SBB

Biography

SBB (first known as Silesian Blues Band, later as Szukaj, Burz, Buduj – Polish for "Search, Destroy, Build") is a Polish progressive rock band formed in 1971 in Siemianowice, Upper Silesia. It was made up of multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Józef Skrzek, guitarist Apostolis Anthimos, drummer Jerzy Piotrowski, and sound engineer Grzegorz Maniecki. SBB was one of the most popular super-groups in Poland and Europe in the 1970s.
The band was one of the forerunners of progressive rock and jazz-rock and attracted many influential jazz musicians, who often performed with the band. The trumpeter Andrzej Przybielski and the saxophonist & bass clarinetist Tomasz Szukalski developed a long lasting association with SBB.

Niemen (1971–1973)

From 1971 until late 1973, SBB performed as Czesław Niemen's backing band, Grupa Niemen. During this time, it performed at the Rock & Jazz Now! opening show for the Olympic Games in Munich, organized by Joachim-Ernst Berendt and featuring Charles Mingus, John McLaughlin & Mahavishnu Orchestra. SBB also toured accompanying Jack Bruce. SBB's collaboration with Niemen can be heard on 5 albums. In Munich SBB recorded two LP's for CBS Records International, starting a long lasting friendship and collaboration with Reinhold Mack. Reinhold's son Julian Mack would later perform on SBB's 2005 album New Century×New Century2005 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Golden Harp5:502Music Is My Life4:543New Century6:064Stary człowiek w milczącym ogrodzie4:515Duch pokoleń5:356Wojownicy Itaki5:287When Was the Last Time?4:018Carry Me Away15:529PAJO3:2210Rock for Mack1:4711Positive Polarity2:3112Viator Blues5:22.

Classic run (1974–1980)

In 1974, the newly formed SBB recorded a live album of their concert at Warsaw's Klub Stodoła on April 18-19, 1974. When the album was released, it met with great commercial success, reaching a price on the black market four times higher than the retail price.
The group regularly toured Czechoslovakia, East and West Germany, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium, where, in 1978, SBB won the OIRT award - the Gouden Zeezwaluw (Golden Seaswallow).
The band split up in 1980, exactly 13 months before the proclamation of Martial Law in Poland. Józef Skrzek, Tomasz Szukalski and the band's technical crew continued as the Józef Skrzek - Tomasz Szukalski Duo and the Józef Skrzek Formation taking part in the prophetic movie The War of the Worlds: Next Century produced 11 months before the proclamation of Martial Law in Poland. After the proclamation of martial law, Apostolis Anthimos joined the jazz trumpeter Tomasz Stańko and the Greek band of George Dalaras, Jerzy Piotrowski joined or played with various bands, e.g. Kombi, Young Power, Krzak, Martyna Jakubowicz and Stanisław Sojka and Józef Skrzek performed mainly organ music in sacral buildings.

Reunions (1991–present)

SBB was briefly re-activated in 1991, 1993, 1998 and finally in 2000. After reactivation SBB also briefly toured in the United States (1994, drummer Jerzy Piotrowski stayed in the USA) and Russia and in 2006 performed as the highlight of the Baja Prog festival in Mexicali, Mexico (with the drummer Paul Wertico).
In 2016 Michał Urbaniak began to play with the band.

Members

Józef Skrzek – bass guitar, lead singer, piano, keyboards, harmonica, percussion
Apostolis Anthimos – guitar, bouzouki, drums, percussion, bass, keyboards
Jerzy Piotrowski (1971-1994, 2014–present) – drums
Sławomir Piwowar (1979–1980) – guitar, Fender piano, clavinet
Andrzej Rusek (1993–94) – bass guitar
Mirosław Muzykant (1998–1999) – drums
Ireneusz Głyk (2003-2011) – drums
Paul Wertico (2000–2007) – drums
Gábor Németh (2007-2011) – drums

The bands sound engineer Zbigniew Wiatr performed as musician on percussion instruments on the record "Welcome×Welcome1979 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracksA1Walkin' Around the Stormy Bay6:25A2Loneliness5:25A3Why No Peace6:00A4Welcome Warm Nights and Days3:00B1Rainbow Man5:00B2How Can I Begin6:55B3Last Train at the Station9:05" and on keyboards on one of the live recordings stolen from the bands technician Mariusz Zych archives and published by bolchevik criminals under their eSilesia and GAD Records labels.
The bands cofounder Grzegorz Maniecki was the bands first sound engineer, since around 1975 followed by Zbigniew Wiatr and since 1977 supported by his assistant Mariusz Zych, who was also the bands archivar and recorded around 200 live performances.
Zbigniew Wiatr & Mariusz Zych were not only responsible for the bands distinctive sound, but also often designed the synthesizer sounds, which were eventually used by Józef Skrzek. Grzegorz Maniecki occasionally continued to support the band until the introduction of Martial law in Poland and around 1988 together with Mariusz Zych founded radio SBB (Silesian Broadcast Bytom), which was around 1991 kidnapped by the bolchewik Ukrainian mafia and incorporated into Planeta FM.
In autumn of 1978 SBB performed in Dortmund along the British band Soft Machine. Soft Machine's sound engineer Phil Dudderidge supported SBB's Mariusz Zych to build his small mobile recording setup including Phil's Soundcraft mixer and Focusrite converters, but after the burglary in Mariusz's archive in spring of 2003 he has been also repeatedly tortured and injured and, like Jerzy Piotrowski earlier, forced into exile. Zbigniew Wiatr was killed around 2004 and the bands cofounder Grzegorz Maniecki, also injured, landed in a social asylum for homeless people. Klaus Schulze dedicated his Dziekuje Poland Live '83 album to Grzegorz Maniecki and another SBB engineer Artur Kamiński, who saved Klaus' tour. Artur Kamiński, who produced Józef Skrzek's solo acoustic recording "Pokój Saren - Piano", heavily invigilated, disappeared without trace around 2008.