Record Reviews

KULCZYCKI / MAZZOLL ~ OD KUCHNI ANTENNA NON GRATA 41 ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2024 Released: 2024 This is an album by Polish Jazz / Improvised Music duo of pianist / composer Rafal KulczyckiFind albums by this artist and bass clarinetists / composer Jerzy MazzollFind albums by this artist. The album documents a spontaneous improvised session / meeting between the two musicians, which happened (as the title suggests) in the kitchen, and offers the conversations and improvisations caught on the spur of the moment. The album presents eleven tracks and (sadly) lasts for just under half an hour. Considering these circumstances, the sound quality of the live recording is superb. The album was released by the tiny independent Polish record label Antenna Non GrataFind albums on this label, which is one of the champions of Avant-Garde music in the country since 2017. The music is absolutely brilliant, with virtuosic clarinet parts by Mazzoll, who leads the proceedings, and elegant, delicate piano accompaniment / harmony by Kulczycki. It is almost impossible to believe this music was performed without any planning or coordination ahead, as the level of telepathic communications is simply phenomenal. This is an exquisite example of the “Art of the Duo” idiom. Mazzoll, as usual, manages to produce some amazing sounds on his bass clarinet, and his notes come directly from his heart, full of delightful melodic and harmonic depth and unique aesthetics, which make him one of the most original Jazz figures on the Polish scene. I must admit that I am a great admirer of Mazzoll’s talent and his plying always grabs me by the throat. He is a magic combination of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, a Hassidic klezmer and Albert AylerFind albums by this artist, taking the best elements of each, and his live performances and recordings are always top class, which makes me always wonder why he never achieved the recognition and respect he truly deserves. Well, life is still ahead of us… Overall, this is a superb piece of Improvised Music, full of wonderful lyricism and melodic depth, parallel to the Freedom of improvisation. I am grateful this music was recorded and released, and the fact that the playing time is so short reminds me of the joke that Phoenicians invented the money, but why so little of it?

Updated: 27/09/2024Posted: 27/09/2024

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