Record Reviews

SLALOM ~ WUNDERKAMERA LADO ABC A/15 ~ POLAND ~ Electronic & Ambient Recorded: 2015 Released: 2015 This is the second album by Polish Avant-Rock trio SlalomFind albums by this artist, which comprises of guitarist Bartlomiej TycinskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Bartosz WeberFind albums by this artist and drummer Hubert ZemlerFind albums by this artist. Tycinski and Weber play also synthesizers. A couple of "honorable" guests add their contributions as well. The album presents eight original compositions credited to all three members of the trio. The music of Slalom is a mixture of Rock, Ambient, Industrial and Electronic, with an overall Jazzy feel on improvisation, although no bona fide Jazz improvisation is attempted at any stage. It has a strong melodic basis and uses many short melodic phrases, often repeated continuously with slight variations, which build up a continuity of hypnotic nature, which is a great fun to listen to. All the above creates a very original and intriguing world of sound, which is quite unique and daring, something that happens very rarely in today´s Rock music, or any music for that matter. Although it might sound chaotic and confusing at first, this music makes perfect sense if one only cares to listen attentively. It is difficult to value the individual playing abilities of Tycinski and Weber, as the sounds they produce are often hidden behind a veil of electronics, distortion and synthesized / sampled sounds, but it is immediately apparent that Zemler does a brilliant work on this album from start to finish and keeps this music together so powerfully, that without him it would have probably disintegrated. He shows and incredible versatility as a drummer, getting away with even meters, polyrhythmic complexities and other tricks of the trade with astounding ease and elegance. It is very encouraging to hear that the young generation of Polish musicians does experiment in idioms other that the Jazz, for which the country´s musical scene is famous. This album shows that a lot of interesting stuff is happening in the Polish musical "underground", some of them even completely innovate and fascinating. As always, the more the popular music scene degrades into idiocy and brainlessness, the reaction of the Avant-Garde scene becomes more powerful and mind-expanding. This music is definitely worth exploring by everybody who is interested in challenging, intelligent music which stays away from the dreadful clichés and values its independence. Well done indeed!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

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BABADAG ~ BABADAG LADO ABC B/18 (Barcode: 5907709922471) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 2012 Released: 2012 This is the debut album by Polish ensemble BabadagFind albums by this artist, a quartet fronted by vocalist / lyricist / composer Ola BilinskaFind albums by this artist with guitarist Maciej CieslakFind albums by this artist, bassist Szymon TarkowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Hubert ZemlerFind albums by this artist. The quartet members play a plethora of instruments among themselves and a few guest musicians also appear on selected tracks. The album presents ten original songs, all written and composed by Bilinska, nine of which have lyrics in English and one in Polish. The music is immediately strikingly as highly original, and therefore difficult to be easily categorized. The atmosphere is mostly somewhere in the neighborhood of Progressive Folk-Rock, but with instrumental work that borders on the Avant Progressive with touches of Jazzy influences. Although focused on Bilinska´s vocal explorations, this is obviously a team effort, as this highly emotional and complex music involves close cooperation between the Artists than usually found in such efforts. Bilinska displays extraordinary talent both as a composer of atmospheric, expressive and fully developed highly original compositions and as a unique performer. Although she sings lyrics, her delivery is more instrumental than text oriented and she uses a very diverse palette of vocal approaches. I usually detest Polish vocalists singing in English, but in this context the theatrical and artistic delivery of the vocals hide the "improper" accent and pronunciation to such extent, that it is completely acceptable. The other musicians involved in this project display their respective abilities as multi-instrumentalists, playing many exotic and unusual sounds, always perfectly matching the music. The arrangements of the material are credited to the entire ensemble, and rightly so, as this is obviously a result of close cooperation and common goal, as already mentioned above. As far as I know this album received very little exposure so far, which is not surprising considering how original, different and artistic it is. Perhaps the fact that it floats somewhere between the straightforward genre definitions has something to do with it. Also the fact that it was released on a small independent Polish label, Lado ABCFind albums on this label, associated with the Polish Avant Garde scene, did not help to gain popularity. Nevertheless the album definitely does deserve exposure, as it is a solid piece of heartwarming music, searching, exploring and aesthetically pleasing, not to mention being a superb debut effort.

Updated: 17/12/2018Posted:

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PROFESJONALIZM ~ CHOPIN CHOPIN CHOPIN LADO ABC C/11 (Barcode: 5907709922334) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2011 Released: 2011 Profesjonalizm is the name of the new sextet created and led by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Marcin MaseckiFind albums by this artist, one of the greatest talents on the local scene in the recent years and the enfant terrible / eccentric artiste spearheading the Jazz anti-establishment, a role that fits him like a glove. During my recent visit in Poland I was lucky to be invited to the concert the band performed in a dinky Warsaw restaurant called Mozaika, which remarkably managed to sustain the atmosphere (and look, not to mention the service) of the 1970s Socrealizm, completely oblivious to the changes around. The concert celebrated the release of this album, so the music was simply a live version of what is included here, in its entirety. I must say that I was completely unaware of what was about to happen musically and therefore the experience was a total culture shock, even though I am a difficult man to surprise in view of the heavy burden of my age upon me. Masecki and his cohorts: trumpeter Kamil SzuszkiewiczFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Michal GorczynskiFind albums by this artist and Tomasz DudaFind albums by this artist, bassist Piotr DomagalskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Jerzy RogiewiczFind albums by this artist played a stunning set of outlandish music (all composed by Masecki), which is so original, unique and devilishly clever that one´s mind is completely boggled. How the hell did they manage to do it at all (live!) is beyond comprehension, but nevertheless they did it with a spectacular result. Listen to the studio version herein and imagine this being played live to get the scope of the task ahead. As to the music itself, I´m not even trying to start describing it, as it is well beyond the scope of words (as most great music is). Suffice to say that it is a suite of sorts, in seven parts, which tells the story of Jazz from its earliest days (Ragtime) to now, flowing like a soundtrack to an imaginary movie, constantly (and unexpectedly) changing rhythms and scales, themes and patterns, but remarkably and completely coherently keeping a brilliant sense of unity. The rhythm section is absolutely dazzling, managing the impossible task of gluing this passionate and untamed music together. Masecki´s piano work is a chapter in itself, which is worth studying separately, but it serves the role of the thematic / melodic beacon pointing the way ahead for of this music. During a short chat before the concert I asked Masecki about his musical influences; he mentioned some usual suspects but emphasized Thelonious MonkFind albums by this artist and Conlon NancarrowFind albums by this artist, two superb examples of total non-conformism, suiting Masecki´s image perfectly. The problem with non-conformism is often that eccentric artists become often self-centered and completely uncommunicative, which luckily enough does not apply to Masecki. In spite of all the lunacy herein, this is (amazingly) quite an easy album to listen to, against all odds. When I asked Masecki as to the nature of his music, he replied: "We are playing entertaining music" – well, he was after all right, in his own crazy way. Now if anybody is wandering about the album´s title, I must assure you that the album has absolutely nothing to do with the great Polish National composer Frederic ChopinFind albums by this artist. This is one more of Masecki´s clever stunts, expressing his disgust and ridicule of the Polish Jazz scene´s exploitation of Chopin´s music in the recent years. Using this tongue in cheek / sarcastic reference Masecki protests against the "One can´t go wrong by playing Chopin" attitude, where in fact one can go wrong and as the plentitude of available recorded evidence proves one does in most cases. So what do we have here: a work of a mad genius, a wizard, a prophet? Who am I to judge? Suffice to say I love this music, every note of it and most of all the chutzpah and complete disregard of convention – exactly the qualities I admire in Artists. Bless you, Marcin Masecki!

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CUKUNFT ~ WILDE BLUMEN LADO ABC C/18 (Barcode: 5907709922457) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2011 Released: 2013 This is the third album by Polish ensemble CukunftFind albums by this artist, led by guitarist Raphael RoginskiFind albums by this artist with clarinetists Pawel SzamburskiFind albums by this artist and Michal GorczynskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Pawel SzpuraFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight compositions, six of which are originals by Roginski, one is an ensemble composition and one is by the great Polish / Jewish poet / songwriter Mordechai GebirtigFind albums by this artist. The usage of the Yiddish language to name the ensemble and its songs does not leave any doubts as to the cultural affinity of this music. Cukunft is one of several Polish ensembles, which create the so called "new Jewish music" in Poland during the last decade or so, contributing to the overall renaissance of the Jewish culture in Poland, a phenomenon which is completely unique and difficult to explain in any logical way due to the fact that there are almost no more Jews living currently in Poland and the tiny Jewish community certainly does not have a critical mass to produce any significant cultural output. And yet against all odds the Jewish culture is thriving in Poland, both in a reconstructed version, i.e. performing cultural output created during the period between the two World Wars as well as in a completely innovative version, which creates new, vibrant and ambitious works of Jewish culture, like Cukunft does. The musicians who form the ensemble belong to the new generation of Polish Jazz / Avant-Garde players, who are the most active and creative force in contemporary Polish Jazz. The music of Cukunft is an amalgam of Jewishness and contemporary music genres, based on Improvisation and cross genre explorations. The music is mostly composed, with distinctive melody lines, which clearly adopt the melancholic feel of traditional Jewish music, but differ in the way the music is expressed and performed. The dialog between the electric guitar, which can hardly be associated with Jewish tradition, and the clarinets, which are the epitome of Jewishness, builds up a completely new musical form. The entire album is a wonderful experience to every music lover, regardless of their proximity to the Jewish culture. These wonderful melodies and the superb way the music is performed should be able to melt any cultural / religious barriers. This music goes directly to the listener´s heart and transcends the intellectual need to analyze and classify. All one need in order to enjoy this music is "a bisele glik" to put one´s hand on a copy of this album, and the rest is simply a no brainer. This is definitely one of the best examples of the new Jewish music made in Poland. Enjoy!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

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JAZZ BAND MLYNARSKI - MASECKI ~ NOC W WIELKIM MIESCIE LADO ABC C/26 (Barcode: 9788326826047) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017 This is a phenomenal album by the Polish ensemble called Jazz Band Mlynarski - MaseckiFind albums by this artist, co-led by vocalist / banjola player Jan MlynarskiFind albums by this artist and pianist Marcin MaseckiFind albums by this artist, which also includes three saxophonists / clarinetists: Tomasz DudaFind albums by this artist, Michal FetlerFind albums by this artist and Jaroslaw BothurFind albums by this artist, sousaphone player Piotr WrobelFind albums by this artist and drummer Jerzy RogiewiczFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine Polish songs, popular in the 1930s, predominantly composed and written by Polish Jews who were the core of popular music / cabaret / vaudeville in the swinging Warsaw, which had a large Jewish population at the time. All the songs were masterly arranged for the ensemble by Masecki. The music is a loving tribute to a period and a Culture that was wiped out off the face of the earth by the Holocaust, and later on by forgetfulness and ignorance, and as such it is an extremely important undertaking as far as preservation of the Polish / Jewish Culture is concerned. But of course the album is also a masterpiece of rejuvenation of musical tradition, bringing back to life the essence of early Swing, but also transforming the spirit of the music to contemporary idioms. Masecki´s arrangements, which are all far from being simplistic or trivial, brilliantly combine the tradition with modernism, and experienced Jazz connoisseurs will find plenty of unexpected hooks of his brilliance within the music. Mlynarski brilliantly revives the tradition of the crooners of the time, and his vocal theatrics are a delight, especially in view of the sense of humor his performances display. The rest of the musicians in the band all play brilliantly, bravely overcoming the seemingly simple music made devilishly difficult by the sophisticated arrangements. The use of the sousaphone in place of the bass is another bright idea, which contributes to the "vintage" sound aura. Since this album was released, the ensemble performs it live all over Poland with great success. I had the pleasure to hear one of the concerts and it was simply breathtaking and the reaction of the public was overwhelming. Evidently Culture is not dead yet, and people are still able to recognize it when they see / hear it face to face. Overall this is a superb album in every respect, taking the listener ninety years back into the past, using a musical time machine, into times long gone, but now not longer forgotten. This is a multilayered intellectual and emotional experience of rare quality and dedication. The album comes with extensive liner notes explaining the historical background of this music and a story about each of the nine songs. One can only wish that many such well prepared and devoted releases like this album could be made more often. Radiant stuff!

Updated: 31/03/2018Posted: 31/03/2018

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BASTARDA ~ ARS MORIENDI LADO ABC C/31 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the 2nd album by Polish trio BastardaFind albums by this artist comprising of clarinetist Pawel SzamburskiFind albums by this artist, cellist Tomasz PokrzywinskiFind albums by this artist and contrabass clarinetist Michal GorczynskiFind albums by this artist. Vocalist Olga MyslowskaFind albums by this artist appears on one track. The album presents ten tracks, which are the group’s interpretation of Medieval music connected with death rituals. Some of the tracks are by unknown authors and others are by Spanish composer Cristobal de MoralesFind albums by this artist, French composer Guillaime Du FayFind albums by this artist, Dutch composer Josquin des PrezFind albums by this artist and Italian composer Constanzo FestaFind albums by this artist. The music and the trio arrangements are absolutely brilliant from start to end, and although appropriately somber, the music is full of beautiful melodic lines and poignant atmosphere. Although seemingly minimalist in scope, the three instrumentalists are able to create a wide scale of emotions and profound harmony, due to their virtuosity and incredible sensitivity. Already at that early stage in the recording career of the trio it was obvious that Bastarda are a completely unique and original musical unit, which was further proved by their extraordinary recordings, which followed. After the first two albums, which dealt with Medieval music, Bastarda extended their activities into Jewish, Portuguese, Slavic and other World Music traditions, always with great thoughtfulness and sublime aesthetics. Overall, this is an absolutely astounding album, which brings Medieval music up to date, sounding as fresh as humanly possible. Everything recorded by Bastarda is a true treat, but this album is especially wonderful, with the trio members often sounding like an entire Heavenly orchestra. A true treasure! Side Note: I have been looking for a copy of this album since the day it was released, i.e. for almost five years, finally managing to find a copy courtesy of my Friend Magda WiklinskaFind albums by this artist, the lady behind the Polish For TuneFind albums on this label Records label, whom I thank for her detective skills and dedication.

Updated: 07/05/2024Posted: 07/05/2024

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BASTARDA ~ XB LADO ABC C/32 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2023 Released: 2025 This is the 10th album by Polish trio BastardaFind albums by this artist, which comprises of clarinetist Pawel SzamburskiFind albums by this artist, cellist Tomasz PokrzywinskiFind albums by this artist and contrabass clarinetist Michal GorczynskiFind albums by this artist. This time the album puts on the “operating table” ten soundtracks of movies by Polish directors, composed by Polish composers. The timeframe spans between 1964 and 1999 and the genres span comedy, horror, drama, thriller and everything in between, which makes this album a tribute to Polish cinematic music, with a unique, as always, treatment applied by Bastarda, which takes the music to other spheres, if not the stratosphere. The album was released on the defunct (and now hopefully revived) Lado ABCFind albums on this label label, and offers a stunning sound quality. In less than a decade Bastarda managed not only to record and release ten brilliant albums, but to create a whole unique universe of cross-genre music, which sets them apart from almost everything else happening in music worldwide. Their extremely powerful minimalism, which is more potent than silence, they are able to express an infinite range of emotions, which are impossible to be communicated in any other way, but through music. The unique combination of their talents, sensibilities and virtuosic musical expressionism is absolutely unprecedented. This album strengthens everything they did earlier on, and when one imagines, that they can’t outshine their earlier work, they nonchalantly, by just a few reserved, delicate blows of air into the clarinet or strokes of bow on strings prove one wrong. For example, just listen to their interpretation of the theme by Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist’s theme from Roman PolanskiFind albums by this artist’s “Rosemary’s Baby”, a piece of music every music fan must have heard thousands of times, and you will discover it can be expressed completely differently than ever before and in a way which twists your guts. Overall, ten albums later, Bastarda is still the most fascinating, sophisticated, moving, and continuously enlightening ensembles on the Polish music scene, which deserves a much wider recognition and appreciation home and worldwide. Yes, there are many brilliant Polish ensembles in Jazz and other genres, but there is only one Bastarda.

Updated: 04/04/2025Posted: 04/04/2025

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PAWEL SZAMBURSKI ~ CERATITIS CAPITATA LADO ABC SB/08 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2014 Released: 2014 This is the debut solo album by the Polish Jazz clarinetists / composer Pawel SzamburskiFind albums by this artist, one of the pillars of the local Avant-Garde / Improvised Music scene, known from many different projects with a wide range of musicians, including the clarinet quartet IrchaFind albums by this artist led by Mikolaj TrzaskaFind albums by this artist. The album comprises of five tracks, each dedicated to one of the religious movements originating in the Mediterranean. The music was recorded in a church and the solo clarinet sound emphasized and transformed by the church´s natural echo and ambience create a sacred, mystical atmosphere. In complete contrast to what people familiar with Szamburski´s earlier recordings nigh expect, this music is completely and absolutely spiritual, melodic, lyrical and enchantingly beautiful, a total antidote to the Avant-Garde / Free Jazz idiom, associated with his "usual reputation". In many respects this music sounds more like a prayer than an artistic expression, but on the other hand perhaps art is always a form of prayer? Of course listeners familiar with sacred music originating form the Mediterranean region will be able to identify traces of it in this music, but Szamburski manages to turn them into an integral part of his own creation. Listening to the is music, at least in my case, turned out to be a deeply moving experience, and considering the fact that the album lasts only for about half an hour, I listened to it repeatedly several times, wishing to sustain the calm and serenity it inspires. Szamburski deserves to be praised not only for his talents, but also for his integrity and courage to express himself without any inhibitions, showing his innermost feelings and sharing them with his listeners. Free Jazz and freely improvised music often serve, contrary to what some people might think, as paraphernalia to hide the musician´s emotions rather than express them. The music Szamburski brings forward herein is simply so pure and bare, that it hides nothing. This album is undoubtedly one of the best recordings I have heard so far this year and I recommend it wholeheartedly, especially to all the cynics and misanthropes among us; perhaps listening to this music could serve as a wake up call for some of them at least. Since this album was released as a numbered limited edition of 500 copies, grab it ASAP anywhere you can, before it becomes unavailable.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

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