Record Reviews

GRUPA W SKLADZIE ~ GRUPA W SKLADZIE TRZECIA FALA 002 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1972 - 2012 Released: 2013 This is the second installment in a new series of archival releases / reissues, initiated and piloted by Lukasz StrzelczykFind albums by this artist under the Trzecia FalaFind albums on this label moniker. The purpose of this series is to expose, showcase and most importantly document for posterity the early Polish Avant-Garde music movement, which rests almost completely buried by the tides of time, mostly forgotten and criminally neglected. The fact that this music was created at all is a miracle, considering the circumstances surrounding its birth. The Socialist Regime was naturally quite suspicious and often outright offensive towards "antisocial elements", as artists not following the regime directives were often referred to. The importance of having this music available is a momentous achievement and a vital effort to preserve the Polish cultural heritage, which unfortunately suffers from chronic neglect. Therefore it is encouraging to see that the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage supports this wonderful effort. The albums in this series are pressed in very limited volumes, so an immediate purchase is highly recommended. This album presents, for the first time on record (as hard as it is to believe), music recorded by the pioneering ensemble Grupa W SkladzieFind albums by this artist, which was active in the early 1970s and most recently reactivated in 2012. Over time the accidental / fortuitous lineups of the group included a long list of participants. The founding members: vocalist / multi-instrumentalist Milo KurtisFind albums by this artist, saxophonist / flautist Andrzej KasprzykFind albums by this artist and guitarist / painter / photographer Jacek MalickiFind albums by this artist, were later supplemented by some of Poland´s legendary Jazz musicians, such as pianist Andrzej BiezanFind albums by this artist, bassist Helmut NadolskiFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Andrzej PrzybielskiFind albums by this artist, drummer Wladyslaw JagielloFind albums by this artist and many others. The wonderfully researched booklet accompanying this album presents the history of the group, which of course has missing parts due to some facts being lost in the mist of oblivion over time (unfortunately the text is in Polish and has only a brief synopsis in English). The interconnections between Avant-Garde music and other Art Forms, which are of course inseparable, are also well reflected in the text. There are also many wonderful photographs and a plethora of biographical information, which constitutes a first-class document of great importance. The salvaged music, which consists of six tracks, presents mostly recordings from the 1970s, with one exception (on the last track) which was recorded by a reunion lineup of the group in 2012. The recording dates and exact personnel are all rather vague, but the music certainly makes a point on its own right, showing the early / pioneering efforts by Polish Avant-Garde / improvised music scene, which will reach its first artistic peak about a decade later (by the mid 1980s). Stylistically the music utilizes many of the devices characterizing early Avant-Garde, such as sound collages, accidental noise, usage of sound producing objects and novel approach to vocal techniques. The intuitive expression seems to be a guiding force, which of course can be associated with the need to transfer the lack of freedom of speech into a freedom of nonverbal expression, a transference often used by Artists operating under oppressive regimes. In retrospect the boldness and far-reaching artistic vision of the people involved with creating this music is truly astounding. Considering the relative isolation of the Polish scene from developments taking place across the Iron Curtain, its achievements are in every respect equally revolutionary and daring. There is no doubt that the currently flourishing Polish Avant-Garde scene, which is obviously a leading contender on a world scale, has its roots in these underground acts of wonderful "madness", performed decades earlier by these pioneers. For serious fans of Polish Culture this album is an iconic event, closing one of the many gaps still existing in the beautiful tapestry, which is Polish Music. Hopefully many such events will follow in the future!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

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ANDRZEJ MITAN / GRZEGORZ ROGALA ~ KIEDY UMIERA CZLOWIEK / PODNIESIENIE TRZECIA FALA 001 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1983 Released: 2013 This DVD is another reminder of the fact that Polish Avant-Garde is alive and kicking and from time to time also takes a look back at its fascinating roots. The legendary figure of Andrzej MitanFind albums by this artist, which re-appears in the limelight from time to time, mostly completely unexpectedly, is always full of surprises. This time Mitan produces a multi-media project combining music and cinematography (or video-art), resulting in this debut release on a new Polish label called Trzecia FalaFind albums on this label, headed by a young Art enthusiast Lukasz StrzelczykFind albums by this artist. Back in the mid-1980s, when Poland was in its most depressing period, both politically and culturally, Polish Avant-Garde was enjoying a renaissance of sorts, taking advantage of the state of confusion that the Socialistic Regime was in due to the eminent collapse of the system already clearly apparent and as a result with a laxer censorship in place. Andrzej Mitan, who always believed in doing things rather than talking about them, released in 1984 a series of very bold musical statements by Avant-Garde musicians as five independently pressed LPs under the Alma ArtFind albums on this label moniker, which also presented outrageous and innovative packaging designed by Avant-Garde artists, including for example a barb-wired LP sleeve. Those five albums have become record collector´s Holy Grail due to the fact that only 1000 copies of each album were pressed, reaching today astronomical prices on the collector´s market. In 1987 four more albums appeared in a similar effort. This DVD uses part of the first of these legendary album as the musical layer, combining it with a video-art by Polish experimental artists Grzegorz RogalaFind albums by this artist, who utilizes a technique called time stretching, which in this case takes a 3 seconds long fragment of video and stretches it to last for about seven minutes, which produces an almost still like picture with barely visible change. The combination of the tension induced by the video and the dramatic musical background produce together a powerful statement, which is also quite unique. The music, which was recorded during the 1983 Jazz Jamboree in Warsaw (organized shortly after the Martial Law in Poland was lifted and obviously symbolizing an eruption of liberty), is performed by many Polish Avant-Garde legends, like bassist / leader Helmut NadolskiFind albums by this artist, vocalist Andrzej Mitan, pianist Andrzej BiezanFind albums by this artist (who died shortly after the recording), trumpeter Andrzej PrzybielskiFind albums by this artist and others, appearing under the moniker of Jubileuszowa Orkiestra Helmuta NadolskiegoFind albums by this artist. In retrospect it becomes clearly evident that these nine albums released by Mitan in the 1980s are extremely important documents of Polish Jazz and Polish Avant-Garde and absolutely have to be made available again, the sooner the better. Considering the fact that this DVD was also released as a numbered limited edition of 100 copies, it is by now as impossible to get as those legendary albums.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

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