Record Reviews
3 Reviews Found. Use search to find more reviews or follow the links in the review text.
  | PIOTR MELECH / WOJCIECH KUREK ~ SPLIT HERE ANTENNA NON GRATA 2019/07 ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2018 Released: 2-19
This is an album by Polish Improvising Music duo comprising of clarinetist Piotr MelechFind albums by this artist and drummer Wojciech KurekFind albums by this artist. The album presents six improvised pieces, which are, as usual in such cases, uncredited.
Melech is a prominent figure on the Polish Avant-Garde scene in the last decade and a prolific recording artist, associated mostly with the MultikultiFind albums on this label label, but also releasing albums on other Polish niche labels, like the Antenna Non GrataFind albums on this label, which released this album. Kurek, also a prolific recording artist, with about twenty albums under his belt, works as improvising musician but also composes for multimedia installations and theatre. It seems that this recording is the first cooperation between these two Artists.
As I have already stated often in my reviews of Melech´s other albums, I am a great fun of his clarinet shenanigans, and since the clarinet is one of my favorite instruments Melech always has an open ear as far as I am concerned. He is obviously a completely unique clarinetist, who is able to take the instrument into uncharted territory time after time. He is able to play relative melodic music as well as totally Free improvisations with the same power of expression and obvious virtuosity.
I am not familiar with Kurek´s other recordings, but his performances here expose his openness to dialogue and cooperation, which the duo demonstrates whenever they play together. Obviously highly skilled technically, Kurek proves to be a very supportive partner to Melech´s spacey explorations, and they are able to produce many magic moments together on this album.
Since Free / Improvised Music is a priori oriented towards very limited audiences, this album belongs to the same category. The magic that happened during the recording of this music has no guarantees to be embraced by many listeners, which sadly is almost an intrinsic characteristic of the Avant-Garde. Hopefully, since Melech has a solid following on the local scene, this music will resound in many homes, as it certainly deserves.
| Updated: 24/10/2020Posted: 24/10/2020 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | DOSKOCZ / KUREK ~ WRRR ANTENNA NON GRATA 40 ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2023 Released: 2024
This is an album by Polish Improvised Music duo of guitarist / composer Pawel DoskoczFind albums by this artist and drummer / composer Wojciech KurekFind albums by this artist. Both musicians use prepared instruments but no electronics. The album presents ten tracks and lasts for just over half an hour. The music is uncredited and assumed to be co-created by the duo members. The album was released by the tiny independent Polish record label Antenna Non GrataFind albums on this label, which is one of the champions of Avant-Garde music in the country since 2017.
Most people facing the contents of this album would probably immediately dismiss it as not being music at all, even experienced and open-minded listeners, who can handle Free Jazz and Improvised Music with relative ease. This album does rise the fundamental question as to what can be defined as music (or Art in general) and are there any boundaries? Can any kind of body movement be considered as dance or any sound created using instruments, objects, or even only vocals be considered as music? In other words, is the freedom of Art absolute? I don’t pretend to have the answer to these questions, but I have some opinions, which are obviously subjective.
What I do consider as an absolute freedom is the possibility to create this kind of aural experience and I appreciate the support some small independent labels provide to musicians to document whatever they create, and release it to the world, as some listeners might find it fascinating, instigating, interesting and exciting, regardless if others do not consider it worthy their attention.
Overall, this is a very unusual, intriguing aural experience, as Avant-Garde as one might imagine, which is out there to be discovered by listeners and perhaps even enjoyed, or at least intriguing. To be approached with caution ;)
| Updated: 10/10/2024Posted: 10/10/2024 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | KULCZYCKI / MAZZOLL ~ OD KUCHNI ANTENNA NON GRATA 41 ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2024 Released: 2024
This is an album by Polish Jazz / Improvised Music duo of pianist / composer Rafal KulczyckiFind albums by this artist and bass clarinetists / composer Jerzy MazzollFind albums by this artist. The album documents a spontaneous improvised session / meeting between the two musicians, which happened (as the title suggests) in the kitchen, and offers the conversations and improvisations caught on the spur of the moment. The album presents eleven tracks and (sadly) lasts for just under half an hour. Considering these circumstances, the sound quality of the live recording is superb. The album was released by the tiny independent Polish record label Antenna Non GrataFind albums on this label, which is one of the champions of Avant-Garde music in the country since 2017.
The music is absolutely brilliant, with virtuosic clarinet parts by Mazzoll, who leads the proceedings, and elegant, delicate piano accompaniment / harmony by Kulczycki. It is almost impossible to believe this music was performed without any planning or coordination ahead, as the level of telepathic communications is simply phenomenal. This is an exquisite example of the “Art of the Duo” idiom.
Mazzoll, as usual, manages to produce some amazing sounds on his bass clarinet, and his notes come directly from his heart, full of delightful melodic and harmonic depth and unique aesthetics, which make him one of the most original Jazz figures on the Polish scene.
I must admit that I am a great admirer of Mazzoll’s talent and his plying always grabs me by the throat. He is a magic combination of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, a Hassidic klezmer and Albert AylerFind albums by this artist, taking the best elements of each, and his live performances and recordings are always top class, which makes me always wonder why he never achieved the recognition and respect he truly deserves. Well, life is still ahead of us…
Overall, this is a superb piece of Improvised Music, full of wonderful lyricism and melodic depth, parallel to the Freedom of improvisation. I am grateful this music was recorded and released, and the fact that the playing time is so short reminds me of the joke that Phoenicians invented the money, but why so little of it?
| Updated: 27/09/2024Posted: 27/09/2024 | CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend |
|