After more than 40 years on the international stage, Polish singer Irena Jarocka has passed away in Warsaw.
One of the best known hits of Irena Jarocka was
“Odpływają kawiarenki” (Sail Away Cafes).
Irena Jarocka debuted in 1968 at the festival in Sopot. Her first hit was the song “Gondolierzy znad Wisły” (Gondoliers on the Vistula River).
Over the years, Irena Jarocka sang such well-known songs as “Motylem jestem” (I am a Butterfly), “Kocha się tylko raz” (You Love Only Once), “Odpływają kawiarenki” (Sail Away Cafes), “Wymyśliłam Cię” (I Created You), “Beatlemania story”.
She also starred in the movie “I Am a Butterfly, or a 40-year-old’s Romance” and in the Mrozek’s play “Beautiful View”.
She won many prestigious awards at international festivals and recorded many albums. The last of them were “Małe rzeczy” (Little Things) released in 2008 and “Ponieważ znów są Święta” (Because the Christmas Comes Once Again) in 2010.
She performed in eight languages with such stars as Mireille Mathieu, Charles Aznavour, Michel Legrand and ABBA. She has recorded for the world’s largest studios, such as Phillips, Supraphon, Warner Brothers, Cristal-EMI, Melodia, and Polish Records.
She emigrated to the United States in the 1990s and she took a break from performing for several years, before gaining speed anew, particularly after she returned to Poland, where she always felt most inspired. Over the years she released several albums through such major labels as Universal Music Polska “Little Things” – a collection of ballads and pop songs. 2010 proved to be a productive one for Irena Jarocka, both from a musical and a publishing standpoint. She released a two-CD compilation with the artist’s great hits in new arrangements.
Jarocka will be buried in the Catacombs of Old Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw.
A memorial service for Irena Jarocka is being held at the Stanisław Kostka Church in Greenpoint, New York (607 Humboldt Street) on Sunday the 29th of January at 5:00 p.m.
Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)
