II
Martyna Jakubowicz

About:

24 February 1955

Martyna was born in Cracow as the daughter of journalist Tadeusz Żychiewicza. Her debut on stage took place in 1977 in the student club ‘Remont’ in Warsaw, and a year later, during the ‘autumn of the blues’ in Bialystok where he performed with a repertoire of Joan Baez material. In 1980 she joined the group Robotnik Sezonowy as a vocalist and guitarplayer. In 1981 she started to work with Jack Krzycholikiem focussing on more blues and folklike music.

In 1982 she was invited by TV producer Waltera Chełstowskiego to perform on the show ‘Muzyczne Forum’. She performed three songs of which ‘Troika’ made the best impression. She entered the blues/folk circuit were she shared the stage with bands like Krzak and Blues'82 Rawie and teamed with composers like Jack Skubikowskim, Ryszard Skibińskim and Cezarym Czternastkiem.

In 1983 she recorded in Krakow Studio Theater "STU" her first self written album ‘Maquillage’. One of her key songs ‘W domach z betonu nie ma wolnej miłości’ ('In the homes of concrete is no free love) is on this album. In the same year she participated on Zbigniew Hołdysa’s album ‘I Ching’ with two songs, ‘Kołysanka dla Misiaków’ and ‘Słuchaj, Man’. In 1985 she made a live album documenting a group jam with the group Dżem at Rock dla pokoju.

The rest of the year she dedicated in recording her second studio album called ‘Bardzo groźna księżniczka i ja’.  The album features a duet with organ player Rafał Rękosiewicz with whom she would perform for many years to come. From 1989 her regular band consisted of (besides Rękosiewicz) of Jerzy Piotrowski (drums) and Radosław Nowakowski (drums). In the year 1995 she is chosen as one of the 100 most popular women by a Polish women's magazine.

In 1998 she founded a club in Wroclaw called the ‘Rubber Rose’ with a very specific atmosphere and appreciated by a very broad spectrum of solid clients and patrons. Currently the club is lead by Martyna’s daughter - Patrycja. In 2005 she honours one of her main inspirators Bob Dylan with an album filled with Polish interpretations of his songs. In 2007, on special invitation of Jerzego Owsiaka, she is one of the main artists at the Przystanku Woodstock Festival sharing the stage with a young generation. In 2008 a tribute cd is released ‘Te 30. urodziny’ with several Polish artists, like Ewa Bem, Indios Bravos, Kasia Stankiewicz and Barcia pay tribute to Martyna. She herself contributes two new songs to the compilation ‘Śpiewam, lecz brak mi słów’ and ‘Życzenia’. In 2011 she comes up with a new album accompanied by Żona Lota. In 2013 she celebrates the 70th birthday of her idol Joni Mitchell with a tribute album translating her songs in Polish..

On the web:
- Martyna's official website: http://www.martynajakubowicz.com/

If you like this, you probably like... / european counterparts:

Hanah Hegerova (Czech republic)

Tereza de Sio (Italy)

What do we think:

DB: We came to know Martyna through her Bob Dylan album. And actually she was able to led you believe you're actually listening to Polish originals. The tracks make you completely forget the originals giving the Dylan catalogue a whole fresh Polish folkrock make over. Listen to her version of 'Lay lady lay' to see what i mean. As can be read in her bio incorporating Polish musical influences in her music is one of the key elements in her repertoire. Although the American influences tend to take over sometimes. An album like 'Patchwork' is beautifully made and very stylish but could have been any Daniel Lanois production if not sung in Polish. And that's the unique element, that light cold/warm voice that goes around in the nothern part of Europe. Not the raspy blues voice you expect. She may not be a very productive artist but quality-wise a good choice if you're into folkrock. Due to the hung to American folk you'll find we gave her a three-star review most of the time. Don't let that hold you back to discover this artist..

Albums:

♪♪♪ - Maquillage - 1984

- Martyna Jakubowicz Live - 1985

- Bardzo groźna księżniczka i ja - 1986

- Wschodnia wioska - 1987

♪♪♪ - Patchwork - 1991

- Total -1991

- Kołysz mnie - 1992

♪♪♪- Skórka pomarańczy - 1998

♪♪♪ - Tylko Dylan - 2005

- Te 30. urodziny (tribute compilation) - 2008

♪♪♪ - Okruchy życia - 2011

♪♪♪ - Burzliwy błękit Joanny - 2013

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♪♪♪♪♪ = outstanding album, an absolute must-have
♪♪♪♪ = great album, highly recomended
♪♪♪ = nice album
♪♪ = be careful, requires listening before buying
♪ = best to be avoided