Mateusz Pulawski is a half Dutch, half Polish guitarist, composer, producer and educator. Through the years he’s been active in the Dutch and the European jazz/music scene. In 2012 he’s graduated with distinction from the WSJiMR Conservatory in Wroclaw, Poland and in 2016 he’s finished his studies at Conservatorium van Amsterdam with a high grade.
Pulawski (1991) stands out with his virtuoso guitar skills and the freedom with which his compositions move. Despite being overcome by the romanticism he is certainly not avoiding the confrontation with challenging, vague improvisations. In the shadow of the jazz tradition he’s dosing his jazzy orchestral chord work with the melodic, sharp solos, where his fabulous technique calls up the memories of the legendary Wim Overgaauw.
Erno Elsinga, Jazzenzo, November 2017
Like a common thread there runs the moon through Mateusz’s music. Therefore Pulawski founded the Lunar Quartet and with this group he released his debut album ‘Half Moon Heart’ in December 2014, which got him the attention of the jazz press and radio stations inside and outside of The Netherlands.
Guitarist Pulawski accompanies with splendid harmonies and a lot of jazz feeling. In his solos he is sharp and melodious and he alternates between single-note lines and chords.
Jan Jasper Tamboer, Het Parool, August 2014
As a bandleader Mateusz Pulawski has released 8 albums so far, whereas the second last one- “The 13th Heron”, recorded and produced together with YenTing Lo, came out in October 2020 and won the Golden Indie Music Award in Taiwan (the “Taiwanese Grammy”) a year later. Furthermore, for the past years Mateusz has been touring in the Netherlands (i.a. in Bimhuis, ‘t Concertgebouw, Paradox, Lantaren Venster), Belgium, France, Germany and Poland.
Since 2007 Pulawski has been working as an educator in guitar, music theory, later also piano, bass guitar and music production. Thus far he’s been associated with numerous music schools, cultural institutions and working as a private instructor in a.o. Amsterdam, The Hague, Haarlem, Hilversum, Zeist. Also he’s been asked to give workshops in improvisation, band playing and even singing. Read more about his teaching practice on the subpage: teaching.
Since 2006 Mateusz Pulawski has been active in the field of audio recording, mixing and music production- his another great passion. In 2015 he began to offer these services commercially and professionally. One of his most recent albums “The 13th Heron” showcases myriad of Pulawski’s affiliations, foremost as a producer, arranger and a multi-instumentalist. In 2022 Pulawski has finally opened his own studio, where he carries on his productions.
His influences are a.o. Clifford Brown, Fred Hersch, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Pat Metheny, Chris Potter, Brad Mehldau, Queen, Deep Purple, Frank Gambale, Bill Evans, Will Vinson, Sting, Avishai Cohen, Joey Calderazzo, Jeff Tain Watts and Lage Lund.
Discography (as leader):
- Mateusz Pulawski Lunar Quartet ‘Half Moon Heart‘ (2014)
- Cuppen&Pulawski ‘Cuppen&Pulawski’ (2016) (Spotify)
- Mateusz Pulawski Lunar Quartet ‘Change Of Seasons’ (2016)
- Esther en Mateusz ‘What’s Hard To Find’ (2016)
- Mateusz Pulawski Lunar Quartet ‘(Extra) Ordinary Songs’ (2018)
- Esther en Mateusz ‘What Saturday Brought’ (2018)
- Mateusz Pulawski & YenTing Lo ‘The 13th Heron’ (2020)
- Mateusz Pulawski & Leah Kline, ‘Clouds’ (2021)
Discography (as sideman):
- Leah Kline This ‘Precious Life’ (2015) (Spotify)
- Deborah J. Carter ‘Diggin’ The Duke!’ (2015) (Spotify)
- Karsu ‘Colors’ (2015) (Spotify)
- Deborah J. Carter ‘Blowin’ In The Wind – Single’ (2017) (Spotify)
- Frank Paavo ‘Jazz Painter’ (2017) (Spotify)
- Frank Paavo ‘Frankly Speaking’ (2022) (Spotify)
Prizes:
- Finalist of the ‘Jazz Nad Odra 2012’ competition in Wroclaw in Poland
- Finalist of the ‘Jazz Nad Odra 2013’ competition in Wroclaw in Poland
- Semi-Finalist of the ‘Keep an Eye International Jazz Award 2014’ competition in Amsterdam
- Incentive Prize in the ‘Keep an Eye International Jazz Award 2015’ competition in Amsterdam
- Third Prize in the ‘Dortse Sena Jazzprijs 2015’ in Dordrecht
The most important venues in the Netherlands where Pulawski performed:
- Bimhuis (Amsterdam),
- ‘t Concertgebouw (Amsterdam),
- North Sea Jazz Club (Amsterdam),
- LantarenVenster (Rotterdam),
- Bird (Rotterdam),
- Paradox (Tilburg),
- Gitaarsalon (Enkhuizen),
- Brinkhuis (Laren),
- Cultuurschip Thor (Zwolle),
- Miles (Amersfoort),
- Goethe Instituut (Amsterdam),
- Goois Jazz Festival (Bussum),
- Meerjazz Festival (Hoofddorp),
- Grachtenfestival (Amsterdam),
- Jazzdag (Rotterdam),
- Big Rivers Festival (Dordrecht),
- Jazz in de Gracht Festival (Den Haag)
Drive and irresistible experience. His music, settled in the acoustic jazz genre, is a pure flow of emotions reinforced by skillful play of the fellow musicians over a deeply grounded structure. Based on respect to the tradition, the mutual vision on music soars towards the freedom of expression and interpretation. That togetherness breaks all the existing limits and connects improvising musicians with listeners, enriching both sides.
Mateusz about his quartet
