While he has never forgotten his musical roots— he believes strongly in building bridges between classical music and jazz— it is jazz that has become Makowicz's mainstay in life. With no teacher to teach him, the young pianist listened, imitated, and learned from a host of jazz greats. Much to the displeasure of his parents, he refused to stop playing this strange music, and so they told him to leave home.

He revealed this at a reception at the Polish Consulate General in Toronto that celebrated the release of his latest CD, Indigo Bliss. He had played a few well-chosen pieces for a small assembly of jazz afficionados who gave him rousing applause whenever his musical prowess hit some particularly complex and exciting chords. Afterwards, he ventured out into the charming gardens of the consulate, located on the shores of Lake Ontario. There he spoke of the time when he learned to live on the streets while playing his music in bars and clubs that in the mind of the Communist regime were of questionable repute.

Perseverance paid off, and by 1977 he had numerous jazz albums to his name, performances across Europe—in front of and behind the Iron Curtain— and had been named No. 1 Jazz Pianist of Europe by a reader poll. This led to his being brought to New York by talent scout and producer John Hammond. Makowicz played for 10 weeks at Greenwich Village's The Cookery, recorded a solo album called Adam on the CBS-Columbia label, and gave a solo performance at Carnegie Hall on the same bill with such jazz icons as Earl Hines, George Shearing and Teddy Wilson. "I was scared to death," he recalled the Carnegie performance that he shared with such high-powered artists.

New York became his home base for many years, while he appeared with musicians and orchestras across the world. He has composed numerous works of his own for the piano, written two movie scores, as well as compositions for string quartets and jazz trios. Not bad for someone kicked onto the streets of a Communist country at a time when the Iron Curtain seemed impenetrable. What is more is that the day came when Poland honored him with the country's Officer's Cross of Merit for his achievements.

Indigo Bliss is his first Canadian release and features 17 tracks, four of which are his own compositions. The album opens with an improvisation on Irving Berlin's Blue Skies, moves on to Cry Me a River by Arthur Hamilton, and continues with Ray Noble's The Touch of Your Lips. Other artists whom he recorded on this CD, graced with his own improvisations, are Duke Ellington, the Gershwin brothers, Lorenz Hart and Richard Rogers, Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Kern among others.

The CD's sound is excellent thanks to the recording genius of James Paul and the production experience of Jaymz Bee. The album is an excellent introduction to Makowicz's playing. One can sense his complete involvement with his music, transcending all jazz styles. One cannot escape his firm, frequently rapid right hand phrasing that may or may not be reminiscent of Art Tatum. In fact, one hesitates to make this statement because Makowicz tends to follow his hero, Errol Garner, to the point where the original song is completely obliterated by improvisation, yet he does not, in any way sound like Garner. Let me say then that this Polish jazz artist is unique, which is not easy to be when there are so many predecessors to imitate.