Background
Dudziak was born in the Straconka, now a neighborhood of Bielsko-Biała, Poland.
Dudziak was born in the Straconka, now a neighborhood of Bielsko-Biała, Poland.
She studied piano, but began to sing in the late 50s after hearing records by Ella Fitzgerald.
Her 1970s song, Papaya, gained widespread popularity in Asia and Latin America in 2007. Within a few years she was one of the most popular jazz artists in her native country. In the late 60s they began to tour overseas and in the 70s settled in New York City.
Dudziak has some problems with language and customarily eschews words in favour of wordless vocalizing that is far more adventurous than scat.
Already gifted with a remarkable five-octave vocal range, Dudziak employs electronic devices to extend still further the possibilities of her voice. Dudziak has also cooperated and performed with her fellow Polish female jazz vocalist Grażyna Auguścik.
In 2007, Dudziak"s classic 1970s song "Papaya" saw a resurgence in popularity in the Philippines where it was regularly featured in a local noontime television game show Pilipinas, Game KNB?. The dance has then been featured in several news programs, including Microsoft and National Broadcasting Company, and Reuters.
On 21 March 2008, the dance was featured on American Broadcasting Company"s Good Morning America, where the hosts also danced to the song.
Before the breakthrough of papaya dance in 2007, the song Papaya became a success in Brazil in 1970s as the opening theme of the original version telenovela Anjo Mau, produced by television Globo in 1976.
She has frequently worked with leading contemporary musicians, including Archie Shepp and Lester Bowie, and was a member of the Vocal Summit group, with Jay Clayton, Jeanne Lee, Bobby McFerrin, Norma Winstone, Sting, Michelle Hendricks, and Lauren Newton.