Record Reviews

MAZZOLL / SROCZYNSKI ~ RITE OF SPRING VARIATION REQUIEM 2013/055 ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2013 Released: 2013 This is a live in the studio recording by the Polish Improvising Music duo, comprising of clarinetist Jerzy MazzollFind albums by this artist and violinist Tomasz SroczynskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven improvised pieces, inspired by the orchestral piece “The Rite Of Spring” composed by Igor StravinskyFind albums by this artist, one of the most revolutionary pieces of Modern Classical Music, premiered in 1913, exactly a hundred years before this music was recorded. Although primarily improvised, the music offers some subtle references to its source of inspiration, which are more spiritual than immediately recognizable. But the amount and variety of sounds and sound effect the duo members are able to produce during the execution of this piece is truly astounding, at times sounding close to a full orchestra and proving the virtuosic abilities of both participants. Obviously this is demanding and difficult music to an unexperienced listener, previously unexposed to the “unconventional” sounds of Improvised Music in its full-blown complexity, but for champions of the genre this music is a true revelation. When listening to this album I often speculate what would have been the reaction of Stravinsky himself to this “unearthly” interpretation, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he loved it – after all his music sounded a Century ago as bizarre or perhaps even more so, than this album sounds to contemporary listener. Overall, this is a little known episode in Mazzoll’s complex recorded legacy, which is definitely worthy of being brought to the attention of those, who might have missed it at the time it was released. Obviously it lost nothing of its charm and magic over the last decade, and is still warmly recommended to the brave-hearted Improvised Music aficionados.

Updated: 10/07/2025Posted: 10/07/2025

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SROCZYNSKI / POSPIESZALSKI ~ BARENESS REQUIEM 2014/068 ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2011 - 2013 Released: 2014 This is an album by the Polish Improvising Music duo, comprising of violinist Tomasz SroczynskiFind albums by this artist and saxophonist Marek PospieszalskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven improvised pieces, recorded during two sessions separated by a gap of over two years between them, one recorded in a church, with a wonderful natural ambience of the structure, and the other in a studio. Although spontaneously improvised, the music offers some subtle melodic themes, and even Classical Music structures, which altogether enables this music to be acceptable to listeners, who would normally stay away from such Avant-Garde explorations. This album presents the enigmatic nature of Pospieszalski’s musical activity, who is able to balance his career between Improvised Music and pretty straightforward Jazz or even Jazz-Rock, performing in both environments with the same ease and elegance. At the time this music was recorded, he was also recording albums with Kuba PluzekFind albums by this artist, GraalFind albums by this artist, Wojtek MazolewskiFind albums by this artist, Janusz Yanina IwanskiFind albums by this artist and others, which were stylistically and aesthetically a world apart from what can be heard here. Sroczynski, on the other hand, consistently shares his time between contemporary Classical Music (with two Symphonies to his credit) and Improvised Music, and is always at the very frontier of new developments. Overall, from a perspective of over a decade, this music on this album is every bit as exciting and enthralling as it was at the time it was recorded, and it is one of those rare Improvised Music albums, that one tends to return to once in a while. Warmly recommended!

Updated: 14/07/2025Posted: 14/07/2025

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TOMASZ SROCZYNSKI ~ PRIMAL FOR TUNE 0103 (Barcode: 5906395808038) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 It is the debut album as a leader by Polish Avant-Garde violinist / composer Tomasz SroczynskiFind albums by this artist, recorded in a trio format with bassist Max MuchaFind albums by this artist and drummer Szymon GasiorekFind albums by this artist. The album presents a continuous twelve piece progression lasting thirty eight minutes. Since composing credits are not disclosed on the album´s liner notes I assume the music was co-composed by all three musicians based on basic ideas by the leader. The music moves along between Contemporary Classical, Free Jazz, Improvised Music and Ambient, which seems pretty arbitrary as there is no coherent structure or sequence, which could hint as to the ultimate goal. The diverse sonic vistas produced by the violin are interesting and so is the attempt to share responsibility by the other instruments, which play along amicably, but that is not enough to keep the listener fascinated for more that a few moments at a time. Sroczynski displays virtuosic technique, especially so in the longest track on the album, but the other pieces are much more minimalistic and less immediately attractive. However, there is no doubt that this is a courageous effort to produce original and ambitious music, and as such it deserves encouragement and support, like the release of this album. There is no way to foresee where Sroczynski might be heading in the long range, but based on his previous recordings and the one at hand he certainly is full of interesting ideas and opens new possibilities for the role of the violin in contemporary music. Lovers of adventurous Avant-Garde escapades, full of challenge and discovery, should find this music interesting and worth listening to. The question is if a repeated listening to this recording is something many listeners will be interested in.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 14/10/2016

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