Record Reviews

EDUARDO BORTOLOTTI ~ HUAPPANGO NIGHTS SOLITON 1092 (Barcode: 5903684250921) ~ MEXICO ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is the debut album by Mexican (resident in Poland) Jazz violinist Eduardo BortolottiFind albums by this artist recorded in a quartet setting with Columbian (also resident in Poland) bassist Edilson SanchezFind albums by this artist and two Polish musicians: keyboardist Mateusz SobiechowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Bartek StaromiejskiFind albums by this artist. Percussionist Alberto SuazoFind albums by this artist guests on selected tracks. The album presents nine pieces, four of which are arrangements of Mexican Folk tunes and five are original compositions by Bortolotti. The music is typical Jazz-World Fusion with strong Mexican / Latin tinge, skillfully performed by the participants. The sound of the violin is certainly quite unusual in this musical environment and takes a moment to get used to, but it certainly works out eventually. The closing track offers a much open and free attitude and perhaps hints as to Bortolotti´s future development. Bortolotti, who studied with leading Polish Jazz violinists: Marcin HalatFind albums by this artist and Henryk GembalskiFind albums by this artist, is certainly well schooled and his technical proficiency is beyond reproach. His personal style still needs to be crystallized, which is sure to happen in time, combining the Polish influences and his Mexican roots and creating a unique voice. The rest of the players are also skilled performers, with the two Polish musicians having already proven recording experience. They all support the leader amicably and the group sound is coherent and well balanced. Overall this is a promising debut album, which shows potential and talent, and is definitely worth checking out, especially since the violin in Jazz is relatively obscure and deserves wider recognition.

Updated: 11/01/2021Posted: 11/01/2021

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ASIA CZAJKOWSKA ~ PIANISSIMA NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 - 2023 Released: 2024 This is the 2nd album by Polish vocalist / songwriter Asia CzajkowskaFind albums by this artist. Ten years in the making, the album presents a very unique project of recording songs with nine different pianists, all hailing from the beautiful Polish medieval town of Torun, the city of Nicolaus Copernicus, but also of music. Finally, the result is in, nine songs by nine pianists / composers: Sebastian ZawadzkiFind albums by this artist, Bartosz StaszkiewiczFind albums by this artist, Mateusz SobiechowskiFind albums by this artist, Bogdan HolowniaFind albums by this artist, Michal MaciudzinskiFind albums by this artist, Tomasz LewandowskiFind albums by this artist, Andrzej FrolowFind albums by this artist, Igor NowickiFind albums by this artist and Jacek CichockiFind albums by this artist. Czajkowska wrote the lyrics to five of the songs and co-composed one of them. On all the songs Czajkowska is accompanied by the respective composer playing acoustic piano. Although not Jazz per se, the overall musical setting of the album combines many genres with strong Jazzy undertones and the vocals use techniques familiar within the Jazz idiom. But it is entirely up to the listener to decide what king of aesthetics this music sets out for him. What is most important of course is the fact that the quality of the music and the performances are all absolutely brilliant from start to finish and the dedication, energy and determination involved in creating this album are all impeccable. One has to admit that the days when a singer appears on stage supported just by a skilled pianist are long time over, and today singing without a wall of synthesizers and a loud band behind is almost unthinkable. Therefore, Czajkowska shows a lot of courage doing it here without any hesitation, proving she has all the skills necessary to pull it off, as well as the talent to do it with class. Of course the fact that all nine songs are wonderfully composed and the lyrics are intelligent, helps to make the entire project such a success. Overall, this is a truly delightful album, full of great songs, performed with heartfelt dedication, good taste and obvious talent. Czajkowska manages to confront the difficulty of singing accompanied just by a piano, doing it elegantly and confidently. The dedication needed to complete such a long-term project is admirable and the result is a wonderful example of calmness, good taste and grace in a world of havoc we live in. You did well my Lady, hats off!

Updated: 23/03/2024Posted: 23/03/2024

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FOREST TUNER ~ TUNES SJ 015 (Barcode: 5912596066177) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016 This is the debut album by a young Polish Jazz quartet called The Forest TunerFind albums by this artist, led by trombonist Szymon BialoruckiFind albums by this artist, with pianist Mateusz SobiechowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Adam TadelFind albums by this artist and drummer Piotr BudniakFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original compositions, all by the leader, and was recorded at the splendid Studio Tokarnia, with Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist at the knobs, which as usual guarantees an outstanding sound quality. The music is pretty straightforward, moving between melodic mainstream Jazz and Jazz-Rock Fusion, excellently performed by all participants. The trombone lead, which of course is fairly rare in a quartet setting, creates an obvious disparity between this particular quartet and most others, with is also characterized by the compositions, which have a stylistic relationship and coherence. Trombone is of course a very challenging instrument, especially when put in front of a Jazz quartet. Bialorucki handles this challenge very well, intelligently avoiding showing off a virtuoso approach to the instrument, and putting the emphasis on feel and melody. Sobiechowski plays wonderfully both as an accompanist and as a soloist and his melodic approach fits the overall mood of the album ideally. The rhythm section stands shoulder to shoulder with the two soloists, with Tadel contributing many impressive bass lines and Budniak providing a solid rhythmic anchor. Overall this is a very promising debut recording, which as usual emphasizes the incredible level of the young Polish Jazz scene, which seems to be blessed with a plentitude of talent and a healthy dose of ambition. Definitely worth investigation!

Updated: 25/03/2017Posted: 10/09/2016

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MATEUSZ SOBIECHOWSKI ~ VITAL MUSIC CHALLENGE 73461 (Barcode: 608917346121) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz quintet led by pianist / composer Mateusz SobiechowskiFind albums by this artist with saxophonist Marcin KaletkaFind albums by this artist, guitarist Szymon MikaFind albums by this artist, bassist Adam TadelFind albums by this artist and drummer Grzegorz PalkaFind albums by this artist, all representatives of the excellent young Polish Jazz generation. The album presents nine pieces, eight of which are original compositions by Sobiechowski and one is a standard. The album was released by the prestigious Dutch label ChallengeFind albums on this label Records, which recently entered the Polish Jazz realm. The recording was engineered my Maciej StachFind albums by this artist and offers a superb sound quality. The music is typical contemporary Polish / European mainstream Jazz, based on excellent compositions and performed with elegance and passion. Most of the themes are low key, full of characteristic Polish melancholy, which seems to be omnipresent on the majority of Polish Jazz recordings. The compositions are excellently structured, diverse and interesting enough to produce a fascinating continuity which keeps the listener on his toes. The performances are also top notch, obviously highly professional, but more importantly heartfelt, artistically inclined and highly aesthetic. All three front line players offer excellent soloing and the rhythm section does a perfect job all the way through, being supportive but not obtrusive. Personally I find the contributions by Mika to be slightly more focused and inspired than those of his peers, but that said, and as already stated, everybody plays splendidly. Sobiechowski solos relatively sparingly for a leader, which is much respected, as it contributes to the overall quintet´s team spirit and creates a coherent ensemble statement. Overall this is a very impressive debut, which offers both superb compositions and elegant execution, which would not shame veteran Jazz musicians anywhere on this planet. It is another manifestation of the strength of the Polish Jazz scene and its continuous development, which is now being recognized beyond the country´s borders. Warmly recommended to Jazz connoisseurs the world over!

Updated: 17/10/2018Posted: 17/10/2018

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