Record Reviews

NATALIA KORDIAK ~ BAJKA HEVHETIA 0194 (Barcode: 8588005258708) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz vocalist Natalia KordiakFind albums by this artist recorded in a quintet setting with saxophonist Przemyslaw ChmielFind albums by this artist, pianist Mateusz KolakowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Alan WykpiszFind albums by this artist and drummer Grzegorz PalkaFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, all by Kordiak, two of which feature lyrics (one by Polish poetess / playwright Maria Pawlikowska-JasnorzewskaFind albums by this artist and the other by Kordiak) and the rest feature wordless vocalese. The album was recorded at the RecPublica Studios and engineered by Michal WasylFind albums by this artist, and offers a superb sound quality. A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to hear Kordiak sing live in Katowice as a member of the First Was The VoiceFind albums by this artist vocal ensemble conducted and directed by my friend the fabulous Anna GadtFind albums by this artist, which should have prepared me for what I was about to hear on this album, but now I have to admit that probably nothing could have really prepared anybody for what this album offers. This is simply the Polish Jazz vocal album I have been dreaming about for the last half a Century, since Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist appeared on the Polish Jazz scene and revolutionized the approach to vocal Jazz not only in Poland but worldwide. Kordiak treats her voice as an instrument and her vocalese explorations are simply unbounded by any previously set limitations, conventions or boundaries. Her singing is completely intuitive and her sense of melody is so open and free that the music becomes completely boundless and unconventional. Each of the tunes offers a melodic theme, but the vocal and instrumental improvisations move freely beyond the sketched horizons into the unknown and unexpected, which happens extremely rarely and immediately pushes this music into the "high sphere" of Jazz aesthetics. The instrumentalists do a magnificent job on this album, with the most important task always before their eyes: do not disturb the vocals. Each of these players is able to play exquisitely as a soloist but this album sets a textbook example of respect and supportive role by the instrumentalists, who are clearly heard within the delicate fabric of the music, but never overshadow the vocal parts even for one moment. The rhythm section of Wykpisz and Palka, which is certainly phenomenal on its own, offers here a magnificent assistance to the vocals, often just in a trio settings. Kolakowski, who deserves a much wider recognition that he enjoys in Poland at the moment, is a key element which makes this music what it is, playing absolutely stunningly and beautifully free, which is amazing considering his Classical Music upbringing and education. Chmiel, also relatively anonymous, offers some stunning saxophone parts, which immediately put him alongside the most respected names on the Polish scene. In short this is a true dream team and Kordiak was extremely fortunate to record this album with these magnificent musicians at her side. Polish vocal Jazz has been struggling in the last decades to produce anything as artistically and aesthetically valuable as the output it managed to offer time after time in modern instrumental European Jazz, which won it an international acclaim. Sadly Polish vocal Jazz got stuck mostly in imitating rather that inventing, with the ever present obsession of singing English lyrics, more often than not with appalling results. Therefore, although obviously hardly politically correct, the most accurate compliment I can think of under these circumstances is to say that Kordiak emerged here as someone with truly "big-balls", setting everything aside and doing her own thing. I am not surprised that Kordiak comes from under the wings of the above mentioned Anna Gadt, who is a true revolutionary Artist and obviously also and Educator. Considering the fact that Kordiak is still a student, God only knows what she is capable of in the future and I can’t wait to find out. And yes, now I know what my best Polish Jazz album for 2019 will be on my list ;) Thank you for a true fairytale my Dear!

Updated: 13/12/2019Posted: 13/12/2019

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ROBERT SWISTELNICKI ~ PIOSENKI MILOSNE WCZESNEJ POSTKOMUNY I POZNEGO KAPITALIZMU I SJ 075 (Barcode: 5905489720409) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2022 - 2023 Released: 2023 This is an album by Polish multi-instrumentalist / songwriter Robert SwistelnickiFind albums by this artist, featuring five top Polish Jazz vocalists: Grazyna AuguscikFind albums by this artist, Jorgos SkoliasFind albums by this artist, Natalia KordiakFind albums by this artist, Wojciech MyrczekFind albums by this artist and Klara CloudFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Sylwia Klara ZasempaFind albums by this artist) and instrumentalists: Swistelnicki on piano, vibraphonist Marcin PaterFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Pawel PalcowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej KitajewskiFind albums by this artist and guitarist Pawel UrbanskiFind albums by this artist. Several additional musicians participate on selected tracks. The album presents fifteen tracks, with all lyrics and most compositions by Swistelnicki, except three composed by Palcowski and one by Piotr BudniakFind albums by this artist. The concept is obviously a Jazz & Poetry presentation, although the music floats all over the place, from Blues via mainstream Jazz and a few almost Avant-Garde pieces. The vocal and instrumental performances are all as good as one might expect from these highly experienced singers and talented young musicians, but the scope might have been miscalculated to a degree, especially in comparison to Swistelnicki’s debut album “PiosenkiFind albums with this title”, which is way more coherent. There is simply way too much going on here musically, which combined with the complex and often vague lyrical layer, makes this album difficult to embrace, certainly on the first attempt. Of course one should appreciate the complexity of pulling such a project off. The somewhat murky sound quality does not help as well. Since the Jazz & Poetry idiom is by far one of my favorites, I pondered at length why this specific album failed to win my immediate approval, listening to it repeatedly several times. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it per se, but the abundance of musical ideas, which don’t have a clear continuity of focus is probably what causes my reservations. Also, it is difficult to hear clearly the lyrics, which in a project like this are an absolutely essential ingredient. A booklet with the lyrics might have saved the day perhaps, but alas it is not included. On the positive side, the trumpet playing by Palcowski is nothing short of sensational and the soul-shaking vocals by Skolias are simply exquisite. Overall, this is a highly ambitious Jazz & Poetry project, excellently sung and played by talented musicians, which should be very interesting to the Polish aficionados of the idiom. It is probably a matter of personal taste to decide if it fulfills all the potential expected from such a gathering of distinguished Polish Jazz Artists.

Updated: 30/10/2023Posted: 30/10/2023

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VOICE ACT ~ LIVE REQUIEM / ZAWIEJE 43 ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2025 Released: 2025 This is a live album by Polish Jazz vocal quartet Voice ActFind albums by this artist, which comprises of Anna GadtFind albums by this artist, Marta GrzywaczFind albums by this artist, Natalia KordiakFind albums by this artist and Gosia ZagajewskaFind albums by this artist. The album presents one continuous track, with a series of vocal pieces, all of which are spontaneously improvised. The music was recorded at the RequiemFind albums on this label Records performing space, called “Zawieje”, and the music was copied to CD-R discs immediately at the end of the concert and made available to the people who attended the event, so called an “instant live” album, packaged into a beautiful cover pressed in advance – a unique concept by Requiem’s owner Lukasz PawlakFind albums by this artist, one of the most passionate and creative people in Polish record industry. This was the 43rd edition of the “Zawieje” series, which I had the immense pleasure to attend. The music is absolutely stunning, a sublime proof of the fact that the human voice is the ultimate instrument. Sadly, improvising vocal quartets are very rare in Jazz / Improvised Music these days, but this miraculous performance took me back to the days when I attended concerts by Vocal SummitFind albums by this artist and other vocal ensembles, which included vocalizing improvisers like Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist, Jeanne LeeFind albums by this artist, Lauren NewtonFind albums by this artist, Jay ClaytonFind albums by this artist, Julie TippettsFind albums by this artist, Bobby McFerrinFind albums by this artist and others, which pioneered pure vocal improvisation. In some respects, this concert offered more complex vocal techniques than those used decades earlier, less melody oriented and concentrating on the interpersonal communication and harmony of the four voices, in solo, duo, trio and quartet versions, offering a constant flow of ideas and exchange of emotions, often entirely based on pure sound, rather than on melodic flow. Gadt is of course already recognized as a pioneer of vocal improvisation on the contemporary Polish Jazz scene since over a decade, and her many recordings offer excellent examples of her ground-breaking approach. Kordiak released so far a couple of albums and I am not aware of any recordings as leaders by Grzywacz or Zagajewska, but hopefully those will appear soon. Overall, this is a very unique and beautiful album, which should be a proud part of every Improvised Music record collection, especially since it is a very limited edition. If you can find a copy, grab it instantly. Side Note: Recently the Requiem Records lost the premium location residence, where it operated in recent years, including the concert space, which produced 45 editions of the “Zawieje” concerts. This means, that until Lukasz Pawlak is able to find a new home for his label, his activities, including the concert series, will be (hopefully only) temporarily suspended, which is a great loss to the ambitious Polish music scene, a sad reflection of the times we live in.

Updated: 09/09/2025Posted: 09/09/2025

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