An innovative and influential jazz musician, Michał Urbaniak was born on January 22, 1943 in Warsaw, Poland, and grew up in Łódź. He began studying classical violin at the age of six at a local music school, then from 1961 at the Warsaw Conservatory in the class of Tadeusz Wroński. At the same time, he taught himself the saxophone and began playing in clubs at an early age. In 1961, he joined Zbigniew Namysłowski's Jazz Rockers group, before joining Andrzej Trzaskowski's quintet The Wreckers, which also performed in the USA. Back in Poland, he joined Krzysztof Komeda's quintet (1962-1964), a major Polish jazz band at the time. After this experience, he left for Scandinavia, where he formed a band with Urszula Dudziak and Wojciech Karolak. On his return, the musician founded the Michał Urbaniak Group, which recorded several albums including Parathyphus B (1971) and Inactin (1973), in between appearances at European festivals, including the Montreux Jazz Festival, where he won the Grand Prix for best soloist. On September 11, 1973, Michał Urbaniak left Poland for good and moved to New York, where he signed a contract with Columbia. He became one of the pioneers of jazz fusion, blending jazz, rock, funk, Polish folk elements and world music with his band Fusion, and released landmark albums such as Super Constellation (1973), Fusion (1974), Atma (1974) and Fusion III (1975), followed by numerous other recordings on other labels. He is noted for his playing of the five-string electric violin, a customized, synthesized instrument he sometimes calls his "talking violin", and for his use of the lyricon (a saxophone-like electronic wind instrument). Over the course of his career, he has collaborated with many artists, including Miles Davis on the album Tutu (1986), Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Marcus Miller, Jaco Pastorius, Chick Corea, Freddie Hubbard, and many other jazz and funk figures. Michał Urbaniak has created other formations such as Jazz Legends, Urbanator, Urbanizer or UrbSymphony. He has also composed for film and theater, and has won several awards, including the Golden Fryderyk (2016). Married to singer Urszula Dudziak, who gave birth to their daughter-turned-musician, Mika Urbaniak. On December 20, 2025, Michał Urbaniak passed away at the age of 82.
