Watchlist Artist: Jacek Winkiel

Maybe you’ve never heard of Polish RnB, and maybe the reason is because there isn’t very much Polish RnB. But one producer/singer/keyboardist produces some of the smoothest, cleanest indie RnB you’ve ever heard. Hit Talk picked Jacek Winkiel for the Watchlist after hearing his song “Beautiful Woman,” which you can hear on Jacek’s Myspace page: myspace.com/jacekwinkiel. We challenge anyone to find a better RnB songwriter and producer east of the British Isles.

Musical experiences

I’ve taken part in the biggest Polish music festivals like Top Trendy, Vena Festival and the Sopot festival, I’ve released album with my band Deamland and some singles for Polish artists, and I’ve performed hundreds of concerts as a keyboard player.

Inspiration

I’m inspired by good music and good art: Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Michael Jackson, Herbie Hancock, Michel Petrucciani, Sting, Phil Collins, Modigliani, Picasso, Charles Bukowski, Andy Warhol, Al Pacino, Libertango, people, cities, everything.

Current Projects

In 2009, we opened Jack&John Entertainment (jjent.org) which is a music project, foundation, and recording/production studio.

On Being a Keyboardist in Poland

There’s RnB music in Polish TV and Radio, but this kind of music
is not natural for Poland. In this country, it’s hard to find a black singer
to work with. But musicians love to play this kind of music
and we do some good RnB production here. Anyway, when a Polish
RnB band goes out into the media, it’s a big success.

On Recording in English

You know, the music market is very open now. Its easy to send music everywhere.
English is the most international language now, so I decided to record my
songs this way. I’m working also on my song repertoire and English is the
best for that.