percussionist Andrzej Zieliński. “Suite Three Thousand” is first and foremost a thrilling performance, with numerous solos on flute saxophone and keyboards, as well as powerful, jazz-rock rhythm section playing with very expressive, slightly distorted bass guitar parts. Of course, this is not a complete improvisation. The whole piece is based on several pre-composed motifs, and there is no shortage of planned changes of atmosphere and other twists and turns (there is even a more classical, swinging interlude at one point). Sadowski evidently felt perfectly at home in such a formula, as the title track from ‘Na kosmodromie’ already suggested.

While on the previous release, the title composition was accompanied by a collection of shorter, overly eclectic pieces, this time the whole album is kept in a similar style. This was achieved in spite of the fact that the remaining recordings were made after a long break, on 17-18 June 1975 at the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall, with a much changed line-up. Only Bruślik, Urbańska and, of course, Sadowski remained from the previous incarnation of the Organ Group. The bassist brought in his old comrades from the rock group System, guitarist Wincjusz Chróst and drummer Wojciech Morawski (in the meantime, both of whom had also joined the Breakout line-up, with whom they recorded the album Stones). In addition, the band was joined by the fantastic saxophonist Tomasz Szukalski and percussionist Bożena Bruszewska.
The highlight of this session seems to be ‘This Ordinary World of Ours’, another three-part suite, although only its first and last parts appear here. The middle, song-like section had already appeared on Urbańska’s solo album Liliana. In truth, its absence worked out for the best, as it would not fit here at all. What’s left is great instrumental playing (albeit with Liliana’s vocals), on the borderline of fusion and progressive rock, and even with a sort of folk-like insertion of an acoustic guitar and elements of musique concrète. The remaining two recordings are interpretations of other people’s compositions.

A great example is the reworking of “Sorcery”, written by Keith Jarrett for Charles Lloyd, which in comparison to the original takes on a jazz-rock feel, but does not lose its finesse. The moment when all the instruments fall silent apart from the pastoral flute part, which gradually gives way to the sound of the organ, is capital. There was none of this in the original, and it really enriches the piece nicely. Claude Debussy’s ‘Syrinx’, originally written for solo flute, was also taken, but here played with the accompaniment of other instruments. The piece became more dynamic, coming a little closer to prog rock (I associate it with Bach’s ‘Bouree’ in the Jethro Tull version). It was played in quite a sophisticated way; Urbanska’s part is particularly successful.
‘Three Thousands Points’ is certainly not a revelatory album. On the contrary, it may even be accused of being somewhat derivative of Western performers. However, it is worth appreciating that Krzysztof Sadowski’s Organ Group draws only good patterns from world fusion, not succumbing to the fashion of the time for plastic sounds and dance rhythms. If we add to this a great performance and successful compositions, “Three Thousands Points” emerges as one of the few, at worst a dozen or so best albums in the Polish Jazz series. Paweł Pałasz )
Essential volume in the Polish Jazz series by organ grinder Krzysztof Sadowski and crew. Strong psych jazz with drum break action all over. Recommended piece for all funk and fusion heads. (Paweł Pałasz )
Recorded live at the Polish Radio Studio (XVII Jazz Jamboree + 74), October 27, 1974 (01.)
Recorded lie at the Philharmonic Hall, Warsaw/Poland, June 17. + 18. 1975

Personnel:
Wojciech Bruslik (bass)
Bozena Bruszewska (percussion)
Winicjusz Chrost (guitar)
Zbigniew Kitlinski (drums)
Wojciech Morawski (drums)
Veselin Nikolov (saxophone)
Krzysztof Sadowski (keyboards, electronics, percussion, vocals)
Tomasz Szukalski (saxophone)
Liliana Urbanska (vocals, percussion, flute)
Andrzej Zielinski (percussion)
Tracklist:
01. Introduction / Suita Trzy Tysiace (Suite Of Three Thousand) (Sadowski) 21.23
02. Sorcery (Jarrett) 6.04
03. Ten Nasz Zwyczajny Swiat (Cz. I I III) (Our Common World) (Sadowski) 9.58
04. Syrinx (Debssy) 3.50

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