Record Reviews

ANTONI GRALAK ~ GANGA AUDIO CAVE 2017/011 (Barcode: 5905669566377) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock-World Fusion Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017 This is an album by renowned Polish trumpeter / composer / bandleader Antoni GralakFind albums by this artist, one of the most colorful and fascinating figures on the independent / Avant Garde / anti establishment Polish music scene, who participated in many musical projects like Tie BreakFind albums by this artist, Free CooperationFind albums by this artist, Young PowerFind albums by this artist, GraalFind albums by this artist, YesheFind albums by this artist and others. Completely unpredictably, as always, this album finds Gralak, who plays trumpet, bass guitar and keyboards, in the company of three Indian musicians who play tabla, sitar and shehnai (Indian reed instrument) respectively and Polish percussionist Zbigniew BrysiakFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions, all by Gralak. The music is heavily influenced by ethnic Indian musical motifs, incorporating Jazz improvisations, Drum & Bass, electronics and other elements, creating a fascinating amalgam of melodies and rhythms, which sounds exotic, vibrant and exciting. The folkloristic, innate to Indian music, improvisations intertwine with Gralak´s Jazzy playing quite naturally and create a cross-cultural dialogue. Parts of this music bring forward a reminiscence of the Miles DavisFind albums by this artist sessions featuring Badal RoyFind albums by this artist, which also showed some Indian influence, albeit much more subtle than here. Of course Indian music is never simplistic and its meditative nature requires attentive listening and submission, which is not easy to a Western ear, even when slightly dressed up in Western ornament. Some listeners might find this music somewhat monotonic in the long range, but hopefully the majority will be able to embrace it and enjoy it in full, as it surely deserves to reach as many listeners as possible. Overall the album shows another facet of the multitude of Gralak´s talents and musical worlds, which always was his personal signature. The restless search for new discoveries and diverse environments is the trademark of progress in Art in general and in music in particular, and Gralak deserves the title of the Great Wanderer probably more than most of his Polish contemporaries. If anybody can sit still while listening to this album, he is either in coma or dead already ;)

Updated: 17/12/2018Posted: 21/03/2018

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

TOMASZ STANKO ~ BALLADYNA – THEATER PLAY COMPOSITIONS GOWI 16 (Barcode: 786497093526) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1994 Released: 1994 This little-known album by Polish trumpeter / composer Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist contains the music he wrote for the theatre performance of the tragedy "Balladyna" written by Polish playwright Juliusz SlowackiFind albums by this artist. Not to be confused with Stanko´s pivotal album also entitled "BalladynaFind albums with this title", recorded almost two decades earlier and released on ECMFind albums on this label. The album presents the complete theatre soundtrack for the play, consisting of 23 tracks ranging in length between half a minute to over five minutes. The central theme is repeated many times in different renditions, arrangements, tempi and instrumentations, creating a beautiful and often chilling atmosphere. The music stands on it´s own as a completely valid piece of music, which can be enjoyed separately from the theatre performance it was intended for. The performers include Stanko´s quartet members: pianist Marcin WasilewskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Slawomir KurkiewiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Michal MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist, as well as saxophonist Tomasz SzukalskiFind albums by this artist, vocalist Ewa WanatFind albums by this artist and percussionists Piotr WolskiFind albums by this artist and Zbigniew BrysiakFind albums by this artist. In retrospect this is an important piece of Stanko´s recorded legacy, similarly to his other soundtrack compositions, which show his rare ability to write wonderful atmospheric music. This is a must to all Stanko connoisseurs, although deleted since many years with (so far) no prospects for a reissue.

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

TOMASZ STANKO ~ EGZEKUTOR (SOUNDTRACK) UNIVERSAL 044001434723 (Barcode: 044001434723) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2001 Released: 2001 Polish trumpet virtuoso / composer Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist is universally recognized as one of world´s top Jazz musicians since many years. However, his contributions as composer of music for cinema is somewhat lesser known, which is a pity. Stanko´s work in that area started way back to the early 1970s, but even earlier, when he was a member of the legendary Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist ensemble, he already became intimate with the art of writing for cinema from his mentor, who was one of the greatest soundtrack creators ever, mostly known for his work for Roman PolanskiFind albums by this artist. It is therefore understandable that Stanko´s music for films would become heavily influenced by Komeda´s approach, which culminates with this soundtrack, written to a brilliant film by Polish director Filip ZylberFind albums by this artist. In fact this is the second time Stanko contributes the soundtrack to a film by Zylber, with "A Farewell To MariaFind albums with this title" being the predecessor to this one. Stanko is accompanied by some impressive players on this album, most notably by singer Justyna SteczkowskaFind albums by this artist, who contributes some breathtaking vocalese parts. Also present are Janusz SkowronFind albums by this artist on synthesizer, Slawomir KurkiewiczFind albums by this artist on bass, Michal MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist on drums, and Zbigniew BrysiakFind albums by this artist on percussion, as well as a string quartet. But Stanko´s trumpet dominates this music completely and overwhelmingly, when it plays completely solo or is accompanied by other instruments. Stanko´s virtuosity and magic sound are truly magnificent and supported by the atmospheric and often melancholic melodic motifs, the overall effect is simply stunning. It is a rare occasion when a soundtrack stand alone as a full fledged Jazz album, and this is a superb example of this being the case. I can only say that every Stanko fan should try and listen to this album, even if finding it today, only 10 years after it was released, is virtually impossible. The album was released as a double set with a CD and DVD Audio (Surround Sound) version of the music, which present different mixes of the same music. An absolute must!

CD+DVD 2 DVD-A Recommend To A Friend