Record Reviews

STAN BORYS ~ …PISZE PAMIETNIK ARTYSTY POLSKIE RADIO 1323 (Barcode: 5907812243234) ~ POLAND ~ Special Products Recorded: 2010 Released: 2010 Polish singer / actor / composer / poet Stan BorysFind albums by this artist is one of the most flamboyant and iconoclastic figures on the local scene with almost five decades of artistic achievements behind him. He was a founding member (with guitarist Tadeusz NalepaFind albums by this artist) of the legendary group BlackoutFind albums by this artist, the first Polish Rock group to incorporate lyrics written by a poet, in this case by Bogdan LoeblFind albums by this artist. Following his departure from Blackout the group morphed into the no less legendary BreakoutFind albums by this artist, the great precursors of Blues-Rock in Poland, who continued to cooperate with Loebl as their exclusive lyricist, while Borys joined another group called BizonyFind albums by this artist. Since the early 1970s Borys embarked on a solo career, which continues to this very day. In 1975 Borys left Poland and immigrated to the US, but remained faithful to his deep cultural bonds with his native country. Since 2004 he returned to perform regularly in Poland, where he maintains a solid fan base, both as a singer and actor. Although mostly renowned for his musical activities, Borys was always deeply interested in theatre and poetry. His deep knowledge and profound understanding of literary works turn him into a unique voice of the Polish literary tradition, which is especially evident on this recording. In 1983 Stan Borys created a one-man-spectacle based on the poetry written by the 19th Century Polish poet Cyprian Kamil NorwidFind albums by this artist, one of the country’s greatest and most astounding literary forces, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of the poet’s death. Five years later the spectacle was recorded and released on CD in the US. In 2010 Borys re-recorded his spectacle, which was finally released in Poland. The album consists of a series of Norwid’s poems recited by Borys, accompanied by ambient musical collages, as well as poems to which Borys composed full musical scores, which are sung by him. The overall effect is truly an electrifying and both deeply emotional as well as highly intellectual experience. The tormented, convoluted and diabolically complex Norwid’s poems suddenly become coherent and beautifully lucid thanks to the incredible interpretation and theatrical delivery by Borys, who masterly controls his voice and diction. It’s abundantly clear that Borys not only knows these poems intimately, but also feels deeply for the messages conveyed in them. For many, this might be the first opportunity to comprehend how prophetic these poems are, especially now. Although the political circumstances at the time when these poems were written are no longer a reality, the underlying values and principles of freedom (both individual and collective), humanity, honesty, idealism and even patriotism are still the building stones of any decent society, but alas they are still being hold in deep contempt by contemporary, post-modern society led by false prophets, crooked politicians, fanatic clergy and fools. Hundreds of years of enslavement and suffering by Poles, as expressed by Norwid’s masterly poetry, who in retrospect conveyed these messages more eloquently than any of his contemporaries, seem to have fallen on deaf ears. Therefore these poems, as presented by Borys, are filled with grief and tragedy, desperation and anxiety, perhaps even more so than originally intended. It´s interesting to follow the many parallels between these interpretations of Norwid’s work with the ones created by another Polish genius, NiemenFind albums by this artist. Niemen’s “obsession” with Norwid’s poetry was an integral part of his life’s work, which deserves to be regarded as one of the ultimate highlights of Polish cultural heritage. Stan Borys now joins Niemen on the pedestal of Polish seers, in many ways continuing the same mission of spreading the words of the Prophet. This album is a masterpiece of epic proportions and an invaluable addition to the Polish culture, although the question if it will be recognized as such by his fellow countrymen remains still open. Since the Bible teaches us that "no prophet is accepted in his hometown", I remain skeptical…

Updated: 25/06/2016Posted:

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EL GRECO ~ SING CUCKOO INSPIRAFON 02 (Barcode: 5903111259006) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2011 Released: 2013 This is the debut album by Polish ensemble El GrecoFind albums by this artist, led by keyboardist / composer Joachim MencelFind albums by this artist, which also includes vocalist Jorgos SkoliasFind albums by this artist, DJ Wojciech DlugoszFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Mr. KrimeFind albums by this artist) who performs turntablism, bassist Andrzej SwiesFind albums by this artist and Austrian drummer Harry TanschekFind albums by this artist. The album includes ten tracks, eight of which are songs and the remaining two instrumental pieces. The eight songs are all composed by Mencel to lyrics by Polish poets (five of the songs, naturally sung in Polish) and literary texts in English (the remaining three, sung in English). One of the instrumentals is a group composition and the remaining one is by Gil EvansFind albums by this artist. This is obviously quite an ambitious project, well within the Jazz & Poetry realm, which seems to be a favorite of the Polish music scene. However, contrary to many splendid efforts in this area this album leaves me quite cold. It´s quite difficult to pinpoint the exact reasons for my opinion, but somehow the mixture of complex, sophisticated poetry with the rather simplistic music does not work for me. Anybody engaging in the poems of Cyprian Kamil NorwidFind albums by this artist must be aware of their masterly interpretation by the legendary NiemenFind albums by this artist or more recently by Stan BorysFind albums by this artist and in comparison the versions presented here seem to be quite pale. The music seems to be by and large based on blues themes, with a modernistic rhythm patterns emphasized by the turntablism. There is a limited space for serious improvisation and the atmosphere is more of an alterative Rock album than a Jazz album, which of course might be just what the ensemble (or the leader) wanted to achieve. The only thing that makes this album enjoyable as far as I´m concerned is the truly excellent work by Andrzej Swies, who emerges as the star of this particular project and without whom this music simply wouldn´t work at all. As usually the attempt to sing in English proves to be fatal. Overall this is not a bad album and many people will probably enjoy it, but I just can´t seem to be able to warm up towards it. Mea culpa!

Updated: 31/01/2017Posted:

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ANDRZEJ KURYLEWICZ / WANDA WARSKA / NIEMEN ~ MUZYKA TEATRALNA I TELEWIZYJNA MUZA 842 (Barcode: 5907783498428) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1971 Released: 2006 Since the day this album was released I´ve always cherished it as one of the greatest albums ever recorded. Undoubtedly my Polish background, my love of the Polish Culture and my ability to understand the lyrics / poetry has something to do with the fact that this album is so meaningful to me, but honestly I believe that any music connoisseur in the world should be moved by this extraordinary music and performances. The music, composed by pianist / composer Andrzej KurylewiczFind albums by this artist, one of Poland´s musical icons and a precursor of Polish Jazz, was originally written for theatre and television and is presented here in a special arrangement for a string orchestra and Jazz combo, featuring two of Poland´s most extraordinary vocal talents: Wanda WarskaFind albums by this artist and NiemenFind albums by this artist. The Jazz combo consists of the composer on piano, trumpeter Andrzej PrzybielskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Jacek BednarekFind albums by this artist and drummer Wladyslaw JagielloFind albums by this artist. The lyrics are all based on Polish poetry, mainly works of the great Polish poet Cyprian Kamil NorwidFind albums by this artist. Warska, the leading interpreter of Polish poetry and faithful performer of the music composed by Kurylewicz, is a superbly sensitive singer blessed by an angelic voice and extraordinary theatrical sensitivity. Niemen is of course Poland´s all time greatest musical genius known worldwide for his achievements, but his appearance on this album is one of the highlights of his career. Niemen´s "obsession" with Norwid´s poetry comes here to an ideal fruition and his vocal parts are simply breathtaking. Although not strictly a Jazz album, the album´s music has a distinct Jazzy character and falls easily into the extended definition of the genre. Overall this is a masterpiece of rare beauty, perfect in every sense, everlasting and always inspiring. An absolute must in every respect!

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NIEMEN ~ LIVE IN OPOLE 1971 PROG ART 001 (Barcode: 4018564220013) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1971 Released: 2018 This is an archival album, which presents a live recording of a concert by the greatest ever Polish Rock / Prog musician of all times, vocalist / keyboardist songwriter and bandleader Czeslaw NiemenFind albums by this artist. The material performed at the concert includes two songs from Niemen´s fourth album "EnigmaticFind albums with this title" with music by Niemen and lyrics (poems) by the great Polish poet Cyprian Kamil NorwidFind albums by this artist and two songs from his fifth album "NiemenFind albums with this title" (a.k.a. "The Red AlbumFind albums with this title") with music and lyrics by Niemen. The fifth song is Niemen´s version of an Otis ReddingFind albums by this artist song ("I´ve Been Loving You Too Long"), which was unrecorded at the time and was about to appear on Niemen´s first English-language album "Strange Is This WorldFind albums with this title" in 1972. For the Niemen aficionados the album includes the crowd cheering during a ceremony of Niemen receiving the Gold Album award for "Enigmatic" celebrated by the traditional Polish "100 Years" blessing, which tragically was not even close to Niemen´s destiny. Niemen is supported by a great band, which includes organist Jacek MikulaFind albums by this artist, guitarist Tomasz JaskiewiczFind albums by this artist, bassist Janusz ZielinskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Andrzej TylecFind albums by this artist and a trio of female background singers, which includes Krystyna PronkoFind albums by this artist, Zofia BorcaFind albums by this artist and Elzbieta LinkowskaFind albums by this artist, all three ex-members of the group RespectFind albums by this artist. This band is much more Rock oriented than the studio lineups, which recorded the two albums, and which include some of the best Polish Jazz musicians and therefore are way more Fusion oriented. Sadly the guitar is mostly lost in the live mix, which is a great pity. The sound is dominated by the organ and overall is quite satisfactory. Two of the songs last for almost twenty minutes, one for ten minutes and the remaining two for eight and five minutes – together almost an hour of Niemen Magic. The music and the performances are of course stellar and there is no point in going any further into the musical qualities and the historic importance of this recording. For Niemen fans and Polish / East European Classic Rock connoisseurs this is an absolute must of course! This edition of this album is identical to the Green TreeFind albums on this label edition. This is obviously a bootleg, since none of Niemen´s live recordings are approved by his family, which is a pity. The artwork is riddled by countless spelling mistakes, which is unbecoming for such important document and Niemen´s memory. But all things considered, this is definitely better than this music being unreleased – the proverbial lesser evil.

Updated: 13/02/2020Posted: 13/02/2020

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