Record Reviews

KRZYSZTOF BARANOWSKI ~ LIVE AT RADIO KATOWICE PRK 0140 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz guitarist / bassist Krzysztof BaranowskiFind albums by this artist recorded live in a classic piano trio format with pianist Mateusz KaszubaFind albums by this artist and drummer Patryk DoboszFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight pieces, six of which are original compositions by Baranowski and two are standards. Although Baranowski´s primary instrument is the guitar, the trio won a prize at one of the Polish Jazz festivals and led to recording of this album, which finds him playing the bass on his debut recording, rather than guitar. The music is all well within modern mainstream Jazz boundaries, based on solid and highly lyrical melodies, typical of Polish Jazz. Baranowski certainly has a lot to offer as a composer and his compositions are well rounded and beautifully crafted. A few shades and touches of Frederic ChopinFind albums by this artist´s toolbox made me smile. The performance is less spectacular, but certainly up to the excellent standard expected from the young Polish Jazz musicians, I have not heard Kaszuba on any recordings nor have I listened to him live, so my knowledge about him is very limited, but he certainly is an able player, obviously in the early days of his career, showing promising potential and already a remarkable skill. Dobosz on the other hand is already a highly experienced performer, with a bunch of recordings under his arm, which is immediately evident. Baranowski, although a novice as far as recording is concerned, shows an excellent feel and skill in his role as a bassist, which of course immediately raises the interest in his guitar playing. Overall this is an impressive debut album, which again stresses the fact that young Polish Jazz players pop up on the scene like mushrooms after the rain, with a continuous stream of talent and creativity, which of course is a wonderful blessing.

Updated: 07/09/2020Posted: 07/09/2020

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PAULINA PRZYBYSZ ~ INSIDES CALM COURAGE 5907426982802 (Barcode: 5907426982802) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 2023 Released: 2025 This is an album by Polish vocalist Paulina PrzybyszFind albums by this artist, recorded with keyboardist Marek PedziwiatrFind albums by this artist and saxophonist Olaf WegierFind albums by this artist, both members of the celebrated EABSFind albums by this artist / BlotoFind albums by this artist ensembles, vibraphonist Tymon KosmaFind albums by this artist, bassist Krzysztof BaranowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Wiktoria JakubowskaFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten tracks, all of which are (more or less) Jazz standards. Przybysz added her own lyrics to one of the tunes and supplied “additional lyrics” to two others. The album offers an excellent sound quality. The music is excellently arranged (arrangements are uncredited) and beautifully performed by the instrumentalists, who play with superb elegance and thoughtful aptitude and understanding of the music, which stylistically fluctuates between Folk, Blues, Soul, Swing, Rap and Jazz. I can only suspect that the arrangements were done by Pedziwiatr, as the EABS / Bloto spirit is strongly present. Therefore, without much ado, the music is as good as one could ask for. The vocals, however, are a different story. All the lyrics on this album are sung in English, and Przybysz has a truly strange accent and pronunciation, which simply is difficult to swallow. A matter of taste of course. But more importantly, Przybysz is not a Jazz singer – she simply does not have the Jazz sensibility, understanding of the rhythmic complexities, etc. Therefore, singing a Jazz oriented repertoire, and more so, trying to sound like a Jazz singer, is simply wrong for her. She might have vocal qualities, but those probably work better in different environment, more Pop oriented. But that is only my very personal opinion and many listeners might probably enjoy this album without any reservations. Overall, this is an interesting attempt to present some classic Jazz oriented vocal material, which sadly does not work for me, but what do I know? Congrats to the instrumentalists and the person in charge of the arrangements, who did a truly splendid work here.

Updated: 24/05/2025Posted: 24/05/2025

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