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  | DOMINIK STRYCHARSKI CORE / ORKIESTRA DETA URSUS ~ SYMFONIA FABRYKI URSUS (SOUNDTRACK)
AUDIO CAVE 2021/005 (Barcode: 5908298549247) ~ POLAND ~ Soundtracks
Recorded: 2017 - 2021 Released: 2021
This is an album by Polish Jazz flautist / composer Dominik StrycharskiFind albums by this artist and his ensemble CoreFind albums by this artist, which includes pianist Barbara DrazkowskaFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Wojciech JachnaFind albums by this artist, bassist Zbigniew KozeraFind albums by this artist and drummer Pawel SzpuraFind albums by this artist. The Ursus Brass OrchestraFind albums by this artist also takes part in this recording. The album presents five original compositions, all by Strycharski. The music was used as a soundtrack to the award winning documentary film about the Ursus factory, which ceased to exists in 2011, and which was famous for producing Polish tractors for more than 100 years.
The music, although performed by a Jazz quintet and a Brass Orchestra, includes hardly any Jazz elements per se and offers a dark, ambient, Cinematic Music, which is slow moving and minimal in its scope. It might be very appropriate as a soundtrack (I have not seen the documentary), but as a stand-alone piece of music it is much more difficult to swallow.
The industrial character of the music, as well as its lack of development, may emphasize / illustrate the labor done by the ex-workers of Ursus, who are the focus of this documentary, but out of that context it is rather daunting.
One of the tracks, which is performed just by the quintet, is the closest that this music gets to Jazz / Improvised Music, and features some great playing by Jachna, but again the twelve minutes long piece is completely static and monotonic, and even Jachna’s trumpet parts are unable to redeem it.
Overall, this album proves that Cinematic Music is not always able to stand by itself, unrelated to the visual layer. Despite the fact that it is performed by highly esteemed Polish Jazz musicians, it simply does not work for me. My fault of course.
| | Updated: 01/07/2021Posted: 01/07/2021 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
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