Record Reviews

MAREK GRECHUTA ~ MAREK GRECHUTA & ANAWA POMATON 724352774029 (Barcode: 724352774029) ~ POLAND ~ Pop & Rock Recorded: 1970 Released: 2000 This is the debut album by Polish singer / songwriter / poet Marek GrechutaFind albums by this artist, one of the most iconic figures on the Polish popular music scene and the most important representative of the Music & Poetry movement in Poland. This is also his first of the two albums with the group AnawaFind albums by this artist, which he founded during his student years in Krakow together with fellow architecture student, pianist / composer Jan Kanty PawluskiewiczFind albums by this artist. The version of Anawa playing on this album was sextet, which included also cellist Anna WojtowiczFind albums by this artist, viola player Tadeusz KozuchFind albums by this artist, bassist Jacek OstaszewskiFind albums by this artist and guitarist Tadeusz DziedzicFind albums by this artist. Several guest musicians also played on the album, including drummer Janusz StefanskiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Marek JackowskiFind albums by this artist, violinist Zbigniew PaletaFind albums by this artist and others. The album includes ten tracks, seven composed by Pawluskiewicz and three composed by Grechuta. Grechuta wrote lyrics to three of the songs and the remaining seven are by some of the Polish poets Grechuta admired: Adam MickiewiczFind albums by this artist, Julian TuwimFind albums by this artist, Leszek Aleksander MoczulskiFind albums by this artist (closely associated with the legendary Polish group SkaldowieFind albums by this artist) and others. Musically the album is light-years ahead of its time and completely different from anything else that was happening on the Pop / Rock scene at the time in Poland or anywhere else for that matter. It amalgamates seemingly conflicting elements like contemporary Classical music, Psychedelia, chanson and cabaret, Jazz and very strong Folklore and World Music influences. In addition there is also the omnipresent Polish melancholy, emphasized by the poignant lyrics and sensitive delivery. Although the Music & Poetry movement existed in Poland earlier, mostly in the intimate cabaret environment, Grechuta took it forward making a milestone step towards perfecting the genre and no less importantly popularizing it by bringing it to huge crowds rather than to the limited Avant-Garde / intellectual audiences of small clubs and student hangouts. Grechuta is a master of his trade and his vocal delivery is simply sublime. Always somewhere in between singing and reciting, his interpretation of the lyrics is exquisitely intelligent and insightful. The entire band performs simply divinely, displaying obvious talents and sensitivity. Such combination of beautiful music performed as perfectly as here is indeed extraordinary. Therefore in retrospect this is simply one of the best Pop / Rock albums ever recorded in Poland and absolutely nothing recorded since comes even close to its perfection, except of course for the next album he recorded with the same group called "Korowod", which is considered even stronger than this one. It is completely untouched by time and constantly gets better in contrast to most music created today. It is an absolute must have for every lover of Polish music and no collection of Polish music will be complete without it. This expanded and remastered edition includes twelve bonus tracks recorded by the Polish Radio or in concert, all of excellent quality, both sonically and musically. Perfection incarnate!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

MAREK GRECHUTA / ANAWA ~ KOROWOD POMATON 724352774227 (Barcode: 724352774227) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1971 Released: 2000 This is the second album by Polish singer / songwriter / poet Marek GrechutaFind albums by this artist, one of the most iconic figures on the Polish popular music scene and the most important representative of the Music & Poetry movement in Poland. This is also his second and last album with the group AnawaFind albums by this artist, which he founded during his student years in Krakow together with fellow architecture student, pianist / composer Jan Kanty PawluskiewiczFind albums by this artist. Anawa was an octet, an unusually large ensemble on the Pop scene, and included also bassist / flautist Jacek OstaszewskiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Marek JackowskiFind albums by this artist, drummer Eugeniusz MakowkaFind albums by this artist, cellist Anna WojtowiczFind albums by this artist, viola player Tadeusz KozuchFind albums by this artist and violinist Zbigniew PaletaFind albums by this artist. The album includes nine tracks, five composed by Pawluskiewicz (including one instrumental), three composed by Grechuta and one by Jackowski (the instrumental intro opening the album). Grechuta wrote lyrics to three of the songs and the remaining four are by some of the Polish poets Grechuta admired: Jan ZychFind albums by this artist, Konstanty Ildefons GalczynskiFind albums by this artist, Leszek Aleksander MoczulskiFind albums by this artist (closely associated with the legendary Polish group SkaldowieFind albums by this artist) and Tadeusz SliwiakFind albums by this artist. Musically the albums is light-years ahead of its time and completely different from anything else that was happening on the Pop / Prog scene at the time in Poland or anywhere else for that matter. It amalgamates seemingly conflicting elements like contemporary Classical music, Psychedelia, chanson and cabaret, Jazz and very strong Folklore and World Music influences. Anawa was among the earliest ensembles to be influenced by World Music and it´s not surprising that Ostaszewski and Jackowski would soon after create OssianFind albums by this artist, the first full-fledged World Music ensemble in Poland. In addition there is also the omnipresent Polish melancholy, emphasized by the poignant lyrics and sensitive delivery. The short instrumental suite composed by Pawluskiewicz is an absolute masterpiece and a timeless gem in its own right. Grechuta is a master of his trade and his vocal delivery is simply sublime. Always somewhere in between singing and reciting, his interpretation of the lyrics is exquisitely intelligent and insightful. The entire band performs simply divinely, displaying obvious talents and sensitivity. Such combination of beautiful music performed as perfectly as here is indeed extraordinary. Therefore in retrospect this is simply one of the best Pop / Prog albums ever recorded in Poland and absolutely nothing recorded since comes even close to its perfection. It is completely untouched by time and constantly gets better in contrast to most music created today. It is an absolute must have for every lover of Polish music and no collection of Polish music will be complete without it. This expanded and remastered edition includes eight bonus tracks recorded by the Polish Radio, all of excellent quality, both sonically and musically. Perfection incarnate!

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

JERZY MILIAN ~ SEMIRAMIDA GAD 024 (Barcode: 5901549197303) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1966 - 1969 Released: 2015 This is the fourth installment of the archival series released by GADFind albums on this label Records, which presents the work of Polish Jazz vibraphonist / composer / bandleader Jerzy MilianFind albums by this artist. This chapter is dedicated to the Milian trio, which was his basic platform in the mid to late 1960s and which was eventually used to record his formal debut album "BazaarFind albums with this title" in 1969. This album collects the recordings made by the trio during four consecutive editions of the Jazz Jamboree Festival in the years 1966-1969. The trio included bassist Jacek BednarekFind albums by this artist, who was replaced in 1969 by Jacek OstaszewskiFind albums by this artist, and drummer Grzegorz GierlowskiFind albums by this artist. On the 1969 recordings the violinist Marian SiejkaFind albums by this artist is also present. The album comprises of eleven compositions, five of which are Milian originals and one is co-composed by Milian and Ostaszewski, two are by Bednarek and the remaining three are standards. Almost fifty years later a retrospective analysis of these recordings clearly shows how revolutionary and ahead of their time they were then and how relevant they still are now. The vibraphone trio by itself was quite a unique concept at the time with only very few parallels, and combined with the highly unusual musical approach led by Milian, which combined Cool, Third Stream and Polish Romanticism, presented the listener with an intellectual challenge of the highest degree. Additionally the World Music influence added by both Bednarek and Ostaszewski (the latter was about to start the legendary group OssianFind albums by this artist soon after), was also utterly innovative at the time. It is fascinating to hear the progress from the first track of this album to the last, which turns out to be almost completely Free Form. The album is also a powerful showcase of the incredible talents of two legendary Polish Jazz bassists, as these trio recordings allow us to hear their incredible contributions upfront. Gierlowski also plays beautifully and of course Milian´s playing is phenomenal, but that is hardly surprising. These live recordings suffer from minor sonic quality problems, even after they have been well remastered, but vibraphone always presents quite a challenge and considering the conditions available behind the Iron Curtain at the time it is miraculous this music sounds as it does. Overall this is another important addition to the recorded history of Polish Jazz, which should not be missed. Hopefully more gems like this one will be made available to the eagerly awaiting fans.

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

WLODZIMIERZ NAHORNY ~ HEART (POLISH JAZZ VOL.15) MUZA 1015 (Barcode: 5907783420153) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1967 Released: 2005 This incredible album presents a trio recording by virtuoso Polish saxophonist / pianist / composer Wlodzimierz NahornyFind albums by this artist with bassist Jacek OstaszewskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Sergiusz PerkowskiFind albums by this artist. Definitely one of the earliest examples of European Free Jazz, and the first Polish Free Jazz album in the full sense of the genre, it is amazing that such album was released in Socialist Poland in the midst of the country´s darkest political age. Although based on short melodic themes, the music is adventurous and pioneering in every sense and as groundbreaking as any similar recordings made at the time in US or Western Europe. The level of virtuosity and interplay demonstrated by the musicians is breathtaking and the overall musical content is stunning. Nahorny plays also piano on some of the tracks and his performance is no less virtuosic, lyrical and melodic in contrast to his free saxophone excursions. Nahorny is also known for his association with the great Polish group BreakoutFind albums by this artist, as being the first Polish Jazz musician to cooperate with Rock musicians. This is an absolute must for all lovers of Polish / European Jazz and a great piece of Jazz history!

CD 1 Digipak Oversampling Remastered Recommend To A Friend

OSSIAN ~ KSIEGA CHMUR MILO 110 (Barcode: 5907513047247) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1979 Released: 2006 3rd album by the great Polish Prog group OssianFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. OsjanFind albums by this artist), which was one of the first East European groups to embrace World Music influences and incorporate them into their highly improvised music. Founded in 1971 by multi-instrumentalists Jacek OstaszewskiFind albums by this artist (flutes and percussion) and Tomasz HolujFind albums by this artist (tabla and percussion), the band was later expanded to include Milo KurtisFind albums by this artist (trombita and percussion, who is of Greek origin), creating some of the most adventurous and mind-blowing music, which of course at the time was truly pioneering and eons before its time. Later incarnations of the group were further expended to include additional musicians. The group´s music consists of long (usually well over 10 minutes) contemplative and largely improvised pieces, performed solely on acoustic instruments. Deeply emotional and drawing its inspiration from the Far East, Middle East, India and Polish Folklore, this is definitely one of the most wonderfully strange musical experiences one can get exposed to. This album was recorded with a quintet lineup with the addition of violinist Zygmunt KaczmarskiFind albums by this artist and percussionist Radoslaw NowakowskiFind albums by this artist, as well as several guest musicians, including the great Polish Jazz bassist Pawel JarzebskiFind albums by this artist, and is definitely the most consistent and coherent recording the group ever made, with the entire album dedicated to a five-piece suite which gives the album its title. A must to all brave-hearted music lovers!

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OSSIAN ~ OSSIAN MILO 111 (Barcode: 5907513047254) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1975 Released: 2006 1st album by the great Polish Prog group OssianFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. OsjanFind albums by this artist), which was one of the first East European groups to embrace World Music influences and incorporate them into their highly improvised music. Founded in 1971 by multi-instrumentalists Jacek OstaszewskiFind albums by this artist (flutes and percussion) and Tomasz HolujFind albums by this artist (tabla and percussion), the band was later expanded to include Milo KurtisFind albums by this artist (trombita and percussion, who is of Greek origin), creating some of the most adventurous and mind-blowing music, which of course at the time was truly pioneering and eons before its time. Later incarnations of the group were further expended to include additional musicians. The group´s music consists of long (usually well over 10 minutes) contemplative and largely improvised pieces, performed solely on acoustic instruments. Deeply emotional and drawing its inspiration from the Far East, Middle East, India and Polish Folklore, this is definitely one of the most wonderfully strange musical experiences one can get exposed to. This debut album was recorded before Kurtis joined the band and features guitarist Marek JackowskiFind albums by this artist. By the time of this recording the group had already years of experience playing together live, which is apparent from the incredible level of the interplay between the musicians. A must to all brave-hearted music lovers!

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OSSIAN ~ OSSIAN (FEATURING TOMASZ STANKO) MILO 109 (Barcode: 5907513047223) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1978 Released: 2006 2nd album by the great Polish Prog group OssianFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. OsjanFind albums by this artist), which was one of the first East European groups to embrace World Music influences and incorporate them into their highly improvised music. Founded in 1971 by multi-instrumentalists Jacek OstaszewskiFind albums by this artist (flutes and percussion) and Tomasz HolujFind albums by this artist (tabla and percussion), the band was later expanded to include Milo KurtisFind albums by this artist (trombita and percussion, who is of Greek origin), creating some of the most adventurous and mind-blowing music, which of course at the time was truly pioneering and eons before its time. Later incarnations of the group were further expended to include additional musicians. The group´s music consists of long (usually well over 10 minutes) contemplative and largely improvised pieces, performed solely on acoustic instruments. Deeply emotional and drawing its inspiration from the Far East, Middle East, India and Polish Folklore, this is definitely one of the most wonderfully strange musical experiences one can get exposed to. This album was recorded with the trio including Kurtis and features the great Polish Jazz trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist (who plays on side B of the original LP), who invited the group to record an impromptu session for the Polish Radio, sharing with them his love of improvisation and mysterious music. A must to all brave-hearted music lovers!

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

OSSIAN ~ ROOTS MILO 101 ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1982 Released: 2005 4th album by the great Polish Prog group OssianFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. OsjanFind albums by this artist), which was one of the first East European groups to embrace World Music influences and incorporate them into their highly improvised music. Founded in 1971 by multi-instrumentalists Jacek OstaszewskiFind albums by this artist (flutes and percussion) and Tomasz HolujFind albums by this artist (tabla and percussion), the band was later expanded to include Milo KurtisFind albums by this artist (trombita and percussion, who is of Greek origin), creating some of the most adventurous and mind-blowing music, which of course at the time was truly pioneering and eons before its time. Later incarnations of the group were further expended to include additional musicians. The group´s music consists of long (usually well over 10 minutes) contemplative and largely improvised pieces, performed solely on acoustic instruments. Deeply emotional and drawing its inspiration from the Far East, Middle East, India and Polish Folklore, this is definitely one of the most wonderfully strange musical experiences one can get exposed to. This album was recorded with a quartet lineup with guitarist Wojciech WaglewskiFind albums by this artist and percussionist Radoslaw NowakowskiFind albums by this artist (who replaced Holuj), and is definitely one of the most consistent and coherent recordings the group ever made, with the entire album dedicated to two extended improvised pieces. A must to all brave-hearted music lovers!

Updated: 01/01/2016Posted:

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

ANDRZEJ TRZASKOWSKI ~ SEANT (POLISH JAZZ VOL.11) POLSKIE RADIO 0541 (Barcode: 5901448115415) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1965 - 1966 Released: 2005 This monumental album, perhaps as important as fellow Polish Jazz Godfather Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist´s "AstigmanticFind albums with this title", recorded at the same period, is unfortunately significantly less known and appreciated, both in Poland and abroad, which is a great misfortune. Pianist / composer Andrzej TrzaskowskiFind albums by this artist contributed enormously to the development of Polish Jazz, especially in the field of more experimental, Avant-Garde, Free Jazz music, which was rapidly developing worldwide in the 1960s. This sextet recording, which includes American trumpeter Ted CursonFind albums by this artist (of Charles MingusFind albums by this artist fame), who was spending as much of his time in Europe as at home, playing along brilliant Polish crew: saxophonists Wlodzimierz NahornyFind albums by this artist and Janusz MuniakFind albums by this artist, bassist Jacek OstaszewskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam JedrzejowskiFind albums by this artist. The music, all original compositions by Trzaskowski, is simply brilliant and absolutely pioneering in every respect. Listening to this album in retrospect one can hear clearly that in the historic perspective it was as innovative and groundbreaking as anything else created at the time over the pond and beyond the Iron Curtain. In addition it is also aesthetically beautiful and intellectually challenging. An absolute must to any Polish Jazz enthusiast; this is an essential piece of Polish Jazz history.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

CD 1 Digipak Oversampling Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend

VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ POLISH RADIO JAZZ ARCHIVES VOL.20 POLSKIE RADIO 1872 (Barcode: 5907812248727) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1964 Released: 2015 This is the twentieth installment in the new series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings. Radio recordings are always a fabulous source of remarkable material, and as far as Polish Jazz history is concerned, the Polish Radio, which was a state monopoly for 45 years, recorded over time a plethora of invaluable material, which apart from the albums released by the Polskie Nagrania record company (also a state monopoly), is the only available additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland´s most important Jazz venues, including the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well. The ten tracks collected here were recorded during the seventh Jazz Jamboree Festival, which took place between October 24 and 26 1964 in Warsaw. The music was performed by four different ensembles, which are: a quartet led by the German brothers Rolf KuhnFind albums by this artist on clarinet and Joachim KuhnFind albums by this artist on piano with Polish rhythm section consisting of bassists Tadeusz WojcikFind albums by this artist or Juliusz SandeckiFind albums by this artist (here misspelled as Julian) and drummer Andrzej DabrowskiFind albums by this artist (four tracks), a trio led by Hungarian bass virtuoso Aladar PegeFind albums by this artist with Polish pianist Wojciech KarolakFind albums by this artist and drummer Andrzej Dabrowski (also four tracks), a quintet led by Polish pianist / composer Andrzej TrzaskowskiFind albums by this artist with trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Janusz MuniakFind albums by this artist, bassist Jacek OstaszewskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam JedrzejowskiFind albums by this artist (one track only) and finally a trio led by Dutch pianist Pim JacobsFind albums by this artist with his brother Ruud JacobsFind albums by this artist on bass and guitarist Wim OvergaauwFind albums by this artist (also one track only). Most of the music consists of standards and the only original material is one piece by Rolf Kuhn and the only track by the Trzaskowski quintet, which was composed by Stanko and which is absolutely the best and most interesting track on this album. The beautifully restored sound quality is excellent and the warm ambience of the analog recording is a true joy. As usual with this series, which is very reasonably priced, I miss the presence of "in depth" liner notes / booklet, which should convey the circumstances at which this music was recorded and its importance to the development of Jazz in Poland. Nevertheless this is an absolutely essential piece of Jazz history which every Jazz fan will surely consider an absolute must.

Updated: 02/12/2016Posted:

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ POLISH RADIO JAZZ ARCHIVES VOL.27 POLSKIE RADIO 2059 (Barcode: 5907812247126) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1965 Released: 2016 This is the twenty-seventh installment in the series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings from the radio vaults. Radio recordings are always a fabulous source of remarkable material, and as far as Polish Jazz history is concerned, the Polish Radio, which was a state monopoly for 45 years, recorded over time a plethora of invaluable material, which apart from the albums released by the Polskie Nagrania record company (also a state monopoly), is the only available additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland´s most important Jazz venues, including the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well. The tracks presented here were recorded live in December 1965 during the eighth Jazz Jamboree Festival in Warsaw and are the second volume of a collection of tracks from that event. The first two tracks present a trio led by one of the Godfathers of modern European Jazz, the German pianist / composer Joachim KuhnFind albums by this artist with bassist Klaus KochFind albums by this artist and drummer Reinhard SchwartzFind albums by this artist. They perform two original compositions by Kuhn and the performance is one of the earliest examples of European Free Jazz. Kuhn´s performance here is absolutely stunning as everything he played at the time, before he moved from East German to West Germany. The fact that his Free Jazz playing was tolerated by the GDR regime is a fascinating story by itself. More details about his activity around the time this music was recorded ban be found in the review of the Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist´s album "Live At Kosmos, BerlinFind albums with this title", which was recorded just a month earlier. The next four tracks present a quintet led by another Godfather of modern European Jazz, the German trombonist / composer Albert MangelsdorffFind albums by this artist with saxophonists Gunter KronbergFind albums by this artist and Heinz SauerFind albums by this artist, bassist Gunter LentzFind albums by this artist and drummer Ralf HubnerFind albums by this artist. They perform three original compositions by Mangelsdorff and one composition by the British trumpeter / composer Ian CarrFind albums by this artist, a great pioneer of modern British Jazz. Although the music performed by the Albert Mangelsdorff quintet is not as Free Jazz oriented as that by Joachim Kuhn, it is a superb of early modern European Jazz, which was already emancipated from the American Jazz influence and clearly showed the new direction being created in Europe. Both these performances show the importance of German musicians as co-creators of early European Jazz. The last track present a sextet led by yet another Godfather of modern European Jazz, the Polish Jazz pianist / composer Andrzej TrzaskowskiFind albums by this artist with American trumpeter Ted CursonFind albums by this artist (who was living in Europe at the time), saxophonists Janusz MuniakFind albums by this artist and Wlodzimierz NahornyFind albums by this artist, bassist Jacek OstaszewskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam JedrzejowskiFind albums by this artist. They perform one extended original composition by Trzaskowski. The music is again a stunning example of early modern European Jazz and a great precursor of the explosion of the Polish Jazz scene, which was happening at the time. The beautifully restored sound quality is excellent and the warm ambience of the analog recording is a true joy. As usual with this series, which is very reasonably priced, I miss the presence of "in depth" liner notes / booklet, which should convey the circumstances at which this music was recorded and its importance to the development of Jazz in Poland. Nevertheless this is an absolutely essential piece of Jazz history which every Jazz fan will surely consider an absolute must.

Updated: 03/12/2016Posted: 03/12/2016

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend

VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ POLISH RADIO JAZZ ARCHIVES VOL.33 POLSKIE RADIO 2182 (Barcode: 5907812241223) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1967 Released: 2021 This is the thirty-third installment in the series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings from the radio vaults. Radio recordings are always a fabulous source of remarkable material, and as far as Polish Jazz history is concerned, the Polish Radio, which was a state monopoly for 45 years, recorded over time a plethora of invaluable material, which apart from the albums released by the Polskie Nagrania record company (also a state monopoly), is the only available additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland´s most important Jazz venues, including the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well. The tracks presented here were recorded live in October 1967 during the tenth Jazz Jamboree Festival in Warsaw and are the first volume of a collection of tracks from that event. The first five tracks present the American multi-reed player Roland KirkFind albums by this artist and his quartet, which included pianist Ron BurtonFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Rahn BurtonFind albums by this artist), bassist Steve NovoselFind albums by this artist and drummer Jimmy HoppsFind albums by this artist. The quartet performs two original compositions by Kirk and three standards, all pretty standard American Bebop, which at the time was already considered somewhat passé in comparison to the work done by the great American Jazz innovators headed by John ColtraneFind albums by this artist, who died just a few months before these tracks were recorded. The next track presents the quintet led by great Polish pianist / composer Andrzej TrzaskowskiFind albums by this artist with saxophonists Janusz MuniakFind albums by this artist and Wlodzimierz NahornyFind albums by this artist, bassist Jacek OstaszewskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Sergiusz PerkowskiFind albums by this artist (mistakenly listed as Sergiusz Piotrowski). The quintet performs one lengthy version of an original composition by Trzaskowski, clearly showing that already at that time Polish Jazz was as good as anything originating across the pond and frankly the composition is light-years ahead of Bebop, somewhat on the thin line between composed and improvised music. The next two tracks present the German quintet led by trumpeter Manfred SchoofFind albums by this artist with saxophonist Gerd DudekFind albums by this artist, pianist Alexander von SchlippenbachFind albums by this artist, bassist Buschi NiebergallFind albums by this artist and drummer Jaki LiebezeitFind albums by this artist (mistakenly listed as Liebezeit Jaki). The quintet performs two lengthy medleys, each of two compositions, all original by the members of the quintet. The music is a superb example of early European Free Jazz, which was exploding at the time across Europe, with Germany being one of the epicenters of the new direction. The music is absolutely sensational and sounds today as fresh as it was at the time of the recording, perfectly illustrating the notion that Free Jazz can make sense and be aesthetically viable. It also sadly proves that the genre did not move an inch ahead in the fifty-four years that passed since. The series, which was brought back to life after three years of absence, offers an upgraded packaging, which finally offers liner notes, albeit those could have been better, considering the importance of this music. The beautifully restored sound quality is excellent and the warm ambience of the analog recording is a true joy. Overall this is an absolutely essential piece of Jazz history which every Jazz fan should consider as a must.

Updated: 23/07/2021Posted: 23/07/2021

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend