Krzysztof Komeda

Polish jazz pianist and composer of film music, by profession a doctor of laryngology.

Born: 27 April 1931 in Poznań, Poland.
Died: 23 April 1969 in Warsaw, Poland (aged 37).

The precursor of modern jazz in Poland, Komeda is mostly known for soundtracks for over 60 films, including these by [a=Roman Polanski]: "Knife In Water" (1962), "Disgust" (1965), "The Trap" (1966), and "Rosemary's Baby" (1968). Recognized as a father of modern Polish jazz he worked with numbers of musicians such as [a=Jerzy Milian], [a=Tomasz Stańko], and [a=Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski].

In December 1968, whilst in Los Angeles, Komeda had a tragic accident which led to a haematoma of the brain, and after having been transported home to Poland in a coma and in terminal state, he died.

He was married to [a=Zofia Komeda Trzcińska].