Record Reviews

JERZY MAZZOLL ~ BYC WYTWORNIA KRAJOWA 17 (Barcode: 5902860147176) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2022 Released: 2022 This is an album by Polish Jazz clarinetist / composer Jerzy MazzollFind albums by this artist, one of the mythical figures of the Avant-Garde / fringe Polish Jazz since the late 1980s. Although presented as a solo album, the music is co-credited to Mazzoll and producer / multi-instrumentalist Michal SzturomskiFind albums by this artist, who co-composed the seventeen pieces of instrumental music with Mazzoll. Pianist Milosz WoskoFind albums by this artist, bassist Franciszek PospieszalskiFind albums by this artist, percussionist Artur ChaberFind albums by this artist as well as a couple of other musicians perform alongside the two composers. For someone, who knows Mazzoll and his music since ages, the album comes as a complete surprise in many respects. But Mazzoll states clearly on the album’s artwork that: “This album came to be as a result of my desire for calmness and beauty, which lately I am able to experience again”. That motto reflects the character of the music perfectly, as the album presents a series of beautiful, highly melodic tunes, often meditative, sometimes close to Hasidic Nigunim, which Mazzoll states on plethora of various clarinets like the Pied Piper of Hamelin. The clarinet is accompanied on some of the tracks by the superb performances of Wosko and Pospieszalski, which ideally suit the concept and paint the entire proceedings with s subtle Jazz tinge. However, on other tracks the accompaniment is more “mechanical”, i.e. synthesizes, samples and other electronic paraphernalia, which I prefer much less, but am able to accept, in view of the charm of the music and the concept at large. Mazzoll’s clarinet parts are of course brilliant and one can simply not get enough of them, which makes one long for more when the music is over – the only solution being to put the album on repeat. He is a true sound magician, which I have always known to be true, but his convoluted recording / life history not always managed to reflect it. I am thankful that he finally found his peace of mind, which enables him to play as magnificently as herein, and live his life “under his wine and his fig tree”. Overall, this is a magnificently moving piece of music, seemingly simplistic at times, but able to reach the deepest heartstrings of the listener’s soul. This is Mazzoll the Gentle Giant, the Buddhist Monk, the Hassid thankful for the Almighty’s Grace… Thank you my Friend, for this gift of Music!

Updated: 07/06/2022Posted: 06/06/2022

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