Record Reviews

RAFAL SARNECKI ~ SONGS FROM A NEW PLACE ARMS 05 (Barcode: 5900238791044) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2008 Released: 2008 This is an excellent debut album by Polish guitarist / composer / arranger Rafal SarneckiFind albums by this artist, one of Poland´s most promising young Jazz musicians, recorded with his quartet which also includes pianist Pawel KaczmarczykFind albums by this artist, bassist Wojciech PulcynFind albums by this artist and drummer Lukasz ZytaFind albums by this artist (all four musicians are also members of the pianist´s Audiofeeling BandFind albums by this artist and can be heard on the superb "Complexity In SimplicityFind albums with this title" album). Guest flautist Thomas AbbottFind albums by this artist appears on one track. Sarnecki composed all the music on this album, except for one standard, and arranged all the compositions. The music is typical European Jazz, deeply melodic and well structured, with well developed harmonic patterns and rhythmic complexity. Sarnecki emerges as a major talent both as a composer and as a player on this album, with his unique voicing and delicate, yet firm grasp of the guitar´s role in Jazz. In fact this is one of very few and rare albums recorded recently, where the guitar is treated as a Jazz instrument, rather that taking the beaten track treaded by most, which leads straight to Fusion. Sarnecki picks up the Jazz guitar idiom from the place it arrived at in the 1960s and leaps over to the present, purposely ignoring and successfully eschewing any Fusion influences. The effect is truly refreshing and uplifting and enables the listener to enjoy the wonderful sound of Jazz guitar once again, as if listening to old Masters like Joe PassFind albums by this artist, where one can savor each note separately as well as the beautiful flow of many notes building up heavenly structures. The other three young musicians accompanying Sarnecki on this album are all extremely talented as well and display a high level of professionalism and sensitivity, contributing greatly to the overall success of this recording. It´s great to see that the splendor of Polish Jazz is now being continued and expanded by a third generation of players and composers, which is a good omen for the future. This is brilliant stuff and a must to all serious Jazz connoisseurs, wherever they might be, especially the guitar lovers in their ranks.

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