Record Reviews

PIOTR FIGIEL ~ PIOTR GAD 102 (Barcode: 5903068120411) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1971 Released: 2019 This is a reissue of the debut album by Polish Jazz keyboardist / composer Piotr FigielFind albums by this artist, which was largely overlooked at the time of its release and later became a highly sought-after collector´s item. The album was recorded by Figiel playing the Hammond organ and with an excellent team of musicians that included guitarist Dariusz KozakiewiczFind albums by this artist, bassist Marian SiejkaFind albums by this artist and drummer Janusz StefanskiFind albums by this artist. Legendary Polish Jazz figures: trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist and saxophonist / flautist Janusz MuniakFind albums by this artist guest each on one track, and no less prominent vocal group BemibekFind albums by this artist guests on two tracks. The rest of the team (mostly brass players) remains anonymous, as the exact details about the session disappeared into the void. The original album presents nine tracks, seven of which were composed by Figiel, one is an arrangement of a Classical composition by Frederic ChopinFind albums by this artist and finally one is by Wojciech PietowskiFind albums by this artist, who was the sound engineer recording the album and a prominent composer. This reissue adds two alternate takes as bonus tracks. The music is absolutely brilliant, from start to finish, incorporating early Progressive Rock and Fusion explorations, soaked in the sublime sound of the Hammond organ – somewhere between Procol HarumFind albums by this artist and Jimmy SmithFind albums by this artist. Figiel´s original composition are grandiose, wonderfully melodic and full of sublime lyricism, and his treatment of the Chopin piece puts most of the countless attempts by Polish Jazz musicians to something similar completely to shame. This is undoubtedly one of the greatest Polish Jazz / Fusion hidden gems and GADFind albums on this label Records deserves the gratitude of all Polish Jazz fans for bringing it back to life. It is had to believe that music recorded five decades ago can be so up to date and fresh, completely timeless and aesthetically perfect. Hearing is believing in this case… Of all the wonderful reissues on GAD Records this is definitely one of my all time favorites!

Updated: 09/03/2020Posted: 09/03/2020

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

JACEK NIEDZIELA-MEIRA ~ BURRELLHOUSE SJ 039 (Barcode: 5912596066719) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is an album by the veteran Polish Jazz bassist / composer / educator Jacek Niedziela-MeiraFind albums by this artist which his debut album as a guitar player, recorded in a classic guitar trio setting with Hammond player Kajetan GalasFind albums by this artist and drummers Lukasz ZytaFind albums by this artist or Grzegorz PalkaFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine tracks, two of which are original compositions by the leader, six are standards and one is a Polish Pop song. The music was recorded at the excellent Studio Tokarnia and offers a wonderful classic Blue NoteFind albums on this label sound. For people familiar with the Polish Jazz scene this album comes of course as a surprise, as a result of the decision by the leader to switch instruments, but the result is very satisfying. The sound and material are based on classic model set by American Hammond player Jimmy SmithFind albums by this artist and his trio, which included among others guitarists also the superb guitar Master Kenny BurrellFind albums by this artist, who serves as an obvious influence on the leader. The conservative mainstream Jazz approach, going back s few decades in the history of the Jazz idiom, could be pretty disastrous musically, but in this case it is a fresh breath of air, which proves that well played mainstream Jazz still sounds solid, beautiful and enjoyable in spite of the passing time. Niedziela-Meira turns out to be a very talented and technically proficient classic / old style Jazz guitar player, who emphasizes the clarity of the tone and precision of the notes like a true pro. His sound does follow the example set by the Jazz guitarists form the 1950s / 1960s almost exactly, but with a fresh vigor and fluidity. Galas is of course an absolute marvel with his Hammond bringing back fond memories of the glory of this beautiful instrument. His improvisations, always melodic and coherent and yet often surprisingly sophisticated, are an absolute sensation and are alone worth having this album. Both alternating drummers keep the time like clockwork, which for this kind of music is exactly what the doctor prescribed. Overall this is a very pleasant album, which reproduces the mood and sound going back half a century, but offers a rejuvenated perspective on the guitar trio format, which is almost completely absent from the contemporary Jazz scene. Full of wonderful music and excellent musicianship, this album is fun from start to end for listeners who like this period of Jazz. For guitar and Hammond connoisseurs, this is a must of course!

Updated: 02/05/2019Posted: 02/05/2019

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

KRZYSZTOF SADOWSKI ~ NA KOSMODROMIE GAD 030 (Barcode: 5901549197389) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1972 Released: 2015 This is a reissue (first time on CD) of the second album by Polish Jazz keyboardist / composer Krzysztof SadowskiFind albums by this artist recorded with an ensemble called Organ GroupFind albums by this artist, which also included flautist / vocalist Liliana UrbanskaFind albums by this artist, Dutch trumpeter Eddie EngelsFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Wlodzimierz NahornyFind albums by this artist, bass guitarist Pawel DabrowskiFind albums by this artist, drummer Tomasz ButowttFind albums by this artist and congas player Jozef GawrychFind albums by this artist. This album was not released at the time as part of the legendary "Polish Jazz" series, for reasons that are way beyond the scope of this text. The original album included only six tracks, the first of which gave the album its title and was a twenty minutes long six parts suite originally found on side A of the LP. The five tracks on side B were all much shorter. All the compositions were originals, four composed by Sadowski and one each by Nahorny and Engels. This remastered reissue adds three bonus tracks recorded at the Polish Radio. By the time this album was released the Polish Jazz scene was in a state of upheaval, torn between two extremes: Free Jazz on one side and Jazz-Rock Fusion on the other. Strangely this album presents a bit of both, since although conceptually belonging to the Jazz-Rock Fusion genre it features a few Free Form solos. Obviously Sadowski was shifting his organ playing stylistics from the traditional influences (Jimmy SmithFind albums by this artist) towards (then) contemporary keyboard approach represented by Herbie HancockFind albums by this artist or Weather ReportFind albums by this artist´s Joe ZawinulFind albums by this artist. The use of vocalese, which was one of the trademarks of Polish Jazz at the time, utilized extensively by Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist in Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist´s ensemble, is only one of the parallels between these two pioneering Fusion bands active at the time. The space exploration, which seems a bit strange as a subject matter of a Jazz album, was at the time one of the main pillars of the Socialist propaganda, which excitedly participated in the space race between USSR and USA, with an obvious winning side. Picking such a subject increased of course significantly the possibility to have one´s music released by the State controlled solitary record company in existence at the time in Poland (Polskie Nagrania). In retrospect the albums is a great document of the time at which it was recorded, proving that in spite of the relative separation from what was happing beyond the Iron Curtain, Polish Jazz was responding rapidly to the changes in the Jazz idiom, often with ferocity and ingenuity, which were impossible to hold back by the political regime. As usual it is my duty to thank GADFind albums on this label Records for taking care of the Polish Jazz heritage, who is sadly a lonely rider on that trail. This superb music definitely needs to be fondly remembered and discovered by new generations!

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend