Dżem

Dżem is a Polish blues rock group from Poland, active since 1973. Their music is rooted in blues rock, and their style also moves through blues, southern rock and hard rock.

History and members

The band’s history begins in the mid-1970s, although its first records appear in the mid-1980s. The group’s line-up has included Adam Otręba since 1973, Beno Otręba since 1973, Jerzy Styczyński since 1979, Zbigniew Szczerbiński since 1992, Janusz Borzucki since 2005, and Maciej Balcar since 2001. Apostolis Anthimos is also a prominent former member, appearing in the band in 1980–1982.

Vocalists and recordings

The band’s late vocalist Ryszard Riedel is a major figure in Polish rock history and becomes associated with a nationwide cult following. After his death in 1994, Jacek Dewódzki sings on three albums in the second half of the 1990s. Maciej Balcar joins in 2001 as the more blues-oriented singer, and the first album with him, 2004, appears in September 2004. The studio album Muza is released in November 2010 and is the first with the then-current line-up.

Other projects and events

In January 2005, the band’s pianist Paweł Berger dies in a car crash, after which Dżem pauses for four months before returning with Janusz Borzucki on piano in May 2005. A biographical film, Skazany na bluesa (Sentenced to Blues), is produced in 2005.