Piotr Cieslikowski - biography

One of Poland's most outstanding tenor and alto saxophonists, who plays the clarinet too. His playing style derives from the play of Stan Getz, Benny Golson, John Coltrane, Joe Henderson. His alto saxophone sounds similar to Groover Washington's play. He finds his way best in swing, bebop and modern, acoustic jazz trends. As a soprano he feels best in smooth jazz, soul and groove stylistics.

He started his professional career in 1989 by cooperating with Kazimierz Jonkisz, with whom he cooparates until this day. Together with Jonkisz's quartet he played concerts in clubs and during festivals. He recorded programmes for radio and TV. In 1993 they recorded a CD - "Kazimierz Jonkisz Quintet - The 9th of November", which included one of Piotr's early compositions called "Under the Table".

In 1993 Cieślikowski starts his cooperation with Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski's "Count Basie-Made in Poland" and with Piotr Rodowicz's "Mingus Mingus", taking part in various festivals like: Jazz na Kresach’93, Jazz Jamboree’94 and Warsaw Summer Jazz Days’94. In 1996 Piotr starts his own group, with which he records the CD "I Want to be Happy" (P.Perliński – p, A.Cegielski - b, K.Jonkisz – dr). In the same year Eryk Kulm invites him to join the group "Quintessence".

The year 1997 is a real record boom for Piotr. First, together with “Fazi'” Mielczarek's quintet he records "Moonship", later on together with Marzena Ślusarska and Paweł Perliński - " Kolędy". In May 1997 he starts the production of "Prowizorka Jazz Band", with which he tours half of Europe, performing during big festivals in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. Together with the band he records two CDs : "Crazy Rhythm" and "East-West Connection - Prowizorka Jazz Band" for the Dutch record company Timeless Records.

In 1998 “Prowizorka” and Pitotr are the prizewinners of the JAZZ TOP’97 as the best traditional band. In May and July 1988 Janusz Muniak invites Piotr Cieślikowski to perform in the club "U Muniaka" in Cracow (J.Muniak, P.Cieślikowski - ts, A. Kowalewski -b, K. Dziedzic- dr). In the years 1998-99 Piotr Cieślikowski stays in the USA, where he continually cooperates with outstanding musicians, such as the hammond player LONNIE SMITH, pianist - DOLPH CASTELLANO, MIKE GERBER (a long-term partner of JACO PASTORIUS), drummer DUFFY JACKSON (he toured and recorded with, among others: COUNT BASIE, SARA VAUGHAN, ELLA FITZGERALD, DUKE ELLINGTON, STAN GETZ).

Piotr performed there during festivals: LAKE WORTH PANITING FESTIWAL (Eva Cybulska – voc, Piotr Cieślikowski – ts, Mike Gerber – p, Dave Wilkinson – b, Jamek Martin – dr), SUNFEST JAZZ FESTIWAL’99 as a soloist of a radio big band conducted by CLAUDE KELLY, together with JAY CORRE who is BUDDY RICH's tenor player). He also performed under his own name at a very prestigious concert at CLEMATIS THEATRE in West Palm Beach, playing, among others, his own compositions. Piotr regularly appeared in "THE LOUNGE" jazz club in West Palm Beach, where he performed, among others, with the guitarist JOHN PIZZARELLI.

In May 1999 he returns to Poland, where he resumes his jazz career. In 2000 Tomasz Szukalski invites him to perform in the International Jazz Workshops in Puławy in 2000, 2001 and 2006 where he was a second class tutor in the saxophone class. In 2000 Cieślikowski embarks on the cooperation with Jarosław Śmietana's quintet and Ptaszyn Wróblewski's sextet, with whom he performed at many festivals, including JAZZ W LESIE 2001. The same year, in August, Piotr takes part in JAZZ AT THE OLD TOWN SQUARE FESTIVAL as a partner to the legendary tenor player - SCOTT HAMILTON (Scott Hamilton, Piotr Cieślikowski - ts, Kuba Stankiewicz - p, Adam Kowalewski - b, DUFFY JACKSON – dr).

In November 2002 he participates in a concert tour called TRIBUTE TO MILES in Slovakia together with an outstanding American alt player MONTY WATERS (cooperation with MILESE DAVIS, JOHN COLTRANE, BILLY HIGGINS and others), a distinguished Cuban trumpeter LAZARO CRUZ (big-band DIZZY GILLESPIE’GO, 4 records with the pianist GONZALO RUBBALCABA) and a rhythm section composed of leading Slovakian jazzmen.

Currently Piotr Cieślikowski continually cooperates with Wojciech Karolak (hammond) and Andrzej Dąbrowski (drums). In March 2004 he played a number of concerts with SCOTT HAMILTON's band. In August 2004 together with Piotr Wojtasik he performed in Warsaw at the JAZZ AT THE OLD TOWN SQUARE FESTIVAL under his own name "Piotr Cieslikowski Quintet". From 27th till 30th April 2005 Piotr held a tour together with Scott Hamilton in Slovakia and Austria (among others, the concert in Jazzland club in Viena).

At the end of August 2005 Cieslikowski performed together with a legendary hammond player LONNIE SMITH’s trio at the final concert of the festival JAZZ AT THE OLD TOWN SQUARE in Warsaw. In April 2006 as one of the stars of the festival, together with Scott Hamilton he performed at the Jazz Fest Brno 2006. In July 2006 Piotr, together with Tomasz Szukalski led the saxophone section during the International Jazz Workshops - Puławy 2006. In the years 2006-2007 he cooperated with Sławomir Kulpowicz's quintet "X-pression", currently he has his own jazz quartet called "Piotr Cieślikowski TRANESPIRED", performing mainly his own compositions and Coltrane's selected compositions.