Ciechowski Grzegorz, *29 August 1957 Tczew, †22 December 2001 Warsaw, Polish vocalist, pianist, flautist, composer, lyricist and producer. He graduated from the music school in Tczew, where he studied the flute, and went on to study Polish philology at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. In 1976, he made his debut with the band Jazz Formation; he was associated with J. Castor’s group, and in 1980 became the leader of the band Republika. In 1983, the band’s debut album, Nowe sytuacje, was released. Republika had a distinctive image and captivated audiences with its raw, aggressive, new wave music, created by Ciechowski. The lyrics formed futuristic tales of a dehumanised world (Kombinat), the media (Gadające głowy), nuclear annihilation (Śmierć w Bikini, Poranna wiadomość) or the absence of love (Arktyka, Sexy Doll). Following the release of the album Nieustanne tango (1984), the musicians went their separate ways, and in 1986 Ciechowski began performing solo, adopting the stage name Obywatel Grzegorz Ciechowski. This resulted in albums that were musically far more interesting and varied: Obywatel Grzegorz Ciechowski (1987), Tak, tak! 1988 and Obywatel świata 1992, which featured Polish jazz musicians such as W. Karolak, K. Ścierański, M. Urbaniak and Z. Wegehaupt. Songs such as Paryż-Moskwa 17.15 (1987), Nie pytaj o Polskę (1988) and Ja Kain ty Abel (1989) made a huge impression. In 1990, Ciechowski reformed the band Republika, which over the following decade popularised only the songs: Ask Me If I Love You (1995) and Mammon (1998). Ciechowski achieved greater success as a record producer: K. Kowalska’s Gemini (1994), J. Steczkowska’s Dziewczyna Szamana and Naga (1996, 1997), K. Antkowiak’s Delfin (1997) and K. Groniec’s Mężczyźni (2000). An experiment drawing on Polish and Balkan folklore was the successful 1996 album Oj DADAna, recorded under the pseudonym Grzegorz z Ciechowa. Ciechowski composed, among other things, the music for the ballet Republika — rzecz publiczna (performed in Łódź in 1984) and for the films Koncert (dir. M. Tarkowski, 1984) and Stan strachu (dir. J. Kijowski, 1989); he was also the author of lyrics for the band Lady Pank and J. Steczkowska. He published a collection of poetry, Wokół niej (Warsaw, 1996). In 1996, he received the Fryderyk award, presented by the recording industry.
