Record Reviews

STANISLAW ALEKSANDROWICZ ~ PIESN O BEBNIE NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2022 Released: 2023 This is the second album by Polish Jazz drummer / composer / bandleader Stanislaw AleksandrowiczFind albums by this artist, recorded in a double quartet setting, with trumpeter Patryk RynkiewiczFind albums by this artist, saxophonist / bass clarinetist Wojciech BraszakFind albums by this artist, Italian Bassist Flavio GullottaFind albums by this artist and a string quartet. The album presents ten tracks: an introduction and a nine-part suite inspired by the poetry by Polish poet Zbigniew HerbertFind albums by this artist. Aleksandrowicz describes the music accurately by saying that it amalgamates Classical Music tradition with the strictly composed string quartet parts, Jazz with the expressive improvised parts, often Free Form and finally Electronic Music with layers of synthesizer sounds and sampling from various sources. For people familiar with Herbert’s poetry, and specifically the poem which gives the album its title, the music adds another layer of meaning to the poetry, serving as a soundtrack to his terrifying, apocalyptic view of the world, but the music does stand on its own as well, and certainly inspires and radiates a profoundly doomed atmosphere, which has a dismal aura. The musical concept as well as the execution are absolutely stunning and Aleksandrowicz, despite his young age, emerges as a highly promising representative of the young Polish Jazz generation, reaching widely beyond the strict Jazz idiom. With a second excellent album within a brief period of time, he is certainly someone to watch carefully, especially in view of the intellectual complexity and depth he manages to create herein. This album is so different and unlike anything else from what the Polish Jazz scene produces usually, that it almost creates its own specific “sub-genre”, which I can only describe as Zappaesque, giving it the highest possible compliment in my vocabulary. It is truly uplifting to get exposed to such level of creativity, depth and unique vision. Overall, this is a phenomenal, completely unique piece of music, which is shockingly penetrating, and deserves some highly serious listening effort, in order to embrace its entire scope. Polish speaking listeners might be prompted to read some of Herbert’s magnificent poetry, although he was widely translated into other languages as well. This is some serious emotional eruption, worthy of being exposed to, and hopefully unforgettable.

Updated: 08/03/2023Posted: 08/03/2023

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STANISLAW ALEKSANDROWICZ ~ RELATIVITY THEORY AKADEMIA MUZYCZNA POZNAN 1-04 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022 This is the debut album as a leader by young Polish Jazz drummer / composer Stanislaw AleksandrowiczFind albums by this artist, recorded with his quintet which also includes saxophonists Maciej KocinskiFind albums by this artist and Wojciech BraszakFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Patryk RynkiewiczFind albums by this artist and Italian bassist Flavio GullottaFind albums by this artist. Before releasing this album Aleksandrowicz took part in several recordings featuring musicians from the Poznan Jazz scene, by ensembles like Kwasny DeszczFind albums by this artist, AnomaliaFind albums by this artist and Unleashed CooperationFind albums by this artist, all of which are excellent achievements on their own. The album presents a six-part suite composed by the leader. The music is somewhat resembling the modern Jazz movement that characterized the revolutionary Polish Jazz development in the 1960s, spearheaded by the Godfathers of the movement like Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist and Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist. The long tracks, based on sketchy melodic themes and dedicated mostly to both individual and group improvisation, almost but not quite Free, driven by strong pulsations by the rhythm section, all these create a déjà vu sensation of some early Polish Jazz albums of the period. Of course this does not mean that Aleksandrowicz is trying to copy that music, but rather refer to it respectfully, with his own personal flavors. The pianoless quintet, with three horns at the helm and a highly dynamic rhythm section behind them creates a unique sound on the contemporary Polish Jazz scene, managing splendidly to overcome the lack of a harmonic instrument. Much credit goes to Gullotta, who succeeds to create a perfect background on which the horns can weave their improvisations and allows Aleksandrowicz to ornament the music with his percussive inventions, rather than keep time. The music keeps the listener at a constant state of hypnotic attention, moving from one part of the suite to another smoothly and coherently. The concept of the quintet as an ensemble, rather than a collection of individuals, is achieved in full and the result sounds as organic as one might expect from any ensemble performing music together. As it often happens, drummers can be surprisingly interesting composers, way beyond the “bloke with sticks” image, which this album proves beyond any doubt. Overall, this is a splendid debut effort, consolidating the position of Aleksandrowicz as one of the young Polish Jazz musicians, who deserve to be watched and followed. So far everything associated with his name proved to be highly deserving, and one can only wish him many further successes.

Updated: 25/09/2022Posted: 25/09/2022

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BEAT FREAKS / RALPH ALESSI ~ MECHANICS OF NATURE NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 5707471095904) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2023 Released: 2024 This is the third album by the Polish Jazz quartet Beat FreaksFind albums by this artist, which comprises of guitarist / composer Michal StarkiewiczFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Tomasz LicakFind albums by this artist, (new Italian, resident in Poland) bassist Flavio GullottaFind albums by this artist and drummer Radek WoskoFind albums by this artist. They are joined by American trumpeter Ralph AlessiFind albums by this artist. The album presents fourteen tracks, nine of which were composed by Starkiewicz, one by Wosko and four are co-credited to the quartet members and Alessi. The music was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, with the usual superb sonic quality. The music on this album is revolutionary different from the two earlier albums recorded by the quartet and presents a giant step forward in their musical development. The straightforward Fusion direction is completely gone and the music here offers an excellent Free Form / Improvised Music meeting. Despite the openness and Freedom, the music is subtly but decidedly very well organized, based on beautiful melodic themes, which serve as vehicles to the extensive improvisations. Not surprisingly, Alessi is the dominant soloist and sets the direction of the music, but the quartet members are noticeably featured and given ample opportunity to contribute. Starkiewicz lets go of his role as a dominant leader, which is exactly what was needed in these circumstances, and adds concise guitar licks, which add both harmonic and rhythmic support. Gullotta is a true godsend, as his firm and precise bass pulsations are cementing the music into a cohesive whole. Licak stands bravely shoulder to shoulder with Alessi, contributing coherently and with remarkable feeling and Wosko adds the highly irregular rhythmic layer, which fits the music perfectly. In short this session simply works together like a dream. Although I am not familiar with the entire very extensive recording legacy by Alessi, I’d go as far as to say that this is definitely one of his finest moments so far, despite the impressive gallery of names of his American recording partners. Overall, this is a highly surprising album by Beat Freaks, which catapults them directly into the “serious league” of the Polish Jazz scene, with one of the best recordings so far released in 2024. I truly hope they found their new vocation and will continue on this path in the future, and of course wish them all the best. Hats off, Gentlemen!

Updated: 22/05/2024Posted: 22/05/2024

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UNLEASHED COOPERATION ~ 8 YEARS MULTIKULTI MPPA 003 (Barcode: 5903068680144) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz quintet, called Unleashed CooperationFind albums by this artist, co-led by saxophonist Krzysztof KusmierekFind albums by this artist and pianist Patryk MatwiejczukFind albums by this artist and also including trumpeter Patryk RynkiewiczFind albums by this artist, Italian (well Sicilian, which is a bit like extreme Mediterranean Italian – mi piace) bassist Flavio GullottaFind albums by this artist and drummer Stanislaw AleksandrowiczFind albums by this artist. Trombonist Adam KurekFind albums by this artist guests on one track. The album present seven original compositions, four by Kusmierek, one by Matwiejczuk, one co-composed by the two and finally one by Rynkiewicz. The album’s title hints to the long cooperation of the two leaders, which finally materializes in recorded form. The music offers vibrant modern Jazz, based on melodic themes but encompassing a lot of freedom and space, excellently put together and fluidly performed. Stylistically the music is somewhat retro oriented, offering shades and shapes of early modern Polish Jazz with strong Komedaesque references, which of course bring fond memories. But these are only hinted of course and updated with contemporary expressionism, rather than an attempt to mimic the past. In contrast to many other Polish Jazz ensembles, Unleashed Cooperation manage to eschew the traps of Polish melancholy and lyricism, which although beautiful, tend to be dominating and to some extent overbearing. As a result, this album sounds like something that might have been recorded anywhere in Europe, which I find quite unrestrained and promising. Although this music does not attempt to be revolutionary or groundbreaking, it proves that there is enough freedom of expression within the conventional modern Jazz sphere to create wonderful, interesting and highly satisfying music. There is something in here for a wide range of Jazz enthusiasts. Overall, this is an excellent debut effort, which presents some great tunes, full of imagination and heartfelt emotion, and which are a pleasure to listen to without overheating the cerebral cells. It rises high hopes as to what these musicians might come up with the next time, which hopefully will not be as prolonged as the process that led to the creation of this album. Warmly recommended!

Updated: 08/08/2022Posted: 08/08/2022

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