Record Reviews

RAFAL JACKIEWICZ ~ SOMETIMES NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2021 Released: 2021 This is the debut album by young Polish (born in Lithuania) Jazz saxophonist / composer Rafal JackiewiczFind albums by this artist, recorded in a classic quartet setting with pianist Piotr DziadkowiczFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej KitajewskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Michal DziewinskiFind albums by this artist. Trombonist Robert KosinskiFind albums by this artist guests on two tracks. The album presents seven original compositions, all by the leader. The music is strictly within the mainstream Jazz idiom, based on well-structured melodic themes, mostly ballads with typical Polish melancholy prevailing. The album flows gently from track to track, presenting a pleasant listening experience, without leaving a resounding or lasting statement. Jackiewicz has a beautiful clear sound but his improvisations are still rather limited. Dziadkowicz supports the leader amicably and plays a few coherent and delicate soli. I could not find any evidence of them both recording previously, so if this is their debut appearance on record they certainly show a lot of potential. The members of the rhythm section are much more experienced, with well documented recording legacy, which is not surprisingly reflected in their performances here. Overall, this is a very nice debut effort, which although hardly innovative, shows solid knowledge of the Jazz tradition and potential, which is surely to be reflected in the future explorations by the leader and other musicians appearing here. Well done and Good luck!

Updated: 31/12/2021Posted: 29/12/2021

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PAWEL KAMINSKI ~ LET`S DO IT SJ 041 (Barcode: 5912596066740) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2019 This is a debut album by young Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Pawel KaminskiFind albums by this artist recorded in a quartet setting with pianist Adam JarzmikFind albums by this artist, bass guitarist Jedrzej LaciakFind albums by this artist and drummer Michal DziewinskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight tracks, seven of which are original compositions by Kaminski and one is a standard. The music is all within modern Jazz mainstream, strictly melody based but diverse enough to present the proficiency of the leader as a composer and the band as a performing init. Overall the original compositions are all coherent and well rounded, and sound much more mature than what one might expect from such a young composer. The performances are also excellent, especially those by Jarzmik, who is clearly the most experienced player on this album and who also has previous recording experience. His soli are all perfectly fluent and are classic examples of Jazz piano at its best. Kaminski also plays very well, with a steady and clear tone and interesting soloing abilities. The rhythm section is amicable and sympathetic, doest not stand in the way of the music and is also given opportunity to solo occasionally. Although the presence of a bass guitar usual pushes the music towards Fusion, both stylistically and sound-wise, it is not the case here. There is some more fusion oriented music here, but its character is defined by the usage of electric piano rather than the bass, which stays conventionally Jazz oriented. Overall this is an excellent debut effort, which as usual on the Polish Jazz scene surprises with its high standard of compositions and the ability of the players, who sound as if they have been playing Jazz for decades. The youthfulness and energy are well tamed by restrain and self discipline, resulting in a tasteful showcase of young Polish Jazz at its best. Well done indeed!

Updated: 21/05/2019Posted: 21/05/2019

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SZYMON KLEKOWICKI ~ A DAY IN THE BUS AUDIO CAVE 2019/001 (Barcode: 5905669566698) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz trombonist / flugelhornist Szymon KlekowickiFind albums by this artist, recorded in a sextet setting with saxophonist Jakub LepaFind albums by this artist and Marcin DabrowskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Adam JarzmikFind albums by this artist, bassist Tymon TrabczynskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Michal DziewinskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, five by Klekowicki and two by Jarzmik. The music is conventional melody based contemporary European Jazz, with solid compositions and arrangements, which create ideal opportunities for the members of the sextet to show their chops. The two compositions by Jarzmik are more rounded and mature, similarly to his excellent work presented on his two earlier album releases. Klekowicki´s music is somewhat Bebop oriented, but by no means outdated and full of great ideas. All the compositions are coherent and interesting, creating a wonderful musical flow that seems to be over way too soon, leaving the listener wishing for more. The level of execution is of course nothing short of excellent all the way through and these "youngsters" sound like Jazz veterans, which never ceases to amaze. The saxophone unisono parts are a neat and effective arrangement trick, which produces a "big" sound of the entire sextet and wonderful harmonic "colorization". Klekowicki seems to be proficient both on trombone and flugelhorn, thus adding sonoric diversity to the entire album. Jarzmik is of course also a terrific piano player and his superb melodic phrases ale balsam on the ears. The rhythm section plays exactly what is expected of them, keeping strict time and not being obtrusive, which is what this music needs the most, being already dense enough, but they get an opportunity to shine as well. Overall this is a first class debut effort, which gives Klekowicki a solid head start of his career. He joins the ranks of the young generation of European Jazz musicians, who proudly keep the idiom alive and kicking, making us, the elders, smile with hope that not all is lost. Albums like that one are heartwarming and obviously highly recommended. Already waiting for the next one!

Updated: 21/02/2019Posted: 21/02/2019

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MAREK WALAROWSKI ~ SEVEN STAIRS TO HELL DUX 1209 (Barcode: 5902547012094) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2015 This is an album by Polish pianist / composer Marek WalarowskiFind albums by this artist, which presents a project he recorded with a classic piano trio with acoustic bass guitarist Jedrzej LaciakFind albums by this artist and drummer Michal DziewinskiFind albums by this artist. It consists of eight original compositions, all by Walarowski. The tongue in cheek reference in the project´s title to the seminal Miles DavisFind albums by this artist album hints about the musical point of reference this music is related to, deep within the Jazz tradition. Although seemingly a straight-ahead mainstream Jazz piano trio album, this album offers a whole musical concept, which mixes the traditional Jazz idiom with unique approach to improvisation, where the instruments rather than soloing in turn, improvise continuously constantly exchanging phrases between themselves, similar to what happens in group improvisation in Free Jazz, but within the standard melodic / harmonic mainstream Jazz. If this is not clear enough, the best idea is to listen to the music and hear this approach in real time. Of course in order to apply this approach, Walarowski had to find the right partners, which is definitely not a trivial matter. The stunning work done by the acoustic bass guitarist is a proof that such partners do exists. Laciak plays along with the piano notes with an amazing virtuosity, and manages to combine the traditional role of the bass in a piano trio with a continuous barrage of notes, which improvise and perform a dialogue with the piano. Dziewinski is obviously less involved in the actual improvisation, except for his solo spots, but he accompaniments the piano / bass lines with great elegance and sensitivity. Of course the great performances are based first and foremost on the compositions, which serve as vehicles for the improvisational layer. Walarowski´s beautifully melodic and lyrical themes are perfect for the job and are a real pleasure to listen to. He is also a great pianist of course, but his idiosyncratic style might sound a bit strange to purist Jazz listeners, revealing some Classical mannerisms, which are difficult to hide. Overall this is a wonderful piano trio album, which should make all connoisseurs of that particular Jazz variety extremely happy, although it might require a few listening sessions in order to appreciate this music in full. I suppose this is a multi-layered album in a sense that some listeners will enjoy the melodic, swinging parts, which are very easy to like while others will make an effort to dig deeper and listen beneath the surface to discover the hidden treasures. Whichever way, this is a highly recommended piece of music, worth discovering and investigating.

Updated: 10/05/2016Posted: 10/05/2016

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