SBB (band)

This article is about the Polish band. For the Michigan band, see Small Brown Bike.

SBB (first known as Silesian Blues Band, later as Szukaj, Burz, Buduj – Polish for "Search, Break up, 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.

SBB
SBB in concert, 2013
Background information
Also known as	Silesian Blues Band; Szukaj, Burz, Buduj
Origin	Siemianowice, Poland
Genres	Jazz rock, blues rock, progressive rock, art rock, jazz fusion
Years active	1971–present
Labels	CBS, Polskie Nagrania Muza, Supraphon, Spiegelei-Intercord, Omnibus, Wifon, Amiga, Jazz 'n' Java, Metal Mind Productions, Polskie Radio
Members	Józef Skrzek Apostolis Anthimos Jerzy Piotrowski
Past members	Paul Wertico

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.

History

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.

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

Timeline

Discography

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		POL
SBB (1)	Recorded: April 18–19, 1974 Label: Polskie Nagrania Muza	—
Nowy horyzont (2)	Released: May 20, 1975 Label: Polskie Nagrania Muza	—
Pamięć (3)	Released: September 27, 1976 Label: Polskie Nagrania Muza	—
Ze słowem biegnę do ciebie	Released: April 18, 1977 Label: Polskie Nagrania Muza	—
SBB (Wołanie o brzęk szkła / Touha po zvonění střepů / Slovenian Girls)	Released: 1977 Label: Supraphon	—
Jerzyk	Released: 1977 Label: Wifon	—
SBB (Amiga)	Released: 1978 Label: Amiga	—
Follow My Dream	Released: May 22, 1978 Label: Spiegelei-Intercord	—
Welcome	Released: March 19, 1979 Label: Wifon, Spiegelei-Intercord	—
Memento z banalnym tryptykiem	Released: February 16, 1981 Label: Polskie Nagrania Muza	—
Nastroje	Released: October 7, 2002 Label: Jazz’N’Java Records	—
New Century	Released: September 19, 2005 Label: Metal Mind Productions	17
The Rock	Released: October 29, 2007 Label: Metal Mind Productions	30
Iron Curtain	Released: January 26, 2009 Label: Metal Mind Productions	17
Blue Trance	Released: October 25, 2010 Label: Metal Mind Productions	50
SBB	Released: March 19, 2012 Label: Metal Mind Productions	26
SBB & Michał Urbaniak	Released: October 2, 2015 Label: Agencja Muzyczna Polskiego Radia
Za linią horyzontu	Released: September 23, 2016 Label: Agencja Muzyczna Polskiego Radia	22
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

External links

• Paul Wertico - The History of SBB
• Apostolis Anthimos (SBB) - current tour dates