Marcin Jahr

Biography

Marcin Jahr was born on March 25, 1969, in Bydgoszcz, Poland. He studied drums at The Music Academy in Katowice, completing his studies in 1992 with a diploma in jazz music from the Department of Jazz and Popular Music. Earlier, he participated in jazz competitions at the Jazz Juniors Festival in Kraków, where he won prizes and distinguishing rewards. Beginning his musical career in 1985, he has performed at festivals in Poland including Jazz Jamboree in Warsaw, Jazz on the Odra in Wrocław, and Poznań Jazz Fair. Since 1991, he has taught drums annually at the Jazz Workshop in Puławy, Poland, and also taught at the Jazz Workshop in Leichlingen, Germany in 1992 and 1994. Jahr has played or cooperated with many musicians, including trumpeters Tomasz Stańko and Piotr Wojtasik, guitarist Garrison Fewell, saxophonists Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski, Janusz Muniak, Zbigniew Namysłowski, and Adam Wendt, the band New Presentation with vocalist Lora Szafran, vibraphonist Volker Greeve, and bassist Ed Schuller. He is a member of the band Funky Groove, whose CD 'Go To Chechua Mountain' was the 2003 Best Electric Jazz Recording in Gitara & Bas Magazine's Reader's Poll. He also performs with various bands of Jacek and Wojciech Niedziela. He can be heard on CDs such as 'Wooden Soul' with bassist Jacek Niedziela, 'Chopin' with pianist Krzysztof Herdzin, and later recordings. The CD he recorded with Piotr Wojtasik titled 'Lonely Town', released by Power Bros., was chosen as the Record of the Year 1995 in Jazz Forum Magazine's Readers Pool. In October 1997, he was a finalist of the First Competition for Jazz Drummers in Grodzisk Mazowiecki, Poland. He cooperates with almost all Polish jazz musicians, primarily with saxophone player Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski. Between 2004 and 2008, he taught drums at a jazz department at the University of Zielona Góra, Poland, and at many jazz clinics.