Record Reviews

LACO DECZI / ZDENEK DVORAK ~ DUO SUPRAPHON 5450 (Barcode: 099925545024) ~ CZECHOSLOVAKIA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1080 - 1981 Released: 2003 This is the only album recorded by the wonderful Czechoslovak duo of trumpeter / composer Laco DecziFind albums by this artist and guitarist / composer Zdenek DvorakFind albums by this artist. This remarkably bold statement by such an unusual pairing of instruments is one of my favorite East European Jazz recordings and a superb example of how advanced and pioneering Jazz often was there. This reissue comprises of the LP the duo recorded in 1981 (seven tracks) and an earlier EP (four tracks), all beautifully remastered and sounding just spectacular. Of all the tracks only two are standards and all the others are original by Deczi and Dvorak. The music is simply outstanding, contemplative and full of wonderful spaces and incredible soloing as well as two-way playing. Deczi has an incredible tone, rarely paralleled by others and Dvorak´s highly complex phrasing is simply astounding. Together they achieve an overall effect, which is much more impressive that the sum of its parts. This music requires attentive listening as there is so much happening herein that it takes a very skilled listener to grasp all the details of the performance. Although basically melodic, there is a lot of freedom and unusual ventures in this music to make it fascinating from start to finish. It is quite possible that for most Jazz listeners this will be one of the most unusual and pleasantly surprising albums they ever came across. This album is a splendid piece of Czechoslovak Jazz history and a most welcome reissue effort, which enables listeners worldwide to get familiar with this obscure treasure. A must to all East European Jazz connoisseurs!

CD 1 Oversampling Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

JASKULKE & WYLEZOL ~ DUODRAM LALALA KONCERT NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2012 Released: 2012 This is an album by Polish duo DuoDramFind albums by this artist, which pairs pianists / composers Slawomir JaskulkeFind albums by this artist and Piotr WylezolFind albums by this artist. Recorded live, the album presents five original compositions (three by Jaskulke and two by Wylezol) and one composition by Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist, all performed on two pianos. It is very difficult to relate to this music within the Jazz framework, and the fact that both pianists are primarily known as Jazz artists, makes it is even more difficult to pinpoint exactly what this music is all about. The melodic themes are repeated and swapped between the pianists back and forth, there are lots of chords and notes in the air, swirling like snowflakes in the wind, but once the flakes land on the ground nothing remains in the air… Somehow this music does not touch me at all, sounding like a New Age effort of producing soothing background music rather than anything that one can hold to. Of course Jaskulke and Wylezol are both superb piano players, as evident from their numerous other recordings, but this effort simply does not take off as far as I am concerned. Of course I suppose many other listeners might enjoy this music immensely, therefore I urge fans of Jaskulke and Wylezol to listen to it by themselves and making their own minds.

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend

OLES BROTHERS ~ DUO FENOMMEDIA 007 (Barcode: 5907604327074) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2008 Released: 2008 This is a bold and unusual album by Polish Jazz heroes, brothers Marcin OlesFind albums by this artist (bass) and Bartlomiej OlesFind albums by this artist (drums) collectively known as Oles BrothersFind albums by this artist, which presents them as a duo without a participation of any additional musicians. The music consists of ten original compositions: six composed by Marcin Oles, three by Bartlomiej Oles and one being co-composed by them both. The bass and drums, universally accepted as the rhythm section which stands behind the vast majority of all Jazz activities, is almost never considered being able to produce music on its own, which is evident by almost complete lack of recordings featuring bass / drums duets. In fact there are quite a few solo bass or solo drums albums; some of them even seminal recordings, but in contrast almost no bass / drums outings. The fact that Oles Brothers decided to record such dramatically unusual album is another evidence of the fact that they are definitely much more than just a brotherly rhythm section, but also talented composers, virtuosic performers and Jazz innovators. Contrary to the expectations which a bass / drums album might suggest, the music is actually deeply melodic. Marcin states the melody line switching between arco and pizzicato and then the duo expands it by improvising and adding a rhythmic line, which often not only supports the melody by also introduces a secondary melodic theme. Both players remain attentive at all time to each other and the rhythmic patterns change often during one piece. The music is delicate, but distinctive, making a statement at all times; there are no fillers or redundant idle moments, its pure music from start to finish, intense, fascinating and deeply moving. Of course the individual contributions are hardly surprising to anyone familiar with the Oles Brothers output so far; their reputation as Poland´s most formidable rhythm section is once more attested herein. It´s much more than just superb technique, but more importantly their mutual respect, intelligence and sensitivity, which makes them a marvelous team. Music connoisseurs should really try out this album, as it is definitely a masterpiece of minimalism, which has very few equals, not only on the Polish Jazz scene, but worldwide. This is a rare gem indeed!

Updated: 02/01/2017Posted:

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend

RACZKOWSKI & KOSTKA ~ DUO SJ 028 (Barcode: 5912596066313) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by the Polish duo comprising of pianist / composer Franciszek RaczkowskiFind albums by this artist and violinist / composer Mikolaj KostkaFind albums by this artist. The album presents twelve relatively short compositions, eleven of which are originals: six by Raczkowski, three by Kostka and two co-composed by them both and one is a John CageFind albums by this artist composition. The music was beautifully recorded at the Studio Tokarnia and engineered by Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist. The music is conceptually closer to contemporary Classical music than Jazz, but has obvious Jazz ties. It is also very delicate, minimalist and deeply lyrical and it seems that every single note earned its place in these compositions by deliberate contemplation. However, in spite of the sparingness and careful use of notes, the music is fully developed and bodied, creating a wonderful overall effect of coherent musical message being conveyed. Of course in case of a duo, it is the dialogue that the two players are able to develop that matters the most. In this case the dialogue is wonderfully balanced and the soloing by one of the musicians is always excellently accompanied his partner, creating a continuous conversational mode. Kostka displays strong ties with Polish musical Folklore, which is not surprising as many players of his generation show deep love and respect of Polish musical sources, incorporating them in their music. He also joins the ranks of the revered Polish Jazz Violin School, which grows rapidly. Both musicians display a mature approach to their instruments, with obvious talent and technical proficiency, which is always astonishing with the members of the young Polish generation of musicians. Complimented with the noticeable mutual understanding, respect and common musical goals, the duo is a wonderful example of a whole being much more that the sum of its ingredients. Although still very young, these musicians display a coherence, maturity and skillful appliance of their talents, which is usually only achieved at much later stage of musical careers. Overall this is stunning debut, which deserves to be heard by as many music connoisseurs, way beyond the strict circle Jazz aficionados. It is a wondrous amalgam of Jazz, contemporary Classical music and Folklore, which is powerful in spite of its serene appearance. Absolutely not to be missed!

Updated: 23/07/2018Posted: 23/07/2018

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

SOLAL, MARTIAL / KUHN, JOACHIM ~ DUO IN PARIS DREYFUS 36503 ~ FRANCE ~ Jazz French pianist Martial Solal and his German colleague Joachim Kuhn stand out among the prime European modern Jazz musicians and this 1975 meeting between them led to this recording of a set of piano duos.This is not an unusual collaboration in Jazz (see Corea and Hancock) and the results are always challenging, especially in this case where most of the music is improvised `on the spot`. Kuhn is of course renowned for his solo piano work and his virtuosity is stunnung.

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IGNACY JAN WISNIEWSKI ~ DUOS HEVHETIA 0221 (Barcode: 8588005259026) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2020 Released: 2021 This is an album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Ignacy Jan WisniewskiFind albums by this artist, which presents a series of duos recorded with other Polish Jazz musicians: bassist Olo WalickiFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Olgierd WalickiFind albums by this artist), saxophonist Mikolaj TrzaskaFind albums by this artist, drummer Michal BryndalFind albums by this artist and vocalist Marcin JanuszkiewiczFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten original pieces, all of which are freely improvised. For “freely improvised music”, the music on this album is at times remarkably melodic and returns to the formats used by Wisniewski in his earlier recordings, which amalgamate elements of Jazz and Classical music with Avant-Garde vistas, being this time perhaps somewhat more radical, since the earlier music was definitely largely pre-composed. In any case, if all Improvised Music was as coherent, sensible and aesthetically pleasing as what can be heard here, my general cautiousness about the genre would have been way less intensive. This music is simply beautifully expressive and inviting, in complete contrast to most contemporary Improvised Music, with constant challenges, strange twists and turns and quite unexpected performances by the participants, like almost romantic saxophone parts by Trzaska and Cecil TaylorFind albums by this artist staccatos by the leader. The biggest surprise for me are the vocal performances by Januszkiewicz, whose earlier work I admit to not being familiar with. Due to his contacts with the theatre circles, as composer of music for spectacles, Wisniewski uses actors rather that Jazz vocalist in his projects (see / hear Kamil DominiakFind albums by this artist in “Kantata JazzowaFind albums with this title”), proving his perfect instinct as far as making such decisions. Januszkiewicz is absolutely stunning in his unconventional vocal approach and his parts are, for me, absolutely climatic. But to be fair all the participants contribute heartfelt roles in the entire project. Overall, this is one of the absolutely most wonderful Polish Free Jazz / Improvised Music recordings lately, which is rather unusual in its tameness, which perhaps is the source of its success. Presenting great musicianship, firmly managed by the leader, it proves that Improvised Music can be lasting and still innovate, which is happening very rarely lately. An absolute must to listeners, who are ready to be challenged. Hats off to all participants!

Updated: 01/10/2021Posted: 01/10/2021

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend