A.J. Kaufmann Interview by Dave Bixby

A.J. Kaufmann is a Polish Poet and Musician that has been active for over 20 years and has recorded well over 100 albums – solo and with various other musicians on a global scale…

Dave Bixby: When and where were you born? Where do you live now?

A.J. Kaufmann: I was born in 1985 in Poznań, Poland. I lived in Berlin and London for short periods of time across the years, but am now living in my hometown of Poznań.

DB: How old were you when you first began to master an instrument and what instruments do you play?

AJ: When I was about 9, I started to learn classical guitar. Later I played bass guitar and electric guitar. I took singing lessons at the age of 25. I currently play guitars, bass guitar, a bit of synthesizers, and sing. I also play drums but only as a hobby.

DB: Tell us about ‘Stoned Gypsy Wanderer‘ and ‘Bard’s Woman In The Cool Of The Summer Breeze‘ collection of works.

AJ: ‘Stoned Gypsy Wanderer’ was recorded between 2011-2014 and first released on CD-R in 2014 with Kendra Steiner Editions, a micro-press and label from San Antonio, Texas. It is basically a concept album about finding the inner woman. I was inspired by Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Velvet Underground, and Lee Hazlewood when I wrote the songs between 2002-2012. The album was finally released on vinyl with the Australian label Ramble Records in August 2021. The album artwork is by my dear friend, the American artist Justin Jackley.

‘Bard’s Woman In The Cool Of The Summer Breeze’ basic tracks were recorded in 2022 (voice and acoustic guitar, as captured live in a rehearsal space by my friend Patryk Lichota), but the songs are much older. Some date back to 2006. Anyway, later in 2022 my friends from around the world added their instruments to the mix and so the album was born. It is a ’60s revival work in which I was inspired by some of my favorite music from that decade, most definitely Syd Barrett and Nick Drake. Also, my friends such as Gita from Indonesia or Rosemary from Berkeley, or Matthias from Germany brought much of their creative spirits into the finished album. It is available on CD from The Swamp Records USA. The album artwork is by Hamburg, Germany-based artist, Spencer Robens.

DB: Tell us about your release in Australia. How did that come about?

AJ: Mike Sill of Ramble Records simply sent me an email and asked if I’d be interested in releasing an album on vinyl with his label. I chose ‘Stoned Gypsy Wanderer’ for the release, as it was my best received album when first released in 2014. I remember good reviews and interviews in places like Aural Innovations, a cult magazine for me since at least 2002 when I first started reading it. Mike also decided to release another vinyl – the Saure Adler self-titled debut LP recorded in 2019. And early this year he released a CD called ‘Transmitter: Sonic Abstractions by A.J. Kaufmann‘. I am proud of all three releases. I only wish they’d sell better.

DB: Did you record ‘Bard’s Woman…’ on the internet with your list of artists and their contribution?

AJ: ‘Bard’s Woman In The Cool Of The Summer Breeze’ is like a two-layer album. One layer is my voice and acoustic guitar as captured live in a rehearsal room. The second, and more interesting layer, is the other artists and their contributions. I knew I wouldn’t find many good artists in my hometown – artists with vision that could contribute to a pastoral psychedelic folk album. So, I looked into Soundcloud – a service, which in my opinion is the 21^st century equivalent of cassette culture. So yes, you can say “the album was recorded on the internet”. The process was all about creative exchange, and I was really surprised to hear the artists’ interpretations of some of my initial ideas. In some cases, the songs were turned upside down or downside up – a strange effect that felt like working with mail art and cassette scene in the ’80s or something like that. I don’t really like the internet, but in this case it turned out to be quite helpful, and without the internet it’d be much harder to complete and release this album.

DB: Justin Jackley has done artwork for several of your books, tell us about the books. Justin Jackley and you have been friends for years. How did you first meet him?

AJ: Yes, Justin is an amazing artist. In my opinion, his work belongs in an art gallery right next to Basquiat or someone like that. He’s one of the best modern artists if you ask me, so it is always a great honor to be able to work with him. He did two, right – I remember ‘Broke Nuptial Minds’ for the Texas press Virgogray Press – that’s actually how we “met” – I sent a thank you note to Justin and he wrote back and said if I ever need more covers I should contact him. So I did, and in addition to books he also did a lot, really a lot of album covers for me. The ‘Chica Narcotica‘ LP for Herby Records is my favorite album cover Justin did for me. When he was in Poland with his wife in 2018 we met in real life of course, and I helped organize an art exhibition for him at a local venue. It was so nice. He’s a great guy and a walking talent.

DB: Are you working on current projects and what are your hopes for the future?

AJ: I am currently working on a new album, as always. There is always a new album ahead, new ideas, and directions. I am also playing some gigs with my band Psychedelic Mayhem. And in September there’s this poetic/music event at Pan Gar in Poznań, Poland initiated by Jeff Gburek, Tim Williams, and me. I will appear there to read from my first mini-novel, “Zielona Antarktyda”. It’s in Polish and I’m really excited about it. My hopes for the future would be that all wars end and life would look like the ‘Children of the Sun’ song by Hawkwind. But that’s utopian thinking.

Follow the many projects of A.J. Kaufmann on Soundcloud, Bandcamp, and his Personal Blog – The Strange World of A.J. Kaufmann

Music Review

Stoned Gypsy Wander (2014) – 14 songs on Vinyl LP. This LP captures time. Bard’s Woman in the Cool of the Summer Breeze (2023) – 10 songs on Vinyl LP. It’s fun to see the maturity and development of AJ’s music over nine years. A music review of 14 songs in the year 2014 and 10 songs from 2023. Kaufmann is a folk troubadour, minstrel and a harbinger of new sounds and thought. There is a theme that runs through this body of work, a method to his madness. All of these songs are a journey. So take the trip and give a listen. Nobody knows it but AJ Kaufmann is a national treasure of Poland.

by David Bixby, Harbinger Magazine