Record Reviews

GAWEDA / MIELCAREK / STWORZEWICZ ~ SILBERMAN AND THREE OF A PERFECT PAIR AUDIO CAVE 2016/006 (Barcode: 5905669566131) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 This is the third album recorded under the "Silberman" moniker recorded by a Polish trio comprising of keyboardist Mateusz GawedaFind albums by this artist, bassist Jakub MielcarekFind albums by this artist and drummer Lukasz StworzewiczFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. SilbermanFind albums by this artist), which presents six pieces, five of which are originals: one by Gaweda, two by Stworzewicz and two co-composed by all three members of the trio. The remaining tune was composed by the Italian operatic composer Umberto GiordanoFind albums by this artist. The music incorporates poetry by Polish poetess Krystyna MilobedzkaFind albums by this artist and text by British philosopher Alan Wilson WattsFind albums by this artist, narrated by Jan PeszekFind albums by this artist. The music is a mixture of many different elements, from Classical to Avant Garde, performed by a piano trio, but having very little to do with a classic Jazz piano trio per se. There is a certain Punkish (see post-Yass) attitude, especially in the role of the drums, which obviously is more Rock than Jazz oriented. The three instruments seem to have divided the genre-related responsibilities, with piano playing the Classical parts, the bass the Avant Garde parts and the drums the Rock parts. Overall this music sounds often like Emerson, Lake & PalmerFind albums by this artist on acid. Add the narrated poems and you get a Psychedelic party like we used to have in the good old sixties. But seriously this is brilliant stuff from stat to finish, perhaps somewhat hesitant and searching, but certainly defining new rules as far as cross-genre excursions are concerned. The musicianship is, as expected, simply stunning with the still very young Gaweda does things with the piano that might not be allowed in some parts of the world. Mielcarek swings his bow like the legendary Helmut NadolskiFind albums by this artist, but also keeps a steady pulse when needed. Stworzewicz beats the hell out of the drums like Animal of the Muppets, but always within the proper boundaries, and always swinging. We need more albums like this one, which throw out everything we know about music into the garbage basket and take it from there, doing exactly what the people behind the music are after: fun, adventure, exploration, innovation and above all artistry. This is what being an artist is after all… This is definitely one of the most unique and curious Polish albums I heard in the last few years, and I have heard many of them, as my readers know. I can only recommend it wholeheartedly, hoping that it will find its way to as many open minded listeners as possible. Well done!

Updated: 17/06/2021Posted: 14/06/2016

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MILOBEDZKA / ZIMPEL ~ TYLE TEGO TY MALTAFUNDACJA 9788393420230 (Barcode: 9788393420230) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2012 Released: 2012 This album is a wonderful example of the Polish Jazz tradition of combining music and words in what is usually known as the Jazz & Poetry movement. That tradition continues almost uninterruptedly since the early days of the modern Polish Jazz history and reflects the intellectual approach, which sees music, poetry and other Art Forms as different facets of the phenomenon we call Culture. Over the years Polish Jazz produced many remarkable recordings of quite different manifestations of the Jazz & Poetry sub-genre and this beautiful album is an example of how it can be taken into new areas and cover new ground, keeping it alive and relevant. The album is packed in an elegant box, which also includes a book with all the lyrics. Polish poetess Krystyna MilobedzkaFind albums by this artist recites twenty one of her extraordinary poems and is accompanied by music composed by Polish Jazz clarinetist / composer Waclaw ZimpelFind albums by this artist. The music is performed by a trio comprising of Zimpel, who plays clarinets, flutes and harmonium and German musicians: bassist Christian RamondFind albums by this artist and drummer Klaus KugelFind albums by this artist. Together they manage to create a beautiful lyrical atmosphere, balancing between the somewhat hesitant, obviously weakened by her age, delicate voice of the author and the music, which is partly based on the Japanese gagaku tradition and partly reflects contemporary Improvised Music. Jazz & Poetry projects are often considered problematic due to the obvious language barriers, in this case between those listeners who understand the Polish language and those who don´t. But as in some extraordinary cases, this album transcends those barriers with ease and every sensible, Cultural human being is still able to experience an aesthetic epiphany when listening to it, regardless if he understands the words or not. The trio manages to create an entire universe of music, which surrounds the lyrics, engulfing them and symbiotically joins them, creating a new entity. Zimpel is in charge of the melodies delicately presented in slow motion. Ramond is the pulse of this virtual world, which gives it its fourth dimension. Kugel ornaments the reality with a myriad of percussive details, which in a way conduct a dialogue with the recited words. Obviously this is not something which a casual listener can comprehend or appreciate. But for those who can, this is simply a masterpiece. It is comforting to witness such extraordinary projects being realized in the stone cold reality that surrounds us. Brilliant stuff!

Updated: 01/01/2016Posted:

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