Record Reviews

ROBERT MAJEWSKI ~ PLAYS KOMEDA GOWI 29 (Barcode: 786497164820) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1995 Released: 1996 Polish Jazz musicians are well aware of the enormous contribution made to modern Jazz in their country by the Genius pianist / composer Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist, the Godfather of modern Polish Jazz. Therefore they play tribute to the great man quite often, either by including his compositions or dedicating entire albums to Komeda´s music. This is one of such album, recorded by the great Polish Jazz trumpeter Robert MajewskiFind albums by this artist with his quintet, which comprises of saxophonist Henryk MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist, pianist Wojciech MajewskiFind albums by this artist, (the brilliant!) bassist Zbigniew WegehauptFind albums by this artist and drummer Michal MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist (if you are wondering, than yes, two pairs of brothers). The quintet plays pretty straight-forward modern Jazz, not trying to take Komeda´s wonderful compositions far away from their original form, emphasizing the superb melodic quality of the music. These are all master musicians, something that is evident from start to finish, and they play their hearts out, which of course enhances the musical contents enormously. Wegehaupt, as usual, is simply stunning and his bass lines go straight to the listeners belly; he´s surely one of the best out there. Overall this is a great album, which every Jazz fan on this planet should enjoy greatly and with Komeda´s music present, things just can´t get much better. Wholeheartedly recommended!

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ROBERT MAJEWSKI ~ TRIBUTE TO HENRYK MAJEWSKI NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 9788365344014) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 This album is exactly what it is supposed to be: a loving tribute to one of the Godfathers of Polish Jazz, trumpeter / composer Henryk MajewskiFind albums by this artist, recorded by his colleagues and sons to commemorate the tenth anniversary of his death. All seven musicians participating in this recording are top Polish Jazz musicians and the ensemble could have been easily called Polish Jazz All Stars. They are: trumpeter Robert MajewskiFind albums by this artist (Henryk´s son), saxophonists Jan Ptaszyn WroblewskiFind albums by this artist and Henryk MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist, pianists Andrzej JagodzinskiFind albums by this artist and Wojciech MajewskiFind albums by this artist (Henryk´s son), bassist Adam CegielskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Czeslaw BartkowskiFind albums by this artist. The album was recorded partly live in a club and partly at the legendary Studio Tokarnia, with a stunning sound quality. The ensemble performs ten tunes, six of which are original compositions (four by Henryk Majewski and two by Robert Majewski) and the remaining four are standards. The music is, as expected, well within the Jazz mainstream, mostly Bebop oriented, with no surprises but excellently performed from start to finish. Many fabulous solos, most of which feature Robert Majewski, ornament the album and the overall atmosphere of great time was had by all seems to be the essence. For listeners unaware of Polish Jazz history this album symbolizes the process of growing up by the Polish Jazz scene, proving that European Jazz musicians can play (and swing!) as well as their counterparts across the pond, and the inferiority complex of past generations is completely baseless today. So both as a great mainstream Jazz album and a document of Polish Jazz history, this beautifully packaged and lovingly executed package is absolutely worth having! As someone who knew Henryk Majewski I can only salute with a tear in the corner of my eye, in memoriam!

Updated: 25/03/2017Posted: 22/09/2016

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WOJCIECH MAJEWSKI ~ NIE BYLO LATA MTJ 11769 (Barcode: 5906409117699) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2015 - 2017 Released: 2017 This is an album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Wojciech MajewskiFind albums by this artist, dedicated to poetry written by the relatively esoteric Polish poet / playwright Stanislaw GrochowiakFind albums by this artist. This ambitious and complex project involves an ensemble of Polish Jazz instrumentalists, a string quartet, a brass / woodwind section, six vocalists and two persons reciting poems. Some of the well known musicians appearing on this album are: saxophonist Henryk MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist, bassists Slawomir KurkiewiczFind albums by this artist and Pawel PantaFind albums by this artist, drummer Michal MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist, percussionist Krzysztof SzmandaFind albums by this artist and vocalists Janusz SzromFind albums by this artist and Stanislaw SoykaFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Stanislaw SojkaFind albums by this artist). The entire list is simply way too long to be listed. The album presents twenty one relatively short pieces, all linked together into a Jazz & Poetry suite. The music is a collection of Jazz songs which use the poems as lyrics and background / incidental music played under the recitation of the poems or between the songs. Mostly deeply melancholic and often outright gloomy, the music does ideally suit the texts, which of course is the essence of this project. As such it is a brilliant collaboration of music and words, which expresses the spirit of Grochowiak´s complex poetry. The songs are superbly performed by the vocalists invited by the composer and are all a continuation of the Polish lyrical Jazz & Poetry tradition. There is no doubt that Polish Jazz musicians create more Jazz & Poetry projects than any other country on earth, which reflects their sensitivity to Art Forms other than music. Music and words are of course both expressions of the innermost human feelings and the combination of the two is probably the most powerful means of human creativity. The love of the Polish language and Polish literary tradition is a strong characteristic of this and other similar projects. Although the language barrier seemingly limits the potential audience to Polish Language speaking listeners, the overall wealth and powerful musical content this album offers should be also of interest to people who do not know the language but can enjoy the music and absorb the Artistic atmosphere. Overall this is a wonderful piece of music artistry, clever, intelligent, sensitive and dazzling in its complexity. It will take a while for the listener to comprehend the multi-layered intricacy of this music and its many hidden treasures, but every effort invested in the listening process will pay back with hefty interest. Definitely most wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 10/02/2018Posted: 10/02/2018

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WOJCIECH MAJEWSKI ~ OPOWIESC 4EVERMUSIC 130 (Barcode: 5907476693987) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2006 Released: 2009 This is the third album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Wojciech MajewskiFind albums by this artist, recorded in a classic quintet format with trumpeter Robert MajewskiFind albums by this artist (Wojciech´s brother), saxophonist Tomasz SzukalskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Jacek NiedzielaFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof DziedzicFind albums by this artist. The album presents a solo piano piece which is followed by a seven-part Jazz suite performed by the quintet. It was recorded at the Studio Tokarnia and engineered by Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist, with superb sonic quality, as expected. The music is all kept within the mainstream tradition, with certain Classical Music accents, but those are quite marginal. The melodic themes are basically vehicles for extended solos played by the quintet members. It is hard to follow the "suite" concept musically, as it lacks a clear coherence, but nevertheless the music is interesting and flows gently from one part of the suite to the next. There are the obvious Polish Jazz characteristics, like lyricism and melancholy, in which this music is completely drenched, clearly defining its origin and tradition. The true forte of this album is the incredible musicianship, which is not surprising considering these are some of the best and most experienced second generation Polish Jazz musicians. Especially interesting is the presence of Szukalski as this is one of the last recordings in which he participated before his tragic death. The album is full of superb solos and ensemble performances, which are truly inspired. Majewski dedicates this album to the memory of his Father, the legendary Polish Jazz trumpeter Henryk MajewskiFind albums by this artist, who died shortly before this music was recorded. Overall this is an interesting experiment in composing an extended Jazz suite-like composition, beautifully performed by first class musicians, an effort which deserves to be heard by Jazz connoisseurs all over the world.

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WOJCIECH MAJEWSKI ~ PRZEMIANA SOLITON 690 (Barcode: 5901571096902) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2018 - 2019 Released: 2020 This is the seventh album by Polish pianist / composer Wojciech MajewskiFind albums by this artist, and his first solo piano recording in the Jazz realm (he did record a solo piano album of Classical Music). It presents ten tracks, four of which are his original compositions and the rest are his interpretations of Jazz / Pop songs (two by David Bowie). Majewski shares his activities between the Jazz and Classical Music scenes, which is also clearly evident on this album. The source of this music originates obviously in Jazz and popular music, but the sound and performance are deeply rooted in Classical Music, which creates a Jazz-Classical Fusion par excellence. Personally I find this album divided into two matching, but somewhat different parts, one which presents the original compositions and the other which presents the interpretations of the songs. Two of original compositions are expanded into mini-suites, lasting over ten minutes each, which allow Majewski to express a wide range of emotions and his excellent pianistic technique. The other two, although slightly more concise, are no less expressive and emotional. The interpretations of the songs are very liberal with the melodic themes, and become entangled in passionate ornamentation, using a barrage of chords, rhapsodic arpeggios and almost percussive attack of the keyboards, creating a storm of sensations and sounds. As a result the overall effect of this album is probably more similar to a solo piano recital of gargantuan Classical Music, than a Jazz album, or at least this is how most listeners will probably perceive it. Nevertheless this is still a superb musical experience, which will not leave any listener "on the fence". Personally I had a great time listening to this music, but to each his own. Connoisseurs of Jazz-Classical Fusion will have a field day with this, but the album does require patience and attentive listening – as usual quality does not come easy! Highly recommended!

Updated: 04/07/2020Posted: 04/07/2020

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WOJCIECH MAJEWSKI ~ REMEMBRANCE FOR TUNE 0094 (Barcode: 5902768701449) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2004 - 2013 Released: 2016 This is an archival album presenting a live recording by a quintet led by pianist / composer Wojciech MajewskiFind albums by this artist, which also included his brother trumpeter Robert MajewskiFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Tomasz SzukalskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Jacek NiedzielaFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof DziedzicFind albums by this artist. The concert, which took place at a Polish Radio studio, was part of a promotion effort for the album "ZamyslenieFind albums with this title", recorded by the same quintet and released a few months earlier. For this release the album was enhanced by the inclusion of one original track from that album, which features the vocals of the incredible Grzegorz TurnauFind albums by this artist, a couple of solo piano pieces recorded by Wojciech Majewski a decade later and finally by a fragment of a historic radio broadcast, featuring the Polish Rock legend Czeslaw NiemenFind albums by this artist accompanied by Wojciech Majewski and Szukalski. The music was mostly composed by Wojciech Majewski, but includes also a composition by Niemen, a couple of compositions by the legendary Polish bard Marek GrechutaFind albums by this artist and one composition by the Godfather of modern Polish Jazz Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist. The music is, as expected, top notch from start to finish, and presents the peak of the second generation of the Polish Jazz scene, both on the instrumental and compositional levels. All five players are absolute masters of their respective instruments, but obviously the performances by Szukalski are at the centre of attention, as he is sadly no longer with us and this album emphasizes the incredible loss Polish Jazz suffered with his premature death. As such, this album is a great tribute to his talents. Wojciech Majewski as a composer is in many respects the epitome of the mainstream Polish Jazz, encapsulating the lyricism, melancholy and exquisite melodies, which are its main characteristics. This album also shows how Polish Jazz, often within the Jazz & Poetry idiom, is interconnected with other aspects of the Polish Culture. The inclusion of works by Grechuta and Niemen are by no way incidental and emphasizes these intricate associations. Overall this is a highly important release, not only as far as the beautiful music it presents, but also as a wonderful historic document shedding light on the Polish Jazz scene in particular and Polish Culture in general. The For Tune label deserves to be especially praised for this release, which no doubt is a very significant addition to the label´s catalog. I hope more releases of such character will follow. This is an absolute must to all fans of Polish Jazz, but Jazz connoisseurs the world over should also enjoy this music immensely, as it knows absolutely no borders.

Updated: 19/07/2016Posted: 19/07/2016

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