Maciek Proliński talks to Urszula Dudziak about
her transatlantic career,
her passion for travelling
and her role in putting Poland on the map.


Q: The 1973-85 period saw your
greatest successes in the U.S. What
are your memories of that time?
A: I love music. I love musicians more than I love myself. It was a fantastic time. Together with Michał Urbaniak we appeared with the greatest of them all: Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and the Weather Report. The audiences wouldn’t let us off the stage.
I was very fortunate to have made friends with the Polish composer and pianist Krzysztof Komeda, a true genius of a world stature. I made my debut together with Komeda’s band. I owe a great deal to him. Apart from music, I learnt from him how to be humble, modest and kind-hearted. Actually, I felt that he really enjoyed what I was doing. It mattered a lot to me in those early days. He used to say “The main thing is, you should sing as much as possible. Don’t be afraid of anything.” He could sense that I was scared, that I was cringing. He was very much like Miles Davis, who used to tell his band members “I’m taking you on not because of the way I can hear you play, but because of the way I know you can play. Krzysztof Komeda was the same. He gave me a lot to stand on. Naturally, another magnificent encounter for me was meeting the exceptionally talented Michał Urbaniak, followed by our conquest of America. It was a good time, a hard-working time.
Q: What’s your favourite place on Earth?
The Earth is my favourite place. I’ve always been Polish through and through. But I feel free to move about, whenever and wherever I feel like it. I travel a lot. I just can’t keep still. All the time I feel like getting up and leaving for Japan, Israel, America or Sweden. Of course I remember the village of Straconka, the place I was born in and where I spent my early childhood, as well as my beloved city of Zielona Góra, where I grew up. Then there is New York and Warsaw. Of late I’ve been staying in Warsaw more, for various reasons. Such fascinating things are happening in Poland, for better and worse. But it’s all captivating. I can’t imagine just watching it from afar, say from Manhattan. But I haven’t really unpacked just yet. It’s always been like that for me. I’ve always known I wouldn’t settle anywhere for long. Subconsciously I have longed for this one special place, but I’ve also dreaded that I might find it. Maybe the secret of my well-being is the fact that I’ve rarely touched the ground, just like a bird.
Q: What does promoting Poland through culture mean to you?
A: Culture will outlast everything else. It brings us all together, but it also makes us different. But these differences are fascinating. Travelling the world, I share my passion with others. I find great joy in this, as well as having a sense of fulfilment, a mission. Those who listen to me often ask me where I come from. When I tell them, I feel that they are curious about Poland. They will tell others about it. Maybe they’ll come over to visit. Then they’ll find out more about us and pass it on. It makes me very happy.

Professor Andrzej
Rottermund, PhD,
director of the Royal Castle in Warsaw:
The Royal Castle in Warsaw where we are right now used to be once a centre of political life and the seat of parliament as well as a temple of muses. That temple came about by will of our last monarch, the man who can be referred to in a way as Poland’s first great minister of culture. It is on his behalf that I invite laureate Urszula Dudziak to join the great artists, the great performers who have always found their place here among the muses. And music was the muse which King Stanisław Poniatowski loved most.