Record Reviews

STANISLAW ALEKSANDROWICZ ~ PIESN O BEBNIE NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2022 Released: 2023 This is the second album by Polish Jazz drummer / composer / bandleader Stanislaw AleksandrowiczFind albums by this artist, recorded in a double quartet setting, with trumpeter Patryk RynkiewiczFind albums by this artist, saxophonist / bass clarinetist Wojciech BraszakFind albums by this artist, Italian Bassist Flavio GullottaFind albums by this artist and a string quartet. The album presents ten tracks: an introduction and a nine-part suite inspired by the poetry by Polish poet Zbigniew HerbertFind albums by this artist. Aleksandrowicz describes the music accurately by saying that it amalgamates Classical Music tradition with the strictly composed string quartet parts, Jazz with the expressive improvised parts, often Free Form and finally Electronic Music with layers of synthesizer sounds and sampling from various sources. For people familiar with Herbert’s poetry, and specifically the poem which gives the album its title, the music adds another layer of meaning to the poetry, serving as a soundtrack to his terrifying, apocalyptic view of the world, but the music does stand on its own as well, and certainly inspires and radiates a profoundly doomed atmosphere, which has a dismal aura. The musical concept as well as the execution are absolutely stunning and Aleksandrowicz, despite his young age, emerges as a highly promising representative of the young Polish Jazz generation, reaching widely beyond the strict Jazz idiom. With a second excellent album within a brief period of time, he is certainly someone to watch carefully, especially in view of the intellectual complexity and depth he manages to create herein. This album is so different and unlike anything else from what the Polish Jazz scene produces usually, that it almost creates its own specific “sub-genre”, which I can only describe as Zappaesque, giving it the highest possible compliment in my vocabulary. It is truly uplifting to get exposed to such level of creativity, depth and unique vision. Overall, this is a phenomenal, completely unique piece of music, which is shockingly penetrating, and deserves some highly serious listening effort, in order to embrace its entire scope. Polish speaking listeners might be prompted to read some of Herbert’s magnificent poetry, although he was widely translated into other languages as well. This is some serious emotional eruption, worthy of being exposed to, and hopefully unforgettable.

Updated: 08/03/2023Posted: 08/03/2023

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