Record Reviews

MAREK KONARSKI ~ KONARSKI & FOLKS NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 5904067067905) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2020 Released: 2021 This is the debut album as a leader by Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Marek KonarskiFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quartet setting with pianist Artur TuznikFind albums by this artist, bassist Damian KostkaFind albums by this artist and drummer Kuba GudzFind albums by this artist. Vocalist Ania RybackaFind albums by this artist guests on one track. The album presents nine tracks, seven of which are original compositions by Konarski and two are his arrangements of Polish Folk songs. Konarski spent several years studying and playing in Denmark and Finland and upon his return to Poland he formed this quartet with musicians he met over the years, all of which are by now experienced representatives of the young Polish Jazz scene. The music is all well within the strict Jazz mainstream idiom, with some Folkloristic influences. As expected, it is highly melodic and offers beautiful themes, which ideally suit Konarski’s saxophone performances, which feature a wonderful sweet, soulful tone. The rhythm section supports the leader superbly, with Tuznik excellent piano playing supplying the continuity and flow that keeps the music tightly together. I find Konarski’s treatment of the Polish Folklore motives rather dated, to be honest, somewhat similar to what Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist already perfected over five decades earlier, and many other Polish Jazz musicians handled way more successfully and innovatively over the, but of course it still has a lot of charm. Overall this is a very pleasant and wonderfully performed Jazz album, with excellent playing by all the participants and a wide appeal to Jazz listeners across the entire range of the genre. It firmly proves the strength of the local scene and is definitely worth to be explored.

Updated: 14/05/2021Posted: 14/05/2021

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RYBACKA / PASBORG ~ VOICE`N`DRUMS HEVHETIA 0157 (Barcode: 8588005258203) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 This is the debut album by a duo comprising of Polish (resident in Denmark) vocalist Ania RybackaFind albums by this artist and Danish drummer Stefan PasborgFind albums by this artist. It presents eight improvised pieces co-credited to Rybacka and Pasborg. The music is a courageous attempt to create meaningful aural experiences within the minimalistic setting of voice and drums only, which surprisingly works out very successfully. Obviously cross-genre and unconventional, the music encompasses many different ingredients, both melodically and rhythmically and is very difficult to pinpoint, which of course is its virtue. There are clearly elements of Jazz and Improvised music, but also World Music, Ambient, Meditative Music and others are involved. Rybacka uses a plethora of wordless vocal techniques like looping, multiplexing, repetition and minimalistic Classical Music approach, creating a musical tapestry full of mysticism, anticipation and spirituality. Her level of inventiveness and exploration is awe inspiring and the album has no dull moments throughout its entire duration. Pasborg is not only equally inventive and diverse in his contributions, but most importantly an equal partner in the process of creating this music. The interplay and telepathic dialogue that develops between the two Artists is nothing short of phenomenal. Overall this Avant-Garde effort is a fascinating and intelligent exercise in expanding the boundaries of music, which in spite of its innovation and daring approach is also very listenable and even enjoyable. Of course, as usual in such cases, an open-minded attitude is required from the listener to be able first to accept and then to enjoy this music. This is an important and highly recommended album, which proves that imagination has no limits and life does not have to be mundane and enslaved in the chains of archaic perceptions.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 23/02/2018

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SPHERE ~ SYNESTHESIA HEVHETIA 0085 (Barcode: 8588005257268) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2014 This is the debut album by Polish trio SphereFind albums by this artist, which comprises of vocalist / composer Ania RybackaFind albums by this artist, guitarist / composer Marek KadzielaFind albums by this artist and clarinetist / composer Jakub DybzynskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven relatively short original compositions, seven of which were composed by Rybacka, one by Kadziela and three by Dybzynski. Stylistically Sphere crosses genres and styles freely from one composition to another and often even within one composition, moving from clear melodic statements to Jazzy improvisations and even a serene form of Improvised Music bordering on Avant-Garde. The unusual lineup produces a unique and quite unusual sound environment, in which the human voice is treated as an instrument, playing along with the two instruments. The trio often uses a technique where two of the three members play / sing more or less unisono and the third instrument / voice plays "against" the duo, as if on a separate plane. This allows for a multitude of different combinations, which save the album from being repetitive or monotonous. Rybacka sings wordless vocalese on all the tunes, except for the last piece on the album, which uses a poem by Polish poetesses Wislawa SzymborskaFind albums by this artist (translated into English) as spoken lyrics. She also multi-tracks her voice to create a chorus effect and uses electronics to synthesize many different vocal effects. The guitar, although electrically amplified and the clarinet stick to natural acoustic sound. The resulting harmony and sound of the trio is quite eerie at times, but does not cross the border into cacophony. The most important factor of this album is the endeavor to search for new forms of expression, in an intimate environment and without stylistic limitations. These three young musicians are all well established Artists by now and Sphere is just one of several different projects they are all involved with. They obviously share the vision of creating new musical vistas and expanding the horizons, which by itself is commendable. This is not easy music by any means, even if it is mostly intimate and low-key. It requires from the listener a certain level of attention and dedication, as well as open-mindedness, involved with both intellectual and emotional process of absorption. But since ambitious music is never easy, the effort required to listen to this music is refunded in full eventually. Definitely a worthy effort which should make the band members proud and a high quality debut album by all means!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

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