Zbigniew Seifert

Live Recordings 1973 & 1976 Zbigniew Seifert

Zbigniew Seifert (1946-1979) initially studied violin in his home town of Krakow, became converted to woodwind in his pursuit of jazz, and then devoted himself again as a string player in the late sixties. The big three - Coltrane, Coleman and Ayler - had blazed a path for the saxophone, down which legions of undistinguished imitators then trudged. But hardly any violinists dared to follow suit, lacking the playing skills to pull it off. Seifert was therefore an unintentional pioneer, because he was not interested in revolutionising his instrument. He wanted instead to discover the secrets of the heroes of his time and understand, for example, how Coltrane managed to convey impressions of texture without having to forego linear melodies.