Record Reviews

ZYGMUNT PAUKER TRIO ~ ZYGMUNT IDZIE NA SPACER NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2024 Released: 2025 This is the debut album by Polish ensemble called Zygmunt Pauker TrioFind albums by this artist – a rather enigmatic name considering they are a quartet and there is nobody called Zygmunt Pauker amongst their ranks – comprising of vocalist Ida ZielinskaFind albums by this artist, pianist Kateryna ZiabliukFind albums by this artist, bassist Szymon JarzmusFind albums by this artist and drummer Artur KusFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine tracks, all original compositions by the quartet members: six composed by Zielinska, one co-composed by her and Kus, and one each composed by Ziabliuk and Jarzmus. The music is surprisingly original, fresh and completely different from most of what is happening currently on the Polish scene. The concept is basically a vocalist, who signs wordless vocalese (with a few exceptions), supported by a piano trio. There are no clearly defined melodies as such, but rather a continuous improvisation, both by the vocalist and the trio, but the guiding lines are relatively “well behaved”, despite constant tempi changes, shifts and turns, in short a wonderfully organized mayhem, which keeps the listener on his toes for the entire duration, never prepared for what might come next. This kind of creative freedom can easily lead to cacophony, but lo and behold, this music makes perfect sense from start to finish. It is very rare to come across such amount of originality and creative audacity out of nowhere, especially when debut albums are concerned. As someone, who is exposed to vast amounts of recordings on a daily basis, I am almost never completely surprised by an album, but in this case the impression is extremely unique, almost shocking. Even after repeated listening, the music still holds the same element of surprise and admiration, present at first contact. In short, this is a truly shocking album, full of artistic vision and beautifully utilized freedom of expression. Naturally, albums of this kinds shun any attempt of classification. There are elements of Improvised Music of course, and some affiliation with Jazz and Rock, but the a proper “genre” for this music has not been invented yes IMHO. Overall, this is one of the most impressive Polish albums that landed on my desk in a very long time. I understand that the musicians have Silesian roots, which of course makes me even more happy, as a born Silesian, but I am digressing. These young musicians have no inhibitions, nothing to keep them in bay by music patterns, which would potentially tell them what is right and what is allowed. That freshness and boldness is a rare quality and I pray they do not lose it in time, at least not any time soon. Shockingly good!

Updated: 19/07/2025Posted: 19/07/2025

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