Record Reviews

LEGEND OF KAZIMIERZ ~ SEVEN WONDERS NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2013 Released: 2013 This is the debut album by young Polish Klezmer Jazz sextet Legend Of KazimierzFind albums by this artist, which hails from Krakow, as do many other similar ensembles, and comprises of bassist Mateusz FrankiewiczFind albums by this artist, accordionist Pawel IwanFind albums by this artist, violinist Tomasz PawlakFind albums by this artist, clarinetist / flautist Mateusz ChmielFind albums by this artist, percussionist Tomasz CzaderskiFind albums by this artist and guitarist Jacek DlugoszFind albums by this artist. A few other musicians participate as guests. The album presents eight tunes, three of which are originals composed by Frankiewicz and Chmiel, two are traditional Jewish melodies, and another two are traditional Bulgarian melodies and finally the last one is by Jerry BockFind albums by this artist (the composer of the "Fiddler On The Roof" score). To be perfectly clear the ensemble´s music has very little, if anything at all, to do with Klezmer music. The fact that they use the name of the old Jewish quarter of Krakow (Kazimierz) as part of their name is definitely misleading. However, they show some influence of both Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jewish music, but also a lot of Balkan and Middle Eastern influences. So the whole Jewish / Klezmer "shpiel" is somewhat stretched, but entirely forgiven in view of the fact that they do play some excellent music. In fact they are one of the best Jazz-World Music Fusion bands active in Poland judging by the strength of this album. All the tunes are splendidly arranged and the ensemble very skillfully utilizes the entire palette of instruments played by its members. The overall atmosphere of the music is "oriental", with mystical Middle Eastern reverberations of the flute and violin swinging like enchanted cobras, archetypal darbuka rolls and layers of accordion, which wrap the entire bazaar of sounds like round pita bread holding falafel balls. This music not only sounds oriental, but almost "smells" oriental, and would be perfect as a soundtrack of a movie which takes place in a Mediterranean port. Of course these lads can play and the level of the performance is nothing short of amazing. But as ensembles go, it´s not the individual stars that make the firmament and this ensemble sure knows how to put their collective skills together, to create a whole which is much stronger than the sum of its parts. In short this is one ass-kicking Jazz-World Music Fusion album, which deserves to be heard by as many listeners around the globe as possible. I can hardly imagine anybody not liking this music, as it is as enchanting as a Gypsy queen, or a Flamenco dancer, or a belly dancer, or a snake charmer… pick one or all… Fans of World Music should not miss this one under no circumstances – you have been warned I say!

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KAPELA HANKI WOJCIAK ~ ZASLONA LAS 31001 (Barcode: 5907222901007) ~ POLAND ~ Folk-Rock Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017 This is the long awaited second album by the Polish ensemble Kapela Hanki WojciakFind albums by this artist, led by singer / songwriter Hanka WojciakFind albums by this artist and also including (in alphabetical order like on album´s artwork) drummer Tomasz CzaderskiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Jacek DlugoszFind albums by this artist, bassist Mateusz FrankiewiczFind albums by this artist, violinist Tomasz PawlakFind albums by this artist and mandola player Andrzej ZagajewskiFind albums by this artist. Three guest musicians participate on selected tracks. The album presents eleven songs, ten of which feature lyrics written by Wojciak and music composed by Wojciak or co-composed by her with the rest of the ensemble. The eleventh song is by Zakopane (the capital of the Polish Highlanders from where Wojciak also originates) native songwriter Beata Skulska-PappFind albums by this artist. The album was beautifully recorded by Dariusz GrelaFind albums by this artist and is lavishly packaged in a wonderfully designed digibook. There are also a couple of bonus tracks, which are downloadable from the record label´s site. Musically the album is a coherent and consistent continuation of the path beautifully initiated by the debut album. It is somewhat more mature and diverse, adding new areas like Gypsy Jazz, cabaret and chanson, to the already wide scope of the debut, which was strongly influenced by Polish Highlanders Folklore and other folkloristic motifs. But the heartbreaking musical simplicity and directness of the wonderful melodies are again the major strengths of this music. These songs are all true gems, which encrusted in the superbly sophisticated and delicate arrangements shine like distant stars in a bright night sky. The music is all acoustic, and often minimalistic, which makes for every bit of sound count. The instrumentalist all perform with obvious talent and dedication, minimizing their statements to short but excellent solos and fully supportive accompaniment of the vocals. There is absolutely nothing unnecessary on this album, not one spare note or bit of sound. Everything works together perfectly, saying rather less than more, leaving it to the listener to connect the dots. Wojciak has an angelic voice, sweeter than honey and sublimely expressive, albeit the controlled "simplicity". Her theatrical delivery of the lyrics is simply astounding and throughout the album she is able to move between such contrasting moods like deep melancholy and humoristic sarcasm. The lyrics are, yet again, intelligent, meaningful and skillfully weaved, using the Polish language at its full capacity. In a musical world, where everything is sampled, synthesized, overlaid by layers of computer generated effects, condensed and compressed, twisted and turned around, boosted and filtered, listening to this album is like biting a strawberry for the first time this year and letting an abundance of sweetness and other flavors to take gradually control of your mouth and then your mind. This album and the music it presents are light-years apart form almost everything that is happening of the Polish music scene, which is sadly as bad as everything that is happening in Europe or the rest of the world. It is untouched by the rotting non-culture that seems to rule our world, and Thank God somebody is still making real music these days. Bless you Haniu and your Kapela for making the world a little more bearable!

Updated: 24/11/2017Posted: 24/11/2017

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