Anna Maria Jopek (born on 14 December, 1970 in Warsaw) is a vocalist, pianist, keyboards player, composer, author of song lyrics and producer.
Anna Maria Jopek (born on 14 December, 1970 in Warsaw) is a graduate of the Frederick Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw in class of the piano. She also studied at the faculty of jazz in Manhattan School of Music in New York. She is a scholarship holder of The Frederick Chopin Association and Columbia University in New York.
She represented Poland in Eurovision Song Contest in 1997 in Dublin with the song "But I Am / Ale jestem" where she took the 11th place. Several months later she recorded her debut album "Ale jestem", which gained the status of gold record.
In 2002 she recorded CD "Upojenie" with the world famous American guitarist Pat Metheny.
Then, she recorded and performed with the most important figures of Polish musical scene: Jeremi Przybora, Tomasz Stańko, Marek Grechuta, Janusz Olejniczak, Kayah, Grzegorz Turnau, Staszek Soyka, Perfect, Sweet Noise, Leszek Możdżer and Urszula Dudziak.
She performed at The "Warsaw Autumn" Festival and with Skaldowie in Carnegie Hall. She performed almost all over the world starting from the USA and Canada through all Europe up to Japan. She worked in the famous studio Abbey Road and in Real World of Peter Gabriel.
She is a laureate of many competitions and awards: At the Festival in Witebsk she has been awarded with private prize of Michel Legrand, in 1998 she has received the Fryderyk / Frederick Prize ("Polish Grammy") for the Phonographic Debut of the year for "Ale jestem", in 2003 she has received prestigious prize Passport of the magazine Polityka, Victor, Prometeusz - Polish Stage Award and the title of As from Empik. In 2003 together with her friends she has been awarded with two Fryderyki (Vocalist of the year, Best Production of the year), in 2004 she has received Victor 2003 in the category of Singer, in 2006 she has been honored by the reader's pool of Polish Jazz Forum Magazine as the best vocalist in 2005.
In her private life, she is a wife of musical journalist Marcin Kydryński and daughter of Stanisław Jopek, tenor of the Song and Dance Ensemble "Mazowsze".
Selected Discography:
"Ale jestem" (Mercury/PolyGram 1997)
Anna's debut album revealing her talent for a creative approach to folk music. It contains songs written for Anna by her friends. Carefully crafted music - probably the closest Anna ever got to the pop idiom.
"Szeptem" (Mercury/PolyGram 1998)
Actually recorded as her first solo effort this intimate set of ballads pays tribute to some of the most beautiful songs ever written in Poland. Rearranged by Anna and her band for a small ensemble, sometimes even a piano-vocal duet, this record is considered the most pure, gentle and classic Anna. The second record of the set contains excerpts from Anna's Special Event concert at the Warsaw Philharmonic with some of the most important figures in the history of Polish jazz.
"Jasnosłyszenie" (Universal Music 1999)
The "Quick One" with some rough edges. A set of pop-folk songs rooted in different traditions: Slavic, Saharan, Armenian, Jamaican - never a cliché. Always a quest for an original, different approach.
"Dzisiaj z Betleyem" (Universal Music 1999)
An album of traditional Polish Christmas carols. Anna paired with the arranging wizard Paweł Betley. Actually a duet, although one actually HEARS the orchestras, boy choirs, folk ensembles... A pure masterpiece in overdubbing. A unique record.
"Bosa" (Universal Music 2000)
An ultra original and brave look at the traditional slavonic melody, jazz-rooted harmonies, phenomenal work by some of the most outstanding improvising musicians in the country.
"Barefoot" (Emarcy / Universal Music 2002)
"Barefoot" is actually a new version of the acclaimed "Bosa". Still, while it bears the same album cover and general idea, it actually contains around 30 minutes of newly crafted music. Passionate, wild, sometimes weird. Always honest and hauntingly beautiful. Anna's Emarcy debut released in Europe.
"Nienasycenie" (Universal Music 2002)
Original, yet catchy songs, dense harmonies, odd meters, jazz solos and loops...Probably the only studio album that shows all the sides of Anna's music in one set creating at the same time a coherent, independent, instantly recognizable voice in Polish songwriting.
Anna Maria says:
"The title 'Nienasycenie' is naturally loaned from Witkacy, but without direct reference to his writings. It was more about unsuccessful - as usual - effort of filling the music with all of fascinations, passions, colors and themes. Assumedly it's an obvious impossibility.
'Nienasycenie' is a collection of songs. We did have even a working title of the album: 'Eleven songs', but it was too close to the latest Cohen. We recorded the songs the way I had a lot of pleasure out of it and I get bored easily. Therefore a different idea for each track. Hammer organs, cellos, electronic, soprano saxophone, classic guitar, choirs, opera soprano, a lot of fun. This Album has one task only: to give me joy. I will be happy, if my auditors like what I do, but on this stage I no longer have influence on it."
"Upojenie" (Warner Music 2002)
"Anna Maria Jopek and Friends with Pat Metheny" was an unprecedented effort. One of the most important and at the same time most loved artists of modern music agreed to do the whole album with an unknown singer and her friends. Fourteen fabulous tracks became an instant classic selling more than 100,000 copies. This tribute to master composer, improviser, 15 time Grammy Award Winner included some of the most beautiful songs Anna and her producer-music partner-husband Marcin Kydryński have ever written. It also contains, as critics and fans alike say: "some of the finest playing by a contemporary guitar genius".
"Upojenie" (Nonesuch Records 2008)
"Upojenie" was released in October 2008 by Nonesuch as Pat Metheny's album. It is extraordinary distinction. Up to now only Charlie Haden, Jim Hall and Brad Mehldau have had the opportunity to occur on Pat Metheny's album covers, linked with the mark "&". International edition of "Upojenie" includes lyrics translated into English by Marcin Kydryński and Pat Metheny, short Pat's, AMJ's and Marcin's texts, and what is the most important - three not released songs (two of them are from memorable concert in Congress Hall). Also the order of songs is different, five years ago proposed by notable producer - Matt Pierson.
Pat Metheny:
"Poland is a special place, a place filled with some of the soulful and unique people and musicians anywhere. The relationship that I have enjoyed with the audiences and players there over the years has been a wonderful and unique enrichment to my live, musically and personally. While performing at a jazz festival in Europe in the summer of 2001 I was approached by an exceptional young Polish musician, singer Anna Maria Jopek.
Her dream was to collaborate on a project together, blending out sounds with all-star cast of the best Polish players playing some of my tunes, some Polish folk melodies and some of her own compositions. Her dedication and sincerity were compelling and as I became familiar with her music over the next few months, I was impressed with everything about her music an her singing.
It was a real pleasure to collaborate with Anna, Marcin and all the fantastic musicians represented here. Their vision of how to interpret my tunes often inspired me to look at them in a totally different way myself. The recording sessions were stimulating an focused as Anna an I an the other musicians discovered the many different ways that we could play together. This was music making at its most fun and collaborative. We hope you will enjoy this music as much as we enjoyed making it together."
"Niebo" (Universal Music 2005), reedition with DVD (Universal Music 2006)
Long expected studio album which comes after three years. On "Niebo / Heaven" appeared the best Polish, jazz-rooted musicians. Anna also invited Mino Cinelu, well known percussionists, who played with Pat Metheny, Miles Davis or Sting. As AMJ put in one interview:
"it is the developement of the idea used on 'Bosa / Barefoot' where all band members gather in the studio and record live a few songs in only three days. I think this is the most personal album we've ever made. It is the first time that we have written all the songs together with my husband (Marcin Kydryński). They were written last year and three of them were co-written by our friend and main guitarist Marek Napiórkowski. They share the same idea of sensibility and seem to create the unity of a story. In other words, this is an album about love, happy relationship, about heaven which is here, on the Earth and the one which is eternal and beyond us. And it is about the most basic questions of our life."
"Secret" (Emarcy 2005)
"Farat" (Universal Music 2007)
A live album. Full of untamed energy, joy and collective improvisation. From soft love songs - in a traditional, almost radio-like format - through upbeat, wild entertainment to free-oriented, genuine jazz extravaganzas. In these times of DJs and electronics Anna and her band make a statement. Real music played live, taking chances, risking and winning... this is what matters to them. A true gem. The DVD disc comes with 10 additional tracks, with some alternative versions, and contains also almost two hours of bonus documentary material.
"ID" (Anna Maria Jopek Music / Emarcy 2008)
Anna Maria Jopek (vocals & piano), Mino Cinelu, Manu Katche (percussion), Christian McBride, Richard Bona (bass), Tord Gustavsen (piano), Oscar Castro-Neves (guitar), Branford Marsalis (saxophones), Dhafer Youssef (vocals, oud), Arve Henriksen (vocals, turmpet), Leszek Możdżer (piano), Marek Napiórkowski (guitar), Krzysztof Herdzin, Paweł Zarecki (keyboards).
BBC Four documentary "Sacred Music" about Górecki and Pärt
March 26 and 27 - Paderewski Symphony Orchestra: Celebration of Chopin's 200th Anniversary - Chicago Symphony Center.
March 27 - Chopin Anniversary Marathon: faculty and graduate students performs a variety of solo and chamber music repertoire - Alfred Newman Recital Hall, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
The 7th edition of "Misteria Paschalia" in Kraków will take place on March 29 - April 5, 2010.
"The Magic Tree / Magiczne drzewo" directed by Andrzej Maleszka is a winner of BAMmie for Best Feature Film - prestigious award for the audience favorites of the 12th Annual BAMkids Film Festival - organized by the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York.