Record Reviews

PIOTR KOMOSINSKI ~ WIETRZNE HISTORIE NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Ambient Fusion Recorded: 2021 - 2023 Released: 2023 This is the debut solo album by Polish Jazz bassist / composer Piotr KomosinskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents twelve short compositions (total time just about half an hour), on which he plays several instruments: acoustic and electric bass, ukulele bass, kalimba and electronics. Five of the tracks are duets with trumpeters, Michal MikeFind albums by this artist plays on four tracks and Wojciech JachnaFind albums by this artist on one. The music is a brilliant collection of miniatures, sometimes ambient, sometimes melodic, always concise and coherent, which are an excellent example of the “less is more” concept. These pieces take the listener on a magical sonic ride, which keeps constantly changing the “view in the window”, but constitutes a logical and aesthetic continuity of rare depth. The five duets with the trumpeters are obviously the most Jazz oriented pieces on the album, but they are organically consistent with the rest of the material. Personally I’d love to hear a whole album consisting of just such duets, which might be an island of serenity in the cacophonic environment we have to deal with in our everyday life. One can hope that this short album is just a glimpse into Komosinski’s musical world, which will be expanded soon by further explorations. The soon the better! Overall this is a wonderful little gem, different from most releases that land on my desk with an ever-growing pace, which is a breath of fresh air and inspires a true Nirvana. Thanks!

Updated: 14/12/2023Posted: 14/12/2023

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PIOTR KOMOSINSKI / JERZY MAZZOLL ~ PORY… VINTAGE 002 ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2023 - 2024 Released: 2025 This is an album by a duo of Polish Jazz musicians: bassist / composer Piotr KomosinskiFind albums by this artist and bass clarinetist Jerzy MazzollFind albums by this artist. Both musicians play several other instruments and three guest musicians appear on selected tracks. The album presents thirteen tracks, all composed by Komosinski, and the album title (“Seasons”) and the track titles refer to the passing thirteen months over which this music was gradually recorded in home studios. The music is based on a seemingly simplistic concept, where Komosinski plays a series of basic melody lines and rhythmic bass pulsation and Mazzoll improvises on top of these. This simplicity works out like a dream and the resulting music is absolutely divine, combining atmospheric vistas, contemplative soundscapes, lyrical chants and prayers, which progress gently and naturally from one track to another. The ornamentations added by the guest musicians (viola / piano / vibraphone) are non-intrusive and melt organically with the content created by the duo. As I have already repeatedly stated in my reviews, Mazzoll is a class by himself, completely incomparable to any other Polish Jazz / Avant-Garde improviser and the most impressive revelation for me, since I heard Andrzej PrzybielskiFind albums by this artist, who was a phenomenon on a similar level. Every sound he plays is always perfectly uttered and fits the one before and the one following, as if they were genetically compatible. His performances here simply re-state his obvious Genius and listening to him playing is like watching Picasso painting. But it is Komosinski who carries the music, instigates it and keeps it moving forward in a coherent flow, which is no less important in order to create the resulting music we are hearing, and therefore his contribution to this music is equally essential. The two of them are a perfect incarnation of the “Art of the Duo” phenomenon and the music is a wonderful amalgam of contrasts between the bass lines and the Free Improvisations, which in Mazzoll’s case are also completely melodious, at least in my ears. Overall, this is a phenomenal album, which offers a combination of deeply spiritual, soul-wrenching music, heart-beat pulsations which keep it progressing on a firm basis and abstract improvisations, which still make perfect sense. What a bliss… Thank you my Friends for being!

Updated: 18/02/2025Posted: 18/02/2025

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POLA ~ 13 NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garge Pop Recorded: 2022 Released: 2022 This is the debut album by Polish duo PolaFind albums by this artist, which consists of vocalists / composer / lyricist / keyboardists Zofia OlszewskaFind albums by this artist and bassist / composer Piotr KomosinskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents thirteen original songs, hence the title. The music defies any attempt to categorize it precisely, which is usually a good sign. It floats somewhere between Ambient, New Wave, electronic, esoteric Pop and so on, but who cares… The songs are based on simple, but effective melodic riffs, accompanied by some keyboards / electronics drone background and supported by solid bass lines, with vocals on top. Olszewska skillfully overdubs her vocal parts on some tracks, which creates the effect of two vocalists present. The music is very intimate and embodies silent moments, provoking the listener to fill in the blanks rather than overload the ears with too many sounds. The Polish lyrics have the drawback of being lost to listeners not speaking the lingo, but even without actually understanding the message the vocals have a strong musical presence of its own. The idiosyncratic vocal approach creates a level of tension and is certainly a focal point of this music. Overall, this is a highly esoteric, unique and ambitious piece of music, which should be very interesting for listeners willing to reach beyond the obvious. It does require attentive listening and patience, but is a rewarding and thought inspiring experience, intimate, delicate and modest, which speaks volumes. Highly recommended to highly sensitive, exploratory musical explorers.

Updated: 09/04/2023Posted: 09/04/2023

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