Marek Karewicz was born in Warsaw in 1938. The photographic artist specialized in photographing jazz and rock musicians. He was also a music and television journalist, a jazz music presenter and a promoter of jazz in youth clubs in Warsaw (including the Hybrydy club).
Jerzy Pietrzak invited him to Blues nad Bobrem, and he led the meeting with Karewicz—a colorful and extraordinary figure. The author of the music photographs opened an exhibition of his works, displayed on banners in the courtyard of Kliczków Castle.
The photographer spoke with flair about the world’s greatest musicians, whom he had met personally. He said less about his own craft. Two pieces of information are certainly important to everyone involved in photography.
“The lens loves everyone,” Karewicz said at the meeting. “It is the photographer who takes the picture; if it turns out badly, that only says something about his skills. I prepared carefully for every session, knew the compositions of each of my models and also got to know those musicians personally,” added the author of the photograph of Miles Davis that the musician chose to advertise himself on a skyscraper in New York.
When asked whom he had never photographed and greatly regretted missing, Karewicz told the story of how, in 1968, he went especially to Prague for a Louis Armstrong concert. But he never made it to the concert. Before the event, he went to a bar for a drink. There he met actress Jitka Bendová, known for the erotic stamping scene in the film “Pociągi pod specjalnym nadzorem”.
“I told her that I had an interesting record collection in my room, and I didn’t photograph Armstrong. I consider his 1956 album ‘Ella and Louis’ to be a perfect record,” Karewicz concluded the anecdote.
(information: Grażyna Hanaf)