Atom String Quartet

is one of the very rare string quartets in the world that play jazz, and certainly first such band in Poland. Its members are: Dawid Lubowicz, Mateusz Smoczyński – violin, Michał Zaborski – viola and Krzysztof Lenczowski – cello. Atom String Quartet mainly plays their own compositions, inspired by Latin, Irish, Spanish and Polish folk music, what sounds modern and original thanks to the unusual set of instruments for a jazz band. This promising quartet is constantly achieving renown and appreciation. Recently ASQ was awarded the “Młoda Polska” Scholarship founded by the Polish Ministry of Culture; Grand Prix of “Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa” Festival; Grand Prix of Jazz Melomani Society in the category “New Hope of 2010”; special award – “Złote Gęśle” of Folk Music Competition of the Polish Radio New Tradition.

In June 2011 the quartet’s album “Fade in” was released, that is a live concert recorded in Radio Katowice. The album was greeted with critics and listeners’ enthusiasm. It was awarded with the “Fryderyk” in “Jazz debut” category. In April 2012 the album “Places” was released by Kayax, which was awarded with the “Fryderyk”  in “Best Album Jazz” category.

Atom String Quartet has performed at major European jazz festivals: Berliner Jazztage, Hildener Jazztage, Zbigniew Seifert in Memoriam Berlin, Festival Veranos de la Villa Madrid, Jazz Jamboree, Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa, Ethno Jazz Festival, Azoty Tarnow International Jazz Contest Festival. It cooperates with such Polish music personalities as: Urszula Dudziak, Kayah, Aga Zaryan, Agnieszka Hekiert, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Janusz Olejniczak, Vladislav `Adzik` Sendecki, Krzesimir Dębski, Wojciech Staroniewicz, Adam Sztaba, Grzech Piotrowski, Krzysztof Herdzin, Marcin Nowakowski, Jan Jarczyk, Andrzej Olejniczak, Janusz Stefański, Paweł Jarzębski, Józef Skrzek and Grzech Piotrowski`s World Orchestra, Sinfonia Viva, Sebastian Karpiel Bułecka’s Highland Quartet and Motion Trio

Dawid Lubowicz was born in Zakopane in a family of rich music tradition. As a child he was a student of Mieczysław Galica and Leszek Brodowski. He graduated from a secondary music school in Rzeszów, from the violin class of Orest Telwach and from Frederic Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, from the violin class of professor Konstanty Andrzej Kulka. He developed his abilities during various master courses with such virtuosos as: Roland Baldini, Marina Jaszwili, Mirosław Ławrynowicz, Zoran Milenković, Wanda Wiłkomirska, Andrzej Jagodziński, Michael Parkinson, Garry Wittner. He received awards at several festivals and contests, e.g. 2nd prize at the International Festival of Jazz Standards in Siedlce – 2004, special prize at the Jazz Scene of the Youth in Radom – 2004, he was the finalist in the International Contest of Krokus Jazz Festival in Jelenia Góra – 2004 and 2005, in 2005 he was the winner of Warsaw Hopes Jazz Contest. With Atom String Quartet: Grand Prix Jazz Melomans 2010, Jazz Angel of Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa 2011, Fryderyk 2012, Gold Fiddle of New Tradition Festival 2012.

For several years he has been cooperating with Roma Music Theatre orchestra, Teatr Współczesny in Warsaw and The National Theatre in Warsaw. Recently he has been an arranger-composer for the Nova Opera in Bydgoszcz. He is a soloist in Christophe Voise’s project Missa Brevis. He has played in and created: Opium String Quartet, alTango, Lubowicz Jazz Quartet, East Wall Jazz Quartet and Atom String Quartet.

Mateusz Smoczyński is a graduate of the Frederic Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, Poland. A student of Andrzej Gebski, he made his jazz debut in 1999 in Jazz Camping Kalatowki with the Jacek Namyslowski Quintet. Mateusz has collaborated with such renowned Polish musicians as Urszula Dudziak, Tomasz Stanko, Krzesimir Debski, Zbigniew Namyslowski and Jaroslaw Smietana. Together with Joachim Kuhn, Janusz Stefanski and Bronislaw Suchanek, he took part in the premiere of legendary jazz violinist Zbigniew Seifert’s Jazz Concerto for Violin, Symphony Orchestra and Rhythm section. Mateusz leads his own quintet with which he recorded his first CD “Inspirations”, dedicated to his two biggest music influences, John Coltrane and Zbigniew Seifert. After the success of his first album in 2007, Mateusz received the Minister of Culture and National Heritage Scholarship, and in June 2008 was awarded “Jazz Oscar” in the category “Music Lovers’ Hope of 2007″. In 2008, his second recording “Expressions” was released to popular acclaim. In 2009, Mateusz formed a band with his brother Jan on Hammond organ and the Russian drum star Alexander Zinger called “New Trio”. In 2010 they released their first CD “Simultaneous Abstractions” which was nominated for “Best Recording Debut of the Year” for a Fryderyki award (“the Polish Grammy”). That same year Mateusz co-founded the Atom String Quartet, the very first Polish jazz string quartet. In 2011, Mateusz had the opportunity to play with pianist Richie Beirach, trumpeter Ack van Rooyen, bassist Glen Moore, and drummer Janusz Stefanski, performing at the “Zbigniew Seifert in Memoriam-Berlin” Festival. From 2012 he is a member of legendary Turtle Island Quartet.

Michał Zaborski – graduated from the Frederic Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, from the viola class of Professor Ryszard Duź. He was awarded the Minister of Culture and National Heritage Scholarship “Young Poland”. He took part in various viola contests, e.g. in Poznań (Poland) in 2003, where he won 3rd prize, in Portschach (Austria) in 2003 – also 3rd prize, in Bled (Slovenia) in 2004 – 2nd prize. In 2009 with the band “The Transgress” he won the Blues Rock Jazz Warsaw Festival in the jazz band category. This band performed as support before the concert of “Medelski, Martin &Wood” trio in the Congress Hall in Warsaw. He performed as a soloist with Lublin Philharmonic Orchestra playing Hector Berlioz “Harold in Italy”. He developed his abilities in classical and jazz music workshops in Poland and abroad, with such musicians as: Nobuko Imai, Hatto Beyerle, Stefan Kamasa, Jean Sulem, Claude Lelong, Siegfried Fuhrlinger, Simonide Braconi, Cezariusz Gadzina, Robert Majewski, Maciej Strzelczyk.

He recorded pieces of Bartłomiej Gliniak music with Krzysztof Herdzin trio to the film “NN” by Feliks Falk. He collaborated with musicians and ensembles such as: Krzysztof Jakowicz, Stefan Kamasa, Janusz Olejniczak, Krzysztof Jabłoński, Piotr Pławner, Rafał Kwiatkowski, Jakub Jakowicz, Trio Chausson, Prazak Quartet, Prima Vista String Quartet. He is a member of Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra and Radom Chamber Orchestra, where he acts as the leader of the violas group.

Krzysztof Lenczowski was born in 1986 in Cracow, Poland. In 2010 he graduated from Frederic Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, from the cello class of Professor Tomasz Strahl and Rafał Kwiatkowski. Between April 2008 and November 2009 he was the member of a Polish orchestra “Sinfonia Iuventus”. Since February 2009 he has been the member of “Cellonet” Warsaw Cello Group led by Professor Andrzej Bauer. He also graduated from Henryk Majewski Postgraduate Jazz School in Warsaw in the jazz guitar class of Professor Piotr Lemański. As a jazz guitarist he is a member of “Fusion Generation Project”, “Jazz Construction” quintet and “Fusionator” quartet. Those groups  were awarded at many Polish jazz competitions. In October 2012, during the first European performance of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” soundtrack by Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra, he played as a guitar soloist. In 2012 the album “Kung Fu” by Fusionator was released by Fonografika. The album was greeted with critics and listeners’ enthusiasm.

Krzysztof Lenczowski’s compositions or arrangements were performed by such artists as:  Maxim Vengerow, Leszek Możdżer, Krzesimir Dębski, Andrzej Bauer and many other outstanding jazz and classical musicians.