Record Reviews

OLA BLACHNO ~ WARSCHAUER STRASSE POLSKIE RADIO 2515 (Barcode: 5905610875541) ~ POLAND ~ Vocal Jazz Recorded: 2025 Released: 2026 This is the 2nd album by Polish Jazz vocalist / composer / violinist Ola BlachnoFind albums by this artist, recorded with a classic Jazz piano trio, which features Russian (resident in Berlin) pianist Arseny RykovFind albums by this artist, Polish bassist Michal AftykaFind albums by this artist and German drummer Johannes MetzgerFind albums by this artist and a string quartet, which can be regarded together as an octet. The album presents ten tracks (two of which are bonus tracks), all of which are composed and feature English language lyrics by Blachno. The tracks are named after train and metro stations in Berlin and Warsaw, which reflects the concept of sharing the composer’s life between the two cities. One of the bonus tracks features Blachno in a duet with the renowned Polish Jazz pianist Andrzej JagodzinskiFind albums by this artist, and is an alternate version of one of the album’s tracks. The album offers an excellent sound recording quality and balance, which are essential to present this music in the best possible aura. The music offers a surprisingly fresh approach to Jazz, completely beyond genre classification. It combines strong Jazz-Classical Fusion elements, modern contemporary European Jazz vistas, Vocal Jazz, which combines Pop and Classic Jazz melodic sensibilities with elegant slightly Avant-Garde vocalese, and some delicate electronics explorations, in short a multitude of musical elements, which work together surprisingly well, both harmoniously and aesthetically. The compositions offer a conceptual / stylistic unity for the entire duration, but at some point might seem a tad too similar to less patient listeners. Blachno selected a superb group of instrumentalists to accompany her, which is evident both in their ensemble performances and while soloing. Rykov is a beautifully romantic player, the rhythm section is just perfect for the task and the string quartet performs the complex and intricate string arrangements (not credited) with ease and elegance. Instrumentally, this octet is true dream-team. Personally I am not happy with the decision to sing in English, which is the weakest point of the album, immediately audible and somewhat annoying, and the bonus track with Polish lyrics illustrates this point perfectly. But of course it’s probably my exaggerated sensibility in that area and in proportion to the multitude of the wonderful things that this album offers, is just a minor imperfection. Overall, this is a beautiful, complex and very impressive piece of recorded music, which is accessible to a wide range of Jazz (and not only) listeners, which shows maturity and class of all the participants. One can only hope for another exposition of the many talents by Blachno and her cohorts, as soon as possible. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 20/09/2026Posted: 20/09/2026

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