Record Reviews

ANNA JOPEK ~ INSIGHT ALPAKA 021 (Barcode: 3663734142872) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz pianist / composer Anna JopekFind albums by this artist (not to be confused with the vocalist Anna Maria JopekFind albums by this artist), recorded with saxophonist / clarinetist Jakub KlemensiewiczFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Adam SkorczewskiFind albums by this artist and cellist Michalina SokolowskaFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten original compositions, all by Jopek except for the title track, which was co-composed by her and Klemensiewicz. The music is beautifully recorded and offers a sensational sound experience, and is elegantly packaged, including a set of monochromatic photographs, which ideally suit the music. The music is strikingly minimalist, offering mostly duos between the piano and saxophone / clarinet and is spiritually close to 20th Century Classical music with just an undercurrent of Jazz inclinations. There are strong Polish Folklore ties, not surprisingly, and the album is soaked in typical in Polish lyricism and deep melancholy. Klemensiewicz is the focal soloist here and his moving performances perfectly comply with his earlier recordings with Dominik KisielFind albums by this artist, which are amongst the finest examples of the work by the new Polish Jazz generation. This album firmly fortifies that position. Jopek’s piano performances are elegant, but subdued and her role often focuses on introducing the themes and then accompanying the saxophone / clarinet parts. Of course, as the composer, she deserves all the praise for creating this beautiful, moving and highly intelligent music, which despite its seeming simplicity is hugely effective. Even though there is no explicit innovation or revolutionary character in this music per se, it sounds remarkably fresh and intriguing, which is sadly extremely rare in today’s music. As already stated in several of my recent reviews, there is now an obvious tendency in the young Polish Jazz scene toward minimalism and deep exploration of Polish Folklore roots, probably as an antidote to the music pollution surrounding us all incessantly. This music definitely offers a balsam for the listener’s ears. Overall, this is a deeply moving, highly original album, and a sensational debut by a new talent on the Polish Jazz scene, which is definitely worthy of attention and following. Calm, soothing, soul-drenching and above all wonderfully musical, this is a true discovery. Well done young Lady!

Updated: 23/05/2022Posted: 23/05/2022

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ADAM SKORCZEWSKI ~ STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS MJUSE 002 (Barcode: 5903919630113) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2021 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz trumpeter / composer Adam SkorczewskiFind albums by this artist, recorded in a classic quintet setting with saxophonist Jakub KlemensiewiczFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Dominik KisielFind albums by this artist, bassist Bartosz BorzeszkowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Hussam Abdul-SamadFind albums by this artist. The album, which was recorded live, presents just three extended tracks, two over fourteen and one over eighteen minutes in duration, which remain sadly uncredited on the album’s artwork (assumably composed by the leader). The music, which is based on solid composed themes, is largely freely improvised, like many contemporary modern Jazz recordings. There are several obvious similarities / quotes from famous / legendary Polish Jazz recordings, conscious or not, especially those related to Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist’s music in general and his album “AstigmaticFind albums with this title” in particular. This is very commendable of course, but to a large extent strengthens my personal feeling that Jazz is largely stuck in its past despite the five decades of intensive effort to move forward. But inspirations aside, the music is certainly very interesting and absorbing, despite its slow and seemingly hesitant, but generally well balanced development. There is plenty of opportunity for the musicians to display their individual talents, but all in good measure. The typical Polish melancholy is the prevailing sentiment, which of course is hardly surprising, but the music offers enough of originality and invention to make it into a fascinating listening experience. The presence of Klemensiewicz and Kisiel is of course immediately noticeable, and they both contribute from their somewhat more mature experience to the flow of the music and its melodic / harmonic structure. Skorczewski has a clear, open trumpet sound, which is truly beautiful and I’d love to hear more of it, as his solos are rather on the short side, but if he composed the music, he surely deserves a lot of credit on that front. Borzeszkowski, of whom I know nothing, holds the fort splendidly, which for this kind of music is crucial of course. Abdul-Samad stays mostly behind the scenes, with his contributions being largely inaudible, perhaps due to the rather iffy sound quality of the recording. Overall, this is a splendid debut effort, full of creative power, respect of Polish Jazz tradition and excellent performances by the participants. As usual, it proves the incredibly high potential of the young local Jazz scene, which keeps developing rapidly. Congratulations and thanks for the music!

Updated: 26/12/2021Posted: 26/12/2021

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