Record Reviews

MILO ENSEMBLE ~ D`EN DIA EN DIA MILO 306 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2022 Released: 2022 Poland’s almost one thousand years of Jewish Culture, severed and annihilated by the Holocaust, enjoys a miraculous revival in the last two decades or so on the Polish Cultural scene, with music being just one of its many facets. Jewish Culture festivals and concerts of Jewish music are a pretty common phenomenon in Poland these days, but sadly all those reflect primarily just a part of the Jewish Cultural tradition, namely the Ashkenazi Jewry heritage. Its counterpart, the Sephardic Jewish Culture, is consistently absent on the Polish scene, sadly almost always intentionally. Polish Jews were of course predominantly Ashkenazi, and Sephardic Jews (like myself) were a tiny minority, with their Cultural heritage regarded as inferior and systematically ignored by the Polish Jewish establishment in the past, as well as today. Of course Sephardic music has its roots in the Mediterranean Cultures, which often sound strange to East European Ashkenazi ears, and therefore it is hardly surprising that it took someone like Milo KurtisFind albums by this artist, a Polish Greek, to undertake the ambitious project of presenting a collection of Sephardic songs by his Milo EnsembleFind albums by this artist, one of the most colorful music gatherings on the Polish scene. This album, which is a live recording, presents eight Sephardic Jewish songs, sung in the Ladino language, and two versions of an original composition, which open and close the performance. The ensemble consists of Kurtis, who plays clarinet and other instruments, vocalist Masha NatansonFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Misza KinsnerFind albums by this artist and Bartosz SmoragiewiczFind albums by this artist, oud player Mateusz SzemrajFind albums by this artist and percussionist Adeb ChamounFind albums by this artist, as well as guest artist, American trumpeter Dave DouglasFind albums by this artist. Several other guests take part on selected tracks, like vocalist KayahFind albums by this artist, electronics wizard Tadeusz SudnikFind albums by this artist and others. The music follows the Jazz-World Fusion pattern, with each of the songs presented in its basic form and followed by extensive instrumental improvisations. The rhythmic background is predominantly close to Arabic / Greek patterns and the Sephardic originality is often stretched beyond recognition, but the concept holds water and offers an exciting glimpse of Jewish Music, which is rarely heard on the Polish stages. Listeners, who enjoy virtuosic instrumental improvisations and exotic atmosphere, full of Middle Eastern spirit, should enjoy this wonderful music to the max. Overall, this is an ambitious, original and exciting musical adventure, which adds some new color to the Jewish Culture and its presence in the Polish soil. Kurtis stays, as always, true to his roots and his capacity as a leader, who knows what he wants, is what keeps him afloat for all these years on this ever-changing seesaw ride of playing ambitious music. Thank you, my fellow Mediterranean soul Brother, for being what you are.

Updated: 23/11/2022Posted: 23/11/2022

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend

MILO ENSEMBLE ~ LIVE MILO 305 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is a live recording by the ensemble led by Polish (of Greek origin) multi-instrumentalist / composer / band leader Milo KurtisFind albums by this artist, which includes some of the top World Music musicians active in Poland, all of whom are multi-instrumentalists playing authentic acoustic instruments originating from many different corners of the world. They are: saxophonists Misza KinsnerFind albums by this artist and Bartosz SmoragiewiczFind albums by this artist, percussionist Adeb ChamounFind albums by this artist, multi-instrumentalist / vocalist Bart PalygaFind albums by this artist and oud player Mateusz SzemrajFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven original compositions, eight of which were composed by Kurtis, one was co-composed by him and Smoragiewicz and one each were composed by Smoragiewicz and Palyga. I had the pleasure not only to be present at the Polish Radio Agnieszka Osiecka Studio, where this album was recorded, but even introduced the ensemble to the public before the concert started. The album faithfully captures the music that was played during that evening, which was mostly improvised on the basis of the pre-composed themes, completely acoustic and deeply spiritual, with Kurtis directing the ensemble but allowing the individual players to venture into extensive improvisations, and eventually bringing them back into the structured framework. Amazingly everything worked out beautifully together and the superb sound quality and separation allows the listener to hear every tiny detail within the complex wall of sound created by the six musicians. In comparison to the earlier recordings by Kurtis, the music on this album is less Jazz oriented per se and is much more atmospheric, venturing into Improvised Music idiom, but more form the World music direction rather than from the Jazz direction. As a result this album emerges as one of the most successful achievements in his substantial recording legacy. Of course this is not only due to the compositions and direction setting done by the leader but also thanks to the amazing talents of the participation musicians, who offer a vast kaleidoscope of sounds, instruments and influences, more extensive than what Kurtis ever managed to collect within one ensemble. Overall this is probably the most impressive Jazz-World Fusion album released in Poland in 2019 and a most significant addition to the important recorded legacy of Milo Kurtis, who remains, after many years of activity, to be at the vortex of creativity and activity of the Polish musical scene, hopefully for many years to come. Se efcharistó file mou!

Updated: 01/01/2020Posted: 01/01/2020

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

MILO ENSEMBLE ~ LIVE AT PROM KULTURY MILO 303 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is a live recording by an ensemble led by Polish multi-instrumentalist / composer / band leader Milo KurtisFind albums by this artist, which comprises of some of the top Jazz-World Music Fusion Polish or resident in Poland musicians: vocalist Rasm Al-MashanFind albums by this artist, oud player Mateusz SzemrajFind albums by this artist, kora player and vocalist Buba Badjie KuyatehFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Mariusz KozlowskiFind albums by this artist and percussionist Adeb ChamounFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions, five of which were composed by Kurtis, one was co-composed by him and Al-Mashan and one each composed by Kuyateh and Kozlowski. Kurtis, in addition to being a charismatic bandleader and a colorful personality has also a rare talent of gathering around him excellent musicians, amalgamating their often diverse backgrounds into a stylistic blend, which is simply much more than just a sum of its ingredients. This happened with the NaxosFind albums by this artist ensemble, in which some of these musicians were members, as well as in his earlier ensembles, and it applies to this one with the exact same efficiency. The music on this album combines many seemingly dissimilar World Music elements from Africa, Middle East and other sources, wonderfully weaving them together with Jazz improvisation, producing an irresistible and enchanted musical flying carpet ride. Each of the ensemble members represents a different aspect of the music and their cooperation, despite the short lived period of preparation, works like magic. Al-Mashan is a soulful vocalist, bringing to life the great tradition of female vocalists from the Arab World, like the diva Umm Kulthum, updating it to the contemporary World Music idiom. Szemraj is an oud virtuoso and he can easily stand shoulder to shoulder with Middle Eastern Masters of the oud. Kuyateh adds a wonderful color and tonal harmony to the proceedings, Kozlowski is the Jazz element and Chamoun superbly creates a polyrhythmic foundation, which keeps the music flowing. Kurtis, as usual, is in charge of the atmosphere and leads the ensemble firmly on track. Although Jazz-World Fusion music is quite popular in Poland and produces some excellent recordings, only a very few of those come close to the level of this album, which is full of spontaneity, happiness of making music and unpretentious but highly effective and honest music. Hopefully this ensemble will record a studio album sometime in the future, but in the meantime let´s feast on this little gem of an album, which proves that music is one and universal, that borders are meaningless and that good music goes directly to the heart of people! Don´t miss that one!

Updated: 28/07/2018Posted: 28/07/2018

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

MILO ENSEMBLE & NILS PETTER MOLVAER ~ LIVE MILO 307 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2023 Released: 2023 This is a live album by the Polish Jazz-World Fusion Milo EnsembleFind albums by this artist, led by clarinetist / composer Milo KurtisFind albums by this artist, with guest Norwegian trumpeter / composer Nils Petter MolvaerFind albums by this artist. The ensemble includes reeds player / flautist Bartosz SmoragiewiczFind albums by this artist, vocalist Masha NatansonFind albums by this artist, bass saxophonist Misza KinsnerFind albums by this artist, oud player Mateusz SzemrajFind albums by this artist and percussionist Adeb ChamounFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten tracks, six composed by Kurtis, and two each by Molvaer and Smoragiewicz. The music was excellently recorded and offers a splendid sound quality and separation, which enables the listener to hear all the intricate nuances. Kurtis follows the same formula he devised for the ensemble since its establishment in 2015, as well as the tradition of recording his albums live, which has proven to be highly effective so far. The brilliant chemistry he manages to create, while leading his ensemble during live performances, is second to none and works perfectly to achieve the multiculti amalgam, with the music embracing Mediterranean, Middle-Eastern, Indian and African traditions. The ensemble’s members are all accomplished musicians, with intimate knowledge of their respective instruments, and considering the fact that they all play several different instruments, the result is very colorful, diverse and exciting for the entire duration. The presence of Molvaer does not have a dramatic impact on the music, and his melancholic Nordic tendencies, which are usually way more meditative and minimalist on his recordings as a leader, do not take over the general mood here, but integrate well with the rest of the ensemble. However, his trumpet and electronics dominate the two pieces he contributed, with the ensemble carefully taking a step back, which means that his pieces serve as a kind of interludes between the rest of the pieces. The more Jazz oriented listeners should be delighted by the extensive instrumental improvisations, and in in one case vocal improvisation, which are intensely present on the longer pieces. Overall, this is another highly successful recording my Kurtis and his ensemble, and although not innovative, it continues the established path faithfully, to the delight of his fans and followers. I am still hoping to hear a studio album by Kurtis and his cohorts, but perhaps sticking to a formula is the best solution. Time will tell…

Updated: 14/04/2024Posted: 14/04/2024

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend