Dominik Wania, a pianist and winner of five ‘Fryderyk’ National Music Awards, first made a name for himself on the music scene by performing alongside Tomasz Stańko. He received an invitation from this legendary jazz musician as soon as he completed his studies at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.
He leads a multifaceted career: in addition to his concerts and recordings with numerous jazz ensembles, he also teaches at the Music Academies in Kraków and Katowice, and records film music in collaboration with Zbigniew Preisner. The album Ravel, recorded as a trio, has won a host of awards, including two Fryderyk Awards (in the categories Jazz Album of the Year and Jazz Debut of the Year) and the Gwarancje Kultury prize from TVP Kultura. This leading Polish jazz pianist does not shy away from the clear influence of classical composers such as Maurice Ravel, Sergei Prokofiev, Alexander Scriabin and Erik Satie. Wania’s music bridges the gap between the pure freedom of jazz improvisation and the piano tradition steeped in European classical music.
Dominik Wania has joined the very exclusive circle of artists recording for ECM Records, and Lonely Shadows, released under his own name, is the very first solo album by a Polish musician to be released by this most prestigious jazz label in the world.