“Celebrating Jazz“
Interview with Piotr Folkert and Dorota Lato

“… cool can be hot and hot can be cool and each can be both,
but cool or hot, man, jazz is jazz.”
- Louis Armstrong

Piotr Folkert is a renowned pianist residing in Alpharetta, Georgia, and recipient of the Georgia Council of the Arts grant. He will perform all-Chopin recital on October 19^th and “Celebrating Jazz” on November 8^th. His wife, Dorota Lato, is the President of the Chopin Society of Atlanta, which has recently received the Fulton County Council of the Arts grant.  To learn more about the CSA or get involved in its activities, please call 770-663-0620 or log onto: www.chopinatlanta.org

On November 8^th you are giving a concert devoted to jazz inspirations in classical music. Is it going to be “hot” or “cool”?

Piotr Folkert: Definitely hot! This concert is the third part of the “Celebrating...” cycle of recitals that I created together with my wife, Dorota. All three have narration blended with the music performance. The narration, that we wrote is presented by John Lemley, [a National Public Radio presenter]. The first recital was devoted to Chopin’s music to celebrate the 150^th anniversary of his death, the second one to music of J. S. Bach. This concert is a tribute to this unique American art form.

Dorota Lato: At first we didn’t really make plans for more than one performance, but the Chopin concert met with such an enthusiastic response, form the audience and professional music promoters, that we decided to create a series.

PF: This time we will try to present some of the historic facts about jazz and its influence on the classical composers of the 20^th century. It’s going to be like walking on the borderline between two worlds, that of classical music and jazz.

… and that of the Old and the New World?

PF: And that, too. George Gershwin, for example, always thought he was lacking proper education in composing. When visiting Europe, asked Ravel, a renowned master of instrumentation, to give him lessons. Ravel simply asked Gershwin “How much do you earn a year from your compositions?” “Around $100,000” replied Gershwin, “In that case you should give me lessons”. And that was the end of it.

When did jazz influence classical music most?

PF: It was at the beginning of the twentieth century when European classical composers like Dvorak, Stravinsky started visiting America to present their compositions. Here, they were directly introduced to jazz in many different ways: listening to Negro music, minstrel performances and ragtime bands. Also, the American musicians made it to Europe, mainly to study classical forms and techniques, but at the same time bringing fresh ideas and new compositions.

So was it a mutual inspiration?

PF: You could say that, but where it starts or ends is very difficult to define. As Max Kaminsky said, jazz evolved as a   blend   of   two   musical   cultures - African, highly developed rhythms and European harmony. Then came another interaction between jazz and European classical music. The whole process is really fascinating, how all these forms intermingled. Gershwin, created something very unique. His music is rooted in classical forms but he freely used jazz melody and rhythms.

What elements of jazz fascinated the classical composers most?

PF: The most prominent element of jazz that makes it so unique is rhythm, the syncopated rhythm, where the accent falls on the weak part of the bar. Then there is the melody and harmony – free, innovatory and full of dissonance.

What about improvisation?

PF: Yes, and the improvisation. Though it had existed in classical music as well - Bach improvised already 300 years ago, and so did other classical composers. But in jazz, it was uninhibited, with no limitations, and that’s what was so fascinating about it. This was one of the reasons why jazz was prohibited in the former Soviet Union. Jazz carried too much freedom.

What about Poland?

PF: It was different there. In Poland jazz was more accessible and ever present. Interestingly enough, it was in Poland that one of the oldest jazz festivals in Europe, the “Jazz Jamboree”, was created. Poland always had very strong ties with America and the influence was great.

Was Polish classical music receptive to this influence?

PF: Yes, of course, though sometimes it is difficult to assess if the experimentations we observe in the twentieth century classical music, in harmony, melody, and rhythms, came from jazz or from the composers’ independent search for new forms and styles. Polish composer, Aleksander Tansman, is a very interesting example. He visited America many times and many of his compositions definitely show a strong jazz influence. During my concert I will play one of them.

What else are you going to play at the concert?

PF: I will include many different compositions to show the wide spectrum of styles and forms as well as the historical development illustrating how jazz evolved. I will start with Claude Debussy’s Prelude “Minstrel”. Then there will be a fascinating polyrhythmic ragtime by Igor Stravinsky, dedicated to Artur Rubinstein, a boogie-woogie, blues, then Scott Joplin’s ragtime, and two pure jazz compositions by Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson. I realize that this is an act of courage on my part and I may get in trouble for that (laugh). I will finish with a solo version of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue”.

DL: The concert will be accompanied by a photo exhibition “This is Jazz” by the world famous Polish photographer Marek Karewicz. In the last fifty years he has taken over 2 million pictures of the greatest jazz musicians.

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

PF: In addition to my numerous engagements, I am playing a Chopin concert on October 19, here in Atlanta. I am also planning to record Chopin’s music - one trio and a solo album with his ballads and barcarolles.

It looks like Chopin is still very popular.

DL: Always. He is one of the most beloved composers. After the concert Piotr performed last year (which was sold out), the Chopin Society of Atlanta gained new members and many people expressed their support and interest in our organization. But our success would not be possible without the sponsors and supporters. I would like to take this opportunity and thank especially the Polish Club of Atlanta, National Public Radio, Goethe Institute of Atlanta, Alliance Francaise d’Atlanta and many private individuals for their help and support.

What events is the Chopin Society of Atlanta planning for the nearest future?

DL: In spring we will present a very interesting photo exhibition showing Chopin’s life. It has traveled all over the world and it always accompanies the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw. A recital will open the exhibition. For the Atlanta youth, we want to organize a contest about Chopin’s life. Our main goal is to educate. We want to make sure that Chopin’s music is always alive. And of course recitals of Chopin’s music will be the main part of our activities.

The interview was conducted in Polish on September 13th, 2003, and then translated into English
by Bożena Zaremba