Astigmatic (1965)

"Krzysztof Komeda (1931-1969) was a Polish film music composer and jazz pianist. Perhaps best-known for his work in film scores, Komeda wrote the scores for Roman Polanskis early films. Komeda's album "Astigmatic" (1965) is widely regarded as one of the most important European jazz albums; critic Stuart Nicholson describes the album as "marking a shift away from the dominant American approach with the emergence of a specific European aesthetic." In December 1968, in Los Angeles, Komeda had a tragic accident which led to a haematoma of the brain. As a jazz musician, he exerted crucial influence on creating an original style, often described as the Polish school of jazz, which subsequently influenced the Polish jazz scene's development after his death in 1969." (Wikipedia) In zijn kwintet vinden we de 11 jaar jongere Tomasz Stanko, die zelf (ook) uitgroeide tot icoon der Poolse jazz. Dat onderstreept het belang van dit album nog eens extra.