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  | MARCIN STEFANIAK / ARKADIUSZ KRAWIEL ~ ANTICIPATION
SOLITON 1422 (Barcode: 5903684234226) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion
Recorded: 2017 Released: 2024
This is the debut album by a Polish Jazz duo comprising of saxophonist Marcin StefaniakFind albums by this artist and dulcimer player Arkadiusz KrawielFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Arek KrawielFind albums by this artist). The album presents eight tracks, six of which are original compositions by Krawiel and two are standards. The music was recorded in a church and offers a wonderful ambience and sound quality.
The highly unusual sound of the dulcimer, rarely heard within the Jazz idiom, and the intimate duo setting create very impressive sound vistas, which take the listener on a voyage of discovery of new sounds. The music combines World Music influences, Jazz improvisations and some Classical Music inspirations, which are very effective and manage to craft an inspirational engagement with the listener.
The dulcimer is mostly present on the second plane, accompanying the saxophone’s leading voice and supporting the harmonic and rhythmic backing. It is (probably on purpose) much lower in the sound mix. Considering the fact that Krawiel composed most of the music and is usually a keyboardist, his decision to play the “second fiddle” on this album is somewhat surprising, but the effect certainly works wonders.
Overall, this is a very unusual and strikingly beautiful piece of music, which deserves to be heard, not only by Jazz listeners, but all music lovers regardless of their favorite genre. The music is lyrical, reflective and somewhat contemplative, which is commendable in this noise-saturated world we live in.
| | Updated: 10/10/2025Posted: 10/10/2025 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
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