Home » Jazz Articles » SoCal Jazz » Darek Oleszkiewicz: Rolls-Royce Groovin'
Darek Oleszkiewicz: Rolls-Royce Groovin'
Darek always makes the best possible choices when he plays the bass. His time and note placement are perfect; his pitch is impeccable, plus he swings relentlessly. I love it when he walks and I love it when he breaks up the time and I love it when he solos. I think that covers it....HIS bass playing totally covers it.
—Peter Erskine
Darek Oleszkiewicz
bass, acousticb.1963
Paul Chambers
bass, acoustic1935 - 1969
Ron Carter
bassb.1937
Ray Brown
bass, acoustic1926 - 2002
Miroslav Vitous
bassb.1947
Pat Metheny
guitarb.1954
Peter Erskine
drumsb.1954
Brad Mehldau
pianob.1970
Charles Lloyd
saxophoneb.1938
Joe Lovano
drumsb.1952
Born in Warsaw, Poland and thriving in Los Angeles, Oleszkiewicz tours the world and leaves a lasting impression. Fortunately, a conversation with him just days before Christmas (2019), proved to be as engaging, spirited, and enlightening as the live performance with Erskine,
Alan Pasqua
pianob.1952
George Garzone
saxophone, tenorb.1950
All About Jazz: The sights and sounds of Italy are fresh on your mind as you are just back from a tour with the great Pat Metheny. That had to be amazing.
Darek Oleszkiewicz: Oh yes it sure was. It was really great. We did some concerts as a trio and others with orchestras. It was really beautiful. Pat is incredible to work with. He is extremely consistent. Such a nice guy and always very positive. An absolutely incredible musician. The Genova Symphony was extraordinary to play with. A young director named Andrea Battistoni was amazing. He is a rising star and already the Chief Conductor of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. He is only thirty years old and working with him was just a breeze. There was a real ease and natural connection on every level. He really understands the music. The way he conducted the orchestra and directed was so beautiful. He was grooving with us on the jazz level. He is someone to watch out for. We were in Italy for two weeks and it was just a beautiful time. The only thing we were missing was good weather. It rained the entire time we were there. But it didn't matter. We played great music and ate amazing food.
AAJ: You had played with Pat before, yes? This wasn't your first tour with him.
DO: We did some concerts earlier this year in the countries of Georgia and Poland. Both the orchestral project and a trio with an excellent young drummer named
Jonathan Barber
drumsAAJ: So, you had a good rhythm section chemistry with Barber?
DO: Yes. From the very first moment we played together it was a great lock. His timing and pulse are very strong. I love playing with Jonathan. He is one of the younger drummers that lives in New York. Pat found him somehow. Pat sent me some tracks of them jamming together and asked me what I thought. I immediately thought that he made great choices and would be a great fit.
AAJ: Beyond the music and the rain, what else about Italy stands out in your mind? You mentioned the great food.
DO: Oh my gosh, they really know what they are doing in Italy. The pastas and great fish and much more. In Genoa there is an amazing pesto. They have a basil that grows there that is probably the best basil in the whole world. It's a small basil, with smaller leaves. Also, their olives are smaller and so tasty. They make the best pesto in the world in Genoa.
AAJ: You are making me hungry, man. (laughing)
DO: (laughing) It is about lunchtime.
AAJ: In what ways does it affect your playing when you are with the symphony as opposed to the trio?
DO: Well, we are playing two completely different folders of music. Totally different material with the symphony than with the trio. There are no tunes that repeat from symphony to trio. It's a lot of music and Pat plays long concerts. He will play two hours without an intermission. When we play as a trio there is more, I would say, improvisation. Longer solos on guitar, bass, and drums. Orchestral concerts have more of an arrangement. The length of the songs is set. The length of solos is set. It is equally challenging and fun to play in both settings. I can't tell you which is my preferred way because they are both amazing in their own way. But the nature of it and the environments make them very different from each other.
AAJ: That's great that you enjoy both of those challenges. I suppose most things that are truly fun and enjoyable take an effort to get there.
DO: Yes, that's very true. These are the things we live for. To be challenged and play at the highest level. Usually you do one project or the other. It is more a of a challenge going back and forth, as we did on these tours, playing the trio one night and symphony the next and then back to trio etc. To absorb that much material, and do it well, requires a lot of concentration and work. It's fun and challenging to play with Pat Metheny. I learn from Pat every day. Whether we are playing or not. If we are talking at dinner, or riding in a van, or at the airport, I am learning from conversations with him. It's a great situation to be in. Always a learning experience to interact with a master like that. Listening to Pat talk about music and life and telling these great stories is very special. He has played with nearly everyone, all the great musicians, in his career over the last forty years or so. He is so open and so kind and so positive. He is like that every day. He is never tired. He is never moody. He is always interested in the next time we play.
AAJ: You have ascended to the highest level. So, changing gears and going back to how it all started, what can you share with us about growing up in Poland?
DO: When I was growing up, Poland was still a socialist communist political system. Living there was different back in the late sixties and seventies. We were very isolated from the west. The influence of the music and culture from the west was fairly limited. But we had a very strong musical tradition in Poland. Our main hero was Fredric Chopin, the famed classical composer and pianist. His music infiltrated the culture and influenced a lot of jazz musicians and classical musicians. There are a lot of different types of music in Poland and musicians playing at a very high level. When I started playing jazz in the early eighties there were many very talented composers and improvisers playing on records and festivals throughout Europe. I was one of the younger musicians that was very lucky to play with masters such as saxophonist Jan Ptaszyn Wroblewski. This great composer and arranger gave me my first professional opportunities playing concerts and in the recording studio. I also played with two tremendous quartets. One that was led by the amazing tenor and soprano saxophonist Tomasz Szukalski and the other by a terrific alto player named
Zbigniew Namyslowski
saxophone, altob.1939
Charlie Haden
bass, acoustic1937 - 2014
AAJ: You mention being isolated and not hearing as much music from the west. When and how did you start to hear
Miles Davis
trumpet1926 - 1991
John Coltrane
saxophone1926 - 1967
DO: Once or twice a year those type of artists came to Poland to play in festivals. Most likely in Warsaw, perhaps sometimes elsewhere. Many of those were televised and I would see people like the great Ray Brown play bass. That is what really turned my life around. Seeing Ray Brown play with drummer
Jeff Hamilton
drumsb.1953
Bud Shank
saxophone1926 - 2009
Laurindo Almeida
guitar1917 - 1995
Sonny Rollins
saxophoneb.1930
Louie Bellson
drums1924 - 2009
Thad Jones
trumpet1923 - 1986
Mel Lewis
drums1929 - 1990
Bill Evans
piano1929 - 1980
Thelonious Monk
piano1917 - 1982
AAJ: Perhaps a tendency to really appreciate and savor what music you did have, as opposed to the endless supply we now have.
AAJ: Yes absolutely, Jim. That is a very good point. I would know them by heart. There was a different way of listening back then. It was very focused. We didn't have everything, but I realized later that I had the important stuff that really mattered the most. Having Miles, Coltrane, Monk, and Evans pretty much covered the full range.
AAJ: Yeah, there was plenty more, but I understand what you mean. That those four captured the full embodiment of the sound.
DO: Yes, we listened over and over again, trying to analyze and transcribe their music. Back then, as a kid, I would think of what it would be like to be able to just right now be able to listen to a record by
Herbie Hancock
pianob.1940
AAJ: Yes, it is pretty amazing compared to when we were younger, and you might not be able to get your hands on a record, much less snapping your fingers and it's there.
DO: Yes, but it has its downside too. There is less focus on individual records. A lot of music has been taken for granted.
AAJ: More of a tendency to move on to the next one, and the next one, endlessly instead of more deeply getting into any one specific record.
DO: Yes, Jim, that is it. It creates an entirely different way of hearing music. People can get into too much of a rush to truly appreciate what they are listening to.
AAJ: Do you come from a musical family?
DO: My dad used to play piano and accordion. He was an amateur musician, but he was actually really good. He could play some jazz tunes on the piano and swing. He would play at parties with his friends. So, definitely I have some musical genes from him. I started playing piano when I was five years old. I had some basic classical training on piano. I started playing guitar when I was a teenager and then electric bass. Eventually I got my hands on an acoustic bass and that was it, Jim. I knew that this was the actual instrument I truly had to work on and had some great potential on.
AAJ: So, you were in your late teens when you discovered the acoustic bass, yes?
DO: Yes, I was about seventeen.
AAJ: I have had many musicians tell me a similar story. About going through a few different instruments and then just wham, it hits, having that moment of clarity when the right instrument gets in their hands.
DO: Yes, it is very important for that to happen. I don't think I would have gotten to any height as a guitarist or a pianist. I realized that I am a single line player. I am a melodic player. I don't have the brain to play ten notes at the same time or even four or five notes at the same time on the guitar. That was not my thing. I could play fairly well but I would never have been great at guitar or piano.
AAJ: Who were your biggest influences musically? Who did you grow up listening to?
DO: My big five when I was younger, and I was listening a lot, were Ray Brown, Paul Chambers, Ron Carter, Charlie Haden, and
Scott LaFaro
bass1936 - 1961
Jimmy Garrison
bass, acoustic1934 - 1976
Dave Holland
bassb.1946
George Mraz
bass1944 - 2021
Palle Danielsson
bass, acoustic1946 - 2024
AAJ: Yes, I was going to ask you about being a protégé of Charlie Haden. In fact, my question was to be if that was the reason you came to the Unites States. But you have already clarified that came after the fact.
DO:Yes, I didn't even know there was a California Institute of the Arts, much less that Charlie Haden taught there. I met saxophonist,
Ravi Coltrane
saxophone, tenorb.1965
Ralph Alessi
trumpetb.1963
AAJ: You know, Marcus Miller told me he had the same advice from the great drummer
Lenny White
drumsb.1949
DO: Oh you know, Jim, I so much love that analogy. When I was growing up in Poland, I used to wish that I could have just my own little garden of music. That I would not necessarily have to become a very famous, rich, or prolific musician that would have acres and acres of land, so to speak. That I would be happy to just have a very tiny little garden of my own music that hopefully some people would appreciate. I used to focus on that, just on my own environment. That I would be happy, satisfied, and fulfilled just with my own beautiful flowers in my own small garden that my neighbors, family, and friends could appreciate.
AAJ: So, it is safe to say that your garden is exponentially larger than you ever dreamed of.
DO: Oh yes. I never dreamed that I would be playing with Pat Metheny, Brad Mehldau, Peter Erskine,
Bennie Maupin
woodwindsb.1940
Billy Higgins
drums1936 - 2001
AAJ: And you are still young, that garden will continue to harvest and bloom.
DO: Well, I do feel like I am still learning. Every time I play, the process of learning and growing continues.
AAJ: Haden's touch clearly resonates in your playing. Your solo tribute to him, Blues for Charlie (Self-Produced, 2016), is remarkable in meshing your sensibilities with his. That had to be a highly personal accomplishment for you. I would love to hear you talk about how it felt to make this record, the song selection, your process in putting it together.
DO: When Charlie passed away, five years ago, I was in Poland. I was helping my mother recover from surgery. I spent the entire summer there. I was very sad and shocked when Charlie passed even though we all knew that it might happen. He had not been well. His health was declining at the time. I did spend a lot of time with Charlie the last two years of his life helping him out the best I could. The day he passed I started thinking about the music I had learned from him as a student and the lessons I had with him. I had a lot of time on my hands that summer, so I would go down to the bottom floor of the townhouse and play some of the tunes. I was just thinking about the past and how things were when I was with Charlie.
AAJ: You were kind of reminiscing.
DO: Yes, exactly. I was playing some of his tunes and practicing to them as I had done in the past. I soon realized that it was coming together in an interesting way and that I should start recording. Then it became a recording project that I was able to do as a tribute to Charlie. It took me a while to figure out exactly what to record and how to present the music in a way that didn't just sound like a bassist practicing. I wanted it to be easy and melodic to listen to. This was not easy, Jim. Bass solos after five or ten minutes becomes monotone.
AAJ: Yeah, I could see how that could very quickly become redundant.
DO: Redundant, yes. It needed variety and levels of surprise from tier to tier. It can't be too short or too long. I had to try not to play too many notes. When listening back, I would think I was playing too much and needed to have more space. How not to be afraid of silence. That took a while to figure out what was important and what was not important. It was a great learning process for me to put that project together with a focus on a collection of pieces and just playing solo bass.
AAJ: Yeah, when you talk about not being afraid of silence and utilizing space, it makes me think of Miles Davis. It resonated with me years ago that he would say, and I paraphrase, that space was another note. Just one that you don't hear.
DO: Right! That's exactly right, Jim. Well, Miles was really great at that. He really knew how to use space. How to play very few notes and make a deep and important statement. Charlie was great at that too.
AAJ: Somewhere in the less is more category.
DO: Yes, less is more. Not playing the pauses or spaces is the hardest thing to do. The silence can be deafening.
AAJ: For many years now you have been involved in education at the Thornton School of Music at USC, as well as other universities. What can you tell us about that aspect of your career?
DO: At first, I received a full scholarship as a student at Cal Arts. Then after I graduated, they offered me a contract to teach there. This was a big surprise to me. I had never planned on teaching. I just wanted to play. I wanted to be an improvising jazz musician, touring and recording music. But little by little these teaching jobs fell into my lap. I wasn't actively seeking them. I was asked to join the faculty at UC Irvine to help out the bass department. A few years later Cal State Northridge asked me to do the same thing. Meanwhile, USC asks me to join their faculty. So, I end up finding myself teaching at three or four different schools at the same time, even though I never pursued any of it.
AAJ: The steady paycheck aspect has to figure into your gig selections over the years as well, yes?
DO: Absolutely. I can be much more selective in what I choose to do. Also, I send some of my students out to some of these gigs. So, it gives them an opportunity to play a live gig and make a little money. Mostly it is an opportunity to learn.
AAJ: I have to believe that even though it was never in your plans, that you have come to love it and find it rewarding when you see the light go on in a student's eyes.
DO: Jim, I learn something every day. I feel like I am the student. It is wonderful. Such a wonderful environment. It's a challenge. It's very rewarding. Sometimes quite exhausting. It's a busy life when you put the touring, recording, and teaching all together. But each one of those aspects are extremely rewarding in their own ways. Teaching occupies your mind much of the time. I wake up in the middle of the night remembering that I need to write a letter of recommendation for one of my students or something else like that. There is a lot of planning that goes into it. It is so great to witness the development of some really great jazz by some of these very talented young students and players. It is really humbling to see what these young people can do. They play original material at a very high level.
AAJ: This has been a highly successful year for you. In addition to playing with Metheny, there is the Grammy-worthy live recording 3 Nights in L.A. (Fuzzy Music, 2019) with Erskine, Garzone, and Pasqua. As you know, I was fortunate to see one of the live performances at Sam First in L.A. What do you like about that club that makes it a cool place to play?
DO: It's cozy. It's like being in someone's living room. It is a nice sounding space. One of my former students,
David Robaire
bass, acousticb.1986
AAJ: Oh, Robaire is one of your students. I hadn't put that together.
DO: Yes. He received his master's degree from Cal Arts a few years ago. The owner, Paul Solomon, is also a great fan of music. All of that creates a very friendly atmosphere for music. So, it is not only the space, but the vibe. The human element makes a big difference in how much they understand and appreciate the music.
AAJ: Hearing and watching the quartet's brisk interplay and energy in such an intimate environment was about as good as it gets. You all clearly have a great time playing together and that feeling translates over to the audience. You have to dig that it is a listening room and people are respectful of that. How much does the attentiveness of the audience factor into your playing and/or your ability to interact with the band?
DO: It makes the whole performance a positive experience of creating music. Entirely different from playing in an atmosphere where there is a lot of chit chat and other noises. In fact, I don't so much accept gigs like that anymore. When people are respectful and really listening, you can connect to them in a way that you can't elsewhere. It elevates music to a whole different level when you feel like you can make an individual connection.
AAJ: Well, certainly from the listening standpoint as well. It is much harder to get into the depth of the music when there are whirling blenders and people talking about their laundry list. I often wonder why people are there if they don't want to truly hear the music. It is rude to the musicians and to the rest of the crowd that wants to listen.
DO: I totally agree, but interesting I was talking to the great drummer
Paul Motian
drums1931 - 2011
AAJ: That is interesting that Motian embraced all of that as part of the, I suppose, reality of the moment.
DO: Yes. I prefer it to be quiet. Most of us do.
AAJ: Erskine has been referred to as the consummate drummer. What do you enjoy most about playing with him?
AAJ: I love his time share. I love his consistency of playing in great time and tempo. His musicality and dynamics. He knows instinctively when to play loud or when to play quietly. I love his compositions. I really enjoy playing his music. Personally, he is just such a great guy. I love having conversations with him. There is always something to learn from him. He leaves you with something to think about. He is very inspiring to be around whether we are talking about music or politics or whatever. He is actually very similar to Pat Metheny in that way. There is a lot of energy there and Peter is just such a kind and generous person. Then you bring Alan Pasqua into the mix and put yourself in the middle of that. Wow! Those two have been playing together since college so I feel like I am in paradise. They have such a tremendous connection and I consider myself very lucky to be part of an ensemble making music with them.
AAJ: The Interlochen Concert (Fuzzy Music, 2010) you did a few years back with Erskine and Pasqua is a true trio showcase. That was a night that seemed to capture all three of you at your best.
DO: You know, Jim, I didn't know that they were recording that night. It can be better sometimes if you don't know they are recording. We were all very loose and it captured our spirit. I have to say they did a great job of recording that night.
AAJ: Obviously, it broadens the sound when Garzone is added for the quartet sessions. In what ways does it affect your choices and note selections?
DO: A quartet offers more possibilities. There are two different trios. A bass, piano, and drums, and also saxophone, bass, and drums. You can break it down to several variations of duos. There is then more opportunities of colors and sounds and interactions between the musicians. With George Garzone, there was instant chemistry. The first time we played together was in January of this year [2019]. He came on campus as a guest at one of my master's classes. We introduced ourselves, talked for few minutes, and then he just started to play. I didn't even know what he was going into. From that very first moment, it was so obvious on how together and connected we were on every page of music. It was easy, spontaneous, and creative in that singular moment. Such a great element of chemistry.
AAJ:: With so many note selections along the way and exploring between the notes for all of you, what determines the many choices that are made so instantaneously?
DO: That is a very complex question, Jim, that is difficult to answer. The best way that I can say it is to make an analogy. If you have four friends that know each other quite well sitting down and having a conversation together, the conversation can be very easy, creative, stimulating, and energized. It is the chemistry of the four individuals that makes it special. If the chemistry is not there, we might still have a conversation that is pretty good, but it will be different. It won't be as engaging and fun. It's an interaction on stage that is a conversation. The better we know each other the deeper we can go with ease and in a natural way. It's all about feeling and spontaneity. We can't analyze much further. In fact, when we listen back, we do not try to analyze what happened or why it happened.
AAJ: Better to just appreciate that it did.
DO: Yes, there is a lot of magic in interactions between humans that can be difficult to explain. This is no different than that. We do it with music, but it happens in life every day. Often times you don't know when or in what way it will happen. This wonderful conversation we have had today is a great example of that.
AAJ: Indeed, that's well said. We have, in that sense, been improvising with each other for the past hour plus. Thanks much for the dialog we just shared. Very much appreciated. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas Darek.
DO: Oh yes, Happy Holidays to you and your family as well, Jim. Wonderful to engage in conversation with you. I look forward to seeing you while on tour and further exploring our shared love of music.
Tags
SoCal Jazz
Darek Oleszkiewicz
Jim Worsley
United States
California
Los Angeles
Paul Chambers
Ron Carter
Ray Brown
Miroslav Vitous
pat metheny
Peter Erskine
brad mehldau
charles lloyd
joe lovano
Alan Pasqua
George Garzone
Jonathan Barber
Charlie Haden
Miles Davis
John Coltrane
Jeff Hamilton
Bud Shank
Laurindo Almeida
L.A. Four
Sonny Rollins
Louie Bellson
Thad Jones
Mel Lewis
Bill Evans
Thelonious Monk
Scott LaFaro
Jimmy Garrison
Dave Holland
George Mraz
Palle Danielsson
Ravi Coltrane
Ralph Alessi
Lenny White
BENNIE MAUPIN
Billy Higgins
Dave Robaire
Paul Motion
Comments
PREVIOUS / NEXT
Support All About Jazz
All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.
Go Ad Free!
To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.
Los Angeles
Concert Guide | Venue Guide | Local Businesses
| More...
Showcase
Featured
Darwin AI: Surivior Choice
By Alex Otey buy
Carnaval - The Songs Were So Beautiful
By Antonio Adolfo buy
Giveaway
Playlist
Premium
Weekly newsletter
Get more of a good thing
Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories and includes your local jazz events calendar.
Los Angeles
Concert Guide | Venue Guide | Local Businesses | More...Showcase
Buy Now
Featured
Darwin AI: Surivior Choice
By Alex Otey buy
Carnaval - The Songs Were So Beautiful
By Antonio Adolfo buyGiveaway
