Record Reviews

INFANT JOY QUINTET ~ NEW GHOSTS FOR TUNE 0029 (Barcode: 5902768701319) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2014 This is the debut recording by the Polish Improvised Music ensemble Infant Joy QuintetFind albums by this artist, which consists of British (resident in Warsaw) saxophonist Ray DickatyFind albums by this artist, and Polish musicians: saxophonist Jan MalkowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Ksawery WojcinskiFind albums by this artist and drummers Michal KasperekFind albums by this artist and Dominik MokrzewskiFind albums by this artist. Harmonica player Laura WaniekFind albums by this artist appears as a guest artist. The album presents three extensive improvisations, one of which is almost half an hour in duration, all credited to all the quintet members. With a double saxophone / double drums lineup the quintet presents a solid showcase of concentrated group improvisation, which keeps a pretty steady level of intensity from the very first seconds the music starts to play till the very end, leaving almost no place for individual expression. The "wall of sound" effect hints (in addition to the album´s title) as to the intention of the musicians to pay tribute to the legendary Albert AylerFind albums by this artist, which is only partly successful. Wojcinski, who is left alone in the "center" of this music, manages to keep the havoc in check, and his energetic, but well structured bass pulsations save the entire proceedings from disintegration. Collective improvisation is of course based primarily not on the ability of the musicians to play but rather on their ability to listen to what the other ensemble members play. On this album it often appears as if the mutual listening is secondary. Overall this is a typical Improvised Music meeting, all a spur of the moment, completely unique and unrepeatable. As such it has its merits and is worth listening to, but there is hardly any groundbreaking, innovative or extraordinary statement being made here. It is important to listen to such music live but on record it loses its charm considerably.

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

SKEREBOTTE FATTA ~ APPAZ FOR TUNE 0152 (Barcode: 5906395808670) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2020 Released: 2021 This is the second album by Polish Free Jazz duo Skerebotte FattaFind albums by this artist, which comprises of saxophonist Jan MalkowskiFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Jan SkerebotteFind albums by this artist) and drummer Dominik MokrzewskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions credited to the duo members. As the album’s title and the track titles (when read in reverse) suggest, the album is a tribute to icons of creative music, as diverse as Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist, Albert AylerFind albums by this artist or Han BenninkFind albums by this artist. Both Malkowski and Mokrzewski already participated in several Polish Free Jazz / Improvised Music recordings, including the RdzaFind albums by this artist ensemble and the Infant Joy QuintetFind albums by this artist, the latter also released on the For TuneFind albums on this label label. The rather unusual saxophone – drums duo obviously immediately prompts for comparisons to similar recordings on the world scale, but honestly it’s hardly relevant to compare these relatively young musicians with world-class veterans like Max RoachFind albums by this artist / Anthony BraxtonFind albums by this artist or John ColtraneFind albums by this artist / Rashied AliFind albums by this artist. It’s better to keep things in proportion. The duo members display an obvious rapport and excellent partnership, while building their performances, usually driving them to an explosive crescendo. Both also display excellent technique and evident understanding of the Improvised Music idiom. As a result, the music they create offers honest effort and inventive excitement, which are perhaps more appropriate for a live performance than a studio recording, but that is just a mere observation. The problem with Improvised Music is always its long-term musical value, which faces the obvious conflict between spontaneous / momentary creation and its lasting significance. In plain words, will a potential listener return to listen to this music ever again? In times when listeners are constantly bombarded with an endless flow of new releases and the opportunity to discover older recordings made available, the chances of Improvised Music recordings become ever slimmer, unless they are truly unique and everlasting. As wonderful as the Polish Jazz scene has become in the last two decades, Improvised Music is unfortunately not one of its fortes. Overall, this is an ambitious and generally successful Free Jazz / Improvised Music duo recording, with a lot of passion and technique involved. For lovers of the genre, it is certainly a worthy excursion into the Polish flavor of the idiom.

Updated: 25/09/2021Posted: 25/09/2021

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend