Record Reviews

DAMASIEWICZ / VILLAVECCHIA / LESIAK / REVIRIEGO / TRILLA ~ SKAWA L.A.S. 007 ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2022 Released: 2023 This is an album recorded by the Polish / Spanish quintet comprising of Polish Jazz / Improvising Music trumpeter Piotr DamasiewiczFind albums by this artist and guitarist Grzegorz LesiakFind albums by this artist and Spanish saxophonist Liba VillavecchiaFind albums by this artist, bassist Alex ReviriegoFind albums by this artist and drummer Vasco TrillaFind albums by this artist. The album presents three lengthy tracks composed by Damasiewicz and was released on the L.A.S.Find albums on this label label, owned by him. The music, which was recorded in a country house in the Polish Beskid mountains, is a direct continuation of the album “On The WayFind albums with this title”, which was created by four of the musicians present here, who were joined by Villavecchia. The Polish / Catalan musical cooperation seems to be exceptionally fruitful in recent years. The compositions, or rather “impressions”, as described by Damasiewicz, are vehicles for the quintet members to create sonic structures, which are of course freely, but completely coherently improvised. The overall approach takes Damasiewicz a decade back in time to his Improvised Music explorations, but the period he dedicated to explorations of more spiritual and ethnic sources certainly left a mark, significantly influencing his trumpet playing, which became reflective and introvert, in comparison to his early work. All five instrumentalists are very accomplished musicians, who have already left a mark on the European Improvised Music scene, and their cooperation here is a reflection not only of their respective abilities, but also the friendship and respect they share together. Overall, this is another document of the position Damasiewicz holds as a central instigator of musical cooperation, which is always very productive and inspiring, even if directed towards relatively limited audiences, a circle which he manages to expand with time. As usual, this music is demanding, but at the same time richly rewarding to those ready to make an effort!

Updated: 18/09/2023Posted: 18/09/2023

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DYMNY / TRILLA ~ CAVE CANEM FMR 399 (Barcode: 642415162685) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2015 This is an album by a duo comprising of Polish guitarist Michal DymnyFind albums by this artist and Portuguese / Catalan drummer Vasco TrillaFind albums by this artist. Polish saxophonist Paulina OwczarekFind albums by this artist guests on a couple of tracks. The album presents nine pieces, assumed to be spontaneous improvisations, which are not specifically credited on the album´s artwork. The content of this album is a typical radical Avant-Garde offering, which can only be considered as "music" under the most flexible definition of the term. There is plenty of sound creation and even interplay, but devoid completely of any melodic or harmonic substance this Art Form is accessible to a very narrow audience, and even then mostly live on stage rather than in recorded form. The two tracks with Owczarek participating are strikingly more accessible by the way. But searching and exploring is an essential part of the artistic process and has its place among the many Improvised Music / ambient recordings, even if it is able to reach a limited audience. The fact that the musicians / performers are able to cooperate and communicate within this sonic environment is already a proof that such experimentation has its justification. The question of course is if this music is able to make listeners place this album in the player more than once? I am not qualified to judge it beyond my personal universe, but I rather doubt it. Nevertheless the fact that this music was recorded and released is a statement, which left a mark on the overall artistic fabric of our common universe, and is already fully valid as such. In order to be alive, music has to have its Avant-Garde, as much as it needs its mainstream. Therefore these efforts, which might seem extreme and narcissistic at one point of time, might prove to be prophetic some time in the future. Who can tell?

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 26/07/2017

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GRZEGORZ LESIAK ESSENCE / PIOTR DAMASIEWICZ ~ ON THE WAY L.A.S. 006 ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2022 Released: 2022 This is an album recorded live by the trio EssenceFind albums by this artist, led by Polish guitarist Grzegorz LesiakFind albums by this artist with Spanish bassist Alex ReviriegoFind albums by this artist and drummer Vasco TrillaFind albums by this artist, which was expanded to a quartet with the addition of Polish trumpeter Piotr DamasiewiczFind albums by this artist. The album presents four lengthy tracks and was released on the L.A.S.Find albums on this label label, owned by Damasiewicz. The music is completely improvised and offers a sonic / atmospheric experience, excluding any conventional melodic continuity, which of course is not unusual for Improvised Music. However, for listeners familiar with such intense sound explorations, it proves to be highly fascinating. The musicians utilize unconventional approach to their instruments, which often sound completely not as they are “supposed” to sound, especially so in case of Lesiak and Damasiewicz, who also adds some vocal layers. For Damasiewicz this recording is a step aside from his “back to nature” sonic excursions, which he developed in the last few years, taking him back to his Free Jazz / Improvised Music period from a decade or so ago, but with a much more introvert and intimate approach, with the “less is more” attitude in the helm. Lesiak is the biggest surprise herein, leaving the role of the Fusion guitarist and leader of the excellent TatvamasiFind albums by this artist ensemble if favor of this highly improvisational environment, although early signs of the forthcoming transformation were already evident on the last (so far) album by the ensemble “The Third Ear MusicFind albums with this title”. Overall, this is a fascinating piece of Improvised Music, strictly for the connoisseurs of the idiom, but full of great ensemble playing and striking individual contributions by all four participants. This is “something else” by every standard, and fearless explorers of the sound space are wholeheartedly invited to take a plunge!

Updated: 10/09/2023Posted: 10/09/2023

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MELECH / MAZURKIEWICZ / TRILLA ~ DOG / HUM / BRAIN MULTIKULTI MPI 047/48/49 (Barcode: 5903068683282) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2016 Released: 2019 Released as three separate CDs, this is obviously a unified release documenting live performances by the Improvised Music / Avant-Garde Jazz trio comprising of Polish clarinetist Piotr MelechFind albums by this artist, bassist Jacek MazurkiewiczFind albums by this artist and Spanish drummer Vasco TrillaFind albums by this artist, recorded in February 2016 at three clubs in different cities in Poland. Guitarist Damian PielkaFind albums by this artist takes part on one track. The albums present four / five / two improvised tracks respectively, all obviously credited to the three members of the trio. Although all the three concerts were recorded by the same trio within one week, the music on the separate CDs differs significantly, presenting completely diverse facets of the trio´s possibilities. Improvised Music is of course created in the spur of the moment and such diversity speaks highly of the abilities of the trio both on the individual and ensemble levels. Listeners familiar with the European Improvised Music scene are obviously already familiar with the names of these musicians, since they all performed and recorded prolifically in the last decade and are considered as some of the most interesting representatives of the genre. Since both Melech and Mazurkiewicz employ electronics on regular basis, the music on these albums depicts the polarity between purely acoustic and almost completely electronic music, with everything in between. It seems that the usage of electronics opened up the possibilities, both of the contemporary modern European Jazz and the more adventurous Free Jazz / Avant-Garde scene, which embraced electronics as an integral part of the accessible instrumental palette, a trend growing stronger towards the end of the decade. The reception of this music is of course highly individual, but I found all thee albums to be highly interesting and absorbing, and the diversity of the music is a strong incentive to try and listen to the whole set in one go. But of course it is also entirely possible to listen to them separately. Overall this is a great document of the live concerts, which stand on its own in the recorded version and offers challenging, but highly aesthetic listening experience. Highly recommended to all Improvised Music enthusiasts!

Updated: 15/03/2020Posted: 15/03/2020

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TATVAMASI ~ DYLIZANS SIEDMIU AUDIO CAVE ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2014 Released: 2016 This is the third album by Polish ensemble TatvamasiFind albums by this artist, led by guitarist / composer Grzegorz LesiakFind albums by this artist. On this album the quintet lineup, which also included trumpeter Jan MichalecFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Tomasz PiatekFind albums by this artist, bassist Lukasz DownarFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof RedasFind albums by this artist, was expended to a septet with the addition of Brazilian saxophonist Yedo GibsonFind albums by this artist and Spanish percussionist Vasco TrillaFind albums by this artist. The album presents just three expanded original compositions (two lasting over twelve minutes and one over sixteen minutes), all composed by Lesiak. The album was recorded shortly after the recording of their previous album a couple of years back and released only now. The music is as unexpected as one might expect from Tatvamasi, presenting a wonderful amalgam of Rock, Funk, Free Jazz, Psychedelia, World, Electronic and Ambient influences. The three tracks are extended jams, which basically provide a platform for all the participants to play extended solos over a steady beat. Most of the solos by brass instruments are pretty Free Jazz oriented, while the guitar playing is more Rocky and Ambient. Several musicians solo simultaneously, conversing between themselves and getting involved into group improvisation. The guitar solos take the music back on track and serve as a buffer between the multilayered Jazzy parts. As usual this music simply shuns classification. To listeners familiar with the work of Miles DavisFind albums by this artist, this music is conceptually similar to the Miles "electric period", which featured electric guitar as a centerpiece of his ensembles. It seems that this album is more of an experimental recording of a pre-planned jam session rather than a full-fledged new studio album by the ensemble, which is hopefully following soon. Nevertheless it is a superb piece of music, which has very few equals in its category in Poland or anywhere else for that matter. The music, being pretty esoteric, might not be easily accessible to a wide audience and is definitely way to open and Jazzy for the average Fusion fans, but on the other hand it offers so much more intellectual stimuli that an effort to listen to it open-headedly is definitely worthwhile. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 31/10/2016Posted: 31/10/2016

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TATVAMASI ~ THE THIRD EAR MUSIC AUDIO CAVE 2020/013 (Barcode: 5908298549186) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2018 - 2019 Released: 2020 This is the sixth album by Polish quartet TatvamasiFind albums by this artist, which documents a series of music meetings held under the slogan of the album´s title, recorded over a period of couple of years by the four members of the ensemble: guitarist Grzegorz LesiakFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Tomasz PiatekFind albums by this artist, bassist Lukasz DownarFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof RedasFind albums by this artist and a plethora of guests from Poland and abroad, including Avant-Garde drummers Vasco TrillaFind albums by this artist from Spain and Peter OrinsFind albums by this artist from France. The album presents seven compositions, all uncredited and assumed to be a result of improvisations by the participating musicians. The music, as expected from the underlying concept, is a series of extended improvisations, based on sketchy melodic fragments and rhythm patterns, which characterizes Improvised Music. It preserves to some extent the usual Jazz-Rock Fusion modus operandi of Tatvamasi that was dominating their earlier recordings, but expands the horizons and embraces Free Improvisation, basically letting things happen on the fly as they develop. The three pieces recorded by a quartet, with vocalist Marta GrzywaczFind albums by this artist (and without Piatek) are definitely the high point of the entire album pointing to a direction worth pursuing. To be perfectly honest, as much as I like Tatvamasi, this stuff just doesn´t work for me as well as I expected it would. I admit to being somewhat fed up with the Improvised Music recordings that the Polish scene produces en mass and often without any selective process on one hand, and the fact that throwing a group of unrelated musicians in one room and let them play whatever comes to mind very rarely guarantees a spectacular result on the other hand. I appreciate the will to explore and search, and the courage to try something new, but hope this is a one time extravaganza, and the music will return to more productive exploration in the future. Overall this is an interesting experiment, and as such worthy of appreciation, but the resulting music, stripped of the circumstantial excitement, is rather pale summa summarum, with just occasional interesting moments. Sorry guys, it´s just me.

Updated: 12/01/2021Posted: 12/01/2021

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