Record Reviews

MICHAL URBANIAK ~ BODY ENGLISH UBX 1017 (Barcode: 5099902839325) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock-World Fusion Recorded: 1976 Released: 2014 This is a reissue of the only album by Polish Jazz violinist / composer Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist released originally on the AristaFind albums on this label label in 1976. Following Urbaniak´s departure from ColumbiaFind albums on this label after recording three albums for the label, he released just one album on the AtlanticFind albums on this label label in 1975 with a group called Funk FactoryFind albums by this artist (not bearing his name for contractual reasons) and moved on to Arista. The team that recorded the album included also his wife at the time, vocalist Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist and excellent young American players: keyboardist Harold WilliamsFind albums by this artist, guitarist Joe CaroFind albums by this artist, bassist Basil FearringtonFind albums by this artist and drummer Steve JordanFind albums by this artist and a few guests. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Urbaniak. Musically the album continues the direction of the Columbia and Atlantic albums, offering a unique blend of Jazz-Rock Fusion, which includes strong Polish Folklore influences in its melodic motifs. The sound is much more influenced by synthesizers than on any of the previous albums and Dudziak´s voice is much less prominent, but the stylistic similarity is consistent and easily recognizable. Urbaniak´s ability to combine Funk, Groove, Fusion and World Music influences set him apart from his contemporaries and in retrospect this album still sounds refreshing and fascinating. The most intriguing aspect of this and the earlier albums mentioned above is the fact that Urbaniak, who arrived in the US just a short while ago, is more genuinely Funky, Groovy and Swinging than any of his US contemporaries, paving the way for Jazz-World Fusion more boldly than the "natives". As such he surely deserves the credit and appreciation for his innovative spirit. For Funk and Fusion fans, this is an absolute must, a timeless album that keeps kicking the butt as forcefully as it at the time of its release over four decades ago.

Updated: 13/09/2019Posted: 11/09/2019

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

MICHAL URBANIAK ~ FUSION III WOUNDED BIRD 3542 (Barcode: 664140354227) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock-World Fusion Recorded: 1975 Released: 2012 This is a reissue of the third (and last) US album by Polish Jazz violinist / composer Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist, released originally on the ColumbiaFind albums on this label label in 1975. In retrospect it is also one of the best Fusion albums ever recorded on this planet. Urbaniak, a veteran of the Polish Jazz scene, first came to prominence as the member of the legendary groups led by the Godfather of Polish Jazz, pianist / composer Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist. While with Komeda, Urbaniak played the saxophone and switched to violin only after founding his own group in the late 1960s, when he also changed his musical direction from Modern / Free Jazz to Fusion, inspired by the groundbreaking innovations created at the time by Miles DavisFind albums by this artist. In his group he included his wife, the extraordinary singer Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist and together they quickly developed a completely unique type of Fusion, which was light years ahead of anything else happening in that genre at the time anywhere in the world. Mixing Jazz, Rock, Folklore and Avant-Garde vocals, they established a completely new approach to composition and multilayered complexity, as documented on the two albums the group recorded as part of the legendary "Polish Jazz" series of albums, which was simply brilliant. Frustrated by the state of affairs in his country, which suffered under a Socialist Regime and harsh economic conditions, Urbaniak, like most of his colleagues, constantly looked for an opportunity to leave Poland and establish a career behind the Iron Curtain. He managed initially to record a couple of albums in West Germany for the SpiegeleiFind albums on this label label, but the real break came when Columbia offered him a recording deal. He and his wife left Poland and settled in the USA, as did several other Polish Jazz musicians at the time, like his ex group member pianist / composer Adam MakowiczFind albums by this artist for example. The three albums Urbaniak recorded for Columbia (and several more for other US labels, especially the dazzling "Funk FactoryFind albums with this title" album recorded shortly after this one and also reissued on Wounded BirdFind albums on this label) were outstanding and simply much better than anything the local scene could muster, but unfortunately Urbaniak´s US career never really took off, same as the careers of all other Polish Jazz musicians who tried to make it there, in spite of their immense talents. The reason was simply the narrow-mindedness of the US Jazz community (listeners and critics alike), which considered Jazz to be exclusively an American Art Form and failed to recognize anything originating outside of the US as artistically valid and meaningful, even if it hit them in the face. On this album Urbaniak is accompanied by top US Fusion players like guitarist John AbercrombieFind albums by this artist, bassist Anthony JacksonFind albums by this artist and drummer Steve GaddFind albums by this artist, as well as Polish compatriot keyboardist Wlodek GulgowskiFind albums by this artist. Guitarist Larry CoryellFind albums by this artist guests on one track, guitarist Joe CaroFind albums by this artist guests on another and Polish vocalist Bernard KafkaFind albums by this artist guests on yet another track. Drummer Gerald BrownFind albums by this artist replaces Gadd on two tracks. Dudziak´s vocals are simply out of this world and alone are worth listening to this album repeatedly. Urbaniak wrote almost all the dazzling music except for three tracks: a Dudziak improvisation, a superb composition by Polish saxophonist Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist, which fits this album´s mood like a glove and one tune by Gulgowski. As already said, this is timeless, heavenly, unparalleled music, which I´ve been listening to in the last almost 40 years without any trace of getting tired by it any time soon. This is an absolutely essential Fusion music, and anybody who has not heard this music does not know the true meaning of Fusion. God bless Wounded Bird for finally releasing this divine album on CD!

Updated: 11/09/2019Posted:

CD 1 Essential Recommend To A Friend

MICHAL URBANIAK ~ SMILES AHEAD UBX 1018 (Barcode: 5099901531725) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock-World Fusion Recorded: 1976 - 1977 Released: 2012 This is a reissue of the first (of two) album by Polish Jazz violinist / composer Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist released on the legendary German MPSFind albums on this label label, which was produced by my Friend and Mentor Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist, who had a deep understanding and love for Polish Jazz and who was instrumental in spreading the fame of Polish Jazz beyond the Iron Curtain. Of the eight tracks on this album, six were recorded at the famous Zuckerfabrik studio in Stuttgart / Germany in November of 1976 with vocalist (and Urbaniak´s wife at the time) Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Harold WilliamsFind albums by this artist, bassist Robert BunnFind albums by this artist and drummer Woody TheusFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Transcending SonshipFind albums by this artist). Two additional tracks were recorded in NY in January of 1977, one of which was a duo with Urbaniak and Emmet ChapmanFind albums by this artist, the inventor of the Chapman stick, and the other was recorded by the same team that recorded the "Body EnglishFind albums with this title" album (i.e. Urbaniak, Dudziak, Williams, guitarist Joe CaroFind albums by this artist, bassist Basil FearringtonFind albums by this artist and drummer Steve JordanFind albums by this artist). Urbaniak composed or co-composed four of the pieces, Dudziak two and Williams and Bunn one each. Under Berendt´s supervision, the album moves back into the most experimental and musically advanced aura of Urbaniak´s exploration of Jazz-Rock Fusion, Electronic and World Music influences, leaving somewhat aside the American Funk and Groove influences, which stylistically resembles the early recordings with ConstellationFind albums by this artist and the three ColumbiaFind albums on this label albums. Berendt, who was a great admirer of Urbaniak´s vocal wizardry, managed to bring back her contribution to the music, giving her an equally prominent role in the proceedings, with two superb unaccompanied solo pieces, a duo with Urbaniak and a strong vocal presence on the rest of the tracks, which overall played a decisive part in the album´s final result. The duo track with Chapman proves Urbaniak´s deep interest in innovation and electronic music development. In retrospect this is surely one of the strongest Urbaniak´s recordings and a quintessential piece of Fusion history, which still remains unparalleled four decades later. The unique amalgam of musical influences combined with virtuosi performances and a freedom of expression rarely found in today´s music. For Urbaniak and Polish Jazz fans this is an absolute must of course, but Fusion connoisseurs the world over should be aware of the fact that their record collection is truly incomplete without this album in their possession.

Updated: 29/12/2023Posted: 13/09/2019

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend