February 16, 2025

Website about Jazz and Blues

Interview with Dawid Lubowicz: In this kind of music there always is spirit: Video

Jazz interview with jazz violinist Dawid Lubowicz. An interview by email in writing. 

JazzBluesNews.Space: – First let’s start withwhere you grew up, and what got you interested in music?

Dawid Lubowicz: – I was born in a family of musicians. My mother is a pianist and choir conductor and my father is a violinist and guitar player. He is also a composer and arranger performing different music styles so he has shown various music styles. Moreover, my siblings are musicians too. My younger sister is a jazz singer. And my older brother is a classical and jazz pianist. He is a music director and conductor of Roma Music Theatre in Warsaw where we both work. We have composed together the music to “The Pilots” – an original musical of Roma Music Theatre. We have grown up together with my siblings learning classical and jazz music and performing together.

JBN.S: – What got you interested in picking up the violin? What teacher or teachers helped you progress to the level of playing you have today? What made you choose the violin?

DL: – Since early childhood I was very lucky to have great teachers. First my father showed me recordings of different classical and jazz violinists and other musicians. I was always eager to practice the violin and no teacher has ever discouraged me from the violin. What is more, I was also very patient to practice this difficult instrument. Today I am very grateful to my teachers and I want to thank them for who I have become. My masters were: Mieczysław Galica, Leszek Brodowski, Orest Telwach, Konstanty Andrzej Kulka and Henryk Gembalski.

JBN.S: – How did your sound evolve over time? What did you do to find and develop your sound?

DL: – I have been listening to many various violinists and by this I was developing my sound preference. I also always liked testing different violins and wanted to find a good sounding violin, so that there was a good understanding between me and the instrument.

JBN.S: – What practice routine or exercise have you developed to maintain and improve your current musical ability especially pertaining to rhythm?

DL: – I think that the more concerts you play, to more bad habits you develop. That’s why I try, whenever I have free time, to go back to practicing classical music. This is very important and helpful to me. When it comes to rhythm I practice a lot using metronome. I also use the iReal Book or Aebersold Music, which I find very useful.

JBN.S: – Which harmonies and harmonic patterns do you prefer now?

DL: – Every harmony in music is beautiful. And the less obvious it is, the more interesting the music becomes. I like to use modal scales, as probably every jazz violinists do. But practicing other scales is also very useful and necessary.

JBN.S: – What’s the balance in music between intellect and soul?

DL: – In my opinion it depends. It is different during the concerts than when you practice at home. Usually at home you can’t reach the same feeling as at a concert. Much more soul there is in music at concert and sometimes I wonder why it is so. When I improvise during the concert I create music which is totally different and I even surprise myself.

JBN.S: – Please any memories from gigs, jams, open acts and studio sessions which you’d like to share with us?

DL: – My recent memory is from recording my album. In the morning of the first day I found out that the mixing console broke down. The situation was so serious that I might have had to cancel the recording session. Luckily the console was repaired and we managed to record the album in 1,5 days instead of 3. Me and other musicians were so motivated by the stressful situation that we played at 100% of our ability. So first or second takes were best.

JBN.S: – How can we get young people interested in jazz when most of the standard tunes are half a century old?

DL: – It doesn’t matter how old the standard tunes are. In classical music we practice pieces which are 300 or more years old. Standard tunes are the best practice you can have when you learn. You can always compose your own, contemporary tunes and create your own music language.

JBN.S: – John Coltrane said that music was his spirit. How do you understand the spirit and the meaning of life?

DL: – Music, especially if you are a composer, is the best way to express yourself and your soul. In this kind of music there always is spirit.

JBN.S: – If you could change one thing in the musical world and it would become a reality, what would that be?

DL: – I don’t want to change anything. Music has a great developing potential and I like it a lot.

JBN.S: – Who do you find yourself listening to these days?

DL: – Recently I have been listening to jazz saxophonists, especially Joshua Redman, Michael Brecker and Kenny Garret. And my newest discovery is a jazz vocalist Morgan James, I have been listening to her music these days.

JBN.S: – Let’s take a trip with a time machine, so where and why would you really wanna go?

DL: – I’d like to go to baroque, meet Bach and see the beginning of jazz ????

JBN.S: – I have been asking you so far, now may I have a question from yourself…

DL: – I haven’t had such interesting questions during an interview for a long time. How do you have such interesting ideas for questions?

JBN.S: – Thank you for answers and for evaluating our questions. This is our view of our great and beloved jazz and blues music.

Interview by Simon Sargsyan

Картинки по запросу Dawid Lubowicz