Record Reviews

MACIEJ SADOWSKI KWADRAT ~ JAZZ DLA ZWIERZAT EASTRINGS 0001 (Barcode: 194171743108) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is the debut album as a leader by Polish bassist / composer Maciej SadowskiFind albums by this artist, recorded with his quartet called KwadratFind albums by this artist (square in English, clearly alluding to the quartet), which also includes trumpeter Dawid LipkaFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Michal Jan CiesielskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Tomasz KoperFind albums by this artist. Guitarist Marcin GalazkaFind albums by this artist guests on one track. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Sadowski. The music, although melody based, is very original and moves freely across several genres, touching on Rock, Fusion, Groove, mainstream Jazz and even Improvised Music. The compositions are the absolute focus of this album, although the instrumentalists are all extremely effective. Sadowski is an experienced player with an impressive portfolio of recording as a sideman and studio musician and he shines on this album as well. The most fascinating aspect of the music is the central role of the bass and a strong polyrhythmic diversity excellently handled by the drummer. But of course the trumpeter and saxophonist offer impressive soloing all the way through and contribute to the overall success. Although seemingly an acoustic quartet, there is an extensive use of electronic devices, adding sheets of sound behind the instruments and creating a very impressive and unusual overall sound. One could say that these effects serve as an additional member of the quartet playing the synthesizer. On the track featuring the guitar player his guitar also sounds almost entirely like a synthesizer. The most extraordinary synthesizer effects are associated with the bass, which sounds often like a bass clarinet when playing arco. In short this album offers really innovative approach to playing the instruments, and combined with the superb and unique compositions the overall result is absolutely refreshing. Overall this is definitely a surprisingly excellent debut album, which deserves a lot of attention and again shows that the new generation of Polish Jazz players possesses unlimited creativity, rarely found elsewhere. Absolutely delightful listening experience - Hats off!

Updated: 22/11/2019Posted: 22/11/2019

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LOWBOW ~ MURMURS EASTRINGS 0002 (Barcode: 194171751134) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Classical Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is a stunning debut album by Polish duo LowBowFind albums by this artist comprising of bassist / composer Maciej SadowskiFind albums by this artist and cellist / composer Malgorzata ZnarowskaFind albums by this artist. American multi-instrumentalist / composer Kevin Scott DavisFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. GlowwormFind albums by this artist) accompanies the duo on four tracks and four other musicians participate on the final track. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Sadowski, except two which are co-composed by him and Znarowska. The music is an absolutely marvelous collection of strongly melodic tunes, which elegantly escape genre classification, and flow between Medieval Church Music, contemporary Classical Music, Ambient vistas and whatever else comes to the listener´s mind while experiencing these deeply moving sounds. The stern minimalism, which seemingly rules a priori due to the duo´s instrumental range, proves to be a complete false assumption, as the duo manages often to sound like a full orchestra in spite of the intrinsic limitations, partly due to multi-tracking but mostly due to the power of the music itself. The ambient synthesized sounds on the tracks with Davis´ participation are completely organic with the rest of the material, which leaves only the last track played by a sextet to round things up with a slightly different accent but completely consistent with the rest of the album. But beyond the unique low key sound, the melodic lyricism and ocean deep melancholy of this music are its most striking characteristics. It easily stands shoulder to shoulder with some of the most profound contemporary Polish Classical Music by such lofty names as Witold LutoslawskiFind albums by this artist, Wojciech KilarFind albums by this artist, Krzysztof PendereckiFind albums by this artist, Henryk GoreckiFind albums by this artist and others. I know this statement will raise a brow or two, but honestly anybody listening to this music should be able to immediately recognize the distinctive "Polishness" it radiates, and although the formalism of the orchestration may still lack the sophistication of the Masters, it has all it takes to make it profoundly beautiful and lasting. Albums like this make the life of a music reviewer worth living. It is not very often that music of such striking quality lands on my desk in spite of the fact that I get thousands of albums every year. It takes just a few seconds to hear that this is something completely different as far as quality and beauty are concerned and a repeated listening only strengthens this feeling. People who know me are aware of the fact that I am rarely left speechless, but in this case I am truly short of words to say anything more… just listen!

Updated: 23/11/2019Posted: 23/11/2019

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BIZARRE PENGUIN ~ ACIDO DOMINGO EASTRINGS 0003 (Barcode: 196400420262) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2020 Released: 2021 This is the debut album by Polish Avant-Garde Jazz trio Bizarre PenguinFind albums by this artist comprising of drummer Tomasz KoperFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej SadowskiFind albums by this artist (who also plays synthesizers) and trumpeter Dawid LipkaFind albums by this artist, who recorded already several albums together under various monikers. The album presents five compositions, all uncredited and assumed to be co-composed by the trio members. Although recorded in the midst of the pandemic, with the musicians not able to see each other and interact visually, which is almost imperative in Improvised Music, the album offers a remarkable musical coherence, often not found on conventionally recorded albums. These musicians obviously managed to develop an unusual rapport between them, which already produced some exceptional recordings like “NecrosofiaFind albums with this title”, “MurmursFind albums with this title” or “Jazz Dla ZwierzatFind albums with this title” (the last two on Sadowski’s record label EastringsFind albums on this label Records), which is also prevailing on this superb recording. The music manages to combine acoustic and electronic auras perfectly, offering Improvised Music which is beautifully melodic and lyrical, and yet completely unusual and unpredictable. Lipka’s sublime trumpet playing, closely resembling Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist during his early experimental phase, is absolutely stunning and irresistible. Koper and Sadowski support layer upon layer of complex rhythmic patterns, both acoustic and electronic, as well as wall of sound effects, creating wonderfully powerful sound vistas. The music moves between contemplative excursions and energetic soul-drenching exchanges, which keep the listener completely mesmerized. I had the album on “repeat” mode for quite a while, before being able to clear my head and write these lines, as admittedly it’s been quite a while since I heard any music of such power of expression. Overall, this is definitely one of the very best, and perhaps the best Polish Improvised Music album I have had the pleasure to listen to in 2021, especially so in view of the rather dull and weak output in that area on the local scene, which sadly seems to be completely lost lately. These musicians seem to have a “golden touch” and hopefully will produce much more great music when the world gets back to normal. Hats off and thank you for this extraordinary music!

Updated: 04/01/2022Posted: 04/01/2022

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