Record Reviews

WITOLD JANIAK ~ TRZEJ KROLOWIE NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2025 Released: 2025 This is an album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Witold JaniakFind albums by this artist, who plays the Hammond organ on this album, recorded in a trio setting with saxophonist Sajmon BonkowskiFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Szymon BonkowskiFind albums by this artist) and drummer Kacper KazmierskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven tracks, six of which are original compositions by Janiak and one is Polish Jazz standard by Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist. The music is standard mainstream Jazz, with its only point of interest being the use of the Hammond organ, which is sadly a rarely used instruments these days and is one of my favorite instruments. This seems to be the first time Janiak concentrates on the Hammond organ, since on his numerous earlier recordings he plays mostly piano. As a result, his performance on the organ is not really up to par with dedicated organists, and the saxophone is the central soloists on this album, and does an impressive job, with the organ being mostly somewhat ornamental. The energetic drumming by Kazmierski keeps the music flow moving resolutely. The compositions are solid and even interesting, but the organ trio is perhaps not the ideal musical environment for them, a matter of taste I suppose. Overall, this is a somewhat weird album, dominated by the organ sound, but not really in the nature of organ albums, like those by Brian AugerFind albums by this artist or Jazz organ players like Jimmy SmithFind albums by this artist, or Polish Jazz Masters like Wojciech KarolakFind albums by this artist, Krzysztof SadowskiFind albums by this artist or Kajetan GalasFind albums by this artist. Still, the sound of the Hammond organ is irresistible to my ears, so I rather enjoyed the music, after all.

Updated: 08/04/2026Posted: 08/04/2026

CD 1 Digisleeve Recommend To A Friend

GRZEGORZ ROGALA PROJECT ~ POLISH PSALTER VOL. 2 ARS SONORA 5903855701854 (Barcode: 5903855701854) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2023 Released: 2023 This is the second volume of psalms recorded by Polish Jazz trombonist Grzegorz RogalaFind albums by this artist and his ensemble, which includes soprano singer Barbara RogalaFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Szymon BonkowskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Witold JaniakFind albums by this artist, bassist Michal RutkowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Kamil MiszewskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight tracks, all of which are based on Biblical David’s psalms, loosely translated into Polish language by 16th Century poet Jan KochanowskiFind albums by this artist, with music by his friend, composer Mikolaj GomolkaFind albums by this artist. The music is an amalgam of the original pieces, sung by Barbara Rogala and then expanded into instrumental parts with Jazzy arrangements, performed by the instrumental ensemble, resulting in a characteristic Jazz-Classic Fusion. The album manages to create a fusion of the original Renaissance music with Jazz, which works splendidly, despite the obvious Centuries long time gap between them. It takes a while to get used to the transitions between the two musical spheres, there and back, but once over that hurdle everything works smoothly and the music is quite delightful. Most of the splendid soloing within the Jazzy parts is performed by Janiak, whose delicate arpeggios fit the spirit of the project perfectly, but all the instrumentalist play excellently in both domains. The soprano vocal parts are of course the anchor of the entire project, and are performed with confidence and clarity. Overall, this is a very original undertaking, which demands open-mindedness and skill to pull off. The excellent arrangements and obvious dedication demanded from all the participants pays off and the resulting music is deeply moving and highly aesthetic. Although unusual and somewhat challenging, it should keep most Jazz lovers happy, especially those with affinity to vocal Classical music and the Renaissance period. Very well done indeed!

Updated: 08/03/2024Posted: 08/03/2024

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend