Banana Boat is a Polish male vocal quintet, specializing in contemporary songs of the sea as well as in close-harmony interpretations of classical sea shanties, and recently (as of 2005) also experimenting with other genres of music (Christmas carols, popular songs, jazz compositions).
The group was founded in 1994, and suspended activity 1996–1998, but returned to stage at the end of 1998 with a new lineup. Today, the group consists of Maciej "YenJCo." Jedrzejko, the frontman and leader of the band, Pawel "Konik" Konieczny, the group's composer and high tenor, Pawel "Synchro" Jedrzejko, author of the majority of Banana Boat's original lyrics and the group's baritone, Tomasz "Mundry" Czarny, the quintet's arranger, composer and basso, and Michal "Ociec" Maniara, the manager of the BananaArt.Pl Art Agency and a performer of high baritone parts. All members of the Banana Boat share a common interest in sailing; their professional milieus are diverse: medicine, dentistry, banking, law, trade, and higher education.
During the 2003 edition of the ZEZA Festival in Laziska Gorne, Poland, which the group co-organizes together with the Municipal Center for Culture, "the Bananas" gave their 101st, jubilee concert. As of the end of 2005, the group have done in excess of 220 gigs in Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, France, Ireland and the USA; the number of concerts given by the group is continually growing.
Discography
- LP Album: A morze tak, a moze nie (BananaArt.Pl 2004)
- Mini-album: Banana Boat...Swiatecznie (BananaArt.Pl 2004), (In the Spirit of Christmas)
- Compositions in a collection Szanty dla Pajacyka: a charity project for the Polish Humanitarian Action.
