Adam Makowicz

Born as Adam Matyszkowicz in 1940 is a Polish pianist and composer living in Toronto. He performs jazz and classical piano pieces, as well as his own compositions. Was born into a family of ethnic Poles in Hnojník (now in the Czech Republic), in an area annexed by Nazi Germany at the beginning of World War II. After the war, he was raised in Poland. He studied classical music at the Chopin Conservatory of Music in Kraków. Overcoming cultural restrictions under the communist government, he developed a passion for modern jazz. At the time, political freedom and improvisation were disapproved of by the pro-Soviet authorities. Nonetheless, he embarked on a new professional life by switching from the career of a classical pianist to that of a touring jazz pianist. After years of hardship, Makowicz gained a regular gig at a small jazz club in a cellar of a house in Kraków. He was named the “Best jazz pianist” by the readers of Poland’s Jazz Forum magazine, and was awarded a gold medal for his contribution to the arts.
In 1977, Makowicz made a 10-week concert tour of the United States, produced by John Hammond. At that time, he recorded a solo album titled Adam on CBS. In 1977, he settled in New York.[1] Makowicz was banned from Poland during the 1980s after the Polish regime imposed martial law to crush the Solidarity movement. At that time, he took part in Ronald Reagan’s initiative called “Let Poland Be Poland”, joining many artists and public figures.
During the 2000s, he moved to Toronto, Canada, and continued his career as a concert pianist and recording artist. In the course of his career, Makowicz has performed with major symphony orchestras, such as the National Symphony Orchestra, at Carnegie Hall, at the Kennedy Centre, and other major concert halls in Americas and in Europe. He has recorded over 30 albums of jazz, popular, and classical music, with his own arrangements of pieces by Chopin, Gershwin, Berlin, Kern, Porter, Rodgers, and other composers. Makowicz also wrote and recorded his own compositions for piano.

-Wikipedia