Record Reviews

MARIA POMIANOWSKA & GROUPE GAINDE ~ WARSZAWA - DAKAR FOR TUNE 0069 (Barcode: 5902768701715) ~ POLAND ~ World Music & Folklore Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015 This is an album by Polish multi-instrumentalist / vocalist / composer Maria PomianowskaFind albums by this artist, who is a leading figure on the local Ethno / Folklore / World Music scene, on which she cooperates with a Senegalese ensemble called Groupe GaindeFind albums by this artist and a couple of Polish World Music multi-instrumentalist: Pawel BetleyFind albums by this artist and Gwidon CybulskiFind albums by this artist. Together the collective ensemble performs eleven pieces, most of which are Polish or Senegalese traditional songs and three are originals by Pomianowska. The idea behind such multiculti projects is of course a process of amalgamation of the separate cultural ingredients into a new entity, which is supposed to be different from the original sources of influence. In this respect this album fails its objective, as the resulting music remains very closely connected with Polish Folklore and the African vocals, instruments and rhythms serve only as ornamentation and are unable to have any profound musical influence. Even the traditional Moroccan or Senegalese tunes sound more Polish than their true place of origin. This happens due to the arrangements by Pomianowska, who is the driving force of this project, and who has a very dominant influence on these proceedings. Nevertheless the music is still a fine example of Folklore / World Music, very well executed both vocally and instrumentally, and a nice listen to all fans of the genre. Polish lyrics might be a hurdle for non-Polish listeners, but these days it is of little significance. The beautiful melancholic Polish Folklore songs are all true gems, with the only problem being that they are all very similar melodically and harmonically, and after a while start to sound a bit tiresome. Overall this album is certainly worth exploring by World Music fans, although it offers a much "localized" perspective of the genre.

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