Grzegorz Karnas

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Born: January 5, 1972    Primary Instrument: Vocal

Grzegorz Karnas

A singer born in Upper Silesia, Poland, to a family devoid of musical traditions. Finished one year of classical guitar at the secondary music school in Rybnik. Graduate of the Jazz Institute of the Academy of Music in Katowice, considered prestigious in Poland. Karnas has worked with top-line younger artists of Poland's jazz scene as well as its legends. In 1998, he was awarded first prize at the International Jazz Vocalists' Meeting in Zamość (Poland). The following year, his debut album “Reinkarnasja” (Nottwo 2000) was released and put Karnas on the road touring throughout the main clubs and festivals in Poland and Slovakia (International Jazz Pianists' Festival in Kalisz, Bratislava Jazz Days). Summer of 2004 saw the premiere of Grzegorz Karnas' self-produced solo project “Sny-Dreams of a Ninth Floor” (DeBies 2004) promotion of which took place with a series of over 30 club and festival concerts in Poland (Warsaw Summer Jazz Days), Slovakia and Czech Republic (Prague Jazz Open, Jazz Goes To Town in Hradec Kralove , International Jazz Festival in Kosice), Germany, Romania (Sibu Jazz Festival) and many others. A new album “Ballads for the End of the World” featuring brilliant silesian cello player Adam Oleś was released in april 2006. Promotions of both projects continue in 2007. Also in 2006 Karnas was awarded first prize at Young Jazz Singers Competition Brussels. In august 2007 he was a winner of CREST JAZZ VOCAL competition in southern France. He is the artistic director of International Jazz Competition For Singing Musicians “Voicingers”

Awards:

-Grand Prix - International Meeting of Jazz Vocalists Zamość 1998 -Grand Prix - Concours des Jeunes Chanteurs de Jazz de Bruxelles 2006 -Grand Prix - Concours des Chanteurs de Jazz Cest Jazz Vocal 2007
Last Updated: April 27, 2011
“Polish quintet surprises at London Jazz Festival’s Saturday Showcase (…). Karnas’s group is pushing the eclectic extremes. A case of art imitating life.”

viewlondon.co.uk

Grzegorz Karnas: energy, sense of humor, sensitivity, audacity; polish singer Grzegorz Karnas has it all ! (...) A singer and group who will likely make promoters take notice.“

culturejazz.net France

“Karnas interprets standards with incredible inventiveness. He gleans each note from a melody, to subsequently bend and transform it, imbuing it with substance. It's been quite some time since such imagination has been seen in the jazz vocals genre.”

Le Soir Belgium

“At ease and laid back interpreting, amazingly, most of his compositions in polish: a rare treat, appreciated by a delighted audience.”

jazz-letter.com France

Karnas scats with verve, has an excellent feel for phrasing, and raps intelligently, employing irony with sophistication. Besides that he has a characteristic, slightly raspy-sounding voice that intrigues the ear and focuses the attention of the listener. In addition to all that, there is a consistent repertoire and an excellent backing group. There's no doubt that Grzegorz Karnas can already be considered a member of Polish jazz's upper echelons.

Rzeczpospolita Poland

Reinkarnasja - NotTwo 2000 Dreams - Nint Floor Productions 2004 The Ballads for the End of the World – Ninth Floor Productions 2006

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Grzegorz Karnas conducts music workshops for people who would like to engage in music-making using the instrument which is the human voice. Since playing music with the voice is based not only on play, but also on becoming familiar with several seemingly self- evident aspects of it, the issues dealt with during these workshops include: breathing, articulation and transmission of one's voice based on its natural tone, in keeping with its primary function – conveying emotions. Among other things, group sessions consist of creating so- called “cyclic cantos”, the aim of which is to broaden rhythmic awareness by bringing one into contact with what are known as poly-rhythms. This is a way to quickly create a live improvisational choir based on a group of people who - once familiar with a given rhythmic element, onto which a successive rhythmic element that creates a simple counterpoint to the first is then superimposed – are able to create a percussive effect. Notes in simple arrangements of intervals are then superimposed onto this mixture of rhythms. The melodies change in the course of their being sung, and the choir follows the cues of a leader.

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Black Crow video, which has recently become one of the most covered Joni Mitchell's classics, was recorded during the time we spent in France in a charming town of Viviers while working on new material and giging occasionaly. The video was taken during one of our concerts in the Theatre of Viviers where we were lucky to rehearse, record and listen to our own music for almost five weeks! Thank you Pascale!!! Sny (Dreams) featuring an outstanding Polish saxophone player Tomasz Szukalski is a tune I entirely recorded in my appartment. It took me several weeks to produce it and once it was properly mixed down in a studio I became the first fan of my work. My sweet efforts were rewarded when shortly after the album Sny was released I got a message from Island. A Polish guy who lived there heard Sny, which is 14 minutes long, online at jazz fm from London. He made my day...

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