Record Reviews

MARCEL BARTA ~ EPISODES FROM THE SPINNING BALL ANIMAL MUSIC 142 (Barcode: 8594211850636) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2025 Released: 2025 This is an album by Czech Jazz saxophonist / composer Marcel BartaFind albums by this artist, recorded with his quintet, which includes trombonist Stepan JanousekFind albums by this artist, pianist Vojtech ProchazkaFind albums by this artist, bassist Milos KlapsteFind albums by this artist and drummer Jan ChalupaFind albums by this artist and the Prague Radio Symphony OrchestraFind albums by this artist conducted by Bastien StilFind albums by this artist. The album presents five tracks, which are parts of a suite composed, arranged and orchestrated by Barta. The album was recorded live during the premiere concert performance of the music. It offers exceptional sound quality, which seems to be always the case by Animal MusicFind albums on this label releases. Barta has been active on the local Jazz scene since several years as a member of a number of leading Czech Jazz ensembles, like VertigoFind albums by this artist and recorded with Stepanka BalcarovaFind albums by this artist, David DoruzkaFind albums by this artist, Jaromir HonzakFind albums by this artist and others. This is his debut album as a leader. The music is quite a unique amalgam of Jazz and Symphonic music, which is completely integrated with the quintet’s performances, often creating a “wall of sound” effect and acting as imaginary gigantic instrument, which turns the quintet into a “virtual sextet”. This level and sophistication of the integration between the orchestra and the quintet is truly exceptional. The music is based on strictly melodic themes, but there is plenty of instrumental improvisation by the quintet members, all of which are highly skilled and potent musicians. The music flows much like a cinematic score, which might have been an illustration to imaginary scenes, which inspired the musical stream. Overall, this is a highly successful Fusion of Jazz and Orchestral music, which is aesthetically coherent and adventurous at the same time. The music keeps the listener completely enthralled, unable to guess what will come next, which of course is exactly what every composer wishes for. A remarkable debut indeed!

Updated: 29/12/2025Posted: 29/12/2025

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JAROMIR HONZAK ~ THE BLUES OF A STRING HANGING IN THE WIND ANIMAL MUSIC 127 (Barcode: 8594211850452) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2023 Released: 2024 This is the 12th album by Czech Jazz bassist / composer / bandleader Jaromir HonzakFind albums by this artist, recorded with his regular quintet, with includes saxophonist Lubos SoukupFind albums by this artist, guitarist David DoruzkaFind albums by this artist, pianist Vit KristanFind albums by this artist and drummer Martin NovakFind albums by this artist, and the Prague Radio Symphony OrchestraFind albums by this artist, conducted by Bastien StilFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight tracks, which are in fact parts of a suite for Jazz quintet and Symphonic Orchestra, all composed by Honzak. The music was recorded live and offers an exceptional sound quality, as all Animal MusicFind albums on this label releases. Life is full of surprises, sometimes very pleasant ones, and writing about this album is one of them, as only a couple of days ago I wrote about another album, which is not only of very similar nature but also features almost identical lineup, both originating from the Czech Republic (see the “Scandinavian ImpressionsFind albums with this title” album by Soukup). Despite the obvious similarities, these two albums are also very different musically, which is even more wonderful. It is not a secret that Honzak is one of my favorite European bass players, but even more so composers. His music is always absolutely breathtaking, and despite its complexity, it manages to be superbly coherent and melodic. Here, with the additional layer of orchestral arrangements (by Tomas SykoraFind albums by this artist) on top of the Jazz quintet performances, the music is even more dense and intricate than usual, and yet, as usual, it is almost clairvoyant in its intellectual verity and emotional strength. The two layers, Jazz and orchestral, complement one another perfectly, but rather oddly, whereas Honzak uses the orchestra to expand the rhythmic and even improvisational nature of the music, rather than only support the harmonic / melodic elements, which is the usual modus operandi applied in most Jazz-Classical Fusion ventures, and as such this album stands out in its originality. It goes without saying that the quintet’s performances are nothing short of stellar, as expected. Soukup is in charge of the melody lines, leading the proceedings like the pied piper of Hamelin, Doruzka spices the mixture with his tasteful chords and strings of notes, Kristan sets the harmonic base and Novak tastefully sets the paste of things. And Honzak, like always, stands firmly, like the ship’s mast, in the epicenter of the music at all times, making sure everything works, as it is supposed to. Overall, Honzak delivers again a sublime piece of music, which offers a fascinating emotional journey, and which swipes the listener off his feet the minute the music starts, and never lets go. I can’t imagine anybody who loves music not to like this album, even if it sounds somewhat strange at the first moment. This is some of the finest music one can come across these days, and it should not be missed by whatever excuse. And yes, if you listen carefully, the Blues is there…

Updated: 12/08/2024Posted: 12/08/2024

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TOMAS LISKA / INVISIBLE WORLD ~ SYNERGY INVISIBLE 002 (Barcode: 745604682862) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2022 Released: 2023 This is the second album by Czech bassist / composer Tomas LiskaFind albums by this artist and his Invisible WorldFind albums by this artist quartet, which also includes Serbian accordionist Nikola ZaricFind albums by this artist, Turkish (resident in Vienna) violinist Efe TurumtayFind albums by this artist and Czech drummer / percussionist Kamil SlezakFind albums by this artist. The quartet is accompanied by the Prague Radio Symphony OrchestraFind albums by this artist, conducted by Bastien StilFind albums by this artist. The album, which was recorded live, presents four tracks, all original compositions by Liska. The music is a wonderful amalgam of Jazz and diverse World Music elements, which include Balkan, Gypsy, Mediterranean and East European influences. Combined with the Orchestral arrangements present herein, the music offers an incredibly rich range of melodies, soundscapes and emotions, which takes the listeners on a musical carpet ride all over the European continent. The members of the quartet are skillful instrumentalists, displaying their individual talents while soloing, but also offer a tight musical unit together, which elegantly moves from one theme to another and has no difficulty with the often tricky rhythmic patterns. The orchestral arrangements fit the music perfectly and add another dimension, but do not undermine the main course of the music. Overall, this is a highly entertaining and elegant display of the composing abilities of the leader and the performing skills of the musicians, which should delight all Jazz-World Fusion connoisseurs, anywhere on this planet. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 31/10/2023Posted: 31/10/2023

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