Record Reviews

EABS ~ REFLECTIONS OF PURPLE SUN ASTIGMATIC 028 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Funk Fusion Recorded: 2023 Released: 2024 This is the 6th album by Polish Jazz ensemble EABSFind albums by this artist, which comprises of saxophonist Olaf WegierFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Jakub KurekFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Marek PedziwiatrFind albums by this artist, bassist Pawel StachowiakFind albums by this artist and drummer Marcin RakFind albums by this artist. The album presents six tracks, five of which are the ensemble’s interpretation of the tracks included on the legendary album “Purple SunFind albums with this title” by Polish Jazz trumpeter / composer / bandleader Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, who died in 2018, and one is a short tribute to Stanko’s drummer Janusz StefanskiFind albums by this artist, who died in 2016, credited to Rak. The album was recorded at Stanko’s flat and includes a booklet with extensive and highly informative liner notes by the ensemble’s manger Sebastian JozwiakFind albums by this artist. The “Purple Sun” album was recorded in Germany in 1973 by the legendary quintet led by Stanko, with included saxophonist / flautist Janusz MuniakFind albums by this artist, who died in 2016, saxophonist / violinist Zbigniew SeifertFind albums by this artist, who died in 1979, bassist Bronislaw SuchanekFind albums by this artist, may he live for many more years, and Stefanski. For various reasons (see the booklet) Suchanek was replaced on this recording by Swiss bassist Hans HartmannFind albums by this artist, who died in 2022. The album presented five compositions (two combined into one track), four composed by Stanko and one by Seifert. Since the album was released only in Germany on an obscure small record label, it remained almost completely unknown to most Polish and international Jazz connoisseurs for many years. The album was never properly reissued / remastered to this very day. Sadly, none of the quintet members, who recorded this album, are with us anymore. The concept of re-recording entire albums is not exactly neither new nor very revolutionary, even when the music is teleported into an entirely different sphere / universe, like in this case. EABS gradually won me over with their consecutive albums, and I learned to accept their Groove and Funky attitude, which, in their case, can result in deeply Artistic music, despite the appearances. I must admit that I had serious doubts in this specific case, as this particular period in Stanko’s musical chronology sets a certain aesthetic peak, as far as my historic perspective of Polish Jazz is concerned, where his highly adventurous searching produced some of the best Improvised Music / Free Jazz on earth at the time. This new interpretation of “Purple Sun” has absolutely nothing of that searching, subversive, groundbreaking charisma that the original album projects. The links between the original album and this offering are left purely to the spiritual / associative levels. I don’t think anybody not informed about the linkage between these two albums would ever guess its existence. So the question is if EABS have jumped the proverbial “one bridge too far” this time? I don’t have a precise answer to be honest. I do love the music, without any reservations: it is well played, it is Groovy and Funky as always, the solos are impressive and everything works just fine, including the urge to get up and dance. They have definitely found their very own style and they are consistent. Only some questions remain: what is the relevance of this music as far as its inspiration is concerned? Does it bring Stanko’s ideas forward by fifty years? Does it play tribute to Stanko’s original music, beyond the conceptual envelope? I honestly don’t know… Overall, this as good EABS album as ever, and people who love their music will enjoy this one as well. They are a talented bunch and it’s always great to hear them play, live or on record. As far as “Purple Sun” is concerned, if this album prompts people to make an effort and listen to the original album, I am more than happy!

Updated: 14/06/2024Posted: 14/06/2024

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EABS ~ REPETITIONS (LETTERS TO KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA) ASTIGMATIC 003 ~ POLAND ~ Smooth Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz ensemble EABSFind albums by this artist, a septet consisting of vocalist / keyboardists Marek PedziwiatrFind albums by this artist, who also arranged all but one of the tracks, drummer Marcin RakFind albums by this artist, guitarist Vojto MonteurFind albums by this artist, bassist Pawel StachowiakFind albums by this artist, turntablism performer Spisek JednegoFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Olaf WegierFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Jakub KurekFind albums by this artist. Veteran Polish Jazz violinist Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist appears as a guest on one track. As the title suggests, the album consists entirely of music composed by the Godfather of Polish Jazz, pianist / composer Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist and presents nine pieces of Komeda´s music, written originally mostly for theatre and cinema. The music is accompanied by extensive liner notes, which carefully present the concept and the historic background about the individual compositions, written by Sebastian JozwiakFind albums by this artist, which is a most welcome example of how to treat musical projects seriously. This album faces two potential difficulties common to most Komeda related projects: firstly the Polish Jazz scene is practically overflowed with endless attempts to interpret Komeda´s music accumulating to a plethora of albums varying immensely in quality from total flops to brilliant achievements. Secondly, and more importantly, each new Komeda related project has to offer something never attempted before, which should at least try to expand the Komeda legacy into unchartered territory. EABS take Komeda´s music into the contemporary easy side of Jazz, bordering at times with Smooth Jazz and Pop and incorporating Hip Hop, Soul and Funk, samples, loops and other contemporary Pop paraphernalia. At times this is all highly effective, but the final result varies from track to track. Sadly the treatment of the original music starts to repeat itself and once the listener passes about half of the album, the tension and factor of surprise wear down. But to be fair, the album presents many interesting moments and overall is a great fun to listen to. It is beautifully executed and recorded, and offers a solid aural experience. The Urbaniak solo parts on the track he plays on are a great reminder of his abilities. Does this album stand out from all the other Komeda related projects? I´ll leave this question open to be answered by the album´s listeners. It is definitely worth to be listened to, even repeatedly and if it eventually brings hordes of new young listeners to the music of Komeda, it has fulfilled its higher calling. This is definitely recommended to all young or at least young at heart listeners and offers a commendable debut effort.

Updated: 16/09/2017Posted: 15/09/2017

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EABS ~ SLAVIC SPIRITS (LIMITED EDITION) ASTIGMATIC 009 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 A couple of years ago (in 2017) a young Polish Jazz ensemble from Wroclaw, called EABSFind albums by this artist, released their debut album "Repetitions (Letters To Krzysztof Komeda)Find albums with this title" which created quite a stir in the local jazz swamp. Subsequently the ensemble released a couple of LPs with material still connected to Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist´s music, which together with the debut they call the "Komeda Triptych". The original septet lineup: keyboardist Marek PedziwiatrFind albums by this artist, drummer Marcin RakFind albums by this artist, guitarist Vojto MonteurFind albums by this artist, bassist Pawel StachowiakFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Jakub KurekFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Olaf WegierFind albums by this artist and percussionist also in charge of sound fx Spisek JednegoFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Piotr SkorupskiFind albums by this artist) was expanded to an octet with the inclusion of British flautist / saxophonist TenderloniousFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Edward CawthorneFind albums by this artist), which released their genuine second album. It presents original compositions by the band members, two by Pedziwiatr, one each by Stachowiak and Monteur and three collective compositions; altogether seven tracks lasting just under forty four minutes. More about the music later… Similarly to the debut, the Limited Edition of this album includes an extensive essay by Sebastian JozwiakFind albums by this artist, the executive producer of the album, who is an organic member of the ensemble, their spokesman and sort of spiritual guru. The almost 300 pages long massive essay (in bilingual Polish / English version) printed in a book form is in fact an integral part of the release and presents the intellectual / historic / philosophical aspects of the subject matter, complimenting the musical content of the album, which as the title suggests tries to explore the "Slavic Spirit" in a multi-plane analysis attempt. More about the book later… My reaction to the debut album (which can be read by clicking on the link above) was somewhat reserved but overall encouraging. I clearly stated my subjective pros and cons but I obviously misjudged the hysterical / hyperbolical / fanatical hype that was created around that album at the time of its release by what can be collectively called the Polish Jazz media and beyond. I refused, as always, to follow the crowd and pay allegiance to vox populi that claimed the album was a Godsend and a monumental event on the Polish Jazz scene, which I found overtly exaggerated. The predicted wave of internet hate that followed was a small price to pay for my intellectual liberty. Considering the average level of professionalism in contemporary Polish Jazz musical journalism and criticism, which is sadly inversely proportional to the level of the music itself, and the omnipresent herd mentality which dominates it, I have always proudly maintained an independent point of view, helped by the geographical distance and total lack of dependence on the social / economic / political and even religious constrains acting upon people living in Poland. Therefore I admit that I was quite surprised to find a copy of the album in my daily heap of albums arriving in the mail – which I interpret as a sign of trust in every case when someone asks for my opinion. Whenever I write a review of an album recorded by Polish musicians and / or composed by Polish composers there is a high probability that the phrases "Polish lyricism" or "Polish melancholy" might appear within the text, which is only natural since Polish Music generally across all genres, but especially so within the Polish Jazz idiom, offers a spirituality which is probably indescribable in words (see "Dancing about Architecture"), but is very easily recognizable while listening to it. With this album EABS go on a journey of discovery of this particular musical Polishness, which they expand into musical Slavic Spirituality. Although Poles and the various ethnic Polish minorities are of course part of the Slavic peoples, they are in fact a minority within the Slavic global identity and therefore perhaps this generalization is slightly overstretched. Nevertheless the idea is to define the Slavic Spirituality musically, by the music on this album, as well as by the text which examines its other aspects. The music is diametrically different from what the ensemble offered on their debut. It does not include any vocal parts, no Hip Hop, almost no electronics except for some limited sound effects, in short it makes an almost complete about-face towards mainstream melodic Jazz, which features extended soloing by the keyboards, the saxophones and the trumpet. The three short collective improvisations serve as introductions to the extended main compositions that follow. The four main compositions are developed slowly towards a final climax featuring group improvisation. The melodic themes are undoubtedly lyrical and melancholic, well structured and admittedly beautiful. That said the question arises if this music is an epitome, a classic / archetypical example of Polish Jazz, which defines its Slavic Spirituality? In all fairness I feel that such a lofty ambition would be beyond the true scope of this music. I´d even say that any attempt to define an entire Cultural aesthetics by one piece of music, regardless how ingenious it might be, is a priori futile. The text accompanying the album is however much closer to the goal it sets before the reader. It is by no means a scholarly, academic research, impeccably organized and proposing a deterministic outcome. It is a complete opposite; a collection of personal (or rather collective) reflections on the subject of ethnic spirituality, historic processes, religious believes and myths, Paganism and Christianity and many others. The development of contemporary Polish music and its connection to the Slavic Spirituality is approached via an examination of the key personalities that shaped its fate, most extensively Czeslaw NiemenFind albums by this artist (a deeply spiritual person) in the chapter entitled "Inspirations". The opening track and each of the four main compositions on the album has a chapter dedicated to it, which explains in depth the Slavic believes, cults and deities connected to the names of the tracks. Although reading the entire text is challenging, it is also intellectually rewarding and highly educational, full of facts and ideas which probably never occurred to most people before coming across it. The chapter dealing with the Slavic aspects of Polish music is a must read to all connoisseurs, especially the younger ones who did not experience that music during their lifetime. The most important aspect of the text is that is does not try to indoctrinate or impose any views or ideologies on the reader. It presents an impressive collection of facts and views, but leaves the interpretation of the above to the reader himself. If anybody got finally here, it is time to summarize; this is a very ambitious project, which combines excellent music with well written text related to the subject the music and the text are dedicated to. The music is enjoyable and accessible, superbly performed and offering a rewarding listening experience, which many listeners might enjoy repeatedly. Probably fewer people will have the stamina required to read the entire test attentively, although it is most highly recommended. Overall a splendid piece of dedicated work, which hopefully this time will be appreciated for what it is but not unnecessarily overhyped, which can only case grief and damage in the long term. Well done Gentlemen!

Updated: 01/07/2021Posted: 24/06/2019

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