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Polish tango: Adam Wysocki & Odeon Orch. - Żebyś mnie zrozumiała, 1934

3,184 views · Published 13 March 2015 · 3:15 · Indexed 20 October 2026

Channel: 240252 · 2015 · Music

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Adam Wysocki & Orkiestra tangowa „Odeon” (dyr. Jerzy Gert?)– Żebyś mnie zrozumiała [If You’d Understand Me], Tango (M.Wróblewski – J.Nel), Odeon 1934 (Polish)

NOTE:  Adam WYSOCKI was a popular singer in Warsaw in the 1930s, performing solo and as member of the enormously popular Chór Dana (Polish revelers group of the 1930s). He was also contracted as crooner with the Odeon Records in Warsaw, where he recorded a number of refrains for the current dance hits. One of such songs was tango “Żebyś mnie zrozumiała” – designed to be not a big hit, but merely a background tune played in one summer season by a megaphone on beach or by the radio standing on café’s counter. Intertestingly: the haste, in which such tunes were “produced” is seen also in rather graphomanic text which tells virtually about nothing. Even the title contains a linguistic error: the proper form in Polish would be: “Gdybyś mnie zrozumiała” (not: “Żebyś…”). The reason why, in spite those imperfections the tune is worthwhile listening, is excellent tango-arrangement, typical for the renowned bandleader Jerzy Gert (who is probably hidden in anonymity behind the label of this song). In that time, Jerzy Gert was a musical director of Odeon records and all the tango recordings which were cut by Odeon Orchestra led by Jerzy Gert, and which I ever happened to hear, are small instrumental and arrangement masterpieces – and this one is no exception. Also Adam Wysocki makes a good job: his singing is disciplined and gentle, and the emotional subtleness detected sometimes in a split second second  tremble of his voice is Adam Wysocki’s trademark.

Shortly after outbreak of the 2nd World War, Wysocki was arrested by Gestapo and sent to Auschwitz in 1940, where he stayed  as survivor – what is difficult to believe! - until last days of existence of that hell place on earth, in 1945. What’s even more surprising, despite horror he must have had been gone trough, he did return to his artistic career in Warsaw in postwar years with his voice unchanged, able to again make recordings of lovely tunes and perform in the Warsaw Operetta until his death in 1978.

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