Bio

Maciek is a New Zealand guitarist born in Poland. After spending much of his life in London he moved to New Zealand where he lives with his wife. He currently composes and records his own music, produces records for Kiwi artists, plays live music in and around Aotearoa and has performed at several jazz and blues music festivals.

Maciek’s performance at the Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival led to this 2015 quote from Sam Edwards of Waikato Times: “…delivering a virtuoso and musically informed lesson in guitar”. More recently, in 2020, a review by Mike Alexander (www.muzic.net.nz) described Maciek as having “…a technique and style that’s evocative but understated” with his recent single , Mr Ponsonby having “precise and fluid guitar lines… and a woozy solo that never overplays itself and smooth shifts in time signatures.“

Maciek’s solo album AWA, inspired by the beauty of his adopted home Aotearoa New Zealand and indigenous M?ori culture, will awaken your senses and become your soundtrack for Aotearoa New Zealand.

Maciek’s early influence was the “British Invasion” pop music, then he heard Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix, which provided instant motivation to learn the guitar. Later, Miles Davis and the plethora of electric jazz stars contributed further highs of musical inspiration. More recently, Maciek has been delving into earlier era of blues and jazz as well as listening to various music from around the Globe.

Biography:

Maciek was born and grew up in Krakow, Poland, during communist times. During his teenage years, he played with several known Polish pop and jazz bands and toured with (the then famous) Jacek Lech.

Maciek emigrated to London, UK in 1975. There, he mixed with musicians of all genres, which over time influenced and developed his personal guitar style. He played toured and recorded with bands such as the Warm Jets, Electric Eels, Eastern Alliance and other London punk and new wave bands. From the mid 1980s he worked as an in-demand session guitarist as well as a composer for TV commercials and TV music.

In 1986 he started a song writing and production collaboration with jazz singer Carol Grimes that resulted in four successful albums. All of which were toured regularly in the UK and Europe.

Maciek was also a member of John Bennett Band, an 18-piece modern jazz ensemble, which in 1993 recorded Square One. JBB played Ronnie Scotts, Jazz Café, the Vortex and Pizza On The Park in London.

In the early 00’s, Maciek with Winston Marche – drums, Gareth Morgan – bass and Andrew Blake – woodwind, formed the quartet Gdansky Bandsky – which also performed in jazz venues around London.

Always wanting to test new musical ideas and genres Maciek participated in choral events for CME and performed at the Royal Festival Hall, London.

In 2014 Maciek moved to New Zealand where he lives with his wife. Maciek performs in Hamilton and around Aotearoa. He also composes, produces and records his own and other artist’s music. In 2018-19 he produced three albums for a prolific Kiwi gospel artist Nicky Moran and is currently working on her 4th album due in 2021. He also teaches guitar to aspiring young guitarists, as well as giving guitar masterclasses to experienced musicians in need of inspiration. Musicians in need of quick inspiration might enjoy Maciek’s Micro Tuts videos, each one demonstrating a useful musical idea in less than 1 minute.

In 2018 Maciek began working on his first solo album inspired by the natural beauty of Aotearoa New Zealand. The initial recordings took place in the Porch Recording Studio in Hamilton and featured an international cast of Aotearoa-resident musicians. The album features British, Polish and Maori musicians. The album AWA was released in December 2019.

Maciek is currently working on his second solo album and collaborating on a number of projects with other Kiwi artists and with Polish musicians.

Links

• Artist Website
• Facebook Page
• Twitter Page
• Youtube Page
• Instagram Page
• Bandcamp Page
• Spotify Page
• Apple Music Page