Record Reviews

MACIEJ FORTUNA ~ ILLA FM 024 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018 This is an album by Polish Jazz trumpeter / composer Maciej FortunaFind albums by this artist recorded in a quintet setting with vocalist Kamila SalachFind albums by this artist, pianist Dominik MakosaFind albums by this artist, bassist Roman ChraniukFind albums by this artist and drummer Jakub MiarczynskiFind albums by this artist. It is a Jazz & Poetry project presenting eleven songs, all composed by Fortuna, based on poems by the Polish poetess Kazimiera IllakowiczownaFind albums by this artist (Illa in short), one of the most celebrated literary figures in Poland´s interwar period, associated with the city of Poznan. Fortuna managed to create very unique musical attire to these expressive and often almost psychedelic poems, which are full of powerful metaphors, daunting imagery and macabre atmosphere. His piercing trumpet solos lead the way for the instrumental soundtrack, while Salach delivers the lyrics in a highly theatric, rather than typical vocal expressionism. Although clearly kept in a Jazz framework, these songs are first and foremost conceptually designed to emphasize the storyline of the poems. As a result, the music is somewhat detached from the Jazz idiom, but remains ideally suited for the Jazz & Poetry setting. All four instrumentalists perform the music with dedication and flair, exactly as the composer intended. The rhythm section delivers a strong, almost Rocky pulse, the piano represents the lyrical elements and the superb trumpet parts are a component of the actual storytelling, wordless but no less expressive. Overall this is another excellent example of Polish Jazz & Poetry project, which is full of great music embracing poetry. Polish Jazz seems to be enamored in this specific genre, and consistently produces superb examples of cross-Art-form marriages. Fortuna consistently continues to build up his position as one of the leading figures on the Polish Jazz scene, constantly surprising Jazz connoisseurs with his new creations. Highly recommended!

Updated: 15/09/2018Posted: 15/09/2018

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SZYMON KLIMA ~ FOLWARK HEVHETIA 0166 (Barcode: 8588005258395) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by a Polish Jazz quintet led by clarinetist / composer Szymon KlimaFind albums by this artist, which also includes saxophonist Dariusz RubinowskiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Jakub MizerackiFind albums by this artist, bassist Adam KowalewskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Jakub MiarczynskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents six pieces, which are all interpretations of Polish Folklore in the widest meaning of the idiom, including even Polish Hassidic music, and also include some improvised and inspired motifs created by the quintet members. In 2017 Klima, as a member of the Improvision QuartetFind albums by this artist, released one of the best Polish Jazz albums of that year, the fantastic "Free-Folk-JazzFind albums with this title", and this album is in many respects a continuation of the same approach, although the sound is somewhat different. Instead of the wonderful piano parts, which placed the music closer to the Free Jazz milieu, on this album the guitar takes the music more into Free Rock direction. But the basic characteristics of the previous album, which are above all about the intimate conversations between the musicians and the mutual development of ideas, are still here. The individual contributions by all the quintet members are all superb, and the virtuosic statements chase each other as the music moves forward. Solos, duos, trios and full quintet parts move in and out in a magical flow, which is unstoppable. There is accord and contrast, harmony and discord, all making perfect sense. The "sweet" mellow clarinet sound and the harsh distorted guitar din are able to coexist in perfect coherence and musical logic. The rhythm section is brought up to the level of the other instruments and becomes an integral part of the music, especially in the heat of the group improvisation parts. It seems that Polish Jazz manages time after time to create innovative and challenging statements when re-examining and re-approaching the Polish Folklore musical tradition, which is broad and rich, probably more successfully that similar attempts on other Jazz scenes around the world. This album is another example of the inspiration that Polish Folklore is able to arouse, stimulate and inspire, taking the amalgamated result into unpredicted and previously uncharted territory. Overall this is yet another highly successful and rewarding musical experiment by Klima and his cohorts, which delivers excellent music and challenging, but highly rewarding listening experience. For Polish / European Jazz connoisseurs this is a golden nugget and a must have in every serious / advanced Jazz-World Fusion collection. Hats off!

Updated: 30/04/2018Posted: 30/04/2018

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SKICKI-SKIUK ~ CHRARUMIMIA BITTT 006 (Barcode: 5907632690140) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2016 - 2017 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz quartet called Skicki-SkiukFind albums by this artist, which consists of saxophonist Dariusz RubinowskiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Jakub MizerackiFind albums by this artist, drummer Jakub MiarczynskiFind albums by this artist and bassist Roman ChraniukFind albums by this artist (now you can guess the inspiration for the quartet´s name). The album presents eight original compositions, credited to all four participating musicians. It seems that almost all the young Polish Jazz ensembles, which feature a guitar player, tend to play some kind of Fusion, with varying degrees of Jazz elements present in their music. It is sad that guitar can not be treated as a Jazz instrument per se, the way it used to be in the Jazz tradition, especially in view of the fact that Fusion sadly proved to become a very restricted genre, which hardly moved an inch in decades. The music on this album fails to present anything beyond standard Jazz-Rock Fusion attempts, which have been tried already in the late 1960s. The combination of guitar and sax front is also a much tried out attempt by many early Fusion / Prog groups in the 1960s and 1970s. The sound quality of the recording leaves much to be desired, with a muddy ambience and lack of clarity, but perhaps this was done purposely to achieve a retro effect? Having said all that, these young musicians certainly are talented and play their hearts out. There are inspired solos and good ensemble playing throughout the album. The compositions have merit and if performed more ambitiously might have sounded much more impressive. Perhaps this album was recorded a tad too early before they managed to achieve a more personal musical statement. Hopefully the next effort will be much more impressive.

Updated: 06/08/2018Posted: 06/08/2018

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PIOTR WOJTASIK ~ TRIBUTE TO AKWARIUM INDYGO 001 (Barcode: 5907222872000) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017 This is a sensational album by veteran Polish Jazz trumpeter / composer Piotr WojtasikFind albums by this artist recorded with a large ensemble which comprises of some of Poland´s top Jazz musicians and a few guests from outside of Poland. In addition to the leader who plays trumpet and flugelhorn the other musicians are: trumpeter Sebastian SoldrzynskiFind albums by this artist, shakuhachi and other wind instruments player Igor PietraszewskiFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Viktor TothFind albums by this artist (Hungary) and Marcin KaletkaFind albums by this artist, keyboardists Leszek MozdzerFind albums by this artist and Dominik WaniaFind albums by this artist, guitarist Marek KadzielaFind albums by this artist, bassist Darek OleszkiewiczFind albums by this artist, drummer Eric AllenFind albums by this artist (USA resident in Poland) and percussionist Jakub MiarczynskiFind albums by this artist. Two female vocalists are featured on one of the tunes. The album presents a five part suite composed and arranged by Wojtasik and dedicated to the memory of the legendary Warsaw Jazz club Akwarium (active between 1977 and 2000), which used to be the Mecca of Polish Jazz in the past. A sixth bonus track is also included, which offers an alternate version of one of the suite´s parts. The music was recorded at the RecPublica Studios and engineered by Lukasz OlejarczykFind albums by this artist, who as usual stood up to the challenge. I recently had the opportunity to hear this music performed live at its premiere concert at the Silesian Jazz Festival in Katowice, with a slightly different lineup, and the impact of the music was truly astounding. This studio version is of course much tamer and orderly, so in some respects it sounds quite differently, but of course it is no less remarkable. Wojtasik managed to combine several sub-genres of the Jazz idiom into one coherent piece of music, which presents a kaleidoscope of modern Jazz, pointing to its many sources from Bebop through Jazz-Rock Fusion to electronics. Based on strong melodic themes but allowing a lot of freedom to the individual musicians to explore and probe, this is a wonderful example of modern Mainstream Jazz, which manages to be fascinating, unexpected and searching. The individual performances are all great, as expected from this level of musicians. Kadziela´s guitar parts are the nicest surprise as he manages to transform the last part of the suite into a modern day "Bitches BrewFind albums with this title" ambiance, which should make Miles DavisFind albums by this artist happily turn in his grave. Mozdzer´s synthesizer parts are somewhat tedious, especially in comparison to what Pawel TomaszewskiFind albums by this artist managed to come up with during the concert. Of course Dominik Wania plays some stunning piano parts and it is interesting to hear him in a large ensemble setting. But overall everybody plays their heart out and the result is simply superb. It is great to see (and hear) that Wojtasik is still in great shape as a player / composer / bandleader and as a friend I wish him many years of good health and creativity. He can certainly be proud of his achievement here and I look forward to hear more of his work soon. His blessed work as an educator at the Katowice Music Academy is of course no less important, but seeing him play is a true Jazz experience. Te old lion is still capable of a mighty roar, which the younger lions are happy to return. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 30/12/2017Posted: 30/12/2017

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