Jarek Śmietana, born Jarosław Śmietana on March 29, 1951, in Kraków, Poland, was a renowned Polish jazz guitarist, composer, and band leader. He studied at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice and became a prominent figure in the jazz scene. Śmietana led the band Extra Ball from 1974 to 1981 and was also the leader of the Sounds Big Band Symphonic Sound Orchestra and the Polish Jazz Stars Band. He co-led the Namysłowski-Śmietana Quartet and performed extensively at festivals and workshops around the world, including in the USA, India, Asia, and South America.

Throughout his career, Śmietana collaborated with numerous esteemed musicians such as Art Farmer, Freddie Hubbard, Eddie Henderson, Joe Zawinul, and Nigel Kennedy, among others. He recorded over 40 albums as a band leader and composed more than 200 jazz songs. Śmietana was recognized as the number one jazz guitarist in Poland for over 35 years and received several awards, including the Fryderyk award in 1998 for his album "Songs and Other Ballads" and the President of Cracow Prize for cultural achievement. He was also posthumously awarded the Cross of Cavalier of Order of "Poland's Revival."

Jarek Śmietana passed away on September 2, 2013, in Kraków. In his honor, the International Jarek Śmietana Jazz Guitar Competition was established in 2015 and is held biennially in Kraków. He is survived by his daughter, violinist Alicja Śmietana.