Record Reviews

OLBRZYM I KURDUPEL ~ WORK KILOGRAM 028 (Barcode: 5907577284275) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2014 This is the third album by Polish Avant-Garde / Improvised Music duo Olbrzym I KurdupelFind albums by this artist, or saxophonist Tomasz GadeckiFind albums by this artist and bassist Marcin BozekFind albums by this artist. It captures a live performance by the duo at the legendary Alchemia club in Krakow, which is edited into six separate parts, but the entire performance can be seen as a musical continuum. Although not specifically attributed as such, the music is obviously co-created by the duo members. Gadecki is a very active and prolific member of the Polish Avant-Garde scene and takes part in several other small experimental ensembles, like 250 KGFind albums by this artist, TRC TrioFind albums by this artist and SambarFind albums by this artist. The duo has been playing together for about six years now, a period of time which was definitely sufficient for them to develop their own specific stylistic mannerisms and approach to collective improvisation, which by now is pretty recognizable. This is quite an achievement, as Improvised Music may sound pretty undistinguishable in most cases. The staccato bass pulsations and dramatic saxophone cries are most effective tools to capture the listener´s attention and create an emotional upheaval. Improvised music is of course above all a team effort, and as a team they are simply "as one man", no pun intended. I have always admired the intimacy of their almost telepathic sharing of ideas and on this album it is more strongly evident than ever before. Additionally their music is completely non-aggressive, almost "romantic" at times, and as absurd as it might sound, it is pleasurable and comforting; definitely not a typical paradigm in Improvised Music. The Polish Avant-Garde scene is obviously quite en extensive field of activity, still growing against all odds. Dominated mostly by relatively young musicians, it is vital and impressively creative. I find Olbrzym I Kurdupel to be a perfect personification of that wonderful phenomenon, always looking forward to their new work. I can only wish that their music will be discovered by as many open-minded music listeners as possible, as it certainly deserves it.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

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SAMBAR ~ MELT! NOT TWO 899 (Barcode: 5901549185638) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2014 This is the debut album by Polish Avant-Garde / Improvised Music duo SambarFind albums by this artist, or saxophonists Paulina OwczarekFind albums by this artist and Tomasz GadeckiFind albums by this artist, both playing the baritone saxophone exclusively on this album. It captures a live performance by the duo at the legendary Alchemia club in Krakow, which is edited into four separate parts. Although not specifically attributed as such, the music is obviously co-created by the duo members. Both Owczarek and Gadecki are very active and prolific members of the Polish Avant-Garde scene. Avant-Garde by definition knows no limitations or preconceived boundaries, and therefore we should actually never be surprised by anything artists active in that sphere will come up with. But there are always innovations that make us raise the proverbial brow, and this is certainly one of those. The baritone saxophone is not a very popular instrument in general and in Improvised Music in particular and a duo of baritone saxophones freely improvising is simply almost unheard of. And yet, once one listens to this album, even that surprising setup proves workable when handled by daring and creative artists. The music on this album challenges the very fabric of our conception as to what music actually is. The traditional elements of melody, harmony and rhythm are almost completely irrelevant here and one is left only with pure sound and the way our brain interprets it. In fact listening to this music is really similar to taking part in the process of actually creating it. Sadly this is also this music´s greatest weakness, not intrinsically but as a result of the inability of the vast majority of listeners to engage in such process. As a result this music will be fascinating to a very selective group of listeners but completely unacceptable (if not unlistenable) to the majority. This is the price tag associated with innovative artistic search processes and I have always had the deepest respect to those artists who are willing to pay that price. Overall this is a bold and very interesting artistic statement condemned to limited appeal. I wish the world was different, but I have no illusions on that subject. Respect!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

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