Record Reviews

BABOOSHKI ~ BEDZIEMY SIE KREZYLI MULTIKULTI MPF 005 (Barcode: 5903068683374) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is the third album by Polish Jazz-World Fusion ensemble BabooshkiFind albums by this artist, formed by Polish vocalist / violinist Karolina BeimcikFind albums by this artist and Ukrainian vocalist / pianist Dana VynnytskaFind albums by this artist, and including top Polish Jazz players: trombonist Michal TomaszczykFind albums by this artist, pianist Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Rafal SarneckiFind albums by this artist, bassist Michal JarosFind albums by this artist and drummer Bogusz WekkaFind albums by this artist. A couple of guest musicians play on selected tracks. The album presents nine traditional songs of Polish / Ukrainian and Byelorussian origins, performed in the original languages, all arranged by the ensemble members. The music was recorded at the excellent Studio Tokarnia, owned by Smoczynski, and offers a splendid sound quality. Musically, the album offers a pretty faithful interpretation of the original Folkloristic material, with the Jazzy arrangements being pretty minimalist and delicate, not disturbing the authenticity of the songs, but enhancing the result and bringing it closer to contemporary listeners. The vocal duets by Beimcik and Vynnytska are the epicenter of the music, beautifully performed and cleverly synchronized, amalgamation two pretty diverse vocal traditions (Polish more Western and Ukrainian more Eastern), which complement each other splendidly. The instrumental work is also brilliant, as expected by the level of the participating musicians. Sarnecki, Smoczynski and Tomaszczyk add a few splendid soli, and Jarosz plays stunning bass parts, but overall this music is all about team work. Listeners interested in the East European vocal tradition should be absolutely delighted by this little gem, as should all Jazz-World Fusion fans, especially since this is one of the best projects on the Polish scene recorded in this sub-genre in the last years. Overall this is a beautiful piece of music, beautifully authentic, highly aesthetic and brilliantly executed from start to finish. Hats off!

Updated: 04/06/2021Posted: 04/06/2021

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