Record Reviews

PINK FREUD ~ HORSE & POWER UNIVERSAL 602537026203 (Barcode: 602537026203) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2011 Released: 2012 This is the 8th album by Polish ensemble Pink FreudFind albums by this artist, one of the country´s top acts both in the Jazz and non-Jazz spheres. Formed in 1998 by bassist / composer Wojtek MazolewskiFind albums by this artist, the group changed its lineup several times over the years but succeeded to maintain its popularity and gradually achieved a cult following and a large fan base home and abroad. This album was recorded in a new quartet lineup, which features, alongside the leader, trumpeter Adam Milwiw-BaronFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Tomasz DudaFind albums by this artist and for the first time new drummer Rafal KlimczukFind albums by this artist. All the ten tracks on this album are original compositions by the group members with Mazolewski being credited or co-credited for all but one composition. In full contrast to their last album ("Monster Of JazzFind albums with this title"), recorded almost three years earlier, this album is a complete stylistic "about face", marking the group´s return to almost acoustic Jazz, with the electronic, dub and other non-Jazz elements completely gone. Of course this is still Pink Freud, with their unique brand of post-Yass, characterized by non-Jazz rhythm patterns, nonchalant treatment of chord changes and other signs of the "coolness" poise, but also full of passion and surprising ventures into Free Jazz soloing and funky bass parts, all of these happening out of the blue, which of course is absolutely marvelous, if one likes such atypical musical approach. And those great melodies, which were almost completely lost on the preceding album, are back, haunting the listener, turning him into a humming zombie. People familiar with Mazolewski´s activities should not be taken by complete surprise by this album, since his excellent solo album "Smells Like Tape SpiritFind albums with this title", released in between the two last Pink Freud albums, already hinted as to the return of the prodigal son to Jazz. So here we have a group that changes like the proverbial chameleon, adopting to contemporary developments and returning to the tradition, and yet managing to keep their musical originality and integrity intact, which is definitely a great accomplishment. Above all, this music, apart for its quality, intelligent compositions and excellent execution, manages to be such fun. Imagine hearing this stuff live and one can understand why the group mesmerizes audiences all over the world taking no prisoners. So regardless if this music is driven by horse power, steam power or nuclear power, it is worthy of music connoisseurs attention and should not be missed, for fun´s sake. Brilliant stuff!

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PINK FREUD ~ PLAYS AUTECHRE MYSTIC (PL) 294 (Barcode: 5903427879066) ~ POLAND ~ Electronic & Ambient Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 Four years after their previous album Polish group Pink FreudFind albums by this artist, led by bassist Wojtek MazolewskiFind albums by this artist, hits the market with their ninth album, dedicated, as the title suggests, to the music of the British electronic music duo AutechreFind albums by this artist. Although the album´s booklet gives absolutely no information about the recording or even the band´s current lineup, which of course is sloppy, arrogant and plain stupid, a short research on the web will tell us that this is a live recording and the remaining members of the group are trumpeter Adam Milwiw-BaronFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Karol GolaFind albums by this artist and drummer Rafal KlimczukFind albums by this artist. They perform eight pieces composed by Autechre. What the booklet does include is a lengthy rant by Mazolewski, who tells the listeners how this album is a realization of a dream, which he has been planning since many years and why he thinks Autechre are the next best thing to silence. Personally I find the music of Autechre terribly boring and comparing them to John ColtraneFind albums by this artist or Johann Sebastian BachFind albums by this artist is a cultural sacrilege Following the good advice of "don´t judge the book by the cover" I was ready to disregard the shortcomings of the album´s booklet, giving the music a fair chance, but alas to no avail. The music is simply going nowhere, repeating the simplistic, mechanical rhythmic patterns ad nauseam and saying very little. Milwiw-Baron is of course a very talented player and I have always enjoyed his performances, but he is by far not able to save this album by himself. Contrary to the hopes that we all developed about Pink Freud returning to playing Jazz, this album takes us again off the target. This repetitive and dull music lacks everything that Jazz stands for: originality, aesthetics and innovation. Better luck next time.

Updated: 13/05/2016Posted: 13/05/2016

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