Record Reviews

MYRCZEK & SCHMIDT QUINTET ~ MLYNARSKI. BYNAJMNIEJ. SJ 080 (Barcode: 5905489720904) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2024 Released: 2024 This is an album by a Polish Jazz quintet co-led by vocalist Wojciech MyrczekFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Piotr SchmidtFind albums by this artist, which also includes pianist Krzysztof HerdzinFind albums by this artist, bassist Andrzej SwiesFind albums by this artist and drummer Sebastian FrankiewiczFind albums by this artist. French percussionist Mino CineluFind albums by this artist guests on five tracks and the AUKSO Chamber OrchestraFind albums by this artist, conducted by Marek MosFind albums by this artist, performs the strings arrangements. The album presents nine tracks, composed by various Polish composers and arranged by Herdzin (six tracks), Sabina MeckFind albums by this artist (two tracks) and Joanna SzymalaFind albums by this artist (one track), all with the lyrics by Wojciech MlynarskiFind albums by this artist, a distinguished Polish lyricist, who contributed lyrics to numerous classic Polish songs, whose talent this album celebrates by presenting them in a Jazzy framework. The music is all absolutely perfectly suited to the purpose, with superb arrangements that go hand in hand with these mostly highly lyrical / romantic songs, emphasizing their beauty. Myrczek, often called “the Polish Frank Sinatra” which is not entirely without a basis, is absolutely ideal for the job. Schmidt ornaments the songs by his short, concise but again perfectly crafted soli, and the rest of the participants are all Masters of their trade, and as usual do all in their power to make everything work as planned. Encrusted with the delicate string arrangements, this music is a true “whole package” in every sense. Of course I can only pity all my friends, who are not Polish language speakers, who are obviously destined to miss the pleasure of enjoying these sophisticated, intelligent and masterly woven lyrics by Mlynarski, but on the other hand my better half, whose knowledge of the Polish language is limited to “pierogi” and “prosze Pani”, loves this album and anything else by Myrczek, she just ignores the lyrics and enjoys the velvety voice, so here you are. This honestly is a universal piece of music. Overall, this is a beautiful vocal Jazz album, which borders on “Jazz & Poetry” due to Mlynarski’s sublime lyrics, with superb instrumental parts performed by some of the best Polish Jazz players, masterfully arranged and altogether delightful. What a joy!

Updated: 07/02/2025Posted: 07/02/2025

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SCHMIDT ELECTRIC ~ LIVE SJ 020 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2015 - 2016 Released: 2017 This is the second album by the Schmidt ElectricFind albums by this artist ensemble, led by trumpeter Piotr SchmidtFind albums by this artist and also including keyboardist Tomasz BuraFind albums by this artist, bassist Michal KapczukFind albums by this artist, drummer Sebastian KuchczynskiFind albums by this artist and British guitarist Alex HutchingsFind albums by this artist. The core quintet was expanded for this live recording by DJ Wojciech DlugoszFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Mr. KrimeFind albums by this artist), electronics wizard Joanna SzymalaFind albums by this artist and vibraphonist Bartosz PieszkaFind albums by this artist. The ensemble performs six original compositions, four composed by Schmidt and two by Bura, a short solo trumpet intro by Schmidt and another intro by Szymala, altogether eight tracks. Yours truly was present during the live recording in Katowice, one of the two venues where these live recordings were captured, and therefore a part of my soul is also captured on this album, like every other person who was ever present in the audience during a live recording. The music is a natural extension to what the released earlier studio debut album offered, i.e. an excellent melodic version of modern Fusion, which flows smoothly from one tune to another, but preserves class and elegance and above all is great fun to listen to. The live ambience allows the musicians to take extended solo parts and show their chops, which they all do to the max. The music is diverse and offers many moods, which of course contributes significantly to the fact that the album keeps the listener on his toes for the entire duration. It is great to see Schmidt to finally settling down within a domain, which suits him the best in my opinion. This music allows him to express his superb compositional talents and lead a highly professional ensemble, which can make him proud as a leader. His trumpet playing also reaches a refined stage of expressiveness and eloquence, especially effective on the slow tempo ballads, which are absolute goose bumps generators. The use of turntablism and electronics adds an up to date flavor to the music, without overshadowing the main melodic, harmonic and rhythmic coherence and the strong Jazzy groove. Schmidt manages to create music which can be enjoyed by a wide age range of listeners, which of course is commendable. Overall a great contemporary Fusion album, full of great melodies, fine arrangements, excellent performances and above all great fun! Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 02/10/2022Posted: 07/07/2017

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SCHMIDT ELECTRIC ~ TEAR THE ROOF OFF SJ 012 (Barcode: 5912596066146) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2015 Released: 2015 Polish Jazz trumpeter / composer / bandleader Piotr SchmidtFind albums by this artist mangers to teleport smoothly between acoustic mainstream Jazz and electric Fusion, an ability he already demonstrated clearly by releasing several albums on his own label since 2000, which cover both subgenres. This time he expands his modus operandi to touch upon additional areas, which include smooth Jazz, Rap and Ambient, but manages to do so without compromising his integrity as a Jazz musician. The album, which was recorded in a quartet setting, with keyboardist Tomasz BuraFind albums by this artist, bassist Michal KapczukFind albums by this artist and drummer Sebastian KuchczynskiFind albums by this artist, features also several guest artists, who appear on selected tracks, a couple of them from Britain, including guitarist Alex HutchingsFind albums by this artist. The eleven tracks on the album are all originals, five of which were composed by Schmidt, four by Bura, one is credited to Bura and the whole ensemble and one is by ambient / electronic keyboardist / composer Joanna SzymalaFind albums by this artist, who also performs here. The music is very diverse and constantly performs a chameleonic transformation, starting with a Rap track, moving into an electronic / ambient passage and continuing with a series of Jazz / Fusion tracks, ranging from lyrical ballads to energetic electric statements. Although this might sound a bit chaotic, in fact the music presents a coherent and consistent continuum. There are plenty of great melodies and catchy riffs, but the music is anything but trivial at any point. The individual performances are all excellent; Schmidt is a very gifted trumpeter and his melodic ballads are simply heartbreaking, Bura is the great discovery of this album, playing a wide range of sounds, improvising elegantly and simply being there every time just when a chord or an arpeggio are needed to fill the space. The rhythm section is dynamic, melodic and incredibly supportive. Kapczuk plays some superb solos and Kuchczynski stays behind the players at all time, not trying to show off beyond exactly what is required of him. Hutchings also adds some several scorching solos, which ornament the overall sound of the band. Schmidt juts might have found on this album the exact formula that suits his musical karma. Cross-genre, cross time, contemporary and melodically advanced, this music is a pleasure to listen to, without compromising even the sternest connoisseurs. Although some of Schmidt´s earlier attempts to find his way in the straightforward mainstream Jazz milieu were a bit shaky, this album finds him determined, mature and unmistakably doing his own thing. Beautifully done, my young friend; kudos!

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