Record Reviews
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  | ALEKSANDRA KUTRZEPA ~ IMPRESSIONS
NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Rock Fusion
Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018
This is the debut album by Polish Jazz violinist / composer Aleksandra KutrzepaFind albums by this artist recorded in a quartet setting with guitarist Bartlomiej GarczynskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Michal StudniarekFind albums by this artist and drummer Robert KutrzepaFind albums by this artist. Vocalist Anna GadtFind albums by this artist and pianist Patryk CzyzewskiFind albums by this artist appear as guests on selected tracks. The album presents eight original compositions, all by Alexandra Kutrzepa.
The music offers a series of contemporary Polish Jazz compositions, full of lyricism, melancholy and even romanticism, all developing slowly and based on solid melodic themes. Stylistically the music displays a strong touch of Fusion, especially when the guitar is featured up front, but also due to the unique sound and manner of playing the violin that Kutrzepa utilizes, which has strong ties with the French Fusion violin school (Jean-Luc PontyFind albums by this artist / Didier LockwoodFind albums by this artist) rather than with the Polish Jazz violin school (Zbigniew SeifertFind albums by this artist / Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist).
As already mentioned above, Kutrzepa manages to achieve a unique and very personal violin sound and mannerism, which is quite different from the numerous other young generation Polish Jazz violin players, and which is quite remarkable by itself. She is very aloof, minimalist and reserved creating incredible tension and anticipation, which is extremely effective.
The rest of the players on the album are all highly professional and talented. Garczynski serves as a contrast to Kutrzepa´s laid-back phrasing with his energetic and expressive solos, like a musical cold-hot or yin-yang seesaw. The rhythm section supports the soloists amicably and displays inventive and fully responsible ensemble playing, always solid and reliable. The guests add spice and panache to the proceedings, as expected, with Gadt taking the music slightly towards more imaginary ground on the last track with her beautiful vocal contributions. Personally this is my favorite piece on the album and perhaps points towards the direction the music might take in the future.
Overall this is an excellent debut offering, obviously well planned and rehearsed, original and ambitious, and most importantly offering elements previously unheard and exploring uncharted territory, which after all happens quite rarely. For lovers of intelligent Fusion this album is a true gem and should not be missed, and judging by the potential it displays, Kutrzepa is definitely a Lady to keep a close watch on, both as a composer and a player, which I definitely intend to do in the future, wishing her all the best on the way.
| | Updated: 18/12/2018Posted: 18/12/2018 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | DIDIER LOCKWOOD ~ GLOBE-TROTTER
UNIVERSAL 602498093245 (Barcode: 602498093245) ~ FRANCE ~ Jazz-World Fusion
Recorded: 2003 Released: 2003
This is a wonderful double album by veteran French violinist / composer Didier LockwoodFind albums by this artist, one of the Masters of the French Jazz Violin School. The first CD presents Lockwood in a quartet setting with organist Benoit SourisseFind albums by this artist, saxophonist / flautist Stephane GuillaumeFind albums by this artist and drummer Andre CharlierFind albums by this artist and a few guest artists. Together they perform ten original compositions, five by Lockwood, three by Sourisse and one each by Guillaume and Charlier. The second CD presents seventeen short pieces performed on solo violin, all composed by Lockwood.
The music is strongly influenced by World Music elements, as suggested by the album´s title, and incorporates both melodic and rhythmic ingredients from many different folk sources. Everything is executed with typical French elegance and finesse and Lockwood proves that he is still at the top of his creative powers. The typical French sound of violin and Hammond organ, which was born with the early Jean-Luc PontyFind albums by this artist´s trio with Eddy LouissFind albums by this artist on organ in the late 1960s, is still one of the most exciting and aesthetically fulfilling approaches in European Jazz and Lockwood skillfully repeats that approach here.
The solo violin pieces are a delightful journey into the world of solo violin. The pieces were recorded live during Lockwood´s performances on the stages around the world and collected here to be presented as a kaleidoscope of musical pieces influenced by many different places and Cultures. Lockwood uses synthesizers and other electronic devices to accompany him on these pieces, but they are essentially solo violin performances, which are all cleanly breathtaking. This CD is simply a text book of modern violin playing and should be studied by all young musicians learning to play that instrument.
This is definitely a most gratifying album in every respect and an absolute must for the Jazz violin fans and all lovers of European Jazz at its best.
| | Updated: 01/03/2017Posted: 01/03/2017 | CD 2 Digipak Slipcase Recommend To A Friend |
  | MICHEL PORTAL ~ ANY WAY
LABEL BLEU 6544 (Barcode: 3149025057877) ~ FRANCE ~ Jazz-World Fusion
Recorded: 1991 - 1992 Released: 1993
This is an album by legendary French bass clarinetist / saxophonist / composer / bandleader Michel PortalFind albums by this artist, recorded with a large gathering of international Jazz musicians, which includes French violinist Didier LockwoodFind albums by this artist, bassist Jean-Francois Jenny-ClarkFind albums by this artist, percussionist Mino CineluFind albums by this artist and guitarist Nguyen LeFind albums by this artist, British trumpeter Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist, American keyboardist Gil GoldsteinFind albums by this artist and bassist Victor BaileyFind albums by this artist, Indian percussionist Trilok GurtuFind albums by this artist, Swiss drummer Daniel HumairFind albums by this artist and others. The album presents six lengthy tracks, five of which are original compositions by Portal and one is by Cinelu.
The music is based on beautiful composed themes, on which the participants improvise with obvious skill and imagination. There are strong World Music influences and excellent group improvisations. The leader plays mostly the bass clarinet, and his fame as one of the greatest virtuosi of that instrument is of course fully justified. The solo by Wheeler on the last racks is alone worth having this album in one’s collection.
There is an atmosphere of mutual respect and great fun, and the musicians are obviously jamming and enjoying themselves, which is felt in the resulting music, mixing the Jazz elements with Funk and Ethnic drumming, which is very effective.
Overall, this is a very unusual album, which creates an amalgam of European Jazz and Ethnic / World percussive elements, and offers some extraordinary improvised parts by some of the best musicians on this planet. A true joy!
| | Updated: 04/02/2025Posted: 04/02/2025 | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | JAROSLAW SMIETANA ~ A TRIBUTE TO ZBIGNIEW SEIFERT
JSR 0011 (Barcode: 5901119902399) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion
Recorded: 2009 Released: 2009
This is a stunning tribute album to the Polish violin virtuoso / composer Zbigniew SeifertFind albums by this artist by the great Polish guitarist Jaroslaw SmietanaFind albums by this artist and his band: pianist Piotr WylezolFind albums by this artist, bassist Zbigniew WegehauptFind albums by this artist, drummer Adam CzerwinskiFind albums by this artist and percussionist Slawomir BernyFind albums by this artist. Keyboardist Janusz GrzywaczFind albums by this artist guests on two tracks. Smietana invited nine leading Jazz violinists to play along with this fabulous band, performing Seifert´s wonderful compositions. They are: Jerry GoodmanFind albums by this artist (ex-Mahavishnu OrchestraFind albums by this artist, USA), Mateusz SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist (Poland), Didier LockwoodFind albums by this artist (France), Krzesimir DebskiFind albums by this artist (Poland), Christian HowesFind albums by this artist (USA), Mark FeldmanFind albums by this artist (USA), Maciej StrzelczykFind albums by this artist (Poland), Adam BaldychFind albums by this artist (Poland) and Pierre BlanchardFind albums by this artist (France). These nine virtuosi play like there´s no tomorrow and the resulting music is simply a breathtaking trip into Seifert´s world. This is such a conglomerate of talent, that anything said beyond this would be simply superfluous. Simply grab this ASAP, as you are about to take trip of your life – violin heaven indeed!
| | | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | ZAO ~ SHEKINA
MUSEA 4067 (Barcode: 3426300040671) ~ FRANCE ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1975 Released: 1992
3rd album by the superb French ensemble ZaoFind albums by this artist. Following the recording of the first two albums, the two leaders, Yochk`o SefferFind albums by this artist and François CahenFind albums by this artist, decided to expand the musical scope of the group by adding a string quartet and writing some music which would combine the jazzy elements they explored earlier with some classically influenced orchestration. To emphasize the diversity of the two approaches, the decision was to find an all-female string quartet, which would complete the all-male group and balance the overall result. The Quatuor MargandFind albums by this artist, a seasoned string quartet, which had previous experience of working with jazz musicians, was chosen to work with Zao and they performed together and recorded this great album. The group also changed the bass player and Gerard PrevostFind albums by this artist fitted the bill perfectly with his pulsating approach, playing electric bass. Pierre GuignonFind albums by this artist was added on percussion to complete the nonet. The resulting ensemble was absolutely amazing, playing music aeons ahead of their time, which probably was the reason that even in France, which was always open to Avant-Garde, they had a tough time to find gigs. This led eventually to the inevitable breakdown of this unique lineup. The use of strings would however continue, with the young violin prodigy Didier LockwoodFind albums by this artist joining the group for their next lineup. The album remains an extraordinary example of European Avant-Garde Fusion and remains as fascinating as it was at the time of its recording.
| | Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
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