Record Reviews

ANDRZEJ MITAN / GRZEGORZ ROGALA ~ KIEDY UMIERA CZLOWIEK / PODNIESIENIE TRZECIA FALA 001 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1983 Released: 2013 This DVD is another reminder of the fact that Polish Avant-Garde is alive and kicking and from time to time also takes a look back at its fascinating roots. The legendary figure of Andrzej MitanFind albums by this artist, which re-appears in the limelight from time to time, mostly completely unexpectedly, is always full of surprises. This time Mitan produces a multi-media project combining music and cinematography (or video-art), resulting in this debut release on a new Polish label called Trzecia FalaFind albums on this label, headed by a young Art enthusiast Lukasz StrzelczykFind albums by this artist. Back in the mid-1980s, when Poland was in its most depressing period, both politically and culturally, Polish Avant-Garde was enjoying a renaissance of sorts, taking advantage of the state of confusion that the Socialistic Regime was in due to the eminent collapse of the system already clearly apparent and as a result with a laxer censorship in place. Andrzej Mitan, who always believed in doing things rather than talking about them, released in 1984 a series of very bold musical statements by Avant-Garde musicians as five independently pressed LPs under the Alma ArtFind albums on this label moniker, which also presented outrageous and innovative packaging designed by Avant-Garde artists, including for example a barb-wired LP sleeve. Those five albums have become record collector´s Holy Grail due to the fact that only 1000 copies of each album were pressed, reaching today astronomical prices on the collector´s market. In 1987 four more albums appeared in a similar effort. This DVD uses part of the first of these legendary album as the musical layer, combining it with a video-art by Polish experimental artists Grzegorz RogalaFind albums by this artist, who utilizes a technique called time stretching, which in this case takes a 3 seconds long fragment of video and stretches it to last for about seven minutes, which produces an almost still like picture with barely visible change. The combination of the tension induced by the video and the dramatic musical background produce together a powerful statement, which is also quite unique. The music, which was recorded during the 1983 Jazz Jamboree in Warsaw (organized shortly after the Martial Law in Poland was lifted and obviously symbolizing an eruption of liberty), is performed by many Polish Avant-Garde legends, like bassist / leader Helmut NadolskiFind albums by this artist, vocalist Andrzej Mitan, pianist Andrzej BiezanFind albums by this artist (who died shortly after the recording), trumpeter Andrzej PrzybielskiFind albums by this artist and others, appearing under the moniker of Jubileuszowa Orkiestra Helmuta NadolskiegoFind albums by this artist. In retrospect it becomes clearly evident that these nine albums released by Mitan in the 1980s are extremely important documents of Polish Jazz and Polish Avant-Garde and absolutely have to be made available again, the sooner the better. Considering the fact that this DVD was also released as a numbered limited edition of 100 copies, it is by now as impossible to get as those legendary albums.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

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GRZEGORZ ROGALA PROJECT ~ ENTHUZJAZZM SOLITON 030 (Barcode: 5901549899306) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2010 Released: 2011 The incredible Renaissance of Jewish Culture, which erupted in recent years in Poland, the country which hosted Jews for centuries and then witnessed their extermination during the Holocaust, is truly wondrous and unprecedented. The renewed interest in Jewish Culture and Tradition has its musical sides of course, like Jewish Music Festivals and smaller, more intimate projects like this one - a Jazz quartet which brings together three Polish and one Israeli Jazz musicians: trombonist Grzegorz RogalaFind albums by this artist, bassist Lukasz BorowieckiFind albums by this artist, drummer Michal BryndalFind albums by this artist and female saxophonist Sagit ZilbermanFind albums by this artist. An oud player and a rapper guest on one track each. Together they perform seven compositions, which combine Jazz with Jewish folklore (and Polish folklore as well) – not a new concept, but certainly one which is able to produce very interesting results. Of the seven compositions three are by Rogala, two by John ZornFind albums by this artist (the legendary pioneer of the Radical Jewish Jazz movement), one by Zilberman and one is a standard arranged by Zilberman. The overall sound and musical approach of the quartet is very original and unique, with the two soloists improvising on top of a very solid rhythmic background provided by the rhythm section. In fact the bass player holds the music together in a truly admirable way. The quartet is not trying to play another version of Klezmer / Hasidic Jazz mixture, which has already been explored by many other ensembles, but creates their own stylistic approach, which although not completely Free, has a lot of freedom and space, which allows individual expression. Overall the album sounds fresh, interesting and unique, which doesn´t happen too often these days. Definitely worth investigating!

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GRZEGORZ ROGALA PROJECT ~ POLISH PSALTER ARS SONORA 5903855701052 (Barcode: 5903855701052) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is the first volume of psalms recorded by Polish Jazz trombonist Grzegorz RogalaFind albums by this artist and his ensemble, which includes soprano singer Barbara RogalaFind albums by this artist, German saxophonist Roman OttFind albums by this artist, Swedish bassist Anders GropFind albums by this artist and American drummer Frank ParkerFind albums by this artist. Theorbo player Filip ZielinskiFind albums by this artist guests on three tracks. The album presents seven tracks, all of which are based on Biblical David’s psalms, loosely translated into Polish language by 16th Century poet Jan KochanowskiFind albums by this artist, with music by his friend, composer Mikolaj GomolkaFind albums by this artist. The idea is continued on the second volume of this project, presented on a separate album, recorded by a different lineup (except for the Rogala couple) three years later. The music is an amalgam of the original pieces, sung by Barbara Rogala and then expanded into instrumental parts with Jazzy arrangements, performed by the instrumental ensemble, resulting in a characteristic Jazz-Classic Fusion. The album manages to create a fusion of the original Renaissance music with Jazz, which works splendidly, despite the obvious Centuries long time gap between them. It takes a while to get used to the transitions between the two musical spheres, there and back, but once over that hurdle everything works smoothly and the music is quite delightful. Most of the splendid soloing within the Jazzy parts is performed by Ott, whose playing fits the spirit of the project perfectly, but all the instrumentalist play excellently in both domains. The presence of the theorbo strengthens the link to the original sound of the music. The soprano vocal parts are of course the anchor of the entire project, and are performed with confidence and clarity. Overall, this is a very original undertaking, which demands open-mindedness and skill to pull off. The excellent arrangements and obvious dedication demanded from all the participants pays off and the resulting music is deeply moving and highly aesthetic. Although unusual and somewhat challenging, it should keep most Jazz lovers happy, especially those with affinity to vocal Classical music and the Renaissance period. Very well done indeed and wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 25/05/2024Posted: 25/05/2024

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

GRZEGORZ ROGALA PROJECT ~ POLISH PSALTER VOL. 2 ARS SONORA 5903855701854 (Barcode: 5903855701854) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2023 Released: 2023 This is the second volume of psalms recorded by Polish Jazz trombonist Grzegorz RogalaFind albums by this artist and his ensemble, which includes soprano singer Barbara RogalaFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Szymon BonkowskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Witold JaniakFind albums by this artist, bassist Michal RutkowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Kamil MiszewskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight tracks, all of which are based on Biblical David’s psalms, loosely translated into Polish language by 16th Century poet Jan KochanowskiFind albums by this artist, with music by his friend, composer Mikolaj GomolkaFind albums by this artist. The music is an amalgam of the original pieces, sung by Barbara Rogala and then expanded into instrumental parts with Jazzy arrangements, performed by the instrumental ensemble, resulting in a characteristic Jazz-Classic Fusion. The album manages to create a fusion of the original Renaissance music with Jazz, which works splendidly, despite the obvious Centuries long time gap between them. It takes a while to get used to the transitions between the two musical spheres, there and back, but once over that hurdle everything works smoothly and the music is quite delightful. Most of the splendid soloing within the Jazzy parts is performed by Janiak, whose delicate arpeggios fit the spirit of the project perfectly, but all the instrumentalist play excellently in both domains. The soprano vocal parts are of course the anchor of the entire project, and are performed with confidence and clarity. Overall, this is a very original undertaking, which demands open-mindedness and skill to pull off. The excellent arrangements and obvious dedication demanded from all the participants pays off and the resulting music is deeply moving and highly aesthetic. Although unusual and somewhat challenging, it should keep most Jazz lovers happy, especially those with affinity to vocal Classical music and the Renaissance period. Very well done indeed!

Updated: 08/03/2024Posted: 08/03/2024

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GRZEGORZ ROGALA PROJECT / SAGIT ZILBERMAN ~ POEZJAZZ SOLITON 382 (Barcode: 5901571093826) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2014 This is the second album by the Polish / Israeli ensemble, co-led by Polish trombonist Grzegorz RogalaFind albums by this artist and Israeli saxophonist Sagit ZilbermanFind albums by this artist. The ensemble includes also pianist Witold JaniakFind albums by this artist, bassist Wojciech PulcynFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof SzmandaFind albums by this artist. Two vocalists also take part in this recording: Barbara RogalaFind albums by this artist, who sings (in Hebrew) on one track and Malgorzata HutekFind albums by this artist, who sings (in Polish) on two other tracks. The album presents seven original compositions, five of which were composed by Rogala, two were composed by Zilberman and the remaining track is a traditional melody arranged by Rogala. The lyrics of two of the vocal tracks are by the Polish / Jewish writer Bruno Schultz, murdered during the Holocaust, and the third vocal track uses the Biblical text taken from the "Song of Songs". The album was recorded at the excellent Studio Tokarnia, with Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist presiding, which of course is a trademark of excellent sound quality. The album´s title is misleading, as it implies that the entire album belongs to the Jazz & Poetry sub-genre, which of course is more popular in Polish Jazz than anywhere else on this planet. However since only the three vocal tracks fall within the idiom´s boundaries, this extrapolation is unjustified and confusing. The album presents a series of fine mainstream compositions, mostly well built and quite interesting, all very well executed by the musicians, who are all professional and talented. Rogala is the main soloist and his trombone parts are always a pleasure to listen to, displaying sparks of virtuosity and highly personal stylistic approach. The rest of the instrumental parts are, as already stated, well done, but somewhat lack a flicker of inspiration or luster, which would make this music truly exciting. The vocal parts don´t work very well, as the singers struggle with the text trying to fit it within the complex melodic and harmonic structure of the songs or with a language (Hebrew) they are not familiar with, but of course are by and large acceptable. In short this is a nice album, which many listeners will find satisfactory, but considering the incredible high level of albums released in Poland these days, it certainly does not reach the level of excellence one would hope for.

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