Record Reviews

COHERENCE QUARTET ~ SAGAYE CHALLENGE 73457 (Barcode: 608917345728) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 - 2018 Released: 2018 This is the second album by the Polish Jazz Coherence QuartetFind albums by this artist, which comprises of saxophonist Lukasz KluczniakFind albums by this artist, pianist Robert JarmuzekFind albums by this artist, bassist Marcin LamchFind albums by this artist and drummer Grzegorz MaslowskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents six original compositions, two each by Jarmuzek and Kluczniak, one by Lamch and one co-composed by Kluczniak and Lamch. According to the album´s liner notes, the music was recorded in the bassist´s living room, using just a very basic miking setup, which worked out splendidly with the sonic result being just spectacular. The album was released on the Dutch ChallengeFind albums on this label Records label, which seems to have discovered the young Polish Jazz scene as of late. The music is all within the European Jazz mainstream, strictly melodic and "well behaved", mostly relaxed, contemplative and melancholic, but certainly very aesthetic and interesting. Each of the compositions is splendidly developed by the quartet and offers excellent soloing by all participants and great ensemble playing as well. To quote the liner notes again, the quartet failed to come up with a satisfactory result in their attempts to record the second album for quite a while, and the homey atmosphere and intimate interplay that these home sessions offer turned out to be the catalyst, which added the missing ingredient. Overall this album offers superb contemporary European Jazz mainstream, beautifully composed and perfectly executed, which offers the listener a pleasant, but far from trivial listening experience, which keeps him on his toes. Since I am not familiar with the debut recording, it is impossible for me to compare this album to its predecessor, but from what I have read about it, the quartet certainly managed to fulfill the high hopes the debut album delivered. For the many young Polish Jazz followers, this album is exactly what they expect to hear – great music, first class playing and that specific "Polish" resonance, which is instantly recognizable. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 27/06/2018Posted: 18/06/2018

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SLAWEK DUDAR ~ INSIDE CITY LUNA 337 (Barcode: 5900672923377) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2014 This is the debut album as a leader by Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Slawek DudarFind albums by this artist, recorded by his quartet, which also includes pianist Robert JarmuzekFind albums by this artist, bassist Adam KabacinskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Wojciech BulinskiFind albums by this artist. A couple of guest musicians: vocalist Jacek ZamieckiFind albums by this artist and guitarist Artur LesickiFind albums by this artist participate on selected tracks. The album presents seven original compositions, all by Dudar. Musically the album presents the lighter side of the Jazz spectrum, somewhere between mainstream, Jazz-Rock Fusion (when the guitar is present) and Smooth Jazz, but in contrast to most albums released with such characteristics it is a solid and valuable contribution, especially due to the excellent compositions, which are all surprisingly diverse, melodic and far from being trivial or banal. Actually some of these tunes are truly outstanding to be honest. Dudar has a nice tone and plays with self-confidence and a lot of feeling. He manages to stay within the Jazz framework and not cross over to the Smooth Jazz vocabulary (or lack of it), which is often the case. Jarmuzek plays some splendid piano parts, very supportive and always displaying great taste. His contributions keep the album solidly on the Jazz ground. The rhythm section, especially the drums, although perfectly executed and technically fine, is a bit too Rocky for my taste, but that is a minor point. The album has a very good sound quality, balance and ambience, which in addition to the fine music makes it a most pleasant listening voyage. For me this music is "sunny" and perfect for a ride on a shore in our kind of weather. Sometimes the morose Polish melancholy is simply too much, and this album manages to avoid it almost completely, except for the last tune, which is a beautiful ballad dedicated to the EST trio – not surprisingly. Very well done gentlemen!

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JARMUZEK / PAKOWSKA ~ PRZED SKONCZENIEM SWIATA NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 5907731954853) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022 This is the debut album by Polish duo comprising of keyboardist / composer / arranger Robert JarmuzekFind albums by this artist and vocalist Kasia PakowskaFind albums by this artist. They are supported by a rhythm section comprising of bassist Marcin LamchFind albums by this artist and Hungarian drummer Peter SomosFind albums by this artist. A few guests also participate on selected tracks. The album presents thirteen Polish Folk songs, mostly from Lower Silesia, arranged by Jarmuzek. The album was partly recorded at the Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, and offers a spectacular sonic experience. The music sounds completely contemporary due to the masterly arrangements, which offer a strong Jazz under-taste, mixed with ambient sonic vistas. The Folklore basis is still present in the vocal layer, which is kept close to the traditional atmosphere, but modernized slightly in pronunciation and vocal ornamentation, which Pakowska manages to keep under remarkable control. It is encouraging to hear the young generation of Polish musicians discovering the riches of the Polish Culture, especially the regional Folklore, which is extremely diverse and offers endless hidden treasures. This album is an excellent example of tradition being handled with respect and class, as well as imaginative contemporary adaptation. Overall, this is an excellent album, intelligent and highly aesthetic, which offers a glimpse at the depth of Polish Folklore in an exciting, Jazzy perspective, which deserves to be heard by every music lover. It is certainly one of the most rewarding albums on the Polish scene that arrived on my desk lately. Well done!

Updated: 06/05/2022Posted: 06/05/2022

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ZBIGNIEW LEWANDOWSKI QUINTET ~ A NEW OPENING PSJ WROCLAW 004 (Barcode: 5906492433102) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2023 Released: 2024 This is an album by veteran Polish Jazz drummer / composer Zbigniew LewandowskiFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quintet setting with saxophonist / flautist Tomasz PruchnickiFind albums by this artist, pianist Robert JarmuzekFind albums by this artist, bassist Jakub OlejnikFind albums by this artist and American guitarist Kenny CarrFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight tracks, all of which are original compositions, three by the leader and five by Pruchnicki. The album was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, offering a wonderfully worm and clear sound quality. The album marks a most welcome return of Lewandowski to recording duty, which has been interrupted by a three-decades long gap. Judging by the energy and quality of the new recording, Lewandowski lost none of his skill and talent over time. The music is somewhere between mainstream and modern Jazz, based on excellent compositions with strong melodic themes and interesting rhythmic textures, flowing coherently for the entire duration. Carr’s guitar work adds a slight Fusiony touch here and there, but all in great taste and impeccable precision. All the quintet members get ample opportunity to show their chops, and all stand up to the challenge without a hitch. Lewandowski adds a dense rhythmic layer, but without dominating the proceedings unnecessarily, which is excellently complemented by the bass lines, both on bass guitar and acoustic bass. Overall, this is an excellent mainstream Jazz recording, with a gentle touch of Funk and Groove, which is a real pleasure to listen to and which managed to make me smile when listening, which happened pretty rarely these days. Accessible to a wide Jazz loving audience, this is a true little gem, a nice reminder of the good old days and a pleasant dose of good time!

Updated: 18/05/2024Posted: 18/05/2024

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MACIEJ MAZUREK ~ MY HOME V 024 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 2022 Released: 2023 This is the debut album by Polish guitarist / composer Maciej MazurekFind albums by this artist, recorded in a trio format with bassist Piotr MazurekFind albums by this artist and drummer Michal MalinskiFind albums by this artist. Percussionist Bartek PajakFind albums by this artist plays on three tracks and guitarist Artur LesickiFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Tomasz WendtFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Robert JarmuzekFind albums by this artist and vocalist Natalia LubranoFind albums by this artist guest each on one track. The album presents seven tracks, six of which are original compositions by Maciej Mazurek and one is co-written by Mazurek and Lubrano. The music was recorded at the excellent Monchrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, offering a spotless sound quality. The music is all highly melodic, based on solid tunes, which serve as basis for the improvisations by the participating musicians. The steady rhythmic background has a Smooth Jazz tendency, but the guitar is rather more Fusion oriented with strong Blues ties. Altogether the music is a nice mixture of melodic tunes, which flow without challenging the listener’s gray cells, but offer a pleasant background listening experience. Overall, this is a nice debut by young musicians, who are still searching for their specific musical path, showing obvious talent, but lacking maturity. Still, guitar lovers should find this very entertaining and full of exciting licks.

Updated: 09/06/2023Posted: 09/06/2023

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VIBRASLAP ~ DIFFERENT WOR(L)DS MILOR 001 (Barcode: 5907796632000) ~ POLAND ~ Smooth Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the second album by Polish Jazz ensemble VibraslapFind albums by this artist, co-led by vibraphonist / composer Milosz RutkowskiFind albums by this artist and bassist Tomasz GrabowyFind albums by this artist. The current sextet version of the ensemble also includes saxophonist Tomasz WendtFind albums by this artist, pianist Robert JarmuzekFind albums by this artist, drummer Lukasz SobolakFind albums by this artist and vocalist Marcin WawrzynowiczFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions, all by the ensemble members. The music was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, with the usual superb sound quality. The music is definitely on the easy side of the Jazz spectrum, based on simple melodies and catchy riffs, but altogether offering a pleasant and entertaining listening experience. The group members are excellent and experienced musicians and their performances are all beyond reproach, appropriate within this specific genre. The vocals are the weakest chain on the album, but again excusable in that context. Jarmuzek and Wendt offer the most ambitious soloing spots, Rutkowski has a nice touch and the rhythm section keeps the music swinging, and all is well. As I have already stated many times before, Jazz is a wide phenomenon that is flexible enough to embrace more approachable and entertaining facets, including music like what this album offers, which has its following and should not be a priori rejected by condescending snobbery. To each his own…

Updated: 13/01/2020Posted: 13/01/2020

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ZAWARTKO / PIASECKI ~ WAGABUNDA NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2021 Released: 2021 This is the second album by the Polish Jazz duo comprising of vocalist Magdalena ZawartkoFind albums by this artist and bassist Grzegorz PiaseckiFind albums by this artist, recorded with other Polish Jazz musicians: saxophonists Tomasz PruchnickiFind albums by this artist and Tomasz WendtFind albums by this artist, pianist Robert JarmuzekFind albums by this artist, multi-instrumentalist Wojciech LubertowiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Grzegorz PalkaFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original compositions, all co-composed by the duo. Returning after seven years, which passed since their debut album was recorded, the duo continues exactly where they left off, creating a beautiful amalgam of Jazz with Folkloristic themes, which span the Eastern World from Middle East and up to Asian planes. The wonderful melodic themes are richly encrusted with Jazz improvisations and exotic instrumentation, creating a most pleasant listening experience. Zawartko uses her voice like an instrument and becomes in integral part of the overall sound, rather than a soloist, although she does sing lyrics occasionally as well. Piasecki plays superb bass parts, which are the driving force of the album, Jarmuzek supplies the harmonic layers, the sax players add fiery soloing, Palka carries the polyrhythmic pulsations and Lubertowicz is in charge of the exotic sounds of the duduk and percussions, all working together to achieve the sensation of a dreamy flying carpet ride. Of course such Jazz-World Fusion albums have been recorded many times before, this one simply has everything working for it and offers such universal aesthetics, that it can be enjoyed and loved anywhere on this planet. Its subtle Polish roots become only audible in the melancholic melody themes, but even melancholy can be felt equally anywhere on this small globe we share. The long wait for the sophomore effort by the duo proved to be worth waiting for and it is a delightful album by every standard. It’s time to enjoy the music and hopefully we won’t have to wait for the follow up for another proverbial seven years. Thank you for the music and well done!

Updated: 18/08/2021Posted: 17/08/2021

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