Record Reviews

ARTRA ~ KRONIKI MIEJSKIE STUDIO METROPOLIS 002 ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by the Polish Avant-Garde Jazz trio ArtraFind albums by this artist which comprises of trumpeter / clarinetist Witold PopielFind albums by this artist, percussionist Leszek GapskiFind albums by this artist and vocalist Joanna SwirskaFind albums by this artist. The music, recorded live, is a continuous improvised piece later divided into six tracks, with the vocal parts overdubbed later on in the studio. No compositional credits are stated on the album´s artwork (created by Popiel, who is also a renowned graphic Artist and painter) and therefore are assumed to belong to the musicians involved. Popiel´s involvement with the Polish Avant-Garde Jazz goes back to 1972, when he was active with the legendary ensemble Grupa W SkladzieFind albums by this artist (with Milo KurtisFind albums by this artist, Andrzej PrzybielskiFind albums by this artist and others) and in 1973 he formed Artra with Gapski, which was re-activated over forty years later, leading to the recording of this album. The music presents two distinct layers: the improvised conversation between Popiel and Gapski, and the overdubbed vocals, which come from the Polish folklore tradition, both musically and stylistically. The amalgam of these two layers creates a new musical landscape, which intends to reflect the City Chronicles ("Kroniki Miejskie" in Polish) of the Warsaw urban space. The overall effect of the music is very powerful and striking, full of emotions and intricate exchanges, enhanced by electronics and sound effects and elevated to a higher level with the vocal parts. The album proves that Avant-Garde Jazz is still alive and kicking in Poland, although mostly hidden from the public eyes. It is quite different from the Free Jazz / Improvised Music scene, which is pretty strong in Poland since the turn of the Millennium, as it moves beyond purely musical concepts into interaction with other Art Forms, philosophy and social awareness, as it always did, since it was initiated by the Hippie generation in the early 1970s. The album offers a generous dose of deep musical experiences, virtuosic performances and bold Artistic statements, which hit the listener right between his ears. Not for everybody, but open-minded listeners should have a field day with this music, which deserves repeated listening sessions. Thank God that music like this is still being made today!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 15/09/2018

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GRUPA W SKLADZIE ~ GRUPA W SKLADZIE TRZECIA FALA 002 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1972 - 2012 Released: 2013 This is the second installment in a new series of archival releases / reissues, initiated and piloted by Lukasz StrzelczykFind albums by this artist under the Trzecia FalaFind albums on this label moniker. The purpose of this series is to expose, showcase and most importantly document for posterity the early Polish Avant-Garde music movement, which rests almost completely buried by the tides of time, mostly forgotten and criminally neglected. The fact that this music was created at all is a miracle, considering the circumstances surrounding its birth. The Socialist Regime was naturally quite suspicious and often outright offensive towards "antisocial elements", as artists not following the regime directives were often referred to. The importance of having this music available is a momentous achievement and a vital effort to preserve the Polish cultural heritage, which unfortunately suffers from chronic neglect. Therefore it is encouraging to see that the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage supports this wonderful effort. The albums in this series are pressed in very limited volumes, so an immediate purchase is highly recommended. This album presents, for the first time on record (as hard as it is to believe), music recorded by the pioneering ensemble Grupa W SkladzieFind albums by this artist, which was active in the early 1970s and most recently reactivated in 2012. Over time the accidental / fortuitous lineups of the group included a long list of participants. The founding members: vocalist / multi-instrumentalist Milo KurtisFind albums by this artist, saxophonist / flautist Andrzej KasprzykFind albums by this artist and guitarist / painter / photographer Jacek MalickiFind albums by this artist, were later supplemented by some of Poland´s legendary Jazz musicians, such as pianist Andrzej BiezanFind albums by this artist, bassist Helmut NadolskiFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Andrzej PrzybielskiFind albums by this artist, drummer Wladyslaw JagielloFind albums by this artist and many others. The wonderfully researched booklet accompanying this album presents the history of the group, which of course has missing parts due to some facts being lost in the mist of oblivion over time (unfortunately the text is in Polish and has only a brief synopsis in English). The interconnections between Avant-Garde music and other Art Forms, which are of course inseparable, are also well reflected in the text. There are also many wonderful photographs and a plethora of biographical information, which constitutes a first-class document of great importance. The salvaged music, which consists of six tracks, presents mostly recordings from the 1970s, with one exception (on the last track) which was recorded by a reunion lineup of the group in 2012. The recording dates and exact personnel are all rather vague, but the music certainly makes a point on its own right, showing the early / pioneering efforts by Polish Avant-Garde / improvised music scene, which will reach its first artistic peak about a decade later (by the mid 1980s). Stylistically the music utilizes many of the devices characterizing early Avant-Garde, such as sound collages, accidental noise, usage of sound producing objects and novel approach to vocal techniques. The intuitive expression seems to be a guiding force, which of course can be associated with the need to transfer the lack of freedom of speech into a freedom of nonverbal expression, a transference often used by Artists operating under oppressive regimes. In retrospect the boldness and far-reaching artistic vision of the people involved with creating this music is truly astounding. Considering the relative isolation of the Polish scene from developments taking place across the Iron Curtain, its achievements are in every respect equally revolutionary and daring. There is no doubt that the currently flourishing Polish Avant-Garde scene, which is obviously a leading contender on a world scale, has its roots in these underground acts of wonderful "madness", performed decades earlier by these pioneers. For serious fans of Polish Culture this album is an iconic event, closing one of the many gaps still existing in the beautiful tapestry, which is Polish Music. Hopefully many such events will follow in the future!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

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GRUPA W SKLADZIE ~ PLANETARIUM MILO 304 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Ambient Fusion Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is an album by the legendary 1970s Polish Avant-Garde ensemble Grupa W SkladzieFind albums by this artist, which was reactivated a few years ago and performs from time to time in different lineup configurations. This live recording was made by a trio lineup of the ensemble, which includes the founding member multi-instrumentalist Milo KurtisFind albums by this artist, veteran Jazz clarinetist Jerzy MazzollFind albums by this artist and a representative of the young generation keyboardist Milosz OlenieckiFind albums by this artist. The album presents six original compositions, one composed by Kurtis and five composed collectively by the ensemble members. The music is a meditative journey, which amalgamates elements of Jazz, World Music and Ambient explorations. It requires patience and open-mindedness to be wholly appreciated, but once the listener fully submits to the flow of the music, the experience is truly magical. The personal performances are all excellent, especially the superb clarinet improvisations by Mazzoll, but the music is created by all three musicians together and its magic is mostly a result of their close cooperation. Overall this is a beautiful album of meditative / improvised music, which enchants the listen by its calmness and tranquility, but also offers rich layers of Jazzy improvisations. Twenty years ago this might have been classified as New Age Music, but the hype of New Age is long gone, and great music stays forever.

Updated: 11/01/2020Posted: 11/01/2020

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