Record Reviews

ANOMALIA ~ ANOMALIA MULTIKUKTI MPPA 001 (Barcode: 5903068683305) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is the debut album by the Polish Jazz septet AnomaliaFind albums by this artist comprising of saxophonists Krzysztof KusmierekFind albums by this artist and Kacper KrupaFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Patryk RynkiewiczFind albums by this artist, trombonist Adam KurekFind albums by this artist, guitarist Fryderyk SzulgitFind albums by this artist, bassist Piotr CienkowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Stanislaw AleksandrowiczFind albums by this artist hailing from the Poznan music scene. Krupa, Cienkowski and Aleksandrowicz are members of the Kwasny DeszczFind albums by this artist trio. The album presents six original compositions, two by Krupa and one each by Rynkiewicz, Szulgit, Kurek and Kusmierek, although the album´s artwork also credits the entire group as co-composers. The music is based on rough melody themes and then improvised at length featuring individual extended soloing by the septet members. The approach moves between heavy septet sound, with powerful horn section playing riffs and more delicate fragments where the soloists are accompanied more sparsely by the rhythm section. It includes many diverse approaches, which include hypnotic repetition, almost Rocky riffing, group improvisation, unisono brass parts, and other tricks of the trade. If not for the Free Form improvisation the album often sounds like Brass Rock, which is one of my favorite idioms. As a result the music, which is naturally quite complex, loses some of its compositional focus, which might have enhanced the overall result. It is worth to remember the "less is more" formula, especially in larger ensembles, where the co-existence of many instruments needs extra careful attention to detail in order to avoid confusion. Having said that, the music is certainly very interesting and unique enough to raise eyebrows, offering very individual approach to multi-layered "big Sound", which at its best is nothing short of being spectacular. It is a joyful event to see or rather hear these young musicians exploring uncharted territory and threading through their individual ideas, rather than copying and recycling familiar messages ad nauseam. Obviously they are just starting a long journey of creativity, but judging by these early steps, they are on the right path. There is a lot of honesty, searching and adventure in this music, which deserves to be praised. This album is a proud representation of the young Polish Jazz Avant-Garde scene, which keeps surprising by its resourcefulness and ambition, and although a bit soft around the edges, it is a most enjoyable listening experience, showcasing a lot of potential. It is definitely an excellent debut effort – well done Gentlemen!

Updated: 19/07/2020Posted: 19/07/2020

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MAJA LAURA SEPTET ~ MONK, MY DEAR MAJA LAURA 2 ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2024 Released: 2024 This is the second album by Polish Jazz keyboardist / composer Maja LauraFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Maja Laura JaryczewskaFind albums by this artist), recorded in an octet setting (why septet?) with drummer Teo OlterFind albums by this artist, bassist Kamila DrabekFind albums by this artist, guitarist Krzysztof HadrychFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Lukasz KorybalskiFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Jakub KlemensiewiczFind albums by this artist and Krzysztof KusmierekFind albums by this artist and flautist Dominik StrycharskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight tracks, seven of which compositions by Thelonious MonkFind albums by this artist and one is a standard, which Monk often performed, all arranged by the leader. The music is almost completely highly improvised, to such extent that for a listener unaware of the context, i.e. Monk’s compositions, that specific association is very difficult to be recognized, except for the brief moments where direct musical quotes are present. This is probably why the leader takes a credit for the music, side by side with Monk. Such approach raises the question as to the limits of Freedom, even Artistic Freedom, although “limits of Freedom” might sound like an oxymoron. In this specific case if this album was presented as: “inspired by Monk”, or anything in similar zone, it would have been much more acceptable, but presenting it as Monk’s music is, at least for me, a bit of a hyperbole, to say the least. Monk was the greatest Jazz revolutionary within Bebop, but he knew the limits of Freedom perfectly well, I suppose more subconsciously than with premeditation, but he never overstepped the boundaries. I believe Maja Laura, when she claims that she loves Monk “madly” (sic), but so do I, and therefore I think that love has its limits too. Having said all that, this is definitely a bold musical statement, and it has its magic moments, if not as a concept, surely as a result of some of the performances, as the album does involve some of the best Polish Jazz musicians after all. Even if it has some flows, it is better that such attempts are made, than avoided. After all, “love will forgive you everything”, as the famous Polish song claims, which is also sometimes true in life. Overall, this is a very interesting, bold and unusual album, which despite its flaws offers an attempt to deliver an homage to one of the most important Jazz geniuses ever, which is commendable, as is the leader’s courage and individuality. Improvised Music enthusiasts should enjoy this album, traditional Jazz lovers might be shocked to the core, all for the best.

Updated: 10/04/2025Posted: 10/04/2025

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UNLEASHED COOPERATION ~ 8 YEARS MULTIKULTI MPPA 003 (Barcode: 5903068680144) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz quintet, called Unleashed CooperationFind albums by this artist, co-led by saxophonist Krzysztof KusmierekFind albums by this artist and pianist Patryk MatwiejczukFind albums by this artist and also including trumpeter Patryk RynkiewiczFind albums by this artist, Italian (well Sicilian, which is a bit like extreme Mediterranean Italian – mi piace) bassist Flavio GullottaFind albums by this artist and drummer Stanislaw AleksandrowiczFind albums by this artist. Trombonist Adam KurekFind albums by this artist guests on one track. The album present seven original compositions, four by Kusmierek, one by Matwiejczuk, one co-composed by the two and finally one by Rynkiewicz. The album’s title hints to the long cooperation of the two leaders, which finally materializes in recorded form. The music offers vibrant modern Jazz, based on melodic themes but encompassing a lot of freedom and space, excellently put together and fluidly performed. Stylistically the music is somewhat retro oriented, offering shades and shapes of early modern Polish Jazz with strong Komedaesque references, which of course bring fond memories. But these are only hinted of course and updated with contemporary expressionism, rather than an attempt to mimic the past. In contrast to many other Polish Jazz ensembles, Unleashed Cooperation manage to eschew the traps of Polish melancholy and lyricism, which although beautiful, tend to be dominating and to some extent overbearing. As a result, this album sounds like something that might have been recorded anywhere in Europe, which I find quite unrestrained and promising. Although this music does not attempt to be revolutionary or groundbreaking, it proves that there is enough freedom of expression within the conventional modern Jazz sphere to create wonderful, interesting and highly satisfying music. There is something in here for a wide range of Jazz enthusiasts. Overall, this is an excellent debut effort, which presents some great tunes, full of imagination and heartfelt emotion, and which are a pleasure to listen to without overheating the cerebral cells. It rises high hopes as to what these musicians might come up with the next time, which hopefully will not be as prolonged as the process that led to the creation of this album. Warmly recommended!

Updated: 08/08/2022Posted: 08/08/2022

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