Zbigniew Seifert – Passion (Capitol, 1979)

Zbigniew Seifert (vn); John Scofield (g); Richie Beirach (p); Eddie Gomez (b); Jack DeJohnette (d); Naná Vasconcelos (perc); unnamed strings

Recorded in November 1978

I suppose most jazz listeners (particularly those from the U.S.) are unfamiliar with the name Zbigniew Seifert.  The Polish jazz violinist—known as “Zbiggy” to his friends—died of lung cancer at just 32 years of age.  He only released a handful of recordings as a leader during his short life.  But Seifert’s influence has been profound, particularly in his home country, where his music is held in especially high esteem.  (One indicator of his home country’s regard: In 1996, the Polish government issued a postage stamp featuring a portrait of Seifert.)

Seifert attended the Fryderyk Chopin Musical High School in Kraków, graduating in 1970. His fascination with the music of John Coltrane led him to jazz, and Seifert regularly performed with his fellow-countryman Tomasz Stańko from 1967 to 1973.  Initially, Seifert's primary instrument was the saxophone, but later he chose to focus on the violin.  As Seifert’s reputation grew, he was invited to perform and record with many prominent European jazz musicians, including Volker Kriegel, Jasper van ‘t Hof, Joachim Kühn, Hans Koller, Wolfgang Dauner, Albert Mangelsdorff, and Chris Hinze.  Seifert’s first recording as a leader, Man of the Light (MPS, 1977), took his career to even greater heights.  Subsequently, Seifert signed a record deal with Capitol Records.

Passion was Seifert’s second album for Capitol, recorded in November 1978. Just a few months later, on Feburary 15, 1979, Seifert died.  Even though he was terribly sick while making the record, the music bursts with vitality.  In a 2019 interview, Richie Beirach, the pianist on Passion and one of Seifert’s close friends, explains:

"The last recording we did together was called Passion, and it’s a total motherfucker! Zbiggy, myself, Jack DeJohnette, John Scofield, Eddie Gomez and Naná Vasconcelos—plus a chamber orchestra consisting of the best players from the NY Philharmonic. Amazing original compositions for small group jazz ensemble and chamber orchestra. The record is out of print and never even came out on CD! The fools at Capitol Records still don’t know what they have and for some reason they won’t re-release it! It’s [Seifert’s] greatest recording and easily one of the most important recorded statements of contemporary jazz plus string ensemble ever! … By then he was already very ill and was undergoing heavy chemotherapy treatments. He lost weight and all of his hair, but was still on fire in the studio. You could see that he knew that this was going to be his last recording. We were all very moved and freaked out by his appearance, but buoyed by his absolutely iron will and powerful, inspired playing. He fired us up in a way that I have rarely heard."

Beirach also had this to say about Seifert:

"Zbiggy was like a Polish Icarus: Flying too close to the burning sun of creativity. The beating heart of Polish music and the living incarnation of the essence & spirit of Trane and McCoy, with the violin as the point of entry. He was the real source of contemporary jazz violin, copied by many without ever getting the true credit he deserved."

What Next?

If you’re new to Zbiggy and enjoy Passion, you should check out Man of the Light next.  Unlike Passion, which has never been reissued in any digital format, Man of the Light is readily available.