Bio

His music is characterised by beautiful sound, gentle but forceful touch and rich dynamics.

His captivating performances enchant with his melodic visual compositions that combine lyrical scandinavian jazz with the slavic romanticism and modern perception of third stream jazz.

Rokicki is a graduate of Berklee College of Music in Boston (2008) where he received a prestigious Jazz Performance Award (2008).

In 2009 he came back to Poland and since then he has been noticed and awarded at numerous festivals: Summer Jazz Festival in Cracow on Piwnica Pod Baranami (2012), the Era Jazzu Festival (2011), Krokus Jazz Festival (2010), Jazz Forum Festival “Ci Na Których Liczymy” (2009), Jazz Improvizacija in Vilnius (2010, 2011), Novum Jazz Festival in Łomża (2009); won the “Key to Career” at Jazz Celebrations in Gorzów Wielkopolski (2010) and was awarded the II prize at the Krzysztof Komeda Composers Competition in Słupsk (2009).

In 2008, together with  Beklee graduates Zak Croxall and Thomas Hartman, Rokicki recorded his debut album “G.H.R”, which was warmly received by the listeners both in the US and Poland. Rokicki’s arrangements repeatedly reached the top of the charts of Ourstage Music as well as have been presented in jazz radios.

Rokicki has performed in Poland and overseas (US, Spain, Germany, Lithuania and Finland). He has been playing mainly his own compositions with many jazz talents of young generation as Rafał Rokicki Trio, yet he sometimes performs solo concerts as well as he collaborates with a vocalist Kasia Rokicka.

In 2014, the pianist teamed with Michał Kapczuk (double bass) and Paweł Dobrowolski (drums). Together as Rafał Rokicki Trio, they recorded his second album “Chopin Revisited” which presents Rokicki’s arrangements of the music by Chopin. The CD was released by Ellyah Music on the 6th of Sept, 2014.

Apart from being a performing, recording musician, Rokicki writes visual music that constitutes a perfect material for audio-visual synchronization. His compositions create a unique mood, which perfectly enhances the visual experience.

PRESS:

?(?) I heard two artists who have stayed with me: Rafal Rokicki, a pianist who transformed short kernels of thought into thunderous declamations, in lock step with his trio mates and…””

Jeff Levenson – affiliations include posts at Half Note, Sony, Warner Bros, Downbeat and Billboard

“They have enchanted the audience with the Chopin’s lyricism, scandinavian minimalism and a beautiful elegant sound.”

Jazz Forum Magazine 03/2011

“The choice of Rokicki to open the series turned to be an incredible success. (…) Rokicki is a gifted artist of a well-mastered technique and ideas. He seems to prefer an aesthetic of romanticism. He played focused, gently choosing nicely sounding chords and skilfully shaping moods shifting smoothly from piano to forte.”

Jazz Forum Magazine 4/5 2011

“Rafał Rokicki has a subtle style of playing, great sensitivity and the ability to create the mood. (…) It seems that on the Polish jazz scene there appeared a jazz pianist of a great potential.”

Jazz Forum Magazine 03/2011

“A graduate of the prestigious Berklee College of Music, a recipient of a Jazz Performance Award and an author of a much appreciated record brought from the USA titled G.H.R. –the pianist Rafał Rokicki is gaining more and more recognition from the Polish media, the audience and the music critics.”

Summer Jazz Festival at Piwnica Pod Baranami in Cracow

“The most beautiful phrases of jazz emerge when they do not chase the sound, when the technical eloquence of the pianist is equally important as his creative sensitivity. The piano playing of Rokicki is such a shapely creation, that does not contain too many crazy harmonic passages, but because of this, it creates a sound, that should be associated with the grace and elegance of jazz. It’s not a piano-bar-jazz and fast melodic passages, ( … ) Rafał has great skills and musicianship as well as a great potential of music – jazz associations. He plays with the music! And this is the fastest way to an artistic fullfillment.”

Era Jazzu Festival

?He’’s very talented and very musical.”

Joanne Brackeen

?His piano skills are guite impressive. He is an exellent reader and plays in the jazz idiom very authentically.?
Brian Lewis

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