Karasiński, Adam
Karasiński Zygmunt Adam, *2 May 1898 Warsaw, †20 April 1973 Copenhagen, son of Polish composer Adam Karasiński. He studied violin with J. Jarzębski at the Warsaw Conservatory between 1910 and 1914, and with S. Brzeziński between 1914 and 1918. In 1921, he played in H. Spieller’s orchestra in Berlin, where he was introduced to jazz music. Around 1923, he founded his own entertainment band and began collaborating with pianist Sz. Kataszek, who later co-authored some of Zygmunt Karasiński’s compositions. He collaborated with the Morskie Oko, Perskie Oko and Wesoły Wieczór revue theatres, and then organised his own revue band, Złoty Jazz, with which he performed in Poland and, in 1934–35, in Romania, Greece and the Middle East (Istanbul, Tehran, Beirut). In 1939–41, he directed entertainment ensembles in Białystok and Lviv. In 1941–45, he stayed in Zakopane. From 1945, he collaborated with Polish Radio as a composer and arranger. Between 1947 and 1954, he was the manager of a touring band performing the programme Tysiąc taktów muzyki jazzowej. After 1954, he worked mainly as a composer. He composed the musical comedy Tylko dla kobiet (text by E. Obarska and J. Słotwiński, 1958), music for several films (Każdemu wolno kochać, Ostatnia eskapada and others) and several hundred entertainment pieces, mainly songs (Don Fernando, Każdemu wolno kochać, Za późno, Pamiętam twoje oczy, Dla ciebie, Pozdrowienia od gór, Czy pamiętasz tę noc w Zakopanem, Czy pani mieszka sama, Serce matki). Zygmunt Karasiński’s compositions, often in dance rhythms (tango, foxtrot) and using fairly stereotypical melodies, enjoyed their greatest popularity in the interwar period; they were performed by the stars of the stage and screen of the time (E. Bodo, T. Olsza, A. Dymsza, Tola Mankiewiczówna, Loda Halama). As the leader of musical ensembles, Zygmunt Karasiński contributed to the popularisation of swing music in Poland.