Record Reviews

GAWEDA / MIELCAREK / STWORZEWICZ ~ SILBERMAN AND THREE OF A PERFECT PAIR AUDIO CAVE 2016/006 (Barcode: 5905669566131) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 This is the third album recorded under the "Silberman" moniker recorded by a Polish trio comprising of keyboardist Mateusz GawedaFind albums by this artist, bassist Jakub MielcarekFind albums by this artist and drummer Lukasz StworzewiczFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. SilbermanFind albums by this artist), which presents six pieces, five of which are originals: one by Gaweda, two by Stworzewicz and two co-composed by all three members of the trio. The remaining tune was composed by the Italian operatic composer Umberto GiordanoFind albums by this artist. The music incorporates poetry by Polish poetess Krystyna MilobedzkaFind albums by this artist and text by British philosopher Alan Wilson WattsFind albums by this artist, narrated by Jan PeszekFind albums by this artist. The music is a mixture of many different elements, from Classical to Avant Garde, performed by a piano trio, but having very little to do with a classic Jazz piano trio per se. There is a certain Punkish (see post-Yass) attitude, especially in the role of the drums, which obviously is more Rock than Jazz oriented. The three instruments seem to have divided the genre-related responsibilities, with piano playing the Classical parts, the bass the Avant Garde parts and the drums the Rock parts. Overall this music sounds often like Emerson, Lake & PalmerFind albums by this artist on acid. Add the narrated poems and you get a Psychedelic party like we used to have in the good old sixties. But seriously this is brilliant stuff from stat to finish, perhaps somewhat hesitant and searching, but certainly defining new rules as far as cross-genre excursions are concerned. The musicianship is, as expected, simply stunning with the still very young Gaweda does things with the piano that might not be allowed in some parts of the world. Mielcarek swings his bow like the legendary Helmut NadolskiFind albums by this artist, but also keeps a steady pulse when needed. Stworzewicz beats the hell out of the drums like Animal of the Muppets, but always within the proper boundaries, and always swinging. We need more albums like this one, which throw out everything we know about music into the garbage basket and take it from there, doing exactly what the people behind the music are after: fun, adventure, exploration, innovation and above all artistry. This is what being an artist is after all… This is definitely one of the most unique and curious Polish albums I heard in the last few years, and I have heard many of them, as my readers know. I can only recommend it wholeheartedly, hoping that it will find its way to as many open minded listeners as possible. Well done!

Updated: 17/06/2021Posted: 14/06/2016

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

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:

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Remastered Recommend To A Friend

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:

DVD 1 Recommend To A Friend

NIEMEN ~ ODE TO VENUS GREEN TREE 118 (Barcode: 4015689001183) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1973 Released: 2003 This is the 2nd album recorded by Polish singer / keyboardist / composer / lyricist / poet Czeslaw NiemenFind albums by this artist as part of his 4 albums deal with CBSFind albums on this label. It was recorded in Germany (same as the debut CBS release “Strange Is This WorldFind albums with this title”) and with the same musicians: Józef SkrzekFind albums by this artist on keyboards and electric bass, Apostolis AnthimosFind albums by this artist on guitar and Jerzy PiotrowskiFind albums by this artist on drums, but without Helmut NadolskiFind albums by this artist, who returned to Poland. Skrzek, Apostolis and Piotrowski were about to form SBBFind albums by this artist soon after, and the album’s sound bears a strong resemblance to the early SBB albums as these sessions crystallized their sound and their unique approach to Jazz-Rock. Skrzek composed and co-composed several of the tracks present here, which of course emphasizes even more the process of the build-up of the trio as a future independent unit. Their parting with Niemen was unfortunately not a happy one, as he felt they were using his name and popularity as a vehicle for their success, but such incidents are of course quite common in the music world. Dominated by the Jazz-Rock attitude, the album presents some superb melodies and excellent musicianship, but is slightly less adventurous than its predecessor. Nevertheless it is as good if not better that most of the music created at the time by other Western European or American musicians. Niemen’s powerful music, his completely unique vocals and the virtuosity of his band create together a musical experience that stands the tides of time wonderfully and remains a superb achievement of Polish musical heritage. It goes without saying that the album is an absolute must for any Niemen fan, but most Prog and Jazz-Rock lovers anywhere in the world should be able to enjoy this great music.

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

NIEMEN ~ ON STAGE 1970 / 1972 GREEN TREE 170 (Barcode: 4015689001701) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1970 - 1972 Released: 2018 This is an archival album, which presents live recordings by the greatest Polish Rock / Fusion musician of all times, vocalist / keyboardist / songwriter Czeslaw NiemenFind albums by this artist. Two of the tracks were recorded during the 1970 Jazz Jamboree Festival in Warsaw and three other at the 1972 National Festival of Polish Song in Opole. Niemen was at the time at the absolute peak of his artistic creativity as well as at the top of his immense popularity. Four of the tracks time at about ten minutes and one at almost twenty minutes, and all offer extended instrumental improvisations by some of the best Polish Rock and Jazz musicians active at the time. The 1970 tracks feature organist Jacek MikulaFind albums by this artist, guitarist Tomasz JaskiewiczFind albums by this artist, bassist Janusz ZielinskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Czeslaw BartkowskiFind albums by this artist as well as a vocal trio and an ensemble comprising of top Polish Jazz musicians: saxophonists Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist, Janusz MuniakFind albums by this artist and Tomasz SzukalskiFind albums by this artist, violinists Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist and Zbigniew SeifertFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, bassist Bronislaw SuchanekFind albums by this artist and drummer Janusz StefanskiFind albums by this artist. The 1972 tracks feature the core of what was to become the most famous Polish Fusion band SBBFind albums by this artist: bassist / keyboardist Jozef SkrzekFind albums by this artist, guitarists Apostolis AnthimosFind albums by this artist and drummer Jerzy PiotrowskiFind albums by this artist and two great Polish Avant-Garde Jazz musicians: bassist Helmut NadolskiFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Andrzej PrzybielskiFind albums by this artist. The music is absolutely stunning, as expected, and even the dubious sound quality of these recordings is not able to spoil the unadulterated pleasure this music is still able to generate almost fifty years after it was initially performed. Niemen was always light years ahead of his contemporaries on both sides of the Iron Curtain, and the fact that he remains still relatively anonymous beyond Eastern Europe, despite his revolutionary contributions and pioneering spirit, is a crying shame. It is a great pity that the entire legacy of Niemen´s recordings made outside of Poland and many of his live recordings remain unreleased and are available only unofficially, like all the Green TreeFind albums on this label titles. His third Box Set, which was to include all these treasures, remains sadly an unfulfilled dream. For all Polish Rock / Fusion enthusiasts as well as for the numerous Niemen fans this is an essential piece of his discography, which is definitely worth having, despite its technical flaws.

Updated: 07/09/2019Posted: 07/09/2019

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

NIEMEN ~ STRANGE IS THIS WORLD GREEN TREE 119 (Barcode: 4015689001190) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1972 Released: 2003 Polish singer / keyboardist / composer / lyricist / poet Czeslaw NiemenFind albums by this artist was one of the greatest musical geniuses to come out of Eastern Europe. His extraordinary life and personality has been already a subject of several books, but much more will be written about him in the future, especially since he’s sadly no longer with us. Niemen and his music served as a lighthouse to generations of East European musicians, who had limited access to music recorded and released in the Western world. His prophetic vision and out-of-this-world talent enabled him to create a whole universe of music, which was so powerful, pioneering and light-years ahead of its time, that it single-handedly educated whole generations of musicians, who studied, copied and learned from the Master. With the release of his debut album in 1967 (entitled “Dziwny Jest Ten SwiatFind albums with this title”, or “Strange Is This WorldFind albums with this title” in Polish), Niemen was instantly crowned as the absolute monarch of Eastern European Rock, and his subsequent releases, which documented his faster-then-light development, were all absolute musical marvels, cherished and adored by fans and musical peers alike. Following his stellar career in Poland, Niemen tried to build up a career in the West. He moved to Italy, where he performed and released several singles, but his music was obviously way too advanced for the popular market. He did manage however to get signed by CBSFind albums on this label Europe, with a contract to record 4 albums. The first 3 of these albums were recorded in Germany and the last in the US. This is the first of these albums and presents Niemen at his absolute best in every respect. With enough material written over the years for his Polish releases, Niemen selected just four of his most notable compositions, rearranging them musically and spiritually for the (then) present, including the translation of the lyrics into English and expanding the framework of the songs dramatically. The phenomenal quintet that recorded this music includes Niemen on vocals and organ, Józef SkrzekFind albums by this artist on keyboards and electric bass, Helmut NadolskiFind albums by this artist (a visionary Polish Avant-Garde musician) on acoustic bass, Apostolis AnthimosFind albums by this artist (as the name suggests a Greek born Polish resident) on guitar and the extremely talented young drummer Jerzy PiotrowskiFind albums by this artist. People, who are somewhat familiar with the Polish scene, might know that Skrzek, Apostolis and Piotrowski were about to form SBBFind albums by this artist, the greatest Polish Prog / Jazz-Rock group of the 1970s, soon after leaving Niemen’s group. The music on this album is majestic and sublime in every sense – dramatic vocals, superb instrumental work, beautiful melodies and complex arrangements, all coming together just perfectly. Nadolski inserts some incredible Avant-Garde bow work and Apostolis supplies some of the hottest guitar licks ever recorded. It is extremely difficult to categorize this music as far as genres are concerned, as it constantly shifts between Prog, Jazz-Rock and even Free Jazz. Niemen was simply beyond any one single musical category, producing total music, which is eternal and always stimulating. In retrospect this music remains 100 % valid and relevant today, with very few examples of anything done then and since to rival its brilliance. Of course only very few people beyond Poland ever heard about Niemen, but that is definitely their problem. Beyond essential!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

CD 1 Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend

SBB ~ LOST TAPES, VOL. 1 – STUDIO & LIVE RECORDINGS 1974-1978 METAL MIND 001 (Barcode: 5907785027046) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1974 - 1978 Released: 2005 In 2004 the Polish record label Metal MindFind albums on this label released a magnificent Box Set called "Anthology 1974-2004Find albums with this title", with contained 22 CDs of music by SBBFind albums by this artist - the most important Polish / East European Prog band active behind the Iron Curtain. These epic recordings changed the face of music as we know and influenced generations of musicians across the Soviet Empire and its satellite states, which makes that Box Set a well deserved tribute to the band and a superb document of enormous historical and aesthetic value. People interested to learn more about SBB should simply read the review of that release. The process of collecting the material for the anthology Box Set did not stop however with the box being released and somehow reanimated itself and kept going with additional previously unreleased material being uncovered continuously. This led to the release of two additional Box Sets, called "Lost TapesFind albums with this title", of which this is the first volume. The music included here was recorded during the first five years of SBB activity, which is by far the most interesting and dramatic. It covers a plethora of studio, radio and live recordings, all by the original lineup consisting of bassist / keyboardist Jozef SkrzekFind albums by this artist, guitarist Apostolis AnthimosFind albums by this artist and drummer Jerzy PiotrowskiFind albums by this artist. By far the most interesting recording in this Box Set is the quintet meeting between SBB and the legendary trumpeter Andrzej PrzybielskiFind albums by this artist and bassist Helmut NadolskiFind albums by this artist, in short the lineup that recorded with NiemenFind albums by this artist, this time sans Niemen himself. Another very interesting recording is the album SBB recorded with Polish female vocalist Halina FrackowiakFind albums by this artist, which is the only occasion the group agreed to accompany a vocalist. These three Box Sets with SBB music contain hours of excellent music and invaluable retrospective of history, but to be completely fair they also raise the question about compilations such these being "the right thing to do". There is a lot of repetition here and not every moment is truly inspired; much of it might have been perhaps best left undiscovered. Of course the band has a wide fan base ready to swallow any new piece of music recorded by SBB, but some moral / ethical questions could be also raised about cynical exploitation and opportunism. That said it is for the individual fan to decide if he wants to purchase all three Box Sets or not. All three Box Sets are numbered limited editions of one thousand copies.

Updated: 26/08/2020Posted:

CD 9 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Oversampling Remastered Recommend To A Friend

SBB ~ LOST TAPES, VOL. 2 – STUDIO & LIVE RECORDINGS 1971-1979 METAL MIND 002 (Barcode: 5907785029156) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1971 - 1979 Released: 2006 In 2004 the Polish record label Metal MindFind albums on this label released a magnificent Box Set called "Anthology 1974-2004Find albums with this title", with contained 22 CDs of music by SBBFind albums by this artist - the most important Polish / East European Prog band active behind the Iron Curtain. These epic recordings changed the face of music as we know and influenced generations of musicians across the Soviet Empire and its satellite states, which makes that Box Set a well deserved tribute to the band and a superb document of enormous historical and aesthetic value. People interested to learn more about SBB should simply read the review of that release. The process of collecting the material for the anthology Box Set did not stop however with the box being released and somehow reanimated itself and kept going with additional previously unreleased material being uncovered continuously. This led to the release of two additional Box Sets, called "Lost TapesFind albums with this title", of which this is the second volume. The music included here was recorded during the first six years of SBB activity, before they disbanded in early 1980, which is by far the most interesting and dramatic. It covers a plethora of studio, radio and live recordings, all by the original lineup consisting of bassist / keyboardist Jozef SkrzekFind albums by this artist, guitarist Apostolis AnthimosFind albums by this artist and drummer Jerzy PiotrowskiFind albums by this artist. By far the most interesting recording in this Box Set is the quintet meeting between SBB and the legendary trumpeter Andrzej PrzybielskiFind albums by this artist and bassist Helmut NadolskiFind albums by this artist, in short the lineup that recorded with NiemenFind albums by this artist, this time sans Niemen himself. Another very interesting recording is the meeting with Przybielski, captured on the last CD of this set. The opening CD of this set collects early recordings by SBB members, made before the group was formally founded. These three Box Sets with SBB music contain hours of excellent music and invaluable retrospective of history, but to be completely fair they also raise the question about compilations such these being "the right thing to do". There is a lot of repetition here and not every moment is truly inspired; much of it might have been perhaps best left undiscovered. Of course the band has a wide fan base ready to swallow any new piece of music recorded by SBB, but some moral / ethical questions could be also raised about cynical exploitation and opportunism. That said it is for the individual fan to decide if he wants to purchase all three Box Sets or not. All three Box Sets are numbered limited editions of one thousand copies.

Updated: 26/08/2020Posted:

CD 9 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Oversampling Remastered Recommend To A Friend