Record Reviews

EMMA NAGY ~ LOW FREQUENCY OSCILLATOR NOT ON LABEL ~ HUNGARY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is the second album by Hungarian vocalist Emma NagyFind albums by this artist and her quintet, which also includes guitarist Peter CsehFind albums by this artist, pianist Aron TalasFind albums by this artist (a new member), bassist Abel DenesFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam KlauszFind albums by this artist and features guest saxophonist Daniel MesterFind albums by this artist, who appears on selected tracks. The album presents twelve original compositions, six composed by Nagy, three by Denes and one each by Cseh, Talas and Klausz. Most of the lyrics (in English) are by Emma’s brother. The music continues the path set by the sensational debut, but about half of the tunes are significantly shorter and more concise this time, with fewer instrumental passages, which somewhat changes the overall character of the music. The leader sings mostly lyrics this time, using less vocalese and other vocal effects, which are still here of course but are less dominant, which again effects the overall impression. Of course it is perhaps unfair to compare this album to its predecessor, but one must admit that the total effect of surprise and novelty achieved by the debut influences the listener’s (yours truly) attitude towards this album. That said, this is still an amazing piece of music, which perhaps is less immediately stunning, but preserves all the great qualities of the debut, first and foremost the complete originality in making music, but all the other qualities of sublime instrumental performances, great vocals and absolutely magical atmosphere of Avant-Gardist nonchalance, which sets aside this quintet from almost everything that is happening on the European Jazz scene these days, are also here. It is recommended to read my review of the debut album “Set To FaceFind albums with this title” to get the full picture, as it makes no sense to repeat all my compliments, which are still all valid. If anybody will go through the same process of listening to these albums in the chronological order, will probably experience the same experiences like myself, but of course all is well that ends well, or even better ;) Overall, this is another amazing album by amazing young musicians, who deserve nothing but prize and admiration for their efforts. Sadly, such originality is way too rare these days but happily it still happens, and when it does it deserves all the support that one can offer.

Updated: 19/11/2021Posted: 19/11/2021

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

KRYSTYNA STANKO ~ EURODYKA STM 009 (Barcode: 5906489287343) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2023 Released: 2023 This is the 11th album by Polish Jazz vocalist / songwriter Krystyna StankoFind albums by this artist, recorded with a fabulous team of old and new friends, which include vibraphonist Dominik BukowskiFind albums by this artist, bass guitarist Paul RutschkaFind albums by this artist, bassist Michal BakFind albums by this artist and drummer / percussionist Mikolaj StankoFind albums by this artist. Norwegian trumpeter Arve HenriksenFind albums by this artist guests on three tracks, which he also arranged. Other guests include Portuguese vocalists Joao de SousaFind albums by this artist, Ukrainian vocalist Laura MartiFind albums by this artist and Hungarian clarinetist Daniel MesterFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten tracks, four composed by Stanko, one co-composed with Bukowski, four composed by Bukowski and finally one composed by Rutschka. Stanko also wrote all the lyrics for the vocal tracks, in two cases co-written by her vocal partners. The album continues a strong shift towards Jazz-World Fusion, with familiar Latin undercurrents, and even more remarkably towards vocalese, which is featured extensively on most of the tracks, to my personal delight. Since each of the songs is dedicated to a different European city, and combined with the album’s title, this is an obvious tribute to the European Culture, without any geographic / political boundaries, emphasizing the vast diversity on one hand and the common ground, on the other, which generates such a wonderful congruence. The music is perfectly suited for the purpose of the message, and amalgamates many Folkloristic influences, all wonderfully intertwined within the Jazz envelope. As already stated earlier, Stanko choses to sing a brilliant wordless vocalese as much as possible, which overcomes any linguistic barriers, and even when she does sing in Polish, the phrasing and musicality fits the universal aura of the music perfectly. Bukowski, who is a faithful musical partner of Stanko since many years, leaves a distinct mark of his ingenious musicality on the album, but all the participants contribute wonderfully, to create a serene but deeply cutting aesthetic experience, which this music generates. I have been following Stanko since the beginning of her career and her remarkable ability to re-invent herself time after time, intelligently, gently and lovingly is absolutely marvelous. This album is built from an infinite number is little moments, sounds, notes and silences, woven carefully by Stanko and her team, like only she can. She has never disappointed my sensitive musical taste buds, and this album certainly fits perfectly my feelings of respect and adoration for her many talents, as much as her personality. Overall, this is another highly successful, tasteful, sensitive and remarkable achievement by Stanko, who in many ways is a class of her own on the Polish / European vocal Jazz scene. This music is so universal, that any language barriers become completely meaningless and this music should be highly appealing to and Jazz lover on this planet and perhaps the whole Universe. Love you, as always!

Updated: 23/03/2024Posted: 23/03/2024

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend