Record Reviews
74 Reviews Found. Use search to find more reviews or follow the links in the review text.
  | MARCO ANTÔNIO ARAÚJO ~ INFLUÊNCIAS
SONHOS E SONS 059 (Barcode: 7897999300999) ~ BRAZIL ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1980 Released: 2000
1st album by one of the most important and influential Brazilian Prog Masters - Marco Antônio AraújoFind albums by this artist. As a classically trained musician, Araújo was able to compose complex musical suites based on the classical tradition and then orchestrate them utilizing rocky instrumentation and rhythmic patterns. His pioneering work in this field makes him one of the forefathers of Brazilian Prog and his well-deserved reputation is legendary. Unfortunately he died untimely in 1986 (he was only 36 years old) after suffering a brain aneurysm, leaving a limited recorded legacy of four albums. Before recording his first solo album he played (guitar) with several Brazilian Rock and Prog groups as well as with a Symphony Orchestra as a violoncellist. He also composed music for cinema, theatre and ballet – a true Renaissance musician. The music on this album is an extended orchestral suite in 8 parts, played by a large orchestra (with brass and strings) and soloist: Araújo on guitar and Eduardo DelgadoFind albums by this artist on flute (the leading solo instrument on this album). This is not easy music, profound and complex with multi-layered textures, but extremely rewarding. Recommended to serious Prog listeners, who also like classical music.
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | ARC ~ …AT THIS
ESOTERIC 2097 (Barcode: 5013929719729) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1970 Released: 2009
Only album by British Prog group ArcFind albums by this artist, which is a typical early Prog effort full of excellent ideas and interesting playing, which didn´t met with a particular interest at the time of its release and was discovered years later by connoisseurs of the genre, becoming a rare collectors´ item. The band was formed by guitarist John TurnbullFind albums by this artist and keyboardist Mick GallagherFind albums by this artist and included also bassist Tom DuffyFind albums by this artist and drummer David MontgomeryFind albums by this artist. The album includes several extended tracks featuring heavy guitar and keyboards work with the rest of the material being less complex, but still quite interesting. In retrospect this is one more lost gem of the period, which deserves a renewed listening opportunity, especially by people who like to dig deeply into the history of early Prog. Recommended!
| | | CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | ARCADIUM ~ BREATHE AWHILE
REPERTOIRE 4855 ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
The only album from 1969 by this pioneering Prog band, very mystic and poetic, but with some hard driving pieces.
| | | CD 1 Digipak Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | ARCHAIA ~ ARCHAIA
SOLEIL ZEUHL 01 ~ FRANCE ~ Progressive Rock
The only album from 1977 by this unusual French group, which plays an unbelievable mixture of psychedelics, Avant-Garde rock and Prog. You need to hear this one to believe it! Considered by many as an one of the treasures of the French scene. This new edition adds some live bonus tracks from 1978.
| | Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: | CD 1 Digipak Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCEL BALINSKI ~ OPALENIZNA I WIATR
NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz
Recorded: 2020 Released: 2022
This is the debut album as a leader by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Marcel BalinskiFind albums by this artist, recorded in a classic piano trio setting with bassist Franciszek PospieszalskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof SzmandaFind albums by this artist. The album presents six original compositions, all by the leader.
The classic piano trio format stands in complete contrast to the music it produces here, which is diametrically different from what one expects to hear from a piano trio. There is nothing in this music that resembles a classic melody / improvisations layout and piano / rhythm section role division. So what is it? Well, it is a beautifully innovative approach to create music, which is somewhat Jazz oriented, but could be easily presented as contemporary Classical chamber music.
The music is a creation of three musicians, playing symbiotically and without any division into soloist / accompanist, based on short melodic sketchy themes, expended into complex structures, which might as well be improvised, but are obviously too well organized to be spontaneous. Somehow this strange brew makes not only perfect / coherent sense, but is also inspired and superbly innovative. The individual performances are all brilliant, but secondary in comparison to the ensemble effect of the trio.
I had a hard time deciding if this music can be called Avant-Garde? Although it is different from almost everything happening on the Jazz scene these days, it is mostly an assemblage of familiar ingredients, put together in an unfamiliar way with out of the box approach and obvious highly aesthetic vision. Although Balinski took part in the recording of several Polish Jazz albums since 2018, this music is a quantum leap in comparison to his work on those albums.
Another interesting question that comes up, is if this is the future of Polish Jazz or even Jazz in general? Balinski will have first to establish a wider recorded evidence to prove his role in the future of the genre, but this music certainly marks him as one of the young prophets.
Overall, this is a stunning album, which is one of those rare eye (ear) openers that happen way to rarely and when they do, it makes you smile. Can’t wait for the next one as this one is already somewhat from the “past”. Congratulations are definitely in order!
| | Updated: 03/02/2022Posted: 03/02/2022 | CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN BANASZEK ~ STATIONS OF THE CROSS
AKADEMIA MUZYCZNA W KRAKOWIE 017 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017
This is the debut album by Polish pianist / composer Marcin BanaszekFind albums by this artist, recorded in a classic piano trio format with bassist Andrzej ZielakFind albums by this artist and drummer Karol DomanskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents fourteen original compositions, all by Banaszek, which form a suite dedicated to the religious images depicting the fourteen Stations of the Cross passed by Jesus on the day of his crucifixion.
The music is deeply poignant, almost lethargic, moving slowly from one piece to another, inspiring reflection and perhaps even prayer. Full of melancholy and tranquility, the melodic contents is kept on a steady subdued level both harmonically and rhythmically. As a religiously inspired project this music makes sense but separated from the context it is somewhat monotonous.
As a melodic mainstream Jazz this music has several drawbacks: the melodies are very similar, most of the tracks are too short to allow for in depth improvisation and the dynamics is almost absent. As such this music presents a serious challenge to Jazz connoisseurs, who expect excitement, variety and challenge from the music they listen to.
The performance is also very minimalistic, with the piano taking over almost completely and the rhythm section present mostly only in the background, almost unheard. The only lengthy piece on the album is an example how this music might have sounded under a different approach, and is the best track on the album.
Overall this is an unusual piano trio album, which works well under its religious concept but on its own is somewhat limited. However, many piano trio connoisseurs might find it interesting and since people like many different forms of Jazz, it is definitely worth investigating.
| | Updated: 01/03/2018Posted: 01/03/2018 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST ~ AND OTHER SHORT STORIES
HARVEST 538407 ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
3rd album from 1971 by this excellent UK Prog band, which sadly never acheived the `cult` status other outfits managed to secure. Solid song-writing, great playing and superb vocals were the group`s forte througout their long and fruitful career and they surely deserve to be re-discovered.
| | | CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST ~ BABY JAMES HARVEST (EXPANDED EDITION)
HARVEST 538408 (Barcode: 724353840822) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1972 - 1973 Released: 2002
4th album by Barcley James HarvestFind albums by this artist. This one marks probably the peak of their early period, with excellent compositions and rich (almost Baroque) orchestrations. It`s really amazing that this superb group never received the attention and recognition they deserved at the time those first 4 albums were released and only now Prog fans are re-discovering their splendid heritage.
| | | CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST ~ BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST
HARVEST 538405 (Barcode: 724353840525) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Released: 2002
1st album from 1970 by this great UK Prog group, which was one of the first to combine rock with rich orchestral textures, similar to early Moody Blues albums. Sadly the group never reached the popularity level of its conteporaries, but in retrospect this is damn good music, with wonderful melodies and great instrumental passages full of mellotron and subtle guitar solos.
| | | CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST ~ ONCE AGAIN
HARVEST 538406 (Barcode: 724353840624) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1971 Released: 2002
2nd album by this group. The involvement with orchestral arrangements is developed even further on this album, with the group keeping a permanent chamber orchestra for touring and recording. Another collection of well crafted songs, brilliant playing and masterful arrangements.
| | | CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | BOLAN, MARC ~ MARC BOLAN
RIALTO 229 ~ UK ~ Classic Rock
Marc Bolan was a superstar in the 1970s. Not only was he the dishiest guy on the scene, but he could write a decent tune more often then many others and play some nifty guitar licks. He led his T.Rex through a string of immensly successful albums and continued to record solo album after the group disbanded. This album collectes some of the rarest tracks he recorded, which were impossible to find before. Quite a discovery.
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN BOZEK ~ AFFAIR WITH ART
NASZE NAGRANIA 006 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2013 Released: 2014
This is the debut album by the Polish bassist / composer Marcin BozekFind albums by this artist, recorded solo using electric bass. The album includes just three tracks, the longest of which is almost half an hour in duration. The music is all spontaneously improvised
Since the day I´ve heard Barre PhillipsFind albums by this artist´ "Journal VioloneFind albums with this title" in 1968 (and later on Dave HollandFind albums by this artist´s "Emerald TearsFind albums with this title" almost a decade later) I have learned not to take anything for granted, especially so solo bass albums, which in some cases emerged as cornerstones of modern music, Jazz or otherwise. However, there is always also a possibility that a solo bass album might simply turn out to be a worthless masturbation.
One must always admire the boldness of an artistic statement, such as this album. Regardless if one is able to connect to this music or not, one should at least respect the inner urge of an artist to express his emotions. After all nobody is forcing anybody to listen to a particular album after all.
This music suffers from the same problem that other Avant-Garde explorations also often suffer from; it is a total statement completely disregarding the listener, a self-concentrated satisfaction of an urge rather than an attempt to communicate. Therefore it remains mostly uncommunicative, and probably unable to make the listener to enjoy the experience. Notwithstanding however, art is not always meant to be pleasurable, en contraire, some best examples of artistic expression are deliberately non pleasurable, in order to shock and subvert.
To put it plainly, this is not music for everybody, or even better put it is music for very few listeners, who are able to take the plunge with the artists into the unknown, regardless of the result. Avant-Garde is here to stay, and this is Avant-Garde at its boldest. If only because of that, I´m all for it.
| | Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | EWA DEMARCZYK ~ SPIEWA PIOSENKI ZYGMUNTA KONIECZNEGO (EXPANDED EDITION)
MUZA 445 (Barcode: 5907783494451) ~ POLAND ~ Classic Pop
Recorded: 1967 Released: 1999
This is the most famous Polish album of all times, an extraordinary musical achievement revered all over the world in spite the fact that it is sung in Polish, which makes the lyrics accessible only to people speaking that language. The apparent power of the music crosses language barriers with its awe-inspiring intensity and expressiveness, similar to the music of Edith PiafFind albums by this artist, Jacques BrelFind albums by this artist and other famous troubadours, balladeers and chansonniers. The music, written by famous Polish composer Zygmunt KoniecznyFind albums by this artist, one of the most important composers in post WWII Poland, is absolutely marvelous, combining many different European music traditions, both of Western and Eastern European origin, providing a perfect match to the poetry, which serves as the song´s lyrics. The poetry is mostly modern, written by the country´s most talented and expressive minds, including my favorite Polish poet Julian TuwimFind albums by this artist. Outstanding Polish singer Ewa DemarczykFind albums by this artist performs these songs with such transcendent power and skill, theatrical dynamics and incredible vocal quality, that each and every one of them becomes an instant classic, all marvelous and brilliant. Combined together on one album they create a musical masterpiece rarely paralleled elsewhere, proving again that great music can be created outside of the mainstream, both musically and geographically. In the 43 years that passed since this album was recorded it lost absolutely nothing of its beauty, excellence and power and perhaps serves as yet another piece of evidence about the decadence and loss of direction we experience in music in recent times. This expanded edition of the original album includes a second CD with similar material recorded by Demarczyk four years earlier and issued as a single, which today is one of that rarest collector´s items in the Polish discography. Absolutely essential listening!
| | | CD 2 Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIO DOCTOR ~ RESTLESS WORLD
PROVOCATEUR 1024 (Barcode: 5038491102427) ~ ARGENTINA ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion
Recorded: 2000 Released: 2001
Argentinean percussionist / composer Marcio DoctorFind albums by this artist earned a lot of respect as the resident percussionist with one of worlds most renowned Jazz orchestras – the NDR Big BandFind albums by this artist. His desire to learn and expand his musical horizons brought him from his country of birth to Europe, where he eventually settled in Germany. His ambition to study with one of the world’s greatest percussionists Mark NauseefFind albums by this artist (also resident in Germany) was eventually fulfilled. This album, his debut as leader and composer, presents an ambitious and complex musical suite, which is subtitled: “Music for Woodwind Instruments and Percussion”. The album was recorded by an ensemble comprising of several other NDR Big Band members, including the phenomenal saxophonist Christof LauerFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Ingolf BurkhardtFind albums by this artist. Famous German musician / composer / producer and sound engineer Walter QuintusFind albums by this artist guests on electronics, adding some of his magic to the already widely unusual sound of the album, which he also engineered. The music is a dense, complex and strangely beautiful piece of contemporary Jazz, which could easily be also considered as contemporary Classical Music. The suite’s five movements are composed, but leave plenty of space for extended individual as well as collective improvisations. The virtuosity of the musicians is obvious every step of the way and their rapport phenomenal. This is one of those albums, which might sound intimidating at first, but grow on you with repeated listening. By no means an easy journey, but one full of intellectual rewards. Warmly recommended!
| | | CD 1 HDCD Recommend To A Friend |
  | DYS / JORGENSMANN / MARCUS ~ ELEMENTS IN CANDOR
FOR TUNE 0086 (Barcode: 5902768701869) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music
Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015
This is an album by a Jazz quintet fronted by Polish pianist Krzysztof DysFind albums by this artist, German clarinetist Theo JorgensmannFind albums by this artist and American clarinetist Michael MarcusFind albums by this artist, with a Polish rhythm section: bassist Andrzej SwiesFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof SzmandaFind albums by this artist. Together they perform thirteen original pieces, four composed by Marcus, three by Jorgensmann and one by Dys and the remaining five were co-composed by various combinations of the quintet members.
Although based on some pre-composed phrases, the music is predominantly freely improvised and belongs to the radical Improvised Music idiom, which of curse is loved by a tiny group of enthusiasts but fails to reach a wider audience. Although the double clarinet front line has a wonderful potential of interplay between these two players, that potential is not realized herein and the music simply makes little if any aesthetic impact.
As already stated many times, Improvised Music might make sense when listened to live, due to the emotional involvement and interaction between the players and the listeners, but only very rarely it is able to carry over that interaction into a recorded document, like an album. This album is a typical case where the music simply fails to communicate and remains remote and cold, as if the musicians were playing to each other, leaving the rest of the world outside.
Even the fact that the clarinet is an instrument I truly love and the musicians involved have all made formidable recordings earlier on, this album simply does not cut it for me. Of course this is only my opinion and others might be able to enjoy this music. Dys, who is one of the most talented and important young Jazz musicians on the Polish scene plays very little on this album, which is another reason why this is a missed opportunity. If the whole album was anything like the last track, the story would have been completely different.
Oh well, you can´t win them all.
| | Updated: 10/05/2016Posted: 10/05/2016 | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCO ENEIDI STREAMIN` 4 ~ PANTA REI
FOR TUNE 0047 (Barcode: 5902768701531) ~ USA ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2013 Released: 2014
This is the debut album by American (resident in Austria) saxophonist Marco EneidiFind albums by this artist and his Streamin` 4Find albums by this artist quartet, which also includes three Polish Free Jazz / Improvised Music musicians: saxophonist Marek PospieszalskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Ksawery WojcinskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Michal TrelaFind albums by this artist. The album, which was recorded live, presents four extended pieces, co-credited to all four participants.
As appropriate for an Improvised Music / Avant-Garde Jazz encounter, the music is highly energetic and expressive, with the participants trying to stay coherent and communicative towards each other. The double saxophone lineup allows for separate saxophone solos and a side-by-side dialog, which varies in intensity and tension from one moment to the next. The rhythm section is also allowed space to express its notions, but as usual remains in the background for most of the duration. It becomes pretty obvious that at least some of the themes used as the basis for the improvisation were annotated or rehearsed in advance, but of course, as usual in such circumstances, they are really a marginal issue in these proceedings.
As I always emphasize, this kind of music is essentially meant to be a part of a live experience and is received in a completely different way by a live listener sitting in the audience than when listening to the recorded music. With the intimacy and immediacy gone, the listener is left with just one more Improvised Music album, which fails to leave a lasting impression.
Of course these are very skilled and talented musicians and the music has its intrinsic value, but considering the vast amount of great new music becoming available on a daily basis, this gets pushed back into the low priority stack.
| | Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | BÉLA FLECK / MARCUS ROBERTS ~ ACROSS THE IMAGINARY DIVIDE
ROUNDER 011661914223 (Barcode: 011661914223) ~ USA ~ Jazz-World Fusion
Recorded: 2011 Released: 2012
This is another banjo / Jazz piano album by the undeniable king of banjo Béla FleckFind albums by this artist and the excellent Jazz pianist / composer Marcus RobertsFind albums by this artist. However, there are quite a few differences between this recording and the meeting between Fleck and pianist Chick CoreaFind albums by this artist, which resulted in "The EnchantmentFind albums with this title" album recorded five years earlier. The meeting with Corea was a duo recording, whereas here Flack plays with the Marcus Roberts trio, with bassist Rodney JordanFind albums by this artist and drummer Jason MarsalisFind albums by this artist.
The album includes twelve original instrumental pieces, five of which were composed by Fleck, six by Roberts and one is co-composed by both of them. The music is difficult to characterize, as it is definitely neither Jazz nor Bluegrass, although of course it has touches of both. The presence of a piano trio naturally has strong Jazz connotations, but those remain only in the background. Overall this album lacks the excitement and spark present on the Corea / Fleck recording, but of course considering the incredible level of talent involved it certainly has its moments.
It is quite possible that the musicians intended to achieve exactly this vaudeville / early 20th Century entertainment feel, which somehow is being transmitted herein. Excellently played it nevertheless remains pure entertainment never actually crossing the thin line dividing entertainment and art. But it is definitely first rate entertainment, which many people will surely enjoy immensely.
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  | ANNA GADT / MARCIN OLAK ~ GOMBROWICZ
HEVHETIA 0196 (Barcode: 8588005258746) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry
Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020
This is a wonderful debut album by the Polish Avant-Garde Jazz duo comprising of vocalist Anna GadtFind albums by this artist and guitarist Marcin OlakFind albums by this artist, which offers their interpretations of the writings by Polish author Witold GombrowiczFind albums by this artist, one of the most idiosyncratic and controversial literary figures in Polish Cultural heritage. Although based on prose fragments, this album firmly belongs to the Jazz & Poetry idiom, both conceptually and aesthetically. The album presents twelve tracks of improvised voice / guitar pieces, which include recitation, singing and vocalese, each of them based on a different fragment taken from texts by Gombrowicz
Listeners familiar with the Polish Avant-Garde / Improvised Music scene are probably familiar with Marcin Olak´s recordings on the FSRFind albums on this label label, which are all worth checking out. Gadt is of course one of the brightest stars on the Polish Jazz vocal scene, with a substantial recording legacy, but most importantly characterized by her chameleonic quality of constant transformation of her vocal style, which over the years developed from mainstream to highly personal Improvising Music environment, which is still evolving. She is also a respected and devoted teacher of the vocal Art and her students are beginning to shape the next generation of the Polish Jazz vocal scene.
During my recent visit in Warsaw I had the opportunity to attend the debut performance of this music in a small club, which offered an intimate opportunity to celebrate the release of this album. I watched the audience to see how effectively this highly demanding music will be able to penetrate the walls of indifference and cerebral demand this music requires, but to my surprise the audience was absolutely mesmerized by what was happening on the small stage. Obviously this music is stronger and more communicative than what one might expect, in spite of its farfetched aim towards intellectual brain functionality, acting on the purely emotional, raw instinct level as well, in retrospect somewhat similar to Gombrowicz´s writing.
Connoisseur of the human voice Art will be of course delighted by Gadt´s performances on this album, which include probably many of the things "you always wanted to do with your voice but were afraid to try" list. She is simply fearless and completely uninhibited in the way she uses her voice, which often expands the known boundaries of vocal expression. Although using texts in Polish language, this kind of vocal expression transcends any language barriers completely, making them meaningless. In some cases Gadt´s vocal construction are so distinctive, that she seems to construct a completely new vocal "language" of her own design.
It is pretty rare when an album labeled as Avant-Garde is truly Avant-Gardist in its nature, since the label is used way too lightly these days. Anything that is unusual / unconventional often gets labeled as Avant-Garde, whereas in fact despite being different, it does not offer anything that is done for the first time and is a pillar of fire showing the way to whoever is following. This album, however, is genuinely Avant-Gardist in every bit of its existence and its ingredients as much as a whole – a rare and beautiful thing indeed – and an absolute treasure! Thank you Anna and Marcin!
| | Updated: 22/02/2020Posted: 22/02/2020 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN GAWDZIS ~ MIND RECOVERY
SOLITON 892 (Barcode: 5901571098920) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018
This is an album by veteran Polish Jazz trumpeter / composer Marcin GawdzisFind albums by this artist recorded in a quartet setting with other veterans of the Polish Baltic Jazz scene: pianist Cezary PaciorekFind albums by this artist (mostly known as an accordion virtuoso), brilliant bassist Piotr LemanczykFind albums by this artist and drummer Tomasz SowinskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, all by Gawdzis.
The music is a highly melodic mainstream Jazz, somewhere between Bebop and Hard Bop, but with the usual Polish twist, adding elements of Slavic melancholy and lyricism. Al the melodies are wonderfully crafted and harmonically coherent, serving as excellent examples of contemporary Jazz firmly based in the classic Jazz tradition. If blind tested this album might be easily mistaken as a Blue Note session from the 1960s, and I mean this as a compliment.
All four instrumentalists present a proficient technical level and a high sensitivity, which is obviously world class in every respect. Gawdzis has a clear and precise tonality and his solos are perfectly structured. Paciorek is the romantic of the four and his harmonies are always where they belong and his solos are heartbreaking. Lemanczyk, as always, pours his heart out and his bass lines are elegant and sophisticated, as expected from one of the top bass players in the country. Sowinski plays delicately, in accordance with the character of the music, staying mostly in the background, but his presence is felt in the places where a rhythmic support is needed.
Polish Jazz scene is famous for its young generation of superb Avant-Garde / modernist trumpeters, which is truly amazing in every respect, but there are still several excellent conventional players, like Gawdzis, who also deserve the attention of Jazz fans; this album is definitely the proof of such well deserved attention.
Overall this is a splendid mainstream Jazz album with excellent compositions and admirable performances, which should be interesting to every Jazz connoisseur on this globe. Very well done Gentlemen!
| | Updated: 03/05/2019Posted: 03/05/2019 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN GAWDZIS ~ SHADOWS OF AUTUMN
SOLITON 305 (Barcode: 5901571093055) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2013 Released: 2013
This is the debut album as a leader by Polish Jazz trumpeter / composer Marcin GawdzisFind albums by this artist recorded in a quintet format with saxophonists Szymon LukowskiFind albums by this artist, vibraphonist Dominik BukowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej SadowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Tomasz SowinskiFind albums by this artist. The album includes seven compositions, six of which are Jazz standards and one is an original composition by Gawdzis.
The format is, as expected, a straightforward mainstream Jazz, which basically offers the "more of the same" formula of this format, which was previously used countless times earlier. Of course all these musicians are perfectly well trained professionals and their playing is spotless and even inspired at times, but the question is why listen to this specific album as opposed to countless others exactly like it? Let´s leave the Americans to keep repeating themselves ad nauseam with their mainstream Jazz and look for something at least slightly different?
But all things considered this is after all a very good mainstream album, which will surely keep listeners of such music very happy. Gawdzis has a nice round tone and plays solidly, without taking many risks or offering bravado displays. Bukowski, who is the most interesting player in this quintet, displays his usual virtuosity, but the battered standards don´t leave him with many options to show up his true abilities. The rest of the guys schlep on happily and without much effort.
Not really my cup of tea, as this is nice, but banal music as far as I´m concerned, but I´m sure many other listeners will be able to enjoy it.
| | | CD-R 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCELINA GAWRON ~ NOTES OF LIFE
SJ 040 (Barcode: 5912596066733) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019
This is the debut album as a leader by Polish Jazz vocalist / songwriter Marcelina GawronFind albums by this artist, recorded with an excellent quartet comprising of trumpeter Robert MajewskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Adam JarzmikFind albums by this artist, bassist Michal BaranskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Piotr BudniakFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original songs, all by Gawron, seven of which have lyrics in English and two in Polish.
The music is all melodic mainstream Jazz, mostly melancholic and somewhat somber, mostly kept on the same emotional level, which makes the album a bit uniform. The English lyrics are not very helpful either. But all things considered, there is plenty of music herein that should keep vocal Jazz enthusiasts happy.
The accompaniment is of course first class, with Majewski and Baranski representing the Polish Jazz veterans and Jarzmik (who was in charge of the arrangements) and Budniak proudly representing the new generation. Jarzmik´s wonderful flow and excellent soloing are the album´s highlight and Majewski´s solo parts add a nice topping. Gawron could hardly find a more able team to support her vocals than the one present here.
The vocal parts, both lyrics and vocalese, are all well executed and combined with the quartet´s accompaniment, but they are a bit timid and lack strong emotional expression, which of course is a question of choice and a decision the vocalist obviously made.
Overall this is a very accessible vocal Jazz album, which can be listened to by a wide and not necessarily strictly Jazz audience.
| | Updated: 22/05/2019Posted: 22/05/2019 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | GRZEGORSKI / SLUSARCZYK ~ TO MUNIAK WITH LOVE
BLUES&JAZZ 002 (Barcode: 5908254159879) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019
This is an album by Polish Jazz quintet co-led by saxophonists Tomasz GrzegorskiFind albums by this artist and Marcin SlusarczykFind albums by this artist with a rhythm section comprising of pianist Tomasz BialowolskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej AdamczakFind albums by this artist and drummer Arek SkolikFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten Jazz standards and one original composition by Bialowolski, which is both the title track and a bonus track. The album is dedicated to the memory of the legendary Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Janusz MuniakFind albums by this artist, who was a Father figure to many younger Polish Jazz musicians. The album was produced by Slawomir MajewskiFind albums by this artist, Polish Jazz activist and a great connoisseur of classic mainstream Jazz.
The albums holds no surprises, exactly as intended, and is meant to be listened to by lovers of conventional, well known Jazz tunes, which are amicably played by professional musicians. This type of unpretentious, good time and somewhat nostalgic mainstream Jazz is relatively not so easy to come by in Poland, where the new generation of musicians and apparently also listeners tend to prefer much more complex and advanced Jazz explorations, which often distances older and more conventional Jazz connoisseurs from the contemporary scene.
The music offers a nice blend of ballads and up tempo numbers, which should keep the listeners happy and the beautiful piano / saxophone duet closing the album is an appropriate gesture to commemorate one of the most beloved figures in Polish Jazz history.
| | Updated: 12/04/2024Posted: 23/12/2019 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN HALAT / MACIEJ GARBOWSKI ~ THE DIALOGUES
FSR 2025/14 (Barcode: 5904441617955) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music
Recorded: 2021 Released: 2025
This is an album by Polish Improvised Music duo comprising of violinist Marcin HalatFind albums by this artist and bassist Maciej GarbowskiFind albums by this artist, who were also members of the OwlFind albums by this artist trio and recorded a couple of albums earlier on. The double album presents seventeen improvised pieces, recorded during one session four years prior to the release day.
The music is quite beyond straightforward classification, and mixes elements of Jazz, contemporary Classical and of course Improvised Music, with a strong emphasis on communication between the two musicians, as the title suggests. Halat and Garbowski go back over two decades playing together and their familiarity with each other is quite obvious. In comparison to Garbowski, who appeared on dozens of albums and is a member of the celebrated RGGFind albums by this artist trio, Halat’s output is rather limited and certainly less familiar, which makes this recording especially interesting to the followers of the Polish scene.
Halat’s approach to the violin, a rather underrated instrument in Improvised Music, belongs strictly to the “Polish Violin School”, with traces of the sound of the great Polish Jazz violinist like Zbigniew SeifertFind albums by this artist or Henryk GembalskiFind albums by this artist (who was Halat’s teacher), somewhat different from the other young representatives of the same school, who achieved more exposure, like Adam BaldychFind albums by this artist or Mateusz SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist, since they perform more accessible music, but are without a doubt great virtuosi.
Let’s be honest, Improvised Music is a priori destined to be appreciated just by a fraction of the general audience, such is the nature of the beast. But that small audience is often blessed to be exposed to some of the most fascinating music created on this planet, like the music on this album, in reward for their open-mindedness and patience.
The album was released on the FSRFind albums on this label label, run by the passionate Improvised Music producer Maciej KarlowskiFind albums by this artist, who managed to capture on record a huge amount of Polish and International music, which stands apart from most of what the music industry has to offer, and for which he deserves our gratitude.
Overall, this is a fascinating capsule of human ingenuity, a set of dialogues between kindred souls, who communicate without words, but say so much to each other and everybody who wants to listen.
| | Updated: 18/08/2025Posted: 18/08/2025 | CD 2 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend |
  | DON SUGARCANE HARRIS ~ CUP FULL OF DREAMS
PROMISING MUSIC 44115 (Barcode: 602527615967) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion
Recorded: 1973 Released: 2011
This is the 4th album on the legendary German MPSFind albums on this label label by US virtuoso violinist / composer Don Sugarcane Harris. His stints with John MayallFind albums by this artist and Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist exposed his name to international Blues and Rock audiences, but his association with MPS placed him in the company of other great violinists during the "Violin Summit" projects run by legendary producer Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist and established his well deserved reputation as exceptional player, composer and improviser. Harris composed all the music on this album, which is Blues related, but stretches far beyond the basic Blues structures and displays wonderful melodic qualities. He is supported by a great band, which includes keyboardist Dewey TerryFind albums by this artist, bassists Larry TaylorFind albums by this artist and Victor ConteFind albums by this artist, drummer Paul LagosFind albums by this artist and two superb guitarists: Harvey MendelFind albums by this artist and Randy ResnickFind albums by this artist. Saxophonist Richard AplanFind albums by this artist plays on one track. His advanced improvisations take the music beyond the Blues / Blues-Rock settings and turn it into a kind of Blues-Jazz Fusion, completely unique and charming. In retrospect the album lost none of its magic and still sounds fresh and invigorating. Sadly no longer with us, Harris recorded only sporadically after his MPS days, which is a great pity. This is a must to all violin lovers, but every music connoisseur should find something of interest here. Warmly recommended!
| | | CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Slipcase Oversampling Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | DON SUGARCANE HARRIS ~ SUGAR CANE`S GOT THE BLUES
PROMISING MUSIC 44102 (Barcode: 602517545731) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion
Recorded: 1971 Released: 2008
American violinist Don Sugarcane HarrisFind albums by this artist was one of the very few great Blues / Rock / Fusion artists playing the fiddle. He came to prominence as a member of the revolutionary John MayallFind albums by this artist’s BluesbreakersFind albums by this artist group and later as a member of Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist’s groups. This album, recorded live during the Berliner Jazztage Festival, presents Harris both as a leader and a participant in the legendary “Violin Summit” super-group, assembled by producer Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist. The solo appearance is in fact an offshoot project of the “Violin Summit”, which was a series of recordings on the legendary MPSFind albums on this label label, which celebrated the role of the violin in Jazz, Blues, Jazz-Rock Fusion and Rock and produced probably the most interesting document of music by violinists in the late 1960s / 1970s. The “Violin Summit” projects were based on a concept of a rhythm section and a series of violinist playing solo and in various combinations. The 1971 version of “Violin Summit”, which produced the “New Violin SummitFind albums with this title” double album, included also such great violin players as Jean-Luc PontyFind albums by this artist (France), Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist (Poland) and Nipso BrantnerFind albums by this artist (Germany) – none of them is heard here – and a fantastic rhythm section consisting of the Norwegian guitarist Terje RypdalFind albums by this artist, German keyboardist Wolfgang DaunerFind albums by this artist, New Zealander (resident in UK at the time) bassist Neville WhiteheadFind albums by this artist and British drummer Robert WyattFind albums by this artist. On the solo night Rypdal is replaced by German guitarist Volker KriegelFind albums by this artist. Surrounded by such illustrious musicians, Harris plays his heart out, improvising more daringly than ever before, no doubt inspired by the incredible performances by his European partners, who were musically much more advanced that Harris’ usual American companions. Overall the album presents a great event captured for posterity, with some amazing musical moments documenting the formation of the European Jazz-Rock Fusion, which bridges between such distant genres as the Blues and Free Jazz with elegance and vision. Beautifully remastered and packaged, this album is definitely worth investigation and attentive listening.
| | | CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Oversampling Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | IDES OF MARCH ~ FRIENDLY STRANGERS: THE WARNER BROS. RECORDINGS
WOUNDED BIRD 6007 (Barcode: 664140600720) ~ USA ~ Brass Rock
Recorded: 1969 - 1971 Released: 2018
This is a remastered / expanded reissue of the entire material recorded by the American Rock / Brass Rock band Ides Of MarchFind albums by this artist, which includes their first two albums “VehicleFind albums with this title” and “Common BondFind albums with this title” and numerous singles released on Warner Bros.Find albums on this label Records. Fronted by a charismatic vocalist / songwriter Jim PeterikFind albums by this artist, who wrote most of the band’s material, the band included a brass section, which gave them the Brass Rock sound. Some of the material uses orchestral arrangements. Following the first two albums, Ides Of March released two additional albums on RCAFind albums on this label and disbanded in 1973, but reunited in 1990 and are still active today.
The music is a mixture of Pop, Rock and Brass Rock, with truly excellent songs by Peterik, who has the ability to weave wonderfully melodic songs, often more ambitious than the usual Pop material, especially when arranged with extended Brass Rock attires. Although rarely mentioned today, these two early albums are a wonderful reminder of the incredible level of American musicianship at time.
Fans of early ChicagoFind albums by this artist and Blood, Sweat & TearsFind albums by this artist albums should really enjoy this music, in all its splendor, which is completely absent on contemporary music scene.
Overall, this is a wonderful reminder of how American Rock music sounded by the late 1960s / early 1970s, with Brass Rock being one of its most ambitious manifestations. Since Brass Rock recordings are relatively uncommon, this reissue is definitely a splendid opportunity to revive an interest in the genre’s history. Wholeheartedly recommended!
| | Updated: 19/06/2023Posted: 19/06/2023 | CD 2 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | JACHNA / TARWID / KARCH ~ SUNDIAL
FOR TUNE 0039 (Barcode: 5902768701418) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2013 - 2014 Released: 2014
This is the debut album by Polish Jazz trio fronted by trumpeter / composer Wojciech JachnaFind albums by this artist with two very young newcomers to the scene, pianist Grzegorz TarwidFind albums by this artist and drummer Albert KarchFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, one of which is repeated twice and another three times, producing ten tracks all together. The music includes individually composed pieces, others which are co-composed by Jachna and Tarwid and still others co-composed by all three members of the trio.
In the last decade Jachna has been slowly, but firmly establishing his position as one of the top Polish Jazz trumpet players. His work with the Sing Sing PenelopeFind albums by this artist ensemble and his duets with drummer Jacek BuhlFind albums by this artist belong to some of the most impressive achievements of Polish Jazz during the last decade, which after all is densely populated in the trumpet department. In time he developed a unique voicing on both trumpet and flugelhorn, which for old people like me constantly bring fond reminiscences of the early days of Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist. Jachna is not imitating Stanko nor is he trying consciously to sound like him, but his way of phrasing and the "dirty", coarse tone are simply so characteristic, that the immediate resemblance is unavoidable.
The two youngsters share common music studies in Denmark, where hordes of young and talented Polish Jazz players go to polish their knowledge and chops, but most importantly they evidently share their talents and passion for music. Tarwid, who has been called a musical prodigy after winning several piano competitions at a ridiculous young age, proves that he is no gimmick and his piano work certainly fills the heart with hope for days to come. Karch, who studied with Polish Jazz drumming icon Czeslaw BartkowskiFind albums by this artist, is also quite a hot potato, as the music herein firmly confirms.
Together the trio is definitely one of the freshest and most impressive new ensembles on the Polish Jazz scene and this debut emerges as one of the most striking recordings released in Poland this year. Everything that makes Polish Jazz so unique and outstanding is reflected on this album: a search for new ways to express emotions, a complete freedom from conventions, a disregard towards obvious and boring musical methodology and at the same time a deep respect towards the music´s profound tradition and aesthetics. As always, the fact that music of such magnitude can be produced by musicians of such remarkably young age is nothing short of astounding.
The true depth of this music can be fully appreciated only if one takes a much broader view of it, beyond the Jazz conventions. It is no less relevant as a component of improvised chamber music, an imaginary ambient soundtrack or any other open minded musical exploration, which is genre free and at the same time cross-genre.
Over the last decade I have invested a lot of emotions and hopes into Jachna´s music and it makes me extremely happy that he was able to come up with this culminating work, which was unquestionably worth waiting for. His choice of partners and his persistency finally came into fruition, which should make him and his companions tremendously proud. Chapeau to all the Young Lions!
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | JACHNA / TARWID / KARCH ~ SUNDIAL II
HEVHETIA 0130 (Barcode: 8588005257879) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016
This is the second album by the excellent Polish Jazz trio consisting of trumpeter Wojciech JachnaFind albums by this artist, pianist Grzegorz TarwidFind albums by this artist and drummer Albert KarchFind albums by this artist. It presents nine original compositions, four of which were composed by Tarwid, two were composed by Karch, one was composed by Jachna, one was co-composed by Jachna and Tarwid and the final one was co-composed by all three members of the trio.
The trio´s previous album, which created quite a stir on the Polish scene when it was released two years earlier, has set an incredibly high hurdle before the musicians to follow up and even more so to further develop their music, with the usual "second album dread" hovering above. I am delighted to say that they did not disappoint and managed very successfully to surmount all the perils.
The main element of this album is the decisive role of the composition, which takes over the role of improvised music, which was the primary modus operandi on the debut album. It becomes very apparent after just a few moments of listening, that this music is carefully composed and structured, which takes it even closer to the contemporary Classical idiom and further away from Jazz, than previously. The music is mostly very serene, relaxed and minimalistic, with prolonged pauses and a vast amount of space between the notes, except for a few highly intensive passages. Tarwid, who is the primary composer this time, plays long solo piano passages, which resemble the characteristic atmosphere of the music by the great French composer Erik SatieFind albums by this artist. Jachna almost completely avoids his blistering staccatos and mostly just plays the melody lines and variations. Karch also does not play traditional rhythms, just adds percussive layer to the music, mostly using mallets and playing very modestly. As a trio they are extremely effective, balanced and expressive, using the silence and space as their most efficient tool.
Together the trio creates an amazing amalgam of contemporary music, which simply eschews any simplistic classification. For a lack of a better definition it could be described as belonging to the very liberal and broad definition of the Jazz idiom, but in truth it could be also perceived as a next step in the development of contemporary music. Free yet organized, unconventional yet coherent, composed yet unexpected, this is definitely some of the best music that is being played in Europe these days.
One can only speculate what these young musicians will come up with in the future, but it is pretty sure it will be fresh and intellectually challenging. This level of composition and performance happens only very rarely, even on the European Jazz scene, which is blessed with remarkable quantity of extremely talented young musicians. In the meantime we can enjoy every second if this superb album, filling our hearts with the joy of creation these musicians share with us. Absolutely brilliant!
| | Updated: 27/10/2016Posted: 27/10/2016 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | JACHNA / TARWID / KARCH ~ SUNDIAL III
HEVHETIA 0186 (Barcode: 8588005258593) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz
Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019
This is the third album by the excellent Polish Jazz trio consisting of trumpeter Wojciech JachnaFind albums by this artist, pianist Grzegorz TarwidFind albums by this artist and drummer Albert KarchFind albums by this artist. This time the trio is expanded into a quartet with the inclusion of the veteran saxophonist Irek WojtczakFind albums by this artist. The album, recorded live, presents nine original compositions, all composed or co-composed by the trio members.
It is quite a challenge to follow the two superb albums which the trio recorded earlier with another extraordinary piece of music, which will continue the same level of emotional depth and sophistication. This is perhaps the reason why the trio members decided to reinforce their ranks with the addition of Wojtczak, who has achieved a remarkable level of respect and appreciation on the Polish scene, being one of the most creative and open-minded musicians on the scene. In retrospect this decision proved to be most fruitful and successful musically.
The music on this album is even more open and adventurous than on the two earlier albums, still offering a pre-composed skeleton but relaying more on spontaneous improvisation than ever before. It is therefore further removed from the Contemporary Classical tendencies followed earlier on and moves toward Avant-Garde contemporary music, with an emphasis on both group and individual improvisation. The melodic themes become more minimalist and nebulous, strongly related to the Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist legacy he defined in the mid-1960s. I am pretty sure this music would put a smile on his face.
As usual, the individual contributions by the trio members are highly inspired and perfectly executed. Wojtczak integrates with the trio completely and unconditionally, becoming entirely naturally an integral part of the music making unit. Obviously his presence enhances and deepens the overall sound and adds new possibilities, which are immediately sized upon by the trio members. One could hardly hope for a more innate combination of improvising powers than this. The future will tell weather Wojtczak joins the trio on a permanent basis, turning it into a quartet or this was just a one time only collaboration, but the potency of this ensemble is fully exposed on this album.
It is only natural that musicians of this caliber refuse to stand still and keep searching constantly, and therefore it is completely normal to see the music evolving and developing from one album to the next. As long as they manage to keep it interesting, inspiring and deeply satisfying, like in this case, we should be grateful and feel blessed that such music is being made.
Overall this is a remarkable album, certainly marking a noteworthy event in the 2019 list of Polish Jazz releases and deserving the admiration and respect reserved only for the very best of its kind. Thank you for the music, as always!
| | Updated: 24/05/2019Posted: 24/05/2019 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN JANEK / EXTRADITION QUINTET ~ MOVIN` ON
ALLEGRO 042 (Barcode: 5901157049421) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2020 Released: 2021
This is the debut album by Polish Jazz saxophonist / flautist / composer Marcin JanekFind albums by this artist and his Extradition QuintetFind albums by this artist, which also includes trumpeter Piotr SzlempoFind albums by this artist, pianist Dominik KisielFind albums by this artist, bassist Pawel UrowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Maksymilian KreftFind albums by this artist. Veteran Polish Jazz saxophonist and the owner of AllegroFind albums on this label Records, which released this album, Wojciech StaroniewiczFind albums by this artist, guests on one track. The album presents seven original compositions, all by Janek.
The music is all within the mainstream modern Jazz idiom, but the level of the compositions and the splendid performances turn it into a most enjoyable listening experience from start to finish. The quintet comprises of a mixed bag of musicians, as far as recording experience is concerned, but the seamless flow and diversity of these players speaks volumes as to the level of the young Polish Jazz scene, which of course is hardly a secret to those familiar with the scene.
As already mentioned above, the level of the compositions is the most surprising element on this album, since each and every one of the seven tunes is an immediate candidate for sounding like a Jazz standard, creating a warm feeling of familiarity in the listener’s sub consciousness.
The leader offers some passionate soprano saxophone soloing of snake-charming fluidity and no less impressive work on the tenor saxophone. Sadly, he plays the flute sparingly, which is a pity, as this beautiful instrument get sadly very little exposure lately. The rhythm section passes with flying colors, with Kisiel, an already proven charmer, providing excellent harmonic accompaniment, “almost veteran” Urowski is excellent, as always, and Kreft, whom I know from only one previous recording, is certainly a drummer worth watching.
Overall this is a heartwarming album, which proves that the Jazz tradition is being well preserved by the young Polish players, and kept up to date with contemporary approach and that the new generation is able to compose wonderful European Jazz, which no inferiority complex. Well done by all of you Gentlemen!
| | Updated: 03/08/2021Posted: 03/08/2021 | CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend |
  | JAN JARCZYK / JOHN STETCH ~ SMOKED PIANOS
GAD 002 (Barcode: 5901549197013) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2007 Released: 2011
Polish pianist / composer Jan JarczykFind albums by this artist, who lives in the US & Canada since the late 1970s, is fondly remembered as member of the original Zbigniew SeifertFind albums by this artist quartet, where he played alongside Seifert in the late 1960s / early 1970s, contributing some of his compositions to the quartet´s repertoire. The wonderful early recordings by the Seifert quartet ("NoraFind albums with this title") were released on the same GADFind albums on this label label, which also released this album. Jarczyk continued his Jazz career in the US & Canada as educator, first at the Berklee Collage of Music in Boston and later at McGill University in Montreal. He also continued to perform and release Jazz albums.
Jarczyk met Canadian (of Ukrainian origin) pianist / composer John StetchFind albums by this artist twenty years prior to this recording, when Stetch was one of his students. He invited Stetch to play with him a series of concerts in a piano duet setting. These concerts, which were organized to celebrate Jarczyk´s 60th birthday, were recorded and this album now brings these recordings to a wider audience. Of the seven duets included here three were composed by Jarczyk, one by Stetch, one co-composed by the two players and two are standards. The material presents a versatile setting, from ballads to up-tempo compositions, which allows the players to stretch out and exchange licks along the way.
The deep empathy, understanding and mutual respect between the two musicians is obvious and plays a major role in the overall music-making / love-making ambience. Although both players are clearly highly talent performers, the duo is stronger that the sum of its individual parts. Stylistically the music moves between straight-forward melodic modern Jazz to mostly improvised stretches, so there are no dull moments here. For piano lovers, this is heavenly stuff, well worth having and of course returning to. Warmly recommended!
| | Updated: 08/03/2020Posted: | CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | PAWEL KACZMARCZYK ~ AUDIOFEELING
ARMS 03 (Barcode: 5900238791020) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2006 Released: 2007
Brilliant debut album by Polish Jazz prodigy, pianist / composer Pawel KaczmarczykFind albums by this artist, aged 22 at the time of this recording. The album presents Kaczmarczyk with his piano trio with bassist Michal BaranskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Pawel DobrowolskiFind albums by this artist, which was his regular group at the time. Three saxophonists: Radoslaw NowickiFind albums by this artist, Tomasz GrzegorskiFind albums by this artist and Grzech PiotrowskiFind albums by this artist join the trio on several tracks, turning it into a quartet and on one track a sextet, when they all play together. Of the ten tracks present here, eight were composed by Kaczmarczyk and the other two co-composed by Kaczmarczyk and Piotrowski.
The music is absolutely brilliant, from top to bottom, from start to finish and from the first to the last note. The piano trio showcases their mutual telepathy and the quartets / sextet introduce an ensemble approach. Kaczmarczyk is obviously an outstanding player, elegant and sensitive and above all mature well above what might be expected from a musician of his age. But even more astounding than his technical brilliance are his skills as a composer, which turn him into a full-fledged Jazz personality. His music amalgamates all of the Jazz tradition, ignoring trends and genres, emphasizing the sense of melody and structure which one finds only amongst the finest of Jazz Masters, like Bill EvansFind albums by this artist.
Of course all the other musicians are equally excellent, playing with grace and passion, always elegantly and with taste. The overall result is a stunning achievement, especially in view of the fact that it is a musical debut. I can´t imagine any Jazz lover in the world not loving this music to bits, as it is simply overwhelmingly beautiful. A must!
| | Updated: 26/10/2016Posted: | CD 1 Digipak Gold Recommend To A Friend |
  | PAWEL KACZMARCZYK ~ LIVE
PRK 067 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2005 Released: 2005
Brilliant live album by Polish Jazz prodigy, pianist / composer Pawel KaczmarczykFind albums by this artist, aged 21 at the time of this recording. The album presents Kaczmarczyk with his piano trio with bassist Michal BaranskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Pawel DobrowolskiFind albums by this artist, which was his regular group at the time. This music was recorded one year prior to the recording of the trio´s sensational "formal" debut album called "AudiofeelingFind albums with this title" and was released by the Silesian branch of Polish Radio, and is now a collectors´ item. Of the four tracks present here, three were composed by Kaczmarczyk and the fourth co-composed by all the trio members. The music is absolutely brilliant, from top to bottom, from start to finish and from the first to the last note. The piano trio showcases their mutual telepathy and individual virtuosity. Kaczmarczyk is obviously an outstanding player, elegant and sensitive and above all mature well above what might be expected from a musician of his age. But even more astounding than his technical brilliance are his skills as a composer, which turn him into a full-fledged Jazz personality. His music amalgamates all of the Jazz tradition, ignoring trends and genres, emphasizing the sense of melody and structure which one finds only amongst the finest of Jazz Masters, like Bill EvansFind albums by this artist. Of course all the other musicians are equally excellent, playing with grace and passion, always elegantly and with taste. The overall result is a stunning achievement, especially in view of the fact that it is a musical debut. I can´t imagine any Jazz lover in the world not loving this music to bits, as it is simply overwhelmingly beautiful. A must!
| | | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | PAWEL KACZMARCZYK / AUDIOFEELING BAND ~ COMPLEXITY IN SIMPLICITY
ACT 9484 (Barcode: 614427948427) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2009 Released: 2009
This is the first international release by Polish pianist / composer / arranger Pawel KaczmarczykFind albums by this artist and his Audiofeeling BandFind albums by this artist. Hailed since several years as Poland´s most promising young Jazz musician, Kaczmarczyk is a typical representative of the third generation of his country´s post-WWII Jazz scene. Whereas the previous generations were largely consumed with political and sociological issues, fighting for the rightful recognition of Jazz music becoming a part of their country´s cultural identity as well as for their personal freedom of expression and life´s harsh realities under the Socialist regime, the new generation is free to concentrate just on making music, free from being concerned by such heavyweight concerns. It´s therefore fascinating to compare the new generation´s music with that made by their predecessors, forefathers of Polish Jazz. One might consider the obvious cliché about Art being most productive at times of great personal frustration, mishap and anguish, but honestly anybody truly familiar with Art knows that serenity and well being can be as much productive and usually more so. This music is definitely serene; there are no tragic howls and expressions of a tormented soul, as those almost omnipresent in early Polish Jazz. This is "triple-e" music: elegant, eloquent and elitist, and above all European. Kaczmarczyk the composer displays here a level of musical maturity, which is quite astounding, way above what one might expect from such a young person. But we all know that time seems to flow faster these days, so this, combined with his extraordinary talent, will have to suffice as the explanation. Considering the diversity, both stylistically and harmonically, displayed by the compositions included on this album (he composed nine of the eleven tunes on this album, which also includes one collective composition and one pop song by Elton JohnFind albums by this artist and arranged them all), one can safely assume that Kaczmarczyk is destined to become a major Jazz composer. The performances are no less stellar than the compositions. The collective ensemble performing on this album lists twelve musicians, who perform in various lineups ranging from a trio to a septet. They include some of the best young Jazz musicians on the contemporary Polish scene, all highly skilled and sensitive players doing an outstanding job. The emphasis on this album is on ensemble playing rather than on showcasing soloist and even the leader rarely plays in the forefront, except for the short, but beautifully sensitive redemption of Elton´s "Blue Eyes", which has all the characteristics of a Jazz standard anyway. Listening to this album can be compared to eating a multilayered cake – each new layer (track) bursts with new flavors and delights, and finally when the whole cake is consumed it leaves a wonderful aftertaste in one´s mouth for a very long time, the memory of which lasts even longer. This is brilliant stuff and a must to all serious Jazz connoisseurs, wherever they might be.
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  | PAWEL KACZMARCZYK / AUDIOFEELING TRIO ~ SOMETHING PERSONAL
HEVHETIA 0100 (Barcode: 8588005257411) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015
This is the fourth album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Pawel KaczmarczykFind albums by this artist, recorded in a classic piano trio format with bassist Maciej AdamczakFind albums by this artist and drummer Dawid FortunaFind albums by this artist. This rhythm section is also known as the rhythm section of the New BoneFind albums by this artist ensemble. The album presents seven tracks, all of which are original compositions by Kaczmarczyk. It was mixed and mastered by the great Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist and released on the Slovak HevhetiaFind albums on this label label, which releases lately a significant amount of Polish Jazz albums, opening new opportunities for Polish Jazz musicians, who face a very tough and crowded local recording market.
Kaczmarczyk stormed the Polish Jazz scene over a decade earlier as a young prodigy, winning awards from every possible competition and later recording and releasing three excellent albums as a leader. But the initial impact somewhat subsided over time and although he was visible on the scene quite recurrently, almost six years passed between the release of his last album and this one. No doubt these were years of reflection and reassessment of his musical attitude, as this album clearly proves. The return to the piano trio format and the much less complex arrangements of his compositions signal a kind of return to the roots.
Kaczmarczyk was always a great songweaver, and the collection of his new compositions confirms that status again. Wonderfully melodic, deeply lyrical and always full of grace, his music, presented here in a very basic down to earth form, is most effective exactly as it appears here. Gone are the elaborate and intricate rhythmic complexities, instrumental shenanigans and other tricks of the trade; instead we get Kaczmarczyk almost naked musically, but finally mature and truthful to himself.
Of course Kaczmarczyk is also a brilliant pianist and on this album, which is modest and very personal, there are limited possibilities to shine as a virtuosic performer; and yet Kaczmarczyk manages to pull this off, playing some amazingly sweet and inspired piano performances. The experienced rhythm section plays along tightly and supportively, being always there when needed. Adamczak plays several nice solos and stands by the leader both harmonically and rhythmically. Fortuna is a very busy drummer, but at all times stays in the background not disturbing the delicate trio balance.
In many respects this album could be seen as Kaczmarczyk´s "return", an older, and more mature and focused version of the young star from a decade earlier. The lost charm of excitement and surprise was replaced by musical depth and developed compositional as well as performing skills. It was definitely worth the time we had to wait for this album and hopefully another long lingering will be spared. Welcome back!
Side Note: The promo version of this album includes also seven tracks, but two of them are different than those included on the formal album, which of course makes the demo a most desirable collector´s item!
| | Updated: 27/09/2016Posted: | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | PAWEL KACZMARCZYK / AUDIOFEELING TRIO ~ VARS & KAPER DECONSTRUCTION
HEVHETIA 0126 (Barcode: 8588005257817) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2014 - 2015 Released: 2016
Three years ago I initiated a series of concerts / recordings as part of the Singer Jazz Festival, of which I am the artistic director, of music by the great "American" composers: Victor YoungFind albums by this artist, Bronislaw KaperFind albums by this artist and Henryk WarsFind albums by this artist, all three of which are in fact Polish Jews, who immigrated to the US at some stage of their life. The fact that they had Polish / Jewish roots is almost completely unknown not only to the American public (which is not surprising), but sadly also to Polish public. The main purpose, therefore, of these concerts / recordings was to bring their Jewish / Polish roots to the attention of music lovers. The music was performed and recorded by my friend, the excellent Polish Jazz pianist Kuba StankiewiczFind albums by this artist and his trio, and the entire series was hugely successful. Neither Kuba nor I anticipated the fact that our project would also influence the entire Polish Jazz scene and produce a huge renewed interest in these three composers, which also produced a string of recordings, of which this album is an example.
Pawel KaczmarczykFind albums by this artist is of course one of the most brilliant Polish Jazz pianist, who took the local scene by a storm and during the last decade established himself as a one of its central figures. This is the second album with his trio which includes bassist Maciej AdamczakFind albums by this artist and drummer Dawid FortunaFind albums by this artist. Together they perform nine songs composed by Henryk Wars (four songs) and Bronislaw Kaper (five songs, two split into two parts). In addition to the trio the DJ Wojciech DlugoszFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Mr. KrimeFind albums by this artist) adds turntablism and electronics.
The trio performs beautifully, as expected, playing the classic compositions with the usual flair and technical brilliance. The turntablism, electronics and other sound effects like vintage voice recordings, suit the music well and are non intrusive, but don’t really add anything substantial to the subject matter, beyond being a novelty of sorts.
The usage of the term "deconstruction" in the album´s title is however quite problematic. Personally I can´t hear anything being deconstructed in the music played on this album? These are just pretty standard interpretations of the classic songs, but deconstructions? The philosophical / aesthetic meaning of deconstruction is certainly absent here and in general this term is being used (or misused) way to often these days.
Overall this is an excellent piano trio recording, with brilliant Jazz performances, as expected. Just forget the somewhat pretentious title and enjoy the music!
| | Updated: 27/09/2016Posted: 27/09/2016 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | ALBERT KARCH / YUTA OMINO ~ HARE
ALPAKA 006 ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music
Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018
This is the debut album by the quartet co-led by Polish Jazz drummer Albert KarchFind albums by this artist and Japanese bassist Yuta OminoFind albums by this artist, which also includes pianist Momo OtaniFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Hiroyuki IshikawaFind albums by this artist. The album presents twelve original pieces, three by Karch, two by Omino and one by Otani, and the remaining six pieces are improvised (implicitly credited to all the quartet members).
The music presents two quite contrasting facets: the three opening composed pieces and the closing piece are quite mainstream Jazz oriented, whereas the improvised pieces and the rest of the composed pieces clearly tend towards Free Jazz / Improvised Music. Therefore as a whole the album slightly lacks focus and clear musical direction. However considering the fact that it was recorded in a one-day recording session during the quartet´s tour of Japan, it is certainly a worthy and interesting effort.
It is obvious that Ishikawa is the more improvisation inclined musician, as Otani is often absent during the improvised pieces and plays melodically at all times. The rhythm section plays splendidly from start to finish, doing a perfect job both in the more melodic pieces and during the improvised ones.
Overall this is a most welcome meeting between Polish and Japanese musicians, which will hopefully continue to flourish in the future and encourage additional musicians from both countries to play together.
Definitely worth investigating!
| | Updated: 14/09/2018Posted: 14/09/2018 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | THOMAS KOLARCZYK ~ HALBTRAUME
CHALLENGE 71194 (Barcode: 608917119428) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2016 Released: 2018
This is the debut album as a leader by Polish, resident in Berlin, Jazz bassist / composer Thomas KolarczykFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quintet setting with clarinetist Viktor WolfFind albums by this artist, saxophonist / flautist Otto HirteFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Slawomir PezdaFind albums by this artist and drummer Kuba GudzFind albums by this artist. Kolarczyk and Gudz were members of the excellent Tone RawFind albums by this artist quartet, which recorded a superb single album back in 2012. The album presents nine compositions, seven of which are originals by Kolarczyk, one is by Gudz and one is an arrangement by Kolarczyk of a traditional tune.
The music is a wonderful modern European Jazz, mostly based on melodic themes, but very open to improvised passages and folkloristic, mostly Middle Eastern and Balkan influences. The quintet´s lineup, which features three woodwind instruments and a rhythm section and no harmonic instrument, creates w beautifully transparent sound with each and every note perfectly audible. The music reflects perfectly the European Jazz esthetics, which has grown infinitely beyond the American Jazz tradition over time, preserving the basic convention of improvisation, but expanding the barriers of the musical possibilities and amalgamating European values and World traditions, revitalizing and constantly pushing the idiom further into the unknown.
The individual performances are all stellar and the album is a constant source of amazement and discovery. The unique and daring music making presented herein is way beyond what one can find on "standard" Jazz recordings, and reflects the specifics of the new, Berlin based Jazz school, which managed in the last decade or so to build a Jazz sub-culture, which is reflected by numerous recordings made by Berlin based musicians, producing definitely some of the most interesting contemporary European Jazz.
The sublime balance between melody and Free Form, straight time and no time, soloing and group improvisation are all present on this album, and add up to an irresistible sonic and intellectual experience, which has but a few equals. As such it is a must have for all modern European Jazz connoisseurs, who are open-minded and embracing enough to face and enjoy the challenge.
Overall this is a tremendous debut album, which marks a giant step in the leaders career and hopefully will be followed by many more recordings, as music of such beauty and sophistication is always a revelation. Stunning stuff!
| | Updated: 27/06/2018Posted: 27/04/2018 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN KRZYZANOWSKI ~ KENOSIS MUSIC
FOR TUNE 0102 (Barcode: 5906395808021) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Classical Fusion
Recorded: 2014 - 2015 Released: 2016
This is a very interesting album by veteran Polish cellist / composer Marcin KrzyzanowskiFind albums by this artist, primarily known as a composer of cinematic and theatrical music, which presents a collection of thirteen relatively short Avant-Garde compositions, all by Krzyzanowski. The music is performed by a core trio, which also includes the excellent saxophonist Paulina OwczarekFind albums by this artist and electronics manipulator Piotr ZylaFind albums by this artist. Multi-instrumentalist / vocalist Mieczyslaw LitwinskiFind albums by this artist appears as guest.
The music is very diverse and touches upon a multitude of Contemporary Avant-Garde Music and other idioms, with also includes spontaneous improvisation. The cycle of three compositions based on Biblical Psalms, which include the original Hebrew texts, are the strongest pieces on the album. A whole album dedicated to such music might have been also truly fascinating. Additional cycles of three chorals and five "Fucksoundages" (yes there is a lot of humor here as well) are also included. The overall level of complexity and wonderful weirdness is in fact intriguing and keeps the listener on his toes throughout the entire duration. The vocals deserve a special mention and are one the most impressive layers of this music.
This is a wonderful example of music, which is still searching and exploring uncharted (at least partly) territories, boldly ignoring genre limitations and taking from the tradition only to push it into a new direction. Definitely not for everybody, but connoisseurs of Contemporary Avant-Garde Classical music and Improvised Music should enjoy this album in full. Kudos to the For TuneFind albums on this label label for giving this music a chance to reach a wider public, despite the total lack of commerciality it so proudly displays.
| | Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 16/10/2016 | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | JOANNA KUCHARCZYK ~ MORE
FISK 001 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2013 Released: 2013
This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz vocalist Joanna KucharczykFind albums by this artist, accompanied by a piano trio with Czech pianist / composer Vit KristanFind albums by this artist, bassist Max MuchaFind albums by this artist and drummer Karol DomanskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original songs, four of which were composed by Kristan, three by Kucharczyk, one co-composed by them both and the remaining one by Domanski. Kucharczyk wrote (or in two cases co-wrote) the lyrics to all the songs, which are all in English (see the Side Note below).
The songs are pretty straightforward mainstream efforts, where the ones composed by Kristan are significantly better and more eloquent that the others. Most of the material is soaked in the typical Slavic melancholy, which although deeply touching and beautifully atmospheric, tends to get somewhat repetitive and almost boring after a while. The trio performs the music with elegance and sensibility, again Kristan clearly arising as the most experienced and obviously talented player, deeply romantic and bringing to mind recollections of the young fellow Czech virtuoso Emil ViklickyFind albums by this artist when he was at the same age. The rhythm section does its job very well, with the firm bass pulsations and dynamic drumming perfectly suiting the music and pushing it forward, especially during the less exciting moments.
Kucharczyk emerges sadly as a limited vocalist, not taking any risks and providing little, if any, excitement. She employs almost no vocal devices other than simple singing, which of course is not nearly enough considering contemporary vocal standards. She struggles desperately with the English texts (which she wrote herself), losing time after time...
I´ll give Kucharczyk the benefit of the doubt, considering this is her debut album, and if she records her next album with Polish lyrics I´ll be ready to listen to "more". I truly pray she gets the message and wish her success with all my heart. Until then, adieu…
Side Note: I find it really disturbing when vocal Jazz albums originating from Poland feature English lyrics, and even more so if these are original lyrics written by the vocalists themselves (as opposed say to Jazz standards where the lyrics are already out there as part of the original songs). In almost all such cases the results sound simply ridiculous, incomprehensible and sometimes are even plainly painful to listen to. Why on earth would anybody, who is not a natural English speaker, want to sing in that language is a total mystery to me? It is plainly obvious that the articulation, the pronunciation and the accent will be always against you no matter how hard you try, so why do it at all? For Polish vocalists singing in English is a challenge, which makes them concentrate on trying to pronounce the foreign language, rather than simply sing, as they would do when singing in their mother tongue. And then there is the question why write lyrics in English, a foreign language that the writer knows only to a degree, usually almost embarrassingly superficially? No wonder that most such lyrics are shallow, primitive and pitiful. The assumption that if one can sing (which in itself is often a question) gives one the right to suddenly write their lyrics is completely unjustifiable. Usually one should restrain from writing publically unless one has something significant to say. The Polish Cultural Heritage includes thousands upon thousands of superb poems written over time by magnificent masters of the language, old and new alike. Why not use that legacy in your own work, sing in Polish and forget all that "singing in English" folly? And if you don´t like your own language, sing wordless vocalese, shout, meow and scat, do anything but please don´t sing in English! It´s beyond my comprehension why nobody learns from the mistakes of others and why the people giving guidance to the singers (producers, managers, fellow musicians and most importantly teachers) don´t discourage these self-destructive decisions? Well, c´est la vie…
| | | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN LOSIK ~ EMOTIONAL PHRASING
DOT TIME 9037 (Barcode: 604043903726) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015
This is the debut album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Marcin LosikFind albums by this artist, recorded in a classic piano trio format with bassist Ksawery WojcinskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Robert RaszFind albums by this artist. It presents eight original compositions, all by Losik.
From the very onset of the music it is immediately clear that Losik is yet another representative of the incredibly talented new wave of Polish Jazz pianists / composers that is erupting on the local scene in the last decade. His highly sensitive, versatile and emotional piano playing is completely inconsistent with his age and so are his compositional abilities, which are revealed in full herein.
The music reflects beautifully the typical Polish approach to Jazz composition, which merges lyricism and romanticism with highly advanced harmonic development, leaving enough breathing space and air for the musicians to express themselves and to have a mystery element floating somewhere between the notes. All eight compositions are equally interesting and intelligent, which by itself is already an outstanding achievement.
The individual contributions by the trio members are all stellar, but all quite different from each other. Losik plays with passion but strokes the keys delicately and with great sensitivity, improvising elegantly and often playing around with the tempi, which could be well described by the album´s title. He leaves a lot of space for Wojcinski, who is carrying the burden of the metronome brilliantly along the way but also plays several dazzling solos. I must say that this is definitely some the best playing I have heard by Wojcinski over the years, solid, precise, highly melodic and technically brilliant. Rasz keeps his drumming well in check, painting the rhythmic textures amicably and most of all not trying to dominate the music. As a trio these musicians function as close to perfection as one might expect, obviously communicating and cooperating at all times.
If this is what Losik is able to show us on his debut album, it becomes truly frightening to contemplate what he can achieve in a decade. The young European musicians of today show a level of education and proficiency which musicians half a century ago achieved only after decades of playing experience. In any case this is definitely a most impressive debut, which deserves the attention of all fans of European Jazz, wherever they might be. Well done indeed!
| | | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN MASECKI ~ JAZZ Z MACV
WARSZAWSKA OPERA KAMERALNA 003 (Barcode: 5904316586850) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion
Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022
This is an album by Polish pianist / composer / bandleader Marcin MaseckiFind albums by this artist, recorded with the Musicae Antiquae Collegium VarsovienseFind albums by this artist (MACVFind albums by this artist), an early music orchestra playing original period instruments. The album presents three harpsichord / piano concertos, one each by Johann Sebastian BachFind albums by this artist, Carl Philipp Emanuel BachFind albums by this artist and Wolfgang Amadeus MozartFind albums by this artist. All works are in three parts and all are performed by Masecki on piano.
Masecki received Classical Music education and was recognized early on as an exceptionally gifted pianist. Later on he added Jazz to his milieu and since many years is active in both genres. In Classical Music he is known for his very unique interpretations of Classical pieces, in which he shows incredible originality and innovative approach. In Jazz he seems to be truly ubiquitous, playing everything between Ragtime and Avant-Garde, always brilliantly and with matchless virtuosity. He also presents a highly idiosyncratic stage persona, which offers a fascinating live experience.
This album is somewhat puzzling, since Masecki performs the three concerti with remarkable restraint and almost complete reproduction of the original scores. Only a patient and very attentive listening will lead to the discovery of his delicate personal “artifices” utilized herein, all very clever and elegant, as expected, but somewhat too modest to call this entire enterprise as an “interpretation” of the original works.
Overall, this is a very nice Classical Music album, which offers excellent performances of well-known keyboard concerti with a bit of “hide & seek” detective aspect, trying to find the subtle personal alterations utilized by Masecki. Calling this album Jazz is a wide stretch, but anything played by Masecki is definitely worth listening to. Personally I’d prefer to hear more of his “wild side”.
| | Updated: 31/12/2023Posted: 22/02/2023 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN MASECKI ~ MAZURKI
FOR TUNE 0051 (Barcode: 5902768701555) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion
Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015
This is a solo piano album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Marcin MaseckiFind albums by this artist, dedicated, as the title suggests, to the Polish folk dance, the mazurka, which is often used in Polish Classical Music, especially by the Polish National composer Frederic ChopinFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten original compositions, all by Masecki, which are more or less associated with the mazurka. A radio edit of the opening track is added as a bonus track.
Masecki, the enfant terrible of Polish Jazz, is one of the most unconventional musical personalities on the local scene. A recognized brilliant Classical pianist, he completely disregards all conventions and does only what he considers is worth pursuing, recording a series of bold, unconventional and often plainly insulting albums, slaughtering holy cows like there is no tomorrow. Obviously his music is often at the epicenter of heated discussions between his fans and supporters and his critics.
On this album Masecki continues his interest in Polish musical folklore, having previously recorded an album dedicated to another Polish folk dance, the polonaise. It is also worth to mention that other Polish Jazz pianists, like Piotr OrzechowskiFind albums by this artist, also recorded solo piano albums dedicated to Polish folk dances, like the oberek in Orzechowski´s case.
Although I usually like Masecki´s music very much, I find this project less convincing. The ten pieces present here, clearly linked to the mazurka, sound quite mechanical and unnatural to me, simply not connecting the dots. Obviously Masecki had a clear idea behind what he wanted to achieve here, but I fail to see what it might be. There are numerous transformations and variations on the basic mazurka form, but they sound to me as if a computer program was generating these variations given some basic parameters. This is definitely an intellectual exercise, but I fail to find any emotional involvement or the reasoning behind it.
Of course it is quite possible that it is only my personal shortcoming being unable to enjoy this music, but so far this is the weakest Masecki´s project as far as I am concerned. Of course he´ll surely surprise us all shortly with another of his brilliant ideas.
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN MASECKI / JERZY ROGIEWICZ ~ RAGTIME
BMC 256 (Barcode: 5998309302565) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz
Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018
This is the debut album by Polish duo comprising of pianist / composer Marcin MaseckiFind albums by this artist and drummer Jerzy RogiewiczFind albums by this artist (both are members of the Jazz Band Mlynarski - MaseckiFind albums by this artist). The album presents nine pieces, five of which are original compositions by Masecki, two pieces were composed by Polish popular music composers active between the two World Wars and another two pieces were composed by American composers active at the same period, all four with strong Jewish ties.
As with everything Masecki touches, the obvious becomes anything but obvious and the reference to the Ragtime music is more symbolic and imaginary than what might be expected. The original compositions and the interpretations of the four "standards" are therefore first and foremost Masecki´s creations, both on the compositional and the performance platforms.
In the liner notes of the album Masecki states that hearing Ragtime when he was nine years old was what "got him into music originally". That is hardly surprising considering the fact that Ragtime, although considered the root of Jazz, was a composed music, and served as a bridge between European Classical Music and American syncopation, which reflects Masecki´s musical duality and floating between genres.
If anybody is after a typical Ragtime music and expects to hear the popular classic Ragtime hits, this album is definitely not something they should consider listening to. If, however, someone is searching for unconventional and highly challenging new music, which takes hints from the stylistic characteristics of Ragtime and brings them a Century forward in time, with the extremely personal treatment that Masecki delivers, this album is a treasure chest of discovery and hidden marvels.
For the many Masecki´s fans, this is of course something they will happily sunk their teeth into, without much ado. For others, less familiar with his word (if that is at all possible) this is a window of opportunity to discover a true original talent, who symbolizes individuality and complete disregard of convention with a smile on his face.
| | Updated: 10/01/2019Posted: 10/01/2019 | CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN OLAK ~ BESSARABIAN JOURNEY
FSR 2016/02 (Barcode: 5905279364073) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion
Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016
This is a live recording by a quartet led by guitarist Marcin OlakFind albums by this artist, which also includes violist Patryk ZakrockiFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej SzczycinskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof SzmandaFind albums by this artist. They perform nine pieces, seven of which are traditional Jewish tunes originating from the region of Bessarabia (Moldova today) and arranged by Olak, one is co-composed by Zakrocki and Olak and the final one is composed by Olak. The project was initiated by Miron ZajfertFind albums by this artist, the creator / director of the wonderful New Jewish Music Festival in Warsaw.
Bessarabia, which existed as a Governorate for over a hundred years, was home to many Jews, who amalgamated their ancient traditions with Ottoman / Turkish, Romanian / Balkan and Russian / Slavic cultural influences, creating a unique East European Jewish sub-culture, which had its musical facets also combining a wide range of musical influences.
This attempt to mix the music originating in Bessarabia with Jazz sadly does not grab me at all. The resulting music loses most of its original spontaneity and the guitar, which simply does not belong organically to that music at all, treats it completely wrong. Bessarabia is definitely not Spain! With the element of improvisation and a lack of steady meters applied here the original music is simply completely lost.
But most importantly Bessarabian music is characterized by very specific rhythmic approach, which is mostly based on odd meters, something most musicians not born into those specific realms have a great difficulty to handle. As a result applying simplistic Rock or Jazz rhythms to that music simply does not work well.
As much as I appreciate any attempt to create ambitious projects, cross-cultural meetings and new discoveries, this project, as far as I am concerned, simply does not cut it. At some moments listening to the CD was simply unbearable and I even considered stopping it, which happens to me very rarely. Even the hidden track did not manage to save the day. Of course it´s only me and if anybody enjoys this music, my opinion is completely immaterial.
| | Updated: 27/10/2016Posted: 13/06/2016 | CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN OLES ~ ORNETTE ON BASS
NOT TWO 747 ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music
Recorded: 2002 Released: 2003
This is a solo bass album by Polish Jazz bassist / composer Marcin OlesFind albums by this artist. It presents twelve pieces, four of which are original compositions by Oles and eight are his interpretations of Ornette ColemanFind albums by this artist compositions. The album was recorded without any overdubbing and offers a wonderful sound quality.
Marcin Oles is familiar to Polish Jazz connoisseurs as half of the Oles BrothersFind albums by this artist team, which also includes his twin brother drummer / composer Bartlomiej OlesFind albums by this artist. Together they are considered as one of the most creative and artistically fulfilling duos in European Jazz, way beyond just a role of a rhythm section. This album can be considered as a "twin album" to Bartlomiej´s solo drums album recorded a couple of years later, called "Freedrum SuiteFind albums with this title", also released on the excellent Polish Not TwoFind albums on this label Records label.
A solo bass album is one of the most difficult projects within the Jazz idiom, and although some such recordings have proved to be iconic in the genre´s history, many others sadly became quite forgettable. Despite his relatively young age at the time of the recording (just under thirty years old), Marcin Oles manages to present a convincing, well balanced and obviously virtuosic set of performances, which flow smoothly from one piece to the next keeping the listener completely mesmerized. For the Coleman cognoscenti, following the Master´s compositions becomes a fun game of sorts, with the original material by Oles being every bit as interesting.
It takes a lot of courage and determination to face projects like this one, as the risk is quite challenging. Nevertheless Marcin Oles proves that there is nothing he can´t handle, and more importantly he is able to turn Coleman´s music into his own realm of European Free Jazz / Improvised Music, by adding the European sensitivity and aesthetics to the American roots. As such this music goes beyond the limited Jazz mainstream context and should be of interest to all connoisseurs of ambitious, challenging contemporary music. For lovers of bass and Polish Jazz hardcore collectors, this album is an absolute must.
It took me a few years to find a copy of this album at last, but do not despair – dedication and patience pay off eventually. Now a copy of this album finally makes my collection of Oles Brothers recordings complete, which is a joyous occasion.
| | Updated: 01/10/2018Posted: 01/10/2018 | CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN PATER ~ NOTHING BUT TROUBLE
EMME 1917 (Barcode: 850869006503) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019
This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz vibraphonist / composer Marcin PaterFind albums by this artist recorded in a trio format with bassist Mateusz SzewczykFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam WajdzikFind albums by this artist. Guitarist Jakub MizerackiFind albums by this artist guests on three tracks. The album presents nine original compositions, eight of which were composed by Pater and one co-composed by him with other musician. The album was released by the Italian label EmmeFind albums on this label Records, as the result of the trio winning the first prize at the 2018 Jazz Juniors competition in Krakow.
The music is a wonderful amalgam of cross-genre explorations, moving between modern mainstream Jazz and Jazz-Rock Fusion, based on beautifully melodic themes. The level of all the compositions is truly excellent and very surprising considering the young age of the composer. The three tracks featuring Mizeracki are understandably much more Fusion oriented, due to the dominating sound of the electric guitar, whereas the trio tracks are much more airy and atmospheric.
Pater emerges as a surprising vibraphone Master, playing with remarkable confidence and technical proficiency. Every strike of his mallets is precise and superbly expressive, using sustain and delicate variations of the pressure to produce a wonderful palette of sounds. It is truly heartwarming to see the much neglected instrument finally being treated with respect and virtuosity it deserves.
The rest of the crew is also excellent of course. Szewczyk and Wajdzik support the leader with swinging fluidity and Mizeracki adds another layer to the music, stirring things up with his edgy approach, but also remarkable flexibility. Altogether the trio / quartet present a clockwork precision and a velvety sound, which work like a dream.
The album brings on some fond nostalgic memories or early Gary BurtonFind albums by this artist quartet featuring Larry CoryellFind albums by this artist (or the birth of Fusion), which are still some of best examples of vibraphone virtuosity not related to Bebop.
Overall a very impressive debut album, perhaps not very innovative musically, but very refreshing and focusing on a neglected and much loved instrument, which definitely put this album in the short list of best Polish Jazz debuts for 2019. Well done and definitely worth investigating!
| | Updated: 31/12/2019Posted: 31/12/2019 | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN PENDOWSKI ~ GUMOLIT
JUDASZ 2020/01 ~ POLAND ~ Brass Rock
Recorded: 2017 - 2020 Released: 2020
This is the second album by Polish Jazz bassist / composer Marcin PendowskiFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. PendofskyFind albums by this artist), one of Poland’s best kept secrets. Recorded over four years with no less than twenty musicians / friends / guests, the album presents eleven tracks, all original compositions, two of which are bonus tracks.
Pendowski is a sensational bass player, who is mostly known for his session work and jamming in Warsaw Jazz clubs. His debut album “PendofskyFind albums with this title” from 2014 arrived and disappeared from the scene almost completely unnoticed, despite the fact that it remains a Funk / Groove classic to this very day. If Pendowski would have appeared on the NYC scene, he could probably reach fame and glory (See Jaco PastoriusFind albums by this artist), as his technically brilliant and imaginative bass playing and Big Balls feeling for Fusion / Groove / Soul / Funk is simply unparalleled and absolutely world class.
This album offers a somewhat different approach, as Pendowski added the Brass Rock magic to his instrumentation, expanding the sound beyond imagination. Sounding like the best days of Blood, Sweat & TearsFind albums by this artist, ChicagoFind albums by this artist and Tower Of PowerFind albums by this artist combined, but based all around the virtuosic bass parts, this music is absolutely irresistible.
Pendowski also has a great talent to write incredibly catchy riffs, like only very few other can, and if one is able to listen to this album and remain sitting, one is probably deaf or brain-dead. This music Rocks, from the first note to the last!
Hopefully this album will be finally discovered, although it might again prove to be simply too good for its own good and remain undiscovered again, which would be a crying shame.
Thank you Marcin for this music, you are a genius and I hope we won’t have to wait for another six years for the next album. Next time I am in Warsaw; the drinks are on me of course. Warsaw / Poland / the World / wake up, Pendofsky is in town!
| | Updated: 21/05/2021Posted: 21/05/2021 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN PENDOWSKI ~ KURATORIUM
JUDASZ 2024 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Funk Fusion
Recorded: 2024 Released: 2024
This is the 3rd album by Polish bassist / composer / arranger / bandleader Marcin PendowskiFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. PendofskyFind albums by this artist), released four years after his previous album and following a near fatal motorcycle accident, which put a hold to his prominent career and required a long and difficult convalescence. The album presents ten tracks, all by Pendowski. He plays all the bass parts and some vocals parts and is accompanied by a mighty team of local musicians, which includes guitarist Krzysztof KawalkoFind albums by this artist, organists Marcin CichockiFind albums by this artist and Kamil BaranskiFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Marcin KajperFind albums by this artist, bass clarinetist Szymon LukowskiFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Rafal DubickiFind albums by this artist, harmonica player Bartosz LeczyckiFind albums by this artist, percussionists Dominik JaskeFind albums by this artist and Tomasz StarzykFind albums by this artist and drummer Tomasz WaldowskiFind albums by this artist. As if all these were not enough, a fifteen-men strong Warsaw Funky Horn EnsembleFind albums by this artist is also employed to add some serious zets to the proceedings.
The music is everything one would expect from Pendowski, i.e. a wonderful mix of Jazz, Funk, Groove, Brass-Rock, etc. with great tunes and superb performances by everybody involved, in addition to his remarkable (despite the injury) bass playing, which makes him one the best electric bass players in the country. Over the years he managed to develop his unique style, which is quite different from the mainstream Polish Jazz activity, and for a blind test listener sounds rather as something created in South America or Cuba, than originating from pale-faced Slavs. This music makes your bottom move involuntarily, and if it doesn’t you are probably deaf or dead.
Overall, this is a most welcome return of Pendowski and his mighty Groove, which sounds nothing like anything else recorded in Poland and rocks one’s bottom instantly. It shows a remarkable ability by the leader to get the best out of his companions, and proves that entertaining, danceable music can be aesthetically sound and interesting. Happy to see you back my Friend!
| | Updated: 15/04/2025Posted: 15/04/2025 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN PENDOWSKI ~ PENDOFSKY
NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion
Recorded: 2012 - 2013 Released: 2014
This is the debut album as a leader by the Polish bassist / composer Marcin PendowskiFind albums by this artist, who started his career as a Rock musician (as a member of the band ArtrosisFind albums by this artist) but later on cooperated with many Polish Jazz musicians as well. On this album he presents ten original compositions recorded with a core group of musicians, which includes guitarist Krzysztof KawalkoFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Marcin KajperFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Przemyslaw KostrzewaFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Marcin CichockiFind albums by this artist, drummer Tomasz WaldowskiFind albums by this artist and several guest artists. On the album Pendowski plays on two old electric basses manufactured in Czechoslovakia (Jolana Diamant) and Poland (Defil Mamba) during the Socialist regime, which have a very specific ambience.
The music is a great mixture of Jazz-Rock Fusion, Funk, Soul, Grove and superb retro / vintage sounding pieces, which are almost never played these days by anybody. The arrangements and instrumentation, including the Hammond organ and the in-sync unisono brass section, the airy guitars and the fantastic bass sound are simply irresistible. Of course the best part is the fact that although this is truly enjoyable music, it is also of the highest quality, with great melodies, riffs and interesting arrangements, supported by virtuosic instrumental work.
This music could be an ideal partner for a long car drive, a club setting or a groovy party with your friends, and it would fit all these diverse surroundings perfectly. I must admit that it was quite a while since I enjoyed myself that much listening to an album. Hopefully this won´t be a one off, as that would be a true shame. We need more honest and fun music like this in this world full of phony pretentious garbage.
I wholeheartedly recommend this album to people who really love music and are able to enjoy it in full, without inhibitions. For bass aficionados this is a must of course. Very well done Sir, chapeau!
| | | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | JUDYTA PISARCZYK ~ KONCERT W TROJCE
POLSKIE RADIO 2168 (Barcode: 5907812246204) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Funk Fusion
Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018
This is the debut album by Polish Jazz vocalist Judyta PisarczykFind albums by this artist, recorded live at the Polish Radio Studio Three in Warsaw. She is accompanied by guitarist Michal HoniszFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Marek TutkoFind albums by this artist, bassist Bogumil EksnerFind albums by this artist and drummer Roman MajdaFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven songs, two of which are originals she composed and wrote lyrics for, one is a Polish Pop song and the rest are Jazz standards.
Pisarczyk, who won the Grand Prix at the Ladies´ Jazz Festival competition in 2017, puts on a great show from the moment she opens her mouth and sounds like a true veteran, in spite of her young age. She uses her voice skillfully both when singing lyrics and when improvising and singing vocalese. Sadly all the texts, including those of her original songs, except for the one Polish Pop song, are in English, which of course creates the usual uneasiness caused by Polish vocalists singing in English, but overall this is a rather minor vice in the grand scale of things. It is enough to compare her performance when singing the Polish lyrics to the other songs to understand what I mean.
The accompaniment by the quartet, which plays mostly electrically, is not the ideal environment to emphasize the vocalist´s Jazzy explorations, and the album would have been infinitely more effective with a classic Jazz piano trio and perhaps a saxophone for a good measure. But again, all things considered, the quartet members play amicably and technically very proficiently, so the music sounds very nicely altogether, although is more Fusion / Funk oriented than focused on Jazz.
The two original songs have very little to do with the rest of this album, which perhaps emphasizes the fact that Pisarczyk is still not exactly sure about her stylistic direction, which perhaps will eventually take her away from singing Jazz standards and move towards her own original material.
Whatever the future might bring, this album is an excellent calling card showcasing her abilities, rather than a true artistic debut par excellence. It definitely shows her great potential, which she will surely justify with her future achievements. Nevertheless Jazz vocals fans should have a lot of fun with this album, which is a truly enjoyable listen.
| | Updated: 03/04/2018Posted: 03/04/2018 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCO POSTACCHINI BIG BAND ~ ONE FINGER SNAP
ALFA MUSIC 269 (Barcode: 8032050022307) ~ ITALY ~ Big Band Jazz
Recorded: 2022 Released: 2022
This is an album by a Big Band led by Italian Jazz saxophonist / flautist / composer / arranger Marco PostacchiniFind albums by this artist. Two guest vocalists appear, each on two tracks. The album presents nine tracks, two of which are original compositions by the leader and the rest are Big Band arrangements of Jazz / Pop standards and Brazilian songs.
The music is all well within mainstream Jazz, with typical Big Band arrangements, strongly influenced by the American tradition of orchestral Jazz, with emphasis on uniform harmonious performances spiced by numerous soli by the participating musicians.
In contrast to the European Big Band tradition, which is more about the ensemble sound of the Big Band as a multi-headed performer, this album sounds similar to Count BasieFind albums by this artist or other Broadway orchestral ensembles, presenting a slick, polished and glamorous sound, which swings elegantly, inviting the listener to dance rather than listen attentively.
Nevertheless, the performances are highly professional, well-coordinated and technically perfect, and the music is very well recorded with good separation enabling the listener to hear the individual instruments.
Overall, this is a highly entertaining Big Band album, full of swinging music that makes the ass move involuntarily, and is a great fun to listen to. For listeners who love American Big Band music, which was at its peak in the middle of the last Century, this is heaven on earth.
| | Updated: 21/12/2022Posted: 21/12/2022 | CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCUS PRINTUP / EMIL VIKLICKY ~ MARCUS PRINTUP & EMIL VIKLICKY TRIO
MULTISONIC 310708 (Barcode: 741941070829) ~ USA ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2007 Released: 2007
This album presents a live recording by the US trumpeter Marcus PrintupFind albums by this artist supported by the wonderful trio led by Czech pianist / composer Emil ViklickyFind albums by this artist with veteran bassist Frantisek UhlirFind albums by this artist and drummer Laco TroppFind albums by this artist. Printup is primarily known from his work as a member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra led by Wynton MarsalisFind albums by this artist. He and Viklicky met when the orchestra was performing a piece composed by Viklicky, which included a solo spot Printup was assigned to perform. The quartet together performs six pieces, three of which are Viklicky´s originals, one is a traditional Czech song arranged by Viklicky and two are standards.
The performances are absolutely brilliant with Printup´s virtuosity fiercely supported by the sublime playing of the trio. In many respects this is a perfect marriage of the American Jazz tradition and the European elegance and sophistication. They compliment each other to the fullest extent creating outstanding Jazz music in the process. Uhlir´s powerful and always divinely melodic bass lines are a delight. I van hardly imagine any true Jazz lover not enjoying this music immensely. Highly recommended!
Side Note
This album is a part of the “Jazz Na Hrade (Jazz At Prague Castle)” series, released by the Czech MultisonicFind albums on this label label, which presents live recordings performed at various locations inside the charming Prague Castle, now the residence of the President of the Czech Republic.
The series was initiated in 2004 by President Vaclav KlausFind albums by this artist, who often introduces the players himself on these albums, and symbolizes the respect and love of all things Cultural by the Czech People, including Jazz of course.
| | Updated: 16/03/2022Posted: | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | SUN RA / INTERGALACTIC RESEARCH ARKESTRA ~ IT`S AFTER THE END OF THE WORLD
MPS 4029759097440 (Barcode: 4029759097440) ~ USA ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music
Recorded: 1970 Released: 2014
This is a reissue of a little known album by American keyboardist / composer / bandleader Sun RaFind albums by this artist, one of the most idiosyncratic, prophetic and theatrical personalities which populated the Jazz Planet (Earth or elsewhere). The album was recorded live in Germany during the 1970 Donaueschingen and Berlin Festivals for the MPSFind albums on this label label and produced by Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist. It presents five tracks, all of which are original composition by Sun Ra, which are performed by an orchestra which includes twenty one additional players. Some of the more familiar names of the orchestra members include among others saxophonists John GilmoreFind albums by this artist and Marshall AllenFind albums by this artist, bassist Alan SilvaFind albums by this artist, and drummer Lex HumphriesFind albums by this artist.
The music, although pre-conceived and structured, is mostly freely improvised by the orchestra members, who play lengthy solos and engage in group improvisations. It is very dramatic and of course creates a kind of "space" ambience, which seems to be unattached to anything "earthly". I have seen and heard Sun Ra live many times over the years and this recording presents him at his most experimental stage of his musical "philosophy", which in many respects was also the most fascinating in retrospect.
If we ignore the hype and theatrics, this is one of the earliest examples of large scale collective improvisations, and as such is an important historic document of the development of Jazz and Improvised Music. The fact that these German festivals welcomed this extravagant music documents the openness and spirit of exploration that characterized the European Jazz scene at the time, often accepting American Jazz musicians, who were personae non gratae in their homeland.
This forgotten little gem is definitely worth being discovered!
Side Note
The legendary German MPSFind albums on this label (Musik Produktion Schwarzwald) label, founded by Hans Georg Brunner-SchwerFind albums by this artist (HGBS) in 1963, first as SABAFind albums on this label Records and later on from 1968 as MPS Records, was the most important independent European record label, which had an enormous contribution to the development of European Jazz. For many years MPS cooperated with the legendary German producer / author Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist, my Friend and Mentor, whose visionary approach and open-mindedness brought the crème de la crème of the Jazz (in the broadest meaning of the word) musicians from all over the world to the label. Between 1963 and 1983 MPS produced about five hundred albums, many of which are among the most important Jazz recordings on this planet.
In 1983 the MPS catalog was sold to UniversalFind albums on this label, which sadly resulted in all those artistic treasures to almost disappear from the face of the earth – a situation not only tragic but culturally criminal. Universal reissued a part of the MPS albums (probably 128 titles) on CD between 1999 and 2011 under the "Most Perfect Sound Edition" moniker.
Since 2008 the German Promising MusicFind albums on this label label released some of the MPS recordings, but at a very slow pace.
In 2014 the German company Edel AG bought the MPS catalogue from Universal and released a series of 25 MPS albums on CD with a new slipcase graphic design, which brought all those excellent albums back to life. In 2015 Edel AG started to record and release new albums under the MPS moniker. In 2016 Edel AG released a series of 10 classic MPS albums on CD, which were beautifully remastered and re-packaged, presenting the original artwork and liner notes, as well as new liner notes and photographs. An obvious labor of love, these reissues are what the MPS catalogue truly deserves. This project was continued in 2017 with another series of 10 classic MPS albums released on CD. In later years some new reissues were released sporadically.
Over the years many SABA / MPS albums were reissued in Japan, which is often the only available source for these albums today, but that is a story in itself.
| | Updated: 27/05/2018Posted: 27/05/2016 | CD 1 Slipcase Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | SEARCHING FOR CALM ~ RIGHT TO BE FORGOTTEN
FOR TUNE 0062 (Barcode: 5902768701500) ~ POLAND ~ Pop & Rock
Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015
This is the third album by Polish Alternative Rock band Searching For CalmFind albums by this artist, which comprises of vocalist / guitarist Michal MaslakFind albums by this artist, guitarist Michal AugustynFind albums by this artist, bassist Kuba BasekFind albums by this artist and drummer Bartosz LicholapFind albums by this artist. A brass section comprising of trombonist Arkadiusz KwiatkowskiFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Robert NiepostynFind albums by this artist and saxophonist Wojciech KaminskiFind albums by this artist guest on some tracks. The album presents fourteen original songs, all credited to all four ensemble members with lyrics by Maslak and Augustyn.
The album´s title sums it up for me perfectly, as this music has absolutely nothing worth remembering. As harsh as it sounds, I simply can´t find anything good to say about this music; it´s derivative, unoriginal, mediocre and lacking any ambition. Of course I might be getting terribly old and my hearing might be getting weak, but since I grew up listening to Led Zeppelin, The Who and Cream, today´s rock is simply ridiculous in its plainness and primitivism.
The songs have lyrics in English, which of course means that they are sung with a non-native accent. I even made the effort to read the lyrics and believe you me – poetry it ain´t.
In short, this is definitely not my cup of tea, although I still love good Rock when I can get it.
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCELLO SEBASTIANI HU TRIO ~ NOTHING SO ABSTRACT
NOTAMI 044 (Barcode: 8054729511301) ~ ITALY ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2022 Released: 2023
This is an album by Italian bassist / composer Marcello SebastianiFind albums by this artist, recorded in a classic piano trio setting with two Hungarian Jazz musicians, pianist Gaspar KarolyFind albums by this artist and drummer Bagyi BalazsFind albums by this artist. The album, recorded in Hungary, presents eight tracks, four of which are original compositions by Sebastiani, one is by Karoly and three are standards. One of the tracks is a bass solo.
The music is modern mainstream Jazz, based on excellent original compositions by Sebastiani, played elegantly by the trio, with all three musicians showing their chops along the way. The bass is a little higher in the mix than usual, which is quite appropriate in this case, considering the bassist is the leader. His soloing is warm and round and is a true pleasure to follow, when building up, but of course he also supports the trio all through with his strong, steady and highly melodic pulsations. Both Hungarians are also excellent, which is hardly surprising considering the excellent level of education and Jazz activity in the country.
Overall, although not surprising or innovating, this is a very good Jazz piano trio album, which the lovers of this particular niche should enjoy from start to finish. It is also a document of the wide cooperation between European Jazz musicians, which enables a fruitful exchange of ideas and influences. Excellently recorded and performed, this album should find many favorable ears among Jazz enthusiasts the world over.
| | Updated: 26/04/2023Posted: 26/04/2023 | CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend |
  | ARCHIE SHEPP ~ THE COMPLETE REMASTERED RECORDINGS ON BLACK SAINT & SOUL NOTE
CAM JAZZ 1035 (Barcode: 8052405141828) ~ USA ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1975 - 1985 Released: 2015
This superb Box Set collects recordings by the legendary American saxophonist / composer Archie SheppFind albums by this artist on the Black SaintFind albums on this label and Soul NoteFind albums on this label labels. It includes four albums, in various settings between a quintet and a septet, each with a different lineup. "A Sea Of FacesFind albums with this title" features trombonist Charles GreenleeFind albums by this artist, pianist Dave BurrellFind albums by this artist, bassist Cameron BrownFind albums by this artist, drummer Beaver HarrisFind albums by this artist and vocalists Bunny FoyFind albums by this artist and Rafi TahaFind albums by this artist. "Down Home New YorkFind albums with this title" features trumpeter Charles E. McGheeFind albums by this artist, pianist Ken WernerFind albums by this artist, bassist Saheb SarbibFind albums by this artist, drummer Marvin SmithFind albums by this artist and vocalist Bazzi Bartholomew GrayFind albums by this artist. "Little Red MoonFind albums with this title" features Italian trumpeter Enrico RavaFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Siegfried KesslerFind albums by this artist, bassist Wilbur LittleFind albums by this artist and drummer Clifford JarvisFind albums by this artist. Finally "California MeetingFind albums with this title" features pianist George CablesFind albums by this artist, bassist Herbie LewisFind albums by this artist, drummer Eddie MarshallFind albums by this artist and vocalist Royal BlueFind albums by this artist (on one track only). The music includes a few compositions by Shepp and John ColtraneFind albums by this artist and the rest are mostly standards.
Shepp is best known from his association with John Coltrane during his late Avant-Garde period and other recordings in the same idiom. The recordings included in this Box Set, made a decade and two decades later, find Shepp in a much more conventional musical environment, which also includes his vocal performances as well as contributions by other vocalists and early Rappers. Of course he is still a formidable instrumentalist and his soloing is exceptional. The album with Rava is an absolute blast and offers some of Rava´s best playing ever, much different from his usual recordings with Italian / European musicians.
The music is still absolutely relevant and offers a glimpse of Shepp´s later career, when he returned to traditional Jazz forms but kept exploring new territories, often playing with European musicians and recording for European record labels. This is definitely an important document of the American post Free Jazz movement.
Side Note
The Italian independent record label Black SaintFind albums on this label was founded by the music critic / author / producer Giacomo PellicciottiFind albums by this artist in 1975. It was taken over by the producer Giovanni BonandriniFind albums by this artist in 1978 and a year later (1979) a sister label, called Soul NoteFind albums on this label, was established. The twin labels were run by Giovanni and later his son Flavio BonandriniFind albums by this artist, until they were sold in 2008 to the Italian KEPACH Music Group, which already owned the CAM JazzFind albums on this label label, and which also bought another Italian independent record label Dischi Della QuerciaFind albums on this label.
The mission of the Black Saint / Soul Note labels was to record and document the Free Jazz / Improvised Music / Avant-Garde scene, mostly from the US but also from Europe, which continued between mid 1970s and late 1990s and produced a staggering collection of almost 550 albums recorded by world's most important Jazz innovators active at the time, providing an opportunity to American (mostly Afro-American) musicians, who would have never managed to make these recordings at home, ridden by racism, alienation and closed-mindedness. Without these two labels most of this fantastic human creativity would have been never documented.
However, the Black Saint / Soul Note Box Sets produced under the CAM JazzFind albums on this label moniker are an archetypal example of how good intentions turn sour. Although these new editions often bring back to life some of the best music ever made on this planet, which in many cases has been lost in the tides of time and was unavailable on the market for ages, they suffer from an unforgivable disregard to the essence of cultural values and general sloppiness, contrary to human decency, which requires us to treat our cultural legacy with respect and loyalty.
These Box Sets have no booklet which presents researched historical background and exact discographical information of the albums included, and most importantly an overview of the music and its meaning and contribution to the Jazz Art form. Although the original LP sleeves are reproduced, the information is in most cases too small to be readable at all. In short the fact that these Box Sets are meant to be inexpensive, does not mean that they have to be cheap!
| | Updated: 05/05/2020Posted: 05/05/2020 | CD 4 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | CHES SMITH / THESE ARCHES ~ INTERNATIONAL HOOHAH
FOR TUNE 0033 (Barcode: 5902768701326) ~ USA ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2012 Released: 2014
This is a live recording of the American quintet These ArchesFind albums by this artist, led by drummer / composer Ches SmithFind albums by this artist and also including guitarist Mary HalvorsonFind albums by this artist, accordionist Andrea ParkinsFind albums by this artist and saxophonists Tim BerneFind albums by this artist and Tony MalabyFind albums by this artist. The album was recorded during the quintet´s performance at the Warsaw Summer Jazz Days Festival at the Soho Factory neighborhood. The album presents six original compositions, all by Smith.
The leader is a familiar face on the contemporary American music scene, as a performer with a variety of different groups and environments, including Rock. The two female players are considered as some of the most interesting players on the scene since the turn of the Century with extensive recorded legacy and the two saxophonists have a well established reputation going way back. The combined talents of these musicians have a huge potential, but sadly it does not materialize here.
The music is typical American modern Jazz with some tendencies towards Free and Avant-Garde, but mostly within the accepted boundaries of ambitious modernist mainstream. The compositions, although marginally interesting, are unimpressive and present no innovation or conceptual discovery. The performances are all highly professional, but seem to lack any enthusiasm or human emotion, even when the participants are interacting seemingly on a visceral plane. There is quite a lot happening on the stage, but if it is going anywhere remains an unresolved issue, at least in my case.
By the time one gets to the last moments of this album there is a sadness and a deep feel if disappointment, as to what might have happened as opposed to what did happen. Regardless of how great these musicians are technically, the main issue after all remains if they have anything to say to the listener. In this case one would need to presume that perhaps they simply didn´t?
Of course I suppose that many modern Jazz enthusiasts will find this album interesting enough, even if only as a result of the respect we all have for the musicians involved. But judged purely by its musical merits, however, this album is a poor statement.
| | Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN STEFANIAK ~ UNVEILING
ALPAKA 004 (Barcode: 191924268277) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017
This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Marcin StefaniakFind albums by this artist, recorded in a trio setting with bassist Pawel UrowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Tomasz KoperFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions, all by Stefaniak.
The music is a striking version of modern Jazz, melody based but stylistically not really mainstream oriented, often atmospheric and lyrical with clear World Music influences, especially rhythmically. From the very first note it becomes immediately apparent that Stefaniak is both a brilliant composer and an extraordinary player, with clarity of tone and power of expression that usually characterizes musicians after decades of activity in the field. This sequence of compositions presents a coherent musical vision, which is consistently developed throughout the duration of the album.
Stefaniak´s long lines and extensive improvisations are in the best post-Coltrane tradition, with no breathing breaks and stupendous fluidity. He seems to be familiar with all the tricks of the trade and as a newcomer on the scene is nothing short of sensational. He is able to change to tone of his tenor and soprano saxophones quite dramatically within the different compositions, as if changing his personality. The soprano often sounds like a clarinet or even a flute, which is able to charm even the most deadly snakes into trance. The general impression Stefanski is able to make on this album is one of a remarkable gifted saxophonist, who has little, if any, limitations.
Although Stefaniak is obviously the centerpiece of the listener´s attention, the rhythm section is very prominently featured and becomes an integral part of the overall sound. Urowski is a very experienced player and his bass lines are the anchor of the music. He plays several solos, all of which are excellent illustrations of his fabulous abilities. Koper does a great job as well, limiting his input to the rhythmic necessities and being overtly melodic in his approach. Taken as a whole, the trio functions together splendidly, better than most saxophone trios around, despite the obvious difficulties involved with this specific combination of instruments.
Overall this is a stunning debut effort, definitely one of the best in 2017 on the Polish Jazz scene. On the surface this is perhaps not he most adventurous or unusual effort, but surely one of the most strikingly honest and musically rounded ones - something that happens quite rarely! Chapeau and most warmly recommended!
| | Updated: 18/12/2017Posted: 18/12/2017 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN STYCZEN ~ LUBIE GADAC Z LEONARDEM
NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 5907582542032) ~ POLAND ~ Pop & Rock
Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017
This is an album of songs by Leonard Cohen recorded by Polish singer Marcin StyczenFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven songs originally included on the last three albums by Cohen, which Styczen translated into Polish. These songs have not been previously translated into Polish or performed by other Polish Artists. The musical arrangements were done by keyboardist Marcin KuczewskiFind albums by this artist and guitarist Tomasz PfeifferFind albums by this artist, drummer Chris AikenFind albums by this artist and violinist Marta ZalewskaFind albums by this artist provide the background accompaniment. There is also a bonus track, which presents one of the songs captured live. The album was funded by the Polish crowdfunding platform "Polak Potrafi".
Cohen is an icon and it takes a lot of courage to touch his songs on any level, especially so his late material, which was even darker and more introvert than his earlier creations. Translation is a risky, immensely difficult and usually ungrateful task and therefore this is the most significant layer of this album as far as I am concerned. Overall Styczen managed quite well in this respect, with the Polish texts if not always very closely resembling the originals, convey the spirit and if not all at least some of the subtext. The translation is oriented to fit the music as well as possible, which in many cases is extremely tricky when translating song lyrics. Of course I´d prefer Polish listeners to study English and understand the original lyrics, but this is possibly the second best.
The musical arrangements, which are rather minimalistic and quite elegant, suit this music well and in spirit are close to Cohen´s principles, which emphasized the words and kept the music on a second plane, being a vehicle rather than the essence. The playing is professional, as expected, but there are no moments of exceptional virtuosic showmanship, which perhaps is for the best in this format.
The actual singing on this album is slightly disappointing for me. It seems that Styczen is trying to force his voice to be similar to Cohen´s, which of course is beyond his vocal abilities. His diction and pronunciation are correct and so is his Cohen-like delivery, but the dark and somewhat husky tone of his voice sounds unnatural. The best proof of this is the difference between the live version of "Going Home", where he sounds natural and the studio version of the same song. But of course these are matters of taste, nothing that should hinder the overall impressive achievement.
Overall this is an ambitious and well produced and executed album, which has its artistic merit and should bring a lot of delight to Polish admirers of Cohen and his music. The album is very well recorded, with crystal clear ambience and excellent sound quality, which makes the experience of listening to it even more pleasurable. Well done!
| | Updated: 02/02/2018Posted: 02/02/2018 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | JULIE TIPPETTS & MARTIN ARCHER ~ ILLUSION
DISCUS 131 (Barcode: 5051078993720) ~ UK ~ Avant-Garde Jazz
Recorded: 2014 - 2021 Released: 2022
This is the fifth album by the British Jazz duo comprising of iconic vocalist / songwriter Julie TippettsFind albums by this artist and multi-instrumentalist / composer / DiscusFind albums on this label label owner Martin ArcherFind albums by this artist. The music was created over a period of six years since the release of the duo’s previous album, materializing two CDs worth of musical magic.
The first CD, subtitled “Circle Of Whispers” presents thirteen songs performed by Tippetts and accompanied mostly by small ensembles between a duet and a quartet and in some cases including additionally a string trio. A long list of musicians take part in these recordings.
The second CD, subtitled “Illusion Suite”, is a seven-part continuous suite, performed by the duo, a sextet of instrumentalist, a quintet of electronicists and a string trio.
The music is quite different on these two CDs, which is a wonderful surprise. All the music is of course original and co-created by Tippetts and Arches (except in two cases).
“Circle Of Whispers” is almost completely “well behaved”, presenting Tippetts singing lyrics (sometimes with overdubs) and rarely using vocalese. The songs have clearly defined melody lines, often bordering on Rock, some with a subtle and sublime Jazzy arrangements and others with an ambient / electronics background, brilliantly supported by Archer on keyboards, B. J. ColeFind albums by this artist on guitar, Laura ColeFind albums by this artist on piano and other excellent instrumentalists. Listeners familiar with Tippetts extensive recording career will be fondly reminded of her early (post Pop) solo career, with albums like “Sunset GlowFind albums with this title”. The entire album is absolutely fascinating from start to finish, and IMHO it is her strongest album in many years. Her vocal abilities are completely untouched by time and the creativity and imagination encapsulated in these songs are staggering. Hearing this music made me think that perhaps not all is lost in music yet.
“Illusion Suite” is closer to the Avant-Garde side of the duo’s work in the past, with Tippetts still singing lyrics, but also using her voice (often overdubbed) in an instrumental capacity, singing extensive and not surprisingly breathtaking vocalese parts. The music is based on melodic themes, but is more open and improvised. One might define the suite as a concerto for multiple voices (sung by the same person) and an electro-acoustic ensemble.
The excellent rhythm section of bassist Seth BennettFind albums by this artist and drummer Peter FaircloughFind albums by this artist manages to give the music a steady pulsating continuity, which helps the listen to follow the complex vocal and instrumental parts. Guitarist Anton HunterFind albums by this artist, trombonist George MurrayFind albums by this artist, vibraphonist Corey MwambaFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Charlotte KeeffeFind albums by this artist are in charge of the instrumental ornamentation, with Archer omnipresent keyboards, woodwinds and electronics creating the “wall of sound” background. This is, what I call, quite a journey…
Overall, this is a brilliant piece of composing, performing, songwriting and everything else involved in creating a true “magic carpet ride”, which takes the listener places he probably never dreamt of. A most welcome comeback from Tippetts, which always leaves me waiting for more… Bless you and thanks for this gift of music!
| | Updated: 09/04/2022Posted: 09/04/2022 | CD 2 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend |
  | GEBHARD ULLMANN / BASEMENT RESEARCH ~ HAT AND SHOES
BETWEEN THE LINES 71238 (Barcode: 608917123821) ~ GERMANY ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music
Recorded: 2013 Released: 2014
This is an album by German saxophonist / bass clarinetist / composer Gebhard UllmannFind albums by this artist and his international Basement ResearchFind albums by this artist quintet, which also includes American trombonist Steve SwellFind albums by this artist, British saxophonist Julian ArguellesFind albums by this artist (playing baritone saxophone here), German / French bassist Pascal NiggenkemperFind albums by this artist and American drummer Gerald CleaverFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions by the leader, recorded by the legendary sound engineer Walter QuintusFind albums by this artist.
The music is a classic European Free Jazz recording, based on composed themes but offering a lot of open space and freedom of individual improvisation, overall pretty well “organized” / “well behaved”, which manages to eschew total havoc and chaos. The quintet plays admirably well together, producing coherent statements and ever-changing fabric of difficult, but exciting music. Although two-thirds of the quintet are American musicians, this music is obviously way more European in nature and sound, perhaps somewhat more tamed than American Free Jazz, but definitely way more effective.
All the members of the quintet are of course seasoned and well-known musicians within the Free Jazz scene, with impressive recorded legacy behind them. As a result, the individual statements included herein are all truly inspired. Personally I am most impressed by the ensemble sound, which sounds really impressive and brilliantly lucid, obviously emphasized by the splendid sound quality of the album.
Overall, this is an excellent example of the European Free jazz, which offers exciting ensemble playing and virtuosic individual statements, which all come together in a precise, listenable way. This music obviously requires effort and open-mindedness to be enjoyed, but is definitely highly rewarding and as such recommended!
| | Updated: 16/04/2022Posted: 16/04/2022 | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN WADOLOWSKI ~ BLUE NIGHT SESSION
ALLEGRO 028 (Barcode: 5901157049285) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2013 Released: 2014
This is the second album by the Polish Jazz guitarist / composer Marcin WadolowskiFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quintet setting with saxophonist Wojciech StaroniewiczFind albums by this artist, vibraphonist Dominik BukowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Janusz MackiewiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam CzerwinskiFind albums by this artist, all seasoned players from the Polish Tricity region. The album presents ten original compositions, all by Wadolowski. Wadolowski can be also heard as a member of Elec-Tri-CityFind albums by this artist and MoongangFind albums by this artist.
The music is all very melodic and kept within the mainstream Jazz conventions. All the tracks are relatively short, creating a sort of "songs" album, although of course entirely instrumental, in contrast to a typical Jazz recording, which focuses on the improvisational skills. Wadolowski simply decides to concentrate on featuring his skills as a composer and presenting his music rather than his and his quintets performing talents. There is basically absolutely nothing wrong with such approach of course.
Nevertheless the album features very talented and skilled instrumentalists and although the framework and time limitations of this album allow rather modest contributions, those are all executed perfectly. Staroniewicz is a marvelous player and so is Bukowski, who uses recently more and more the xylosynth (a combination of xylophone and synthesizer, which sound really more like a keyboard and produces some very beautiful moments. The rhythm section is also perfect for the job, staying mostly in the background but providing a solid support for the soloist and doing it with grace and elegance. As to the leader, personally I prefer his work in a more electric / Fusion / Funky environment than playing gentle almost acoustic guitar, which limits his possibilities or perhaps exposes more his technical weaknesses, but overall his performance is also quite satisfactory.
All in all we have here a pleasant well played album, which should satisfy most Jazz connoisseurs, with a slight tendency towards melodic and less complex musical forms. This album is quite ideal for a lazy evening with a glass of a wonderful cognac or very old single malt on ice.
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  | MARCIN WADOLOWSKI ~ CHAMBER AVENUE
DUX 1539 (Barcode: 5902547015392) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion
Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020
This is the sixth album by Polish guitarist / composer Marcin WadolowskiFind albums by this artist, which continues his new path of bringing together Jazz and Chamber Classical Music influences. He is accompanied by his faithful cohort and extraordinary bassist Piotr LemanczykFind albums by this artist, oboist Marta RozanskaFind albums by this artist and the NeoquartetFind albums by this artist string quartet. The album presents nine pieces, five of which are original compositions by Wadolowski and four are Classical pieces, two each by Frederic ChopinFind albums by this artist and Jacques BerthierFind albums by this artist, all arranged by Wadolowski. Same as its predecessor, the duo album with Lemanczyk "Preludes For Guitar And Double BassFind albums with this title", this album was beautifully recorded by Piotr LukaszewskiFind albums by this artist and considering the fact that this is a live recording, the result is simply phenomenal.
During the decade that passed since the recording of his debut album, Wadolowski took his followers on a wonderful and highly unusual ride, which crossed such distinct genres as Rock, Blues, Fusion and Jazz, finally arriving at the footsteps of Classical Music. This process of searching reflects just one of Wadolowski´s many qualities, all plainly visible / audible on this album: fabulous guitarist, wonderful composer and a person of refined music aesthetics.
The original compositions are all superb examples of Wadolowski´s skill to create gems encapsulating melody, harmony and song weaving talent. His arrangements of the music composed by others follow suit, making the entire album sound brilliantly coherent and enjoyable, without compromising an iota of quality.
The performances are, as expected, also perfect, and fondly reminiscent of the a.m. duo album. Lemanczyk, one of the absolutely top Polish bassists, is a virtuoso in every cell of his body and every touch of his fingers on the strings generates pure magic. Wadolowski also plays wonderfully, with great sensitivity, feeling and emotion, and his improvisations, which still show a shadow of the Blues from time to time, are absolutely heartwarming.
Overall this is a brilliant album, full of excellent music and sublime performances, which should deeply move every true music connoisseur on this globe, regardless of their genre affiliations. Great taste and professionalism like this are rare and should be cherished. Hats off!
| | Updated: 31/07/2020Posted: 31/07/2020 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN WADOLOWSKI ~ MY GUITAR THERAPY
ALLEGRO 030 (Barcode: 5901157049308) ~ POLAND ~ Blues-Rock
Recorded: 2015 Released: 2015
This is the third album by Polish guitarist / composer Marcin WadolowskiFind albums by this artist, this time recorded in a trio setting with superb bassist (both acoustic and electric) Piotr LemanczykFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam CzerwinskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Wadolowski.
If the two earlier albums by Wadolowski flirted with Jazz to some extent, this one abandons all Jazz connections and concentrates on Blues or Blues-Rock entirely. Of course the rhythm section comes from the Jazz environment, but they too play along splendidly within the Blues idiom, retaining their superb technique and feeling. Of course Wadolowski improvises extensively during his extended solos, but this is typical Blues-Rock improvisation.
It becomes plainly evident from the early moments of this album that Wadolowski really feels great in this environment and his playing is not only more daring and adventurous but also much gutsier than earlier on. Of course Lemanczyk also adds a few bass solos of his own, which are, as always, absolutely breathtaking, but he easily complies with the Bluesy atmosphere.
Wadolowski writes great melodic tunes, which are ideal vehicles for his guitar pyrotechnics and combine some Funk and Groove on top of the basic Blues-Rock stuff. In short, this music should not be judged by Jazz standards, as it is not Jazz music. It is a down to earth Blues-Rock, excellently played and ideal for the many fans of the genre. It is a great listen and a true fun, without any compromise whatsoever as far as musicianship and integrity are concerned.
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  | MARCIN WADOLOWSKI ~ STANDARDS
SOLITON 517 (Barcode: 5901571095172) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016
This is the fourth album by Polish guitarist Marcin WadolowskiFind albums by this artist, recoded in an intimate trio setting with the superb Polish Jazz bassist Piotr LemanczykFind albums by this artist and Canadian Drummer Tyler HornbyFind albums by this artist. The trio performs ten Jazz standards, three of which are by John ColtraneFind albums by this artist and two by Miles DavisFind albums by this artist. The album is dedicated to the two great Masters of Polish Jazz guitar: Marek BlizinskiFind albums by this artist and Jaroslaw SmietanaFind albums by this artist, both sadly no longer with us.
Previous recordings by Wadolowski flirted with Jazz to some extent, but this one presents him for the first time as a bona fide Jazz player. The delicate arrangements, the careful selection of the tunes and their wonderful execution are all kept within the strict Jazz idiom, shearing away all the Blues-Rock or Fusion elements present on his older recordings. The transformation is quite remarkable.
Wadolowski´s approach is very minimalistic and remarkably clean. The music is kept low key, almost acoustic, in order to emphasize every single note and chord, which thanks to the excellent recording quality are all perfectly audible. The guitar plays long beautifully structured solos, often introducing the tunes alone before the bass and drums join in. Even when the whole trio plays together, the music is still very unobtrusive and deliberately constrained. A wonderful atmosphere of relaxation and contemplation is present through out the entire duration of the music.
As expected, Lemanczyk plays superbly, both as an accompanist and during his solos, which are all pearls of bass perfection. Although rarely in the limelight, he is definitely one of the absolute top Polish Jazz bass players and every album he plays on is enhanced by his fantastic contributions.
Hornby keeps his involvement in these proceedings to bare minimum which is exactly what is required in such circumstances. His delicate drum parts stay in the background, keeping the rhythm rolling gently. Drummers who don´t try to dominate a recording session are a rare find and he is to be congratulated for his attitude.
Overall this is a wonderful album from start to finish: fascinating guitar licks, breathtaking bass solos, superb selection of tunes and innovative nontrivial arrangements make it a brilliant listening experience. Yes it´s mainstream and yes these are standards – this is exactly what was supposed to happen here and the result speaks for itself.
In retrospect I am very glad Wadolowski recorded this album and proved his versatility and his skills as a player to all those who dismissed him in the past. This is definitely one of the finest Polish Jazz guitar albums ever recorded and a solid tribute to the past Masters. Hats off!
| | Updated: 29/06/2016Posted: 29/06/2016 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN WADOLOWSKI / PIOTR LEMANCZYK ~ PRELUDES FOR GUITAR AND DOUBLE BASS
DUX 1530 (Barcode: 5902547015309) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion
Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018
This is the fifth album by Polish guitarist / composer Marcin WadolowskiFind albums by this artist recorded in a duo setting with veteran bassist Piotr LemanczykFind albums by this artist. It presents ten original compositions, or preludes, all composed by Wadolowski. The intimate guitar and bass duo was superbly recorded by Piotr LukaszewskiFind albums by this artist and offers exquisite sound quality and clarity.
Wadolowski, one of the representatives of the Polish Baltic Tricity scene, made a remarkable progress since the release of his debut album in 2011, flirting with diverse stylistic associations, such as Blues, Jazz-Rock Fusion and Jazz, and with this album touching, as the title suggests, upon some Classical Music influences amalgamated with a strong Jazz foundation. The pieces are all melody based but involve a significant measure of improvisation and interplay between the two partners.
Lemanczyk is obviously an ideal partner for an enterprise of this sort, as his virtuosity and inventiveness are absolutely astounding. He is one of the most proficient and accomplished bassist on the Polish scene, and on this album his presence is felt stronger than perhaps on any other album he recorded to date, proving his immense talent, technique, feel and musicality.
Wadolowski handles the acoustic guitar with gusto and respect, concentrating on playing the melodies, soloing and accompanying the bass solos, without trying any unnecessary pyrotechnics, which would have been completely out of place here.
The interplay and cooperation between the two musicians is the heart of this music, and elevates it above the individual performances, feeding on the mutual respect and the wonderful intimacy achieved by the duo. Wadolowski behaved gentlemanly naming Lemanczyk a full partner in the process of creating this album, as anything less would have been simply unjust.
Overall this is a wonderful, intimate and uplifting spiritually album, which emits superb musicianship, true camaraderie, amazing virtuosity and a gentle feeling of embracing, heartwarming music. An absolute must to guitar and bass aficionados, but no less heartwarmingly recommended to music lovers, who long for something low volume, which strikes powerfully between the eyes (ears). Brilliant stuff and hats off to the people in charge of the strings!
| | Updated: 06/01/2019Posted: 06/01/2019 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN WASILEWSKI TRIO ~ EN ATTENDANT
ECM 2677 (Barcode: 602438100057) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2019 Released: 2021
This is the 6th album by the Polish Jazz trio led by pianist / composer Marcin WasilewskiFind albums by this artist, which also includes bassist Slawomir KurkiewiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Michal MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven tracks, three of which are parts of the same composition / improvisation cycle co-composed by all three members of the trio, one is by Wasilewski, one by Carla BleyFind albums by this artist, one by Johann Sebastian BachFind albums by this artist and finally one by The DoorsFind albums by this artist.
Although the album was released well over two years ago, somehow a copy never landed on my desk until my recent visit in Warsaw, where I attended a concert by the trio and got a copy of the album, autographed by the musicians, following a chat in the dressing room. Life is hectic and with pandemics, wars and political upheavals, anything can happen…
Together for well over two decades, the trio is not only one of the most firmly established Polish / European Jazz entities, but also a superb example of the unifying force of a stable Artistic environment. Three great and highly creative individuals, who are able to function like a multi-headed organism, in perfect symbiosis.
The music on this album is the most serene, delicate, contemplative and melodic collection of sounds that the trio created since a long time. In perfect contrast to the havoc surrounding my life at present, this is a perfect balsam for the soul, exactly what the doctor prescribed. As far as a classic Jazz piano trio is concerned, these are but a few better examples of the harmony, not only musical but also spiritual, that can be achieved within this format, going as far back as the Bill Evans / Scott LaFaro / Paul Motian trio, with an up to date musical format of course, which includes shades of Free Improvisation entwined within the proceedings.
Overall, this is a truly Masterful piece of contemporary Jazz, one of Wasilewski & Co. best recordings and an absolute must for all Polish / European Jazz enthusiasts. A minimalist outing, with the “less is more” mantra at helm, this album is an immediate classic!
| | Updated: 29/12/2023Posted: 29/12/2023 | CD 1 Slipcase Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN WASILEWSKI TRIO ~ FAITHFUL
ECM 2208 (Barcode: 602527591056) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2010 Released: 2011
This is the second album released on the ECMFind albums on this label label by the great Polish piano trio, led by pianist / composer Marcin WasilewskiFind albums by this artist with bassist Slawomir KurkiewiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Michal MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist. The trio used to be called Simple Acoustic TrioFind albums by this artist and released several albums under that name before someone (at ECM?) decided to put the leader´s name up front, which seems hardy fair or appropriate after so many years they played together under that name.
But setting such trivia as marketing tactics and ego trips aside, the music made by these wonderful musicians is as usual outstanding. Of the ten tracks present here, Wasilewski composed five and the others are by such diverse composers as Ornette ColemanFind albums by this artist, Hermeto PascoalFind albums by this artist or the German composer Hanns EislerFind albums by this artist. The music is played with flair and panache, but slightly lacks the adventurous streak I personally always look for. One might have thought that after years of playing with Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, some of his magic would have rubbed off.
Nevertheless both technically and emotionally this is as near perfection as one can expect from a "well behaved" album, and the above comments do not reflect negatively on this beautiful piece of music and the exceptional music-making captured herein. Always melodic, even in the heat of improvisation, with a wonderful support from the bassist and gentle but accurate input from the drummer, this music simply sounds great, especially when so well recorded.
Listeners, who enjoyed the trio´s previous output, will definitely not be disappointed, with a good chance for many new followers discovering them here.
Visitors' Comments
Christopher Brice
I think they get better and better!
| | Updated: 19/09/2018Posted: | CD 1 Slipcase Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN WASILEWSKI TRIO ~ JANUARY
ECM 2019 (Barcode: 602517373457) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2007 Released: 2008
This is the debut album on the legendary ECMFind albums on this label label by the great Polish Jazz trio, which used to be called Simple Acoustic TrioFind albums by this artist, led by pianist / composer Marcin WasilewskiFind albums by this artist with bassist Slawomir KurkiewiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Michal MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist. If these names seem somewhat familiar to you, no wander, as they were also the members of the superb Polish quartet led by the legendary trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, which recorded three albums for ECM. However, the ECM recordings are far from being the trio´s recording debut, as they have been active on the local scene in Poland a whole decade earlier and recorded several brilliant albums already.
Always in top form, sensitive and technically perfect, these musicians are pillars of the new generation of Polish Jazz and their music is a true inspiration. The ten pieces presented on this album include classic Jazz compositions by musicians like Carla BleyFind albums by this artist and Gary PeacockFind albums by this artist, but most of the material was composed by the pianist, who is undoubtedly a great composer as well.
This is one of the best piano trios in the world and everything they touch turns to instant musical gold. This album is no different and every Jazz fan on this planet should enjoy it greatly. Wholeheartedly recommended!
Visitors' Comments
Christopher Brice
Oddly, they have changed their name to Marcin Wasilewski Trio but they are building on the two excellent albums as Simple Acoustic Trio; this one arrived today and is stuck in the CD player on "repeat." I look forward to sampling their new album from ECM as soon as Adam brings it to Israel!
| | Updated: 19/09/2018Posted: | CD 1 Slipcase Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN WASILEWSKI TRIO ~ LIVE
ECM 2592 (Barcode: 602567384861) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2016 Released: 2018
This is the fourth album on the ECMFind albums on this label label by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Marcin WasilewskiFind albums by this artist and his trio, which also includes bassist Slawomir KurkiewiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Michal MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist. This is also the first live recording by the trio on that label. The album presents seven compositions (the first two combined into one piece), all composed by Wasilewski except for an interpretation of a song by StingFind albums by this artist and a Herbie HancockFind albums by this artist tune. All of these compositions originate from the trio´s previous album "Spark Of LifeFind albums with this title" except for one that originates from the second album "FaithfulFind albums with this title". As usual for ECM recordings, the album offers excellent sound quality and clarity.
Wasilewski and his trio managed to develop a symbiotic musical relationship in the twenty years they played together and ten albums they recorded together, not to mention their work with the legendary Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist as members of his "Polish Quartet". These years proved to be fruitful and rewarding in every sense, and established the trio among one of the top European piano trios since the turn of the Millennium.
Wasilewski´s role as a composer also developed steadily over time and he is today a core member of the Polish Jazz musical architects, who define the idiom, combining the Jazz tradition with Polish Folklore sources, the typical Polish melancholy and deeply melodic / harmonic sense of beauty and European finesse. His round and elegant music is the epitome of modern European Jazz, continuing the path set by the Godfathers of Polish / European Jazz. Naturally in time he achieved a highly respected position on the local Jazz scene as one of the leaders of the mid-generation and a highly sought after performer.
The trio functions at all times like one body, with the obvious virtuosity displayed by the leader, but not less importantly by the rhythm section, which fused together create an effect that is greater than the sum of its parts. These live recording enables the numerous fans of the trio to experience an instantaneous connection with the process of music making, which of course is much more intensive than listening to a studio album.
Overall this is a superb piece of Jazz piano trio music, performed by Masters and full of delicate and intricate moments hanging in the air, before the next touch of a key or pluck of a string or strike of a stick take the listener to the next magical moment. Elegant, sophisticated, lofty and above all unpretentious and honest, this music is pennies from heaven to every true Jazz connoisseur! Hats off!
| | Updated: 18/09/2018Posted: 16/09/2018 | CD 1 Slipcase Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARCIN WASILEWSKI TRIO / JOE LOVANO ~ ARCTIC RIFF
ECM 2678 (Barcode: 602508359835) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020
This is the fifth album by Polish Jazz trio led by pianist / composer Marcin WasilewskiFind albums by this artist, which also includes bassist Slawomir KurkiewiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Michal MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist. It is only the second time in the trio´s recording career, which stretches back some twenty-five years, when it is expanded to a quartet with the addition of a saxophonist, this time the American Joe LovanoFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven tracks, four composed by Wasilewski, one by Lovano and two versions of a Carla BleyFind albums by this artist tune. The remaining four tracks are collective improvisations, credited to all four participants.
The music moves between the composed and improvised realms, and remains very intimate, at times minimalist, with Wasilewski sticking to his wonderful lyricism, whenever allowed to do so. The rhythm section is as perfect and complying as humanly possible, with brilliant, albeit usually very short, bass mini-solos by Kurkiewicz and supportive and yet subtle drumming by Miskiewicz. In short everything seems to be perfect as long as the trio is left alone.
However, the unholy alliance with Lovano comes immediately into the picture from the first notes he utters. There is an obvious clash of Cultures, aesthetics and sensibilities here, which is sadly unbreachable. There are very few American Jazz musicians that are able to connect to the European Jazz sensitivities, especially those of Eastern Europe, and Lovano is certainly not one of them. He is a veteran player with vast experience, impressive recording legacy and obvious skills, but he never managed to cross the boundaries of the American Jazz tradition and his playing is completely predictable. As a result he is basically holding the trio back rather than playing along or ideally pushing them forward. Even, or perhaps especially, in the improvised pieces he really has very little inspirational input to offer.
Overall, the album certainly has its moments, the trio is absolutely superb and the original music by Wasilewski is as brilliant as usual, but for me the quartet does not work out that well, and the result is crippled. I am looking forward to the next trio album or hearing them play live, which is always heavenly experience.
And yes I have read dozens of "reviews" hailing this album as a Holy Grail…oh well I am pretty much used to be in the opposition and I still trust my ears.
| | Updated: 30/10/2020Posted: 30/10/2020 | CD 1 Slipcase Recommend To A Friend |
  | GRZEGORZ WLODARCZYK ~ CONFESSIONS
UNIT 4626 (Barcode: 7640114796265) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2015 Released: 2015
This is the debut album by Polish Jazz bassist / composer Grzegorz WlodarczykFind albums by this artist, recorded by an international quintet with saxophonist Maxime BertonFind albums by this artist, pianist Enzo CarnielFind albums by this artist, guitarist Virxilio da SilvaFind albums by this artist and drummer Joao Lopes PereiraFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, four composed by Wlodarczyk, two by da Silva and one by Carniel.
The music is typical contemporary European mainstream Jazz, based on melodic themes which serve as vehicles for the improvisations by the quintet members. The melodic / harmonic structures are very solid and coherent, and they emphasize the European Jazz aesthetic, which is somewhat introvert and composition focused, with a tad of melancholy and lyricism. All seven tunes are surprisingly mature and display a level of complexity usually found in works by much more experienced composers.
All members of the quintet turn out to be excellent instrumentalists, who are able to develop intelligent solo spots within the ensemble entity, eschewing senseless personal competition. The leader plays several bass solos throughout the album, showing his abilities as a player in addition to his contributions as composer.
This album is a typical example of work done by ensembles created by students in the Jazz Universities around Europe, in this case students of the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, Austria. The incredible level of achievements by these ensembles is truly astounding in view of the young age of the participants and of course points to the bright future that can be expected from the Jazz idiom in Europe.
Overall this is a very impressive debut album, with great tunes and superb performances, which should satisfy Jazz connoisseurs anywhere on this planet. Wholeheartedly recommended!
| | Updated: 17/04/2017Posted: 17/04/2017 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
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