Record Reviews

INGA LEWANDOWSKA ~ PRZEBUDZENIE SJ 051 (Barcode: 5902596066611) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2018 - 2019 Released: 2020 Although hardly a newcomer on the Polish Jazz scene, this is the bona fide debut album by vocalist / composer / lyricist Inga LewandowskaFind albums by this artist. Recorded in a quintet setting with trumpeter Piotr SchmidtFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Przemyslaw RaminiakFind albums by this artist, bassist Grzegorz PiaseckiFind albums by this artist and drummer / percussionist Slawomir BernyFind albums by this artist – a formidable team by all means. The music also features the Baron Chamber OrchestraFind albums by this artist, led and conducted by Piotr BaronFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven original songs, all composed by Lewandowska and featuring her lyrics, as well and ten poems and numerous paintings also by her, included in the lavish digibook packaging of the album. It is not surprising that the album firmly belongs to the Polish Jazz & Poetry idiom, since Lewandowska´s earlier recordings were also strongly connected to literary / poetry subject matter. She continues this heartfelt affiliation splendidly also herein. The songs are all absolutely wonderful, offering modern Jazz without compromise and shortcuts, melody based and precisely arranged, but in many respects also unconventional and innovating, still within the mainstream but obviously at the very edge of the idiom. Not surprisingly the Polish melancholy is omnipresent, but not overbearing. Surprisingly Lewandowska utilizes a significant amount of vocalese in addition to straightforward singing of the lyrics, which transports this album somewhat away from a traditional vocal Jazz album. Her highly theatrical delivery of the texts, full of wonderful mannerisms that seem to pop out of nowhere, but make perfect sense time after time, is really refreshing. As a result the vocals become as much an instrument performing side by side with the four instrumentalists, with the vocals standing "separately" on their own. Her vocal abilities and surprisingly "youthful" timbre, which creates a charming contrast to the content of the lyrics, ale absolutely delightful. The four instrumentalists are all Masters of the trade and they manage to utilize their experience and talents to suit this music ideally. Schmidt torches the air with his trumpet soloing, Raminiak lays out layers of delicate harmonic accompaniment and most of the time stays in the background. Soloing sparingly. Piasecki is a pillar of stability and precision, keeping the music chronometrically in time and swinging, whereas Berny brilliantly ornaments the proceedings with his percussive paraphernalia, rather than just keeping the time. The string arrangements are no less brilliant, very delicate and sophisticated, adding another layer of sound and harmony, which takes the music far and beyond. Overall this is a wonderful album, long expected and deserving a lot of praise in view of its qualities, which arrives late, but the awakening (pun intended) is never too late, and in these gloomy days of despair and desolation, is a true ray of sunshine. Well done Milady, Godspeed!

Updated: 29/10/2020Posted: 29/10/2020

CD 1 Digibook Recommend To A Friend