BIO
Zbigniew Kaleta is a Czech saxophonist and clarinetist of Polish origin. He lives in Ostrava and works in the Moravian-Silesian Region. He is engaged in both jazz and classical music and their fusion. In addition to participating in many bands, he also works as a studio musician. He is the founder and also a teacher of the saxophone class at the Janáček Conservatory in Ostrava and at the University of Ostrava.
He was born in Třinec. He started playing the clarinet at the Primary School in Třinec with his father Jan Kaleta. There he also attended piano lessons with Mrs. Anna Rakusová. In 1995 he graduated from the Janáček Conservatory in Ostrava, majoring in clarinet playing with Doc. Valter Vítek, with whom he also studied further at the University of Ostrava, graduating with honors in 1999. In 1996-2001 he furthered his education in this field at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, Poland, with Prof. Andrzej Janicki as a scholarship holder of the Polish government.
While studying at university, he also began to play the saxophone. He regularly participated in a number of interpretation courses and jazz workshops in the Czech Republic and Poland. In 2004, he graduated from the Faculty of Jazz and Popular Music of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, majoring in saxophone playing in the class of Prof. Jerzy Główczewski. He further expanded his classical saxophone skills with Prof. Andrzej Rzymkowski, a teacher at the Academy of Music in Krakow (Poland). In 2016, he received his doctorate from the Academy of Music in Krakow in the field of saxophone playing under the guidance of Prof. Andrzej Rzymkowski.
He has received numerous awards, including: International Clarinet Competition of Polish Music of the 20th Century in Ostrava - 1st Prize (1995), Music Competition of Czech Universities (Brno) - 1st Prize (1996), Clarinet Competition - Piotrków Trybunalski (Poland) - 1st Prize (1997), Clarinet Competition Włoszakowice (Poland) - 1st Prize (2000).
He has performed at major international music festivals: Leoš Janáček International Music Festival, St. Wenceslas Music Festival, Ostrava Days contemporary music festival, Music Present Ostrava, clarinet congresses in Ostrava and Katowice.
He has made a number of recordings for Czech and Polish radio, the Naxos label, and several CDs (classical music/jazz/pop).
In the jazz part of his musical activity, he implements jazz styles: neo-bop, fusion and pop jazz. He plays his own original music (fusion, pop jazz), jazz standards and covers. He uses soprano, alto, tenor, baritone saxophones from Selmer and clarinet, bass clarinet from Buffet-Crampon. The tenor saxophone and alto saxophone are in the center of his interest. His instruments are supervised by the company Salon i Serwis Instrumentów Dętych Piotr Śmietana.
JAZZ/POP/ROCK
- Zbigniew Kaleta Quartet - original fusion music and jazz standards
- Blue Space - since 2016, original fusion music - jazz quartet expanded with electric guitar
- 4P Quartet - with this band he recorded the jazz shows “Letem jazzem” for Noe TV in 2019-2022 – leader Vlastík Šmída
- Flegma - since 2020, jazz/rock/fusion band from Český Těšín surrounded by the singer, songwriter and guitarist Tomasz Lasota, who is the author of the music and lyrics in Polish
- Vlastík Šmída Band - original music and jazz standards
- Five Star Band - pop, rock, jazz, covers and also a backing band of singers
- Music Project "How Quietly the Evening Comes" - spiritual songs and spirituals
- Jam sessions at Dziupla Club in Český Těšín - founder and main organizer since 2012
Collaboration with musical ensembles
- BBC (Boris Band Combination)
- BOB (Big Ostrava Band)
- ORO (Ostrava Radio Orchestra) since 2008
- Rosťa Hus Quartet
- Lukáš Mužík Band
- Jazz Q band from Český Těšín
- Cotacha Orchestra from Brno
Collaboration with singers
- With leading Czech jazz singer Dana Vrchovská and her band - Jiří Urbánek & Dana Vrchovská Band (2010 – 2012)
- Martin Chodúr, Elis Mraz, Zbyněk Terner, Markéta Konvičková
CD Recordings jazz/pop
- Flegma – Zmierzanie 2012 (fusion)
- Martin Chodúr – Manifest 2012 (pop)
- Elis – Shubidu 2013 (pop)
- Concert Blue Space (original music, Czech Radio, 2017)
- Martin Chodúr – Hallelujah 2018 (pop)
- Zbyněk Terner – Over My Head 2021 (jazz)
Classical music/Third stream
CD Recordings
- Telemann, Backofen, Stamitz – concertos for two clarinets and orchestra (together with Igor Františák and the Janáček Chamber Orchestra
- Witold Lutosławski – Dance Preludes (NOSPR for Naxos Music Publishing House)
- Leo Kraft - Pacific Bridges (Moravian Philharmonic Olomouc)
- Howard Quilling - Suite for alto saxophone and orchestra (Moravian Philharmonic Olomouc)
- K&K Duo – Light On (2023) songs dedicated to that ensemble
Recordings for Polish Radio
- Frank Martin - Concerto for 7 wind instruments, percussion and string orchestra (NOSPR)
- Kazimierz Sikorski – Concerto for clarinet and orchestra (NOSPR)
- Karol Kurpiński - Concerto for clarinet and orchestra (NOSPR)
Recordings for Czech Radio
- Erwin Schulhoff – Hot-Sonate for alto saxophone and piano
- Lawson Lunde – Sonata for alto saxophone and piano
- Chick Corea – Children’s Songs for Soprano Saxophone and Piano (arr. Rob Buckland)
- Henri Eccles – Sonata for alto saxophone and piano
YouTube
- Milan Báchorek – Three movements for alto saxophone and piano
