Record Reviews

BIOTONE ~ UNSPOKEN WORDS SJ 002 (Barcode: 5902020415558) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2009 Released: 2011 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz quartet BiotoneFind albums by this artist, led by trombonist Michal TomaszczykFind albums by this artist, who also wrote all the music present herein. The other members of the quartet are saxophonist Przemyslaw FlorczakFind albums by this artist, bassist Andrzej ZielakFind albums by this artist and drummer Sebastian KuchczynskiFind albums by this artist. These four young musicians are all typical examples of the new generation, which is slowly establishing themselves on the, rather crowded one must say, Polish Jazz scene. This scene was always exploding with talent and is now overflowing, unfortunately not being developed enough, dynamic enough and flexible enough to contain all that incredible influx of talent flowing in at an ever increasing paste. One must admire Tomaszczyk for his self-confidence, as a trombone-led quartet is a very uncommon phenomenon in Jazz history. Even the greatest trombonists were usually satisfied with the role of a sideman, but Tomaszczyk boldly presents his approach, and shows us all an upper hand. The quartet has a fresh, well balanced sound and all the members play excellently throughout. The rhythm section is inventive and fully participates in the music-making process together with the two front soloists. The compositions are also very good, both melodically and rhythmically, presenting an interesting compositional palette, which at this stage already shows individuality and character. But of course the key point of the album is the solo work of the leader, who manages to make the most of his difficult and often ungrateful instrument. His performances are absolutely first class from top to bottom and as someone, who has a lot of trombone "mileage" (after producing several trombone-centered albums) I can definitely say this is first class work and more importantly a great promise for the future. Altogether a superb debut, worth investigating!

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend