Jacek Kochan

Jacek Kochan, born in Poland, emigrated to America at the beginning of the 80s searching for personal and musical freedom.  He first lived in New York and took lessons from Jaco Pastorius and Mike Clark, among others. Then he moved to Canada where he continued his studies. His focus was not only on drums, percussion and vibraphone, but also further studies in the areas of composition and arrangement. During his time in Montreal, he played with Oliver Jones and Michael Donato, among others, and increasingly with Jerry Bergonzi, John Abercrombie, Kenny Wheeler and many more after he moved to Toronto in 1990. He finally returned to Poland in 1995 and has used his innumerable contacts since then to play concerts in Poland and the rest of Europe at the highest level. And not to forget, he is also a composer and arranger much in demand, including in contemporary classical and theater music. In addition, more than a dozen CDs have been produced with him as leader; the list of his sidemen includes names such as Gary Thomas, Jerry Bergonzi, Cuong Vu, Dave Tronzo, Greg Osby, Franz Hautzinger and more.