Record Reviews

250 KG ~ PODWAZNA NASZE NAGRANIA 003 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2012 Released: 2013 This is a debut recording by the Polish Avant-Garde / Free Jazz duo 250 KGFind albums by this artist, which comprises of saxophonist Tomasz GadeckiFind albums by this artist and guitarist Suavas LewyFind albums by this artist. Gadecki is known to the followers of the Polish scene as half of the excellent Olbrzym I KurdupelFind albums by this artist duo. The album includes seven improvised pieces, which as the duo members state in the liner notes, are based on "carefully prepared compositional assumptions", which is a typical example of irony associated with the Polish Avant Garde, mixed with a grain of truth. And again, quoting the a.m. liner notes, any attempt to describe the music any further is simply futile and contradicts the very essence of this music, which is supposed to be listened to without any preconceptions. Improvised Music is by its very nature extremely personal and does not often cross the bridge spanning between the improvisers and their audience, regardless of everybody´s best intentions. Strangely, this music, which is as improvised as improvised music gets, is also very communicative, which is truly extraordinary. I enjoyed the conversations between the duo members from the moment the music started and hardly even noticed the time moving on, with the album being over much too soon. Gadecki and Suavas definitely seem to be on the same wavelength, intertwined within the music and bonding constantly, which after all is the essence of collective improvisation. Sonically the tone and timbre of both players is mellow and pleasant, in complete comparison to the usual Avant-Garde harshness and aggression. I´d even go as far as suggesting that this music would be listenable even to audiences beyond the inner circle of the Improvised Music hard core. So here we have one more example of the creativity and constant development of the Avant-Garde / Free Jazz / Improvised Music scene in Poland, which seems to have no borders or limits and keeps astounding its followers the world over. Such quality and imagination are seeds of hope that the world and its Culture are not yet doomed, after all. I´d recommend to other musicians belonging to the same musical sphere to listen to this album and learn from it how to be creative and not alienate your public at the same time. At least for me this one is an instant classic of the genre.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

OLBRZYM I KURDUPEL ~ WORK KILOGRAM 028 (Barcode: 5907577284275) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2014 This is the third album by Polish Avant-Garde / Improvised Music duo Olbrzym I KurdupelFind albums by this artist, or saxophonist Tomasz GadeckiFind albums by this artist and bassist Marcin BozekFind albums by this artist. It captures a live performance by the duo at the legendary Alchemia club in Krakow, which is edited into six separate parts, but the entire performance can be seen as a musical continuum. Although not specifically attributed as such, the music is obviously co-created by the duo members. Gadecki is a very active and prolific member of the Polish Avant-Garde scene and takes part in several other small experimental ensembles, like 250 KGFind albums by this artist, TRC TrioFind albums by this artist and SambarFind albums by this artist. The duo has been playing together for about six years now, a period of time which was definitely sufficient for them to develop their own specific stylistic mannerisms and approach to collective improvisation, which by now is pretty recognizable. This is quite an achievement, as Improvised Music may sound pretty undistinguishable in most cases. The staccato bass pulsations and dramatic saxophone cries are most effective tools to capture the listener´s attention and create an emotional upheaval. Improvised music is of course above all a team effort, and as a team they are simply "as one man", no pun intended. I have always admired the intimacy of their almost telepathic sharing of ideas and on this album it is more strongly evident than ever before. Additionally their music is completely non-aggressive, almost "romantic" at times, and as absurd as it might sound, it is pleasurable and comforting; definitely not a typical paradigm in Improvised Music. The Polish Avant-Garde scene is obviously quite en extensive field of activity, still growing against all odds. Dominated mostly by relatively young musicians, it is vital and impressively creative. I find Olbrzym I Kurdupel to be a perfect personification of that wonderful phenomenon, always looking forward to their new work. I can only wish that their music will be discovered by as many open-minded music listeners as possible, as it certainly deserves it.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend