Krzysztof Komeda

Krzysztof Komeda (1931-1969) is probably better known today as a film composer, especially for his scores for some of Roman Polanski’s most famous films of the 1960s – Knife In The Water, Rosemary’s Baby and Cul-De Sac. However, his place in European jazz history is secured by his stand-out album ‘Astigmatic’ from 1966 which, along with Stan Tracey’s Under Milk Wood (1965) and Duško Gojković’s Swinging Macedonia (1966), were perhaps the first signs that European jazz did not have to slavishly follow American models, and could sound distinctive.

In 1956, Komeda studied and qualified to be a doctor at the medical academy in Poznań.

Key Recordings:

Astigmatic