Record Reviews

MACK GOLDSBURY / POLISH CONNECTION ~ SALT MINERS BLUES FM 004 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2009 Released: 2010 This is a live recording by an American / Polish quintet featuring two veteran US Jazz musicians (both resident in Germany): saxophonist / composer Mack GoldsburyFind albums by this artist and pianist Reggie MooreFind albums by this artist with three young Polish Jazz players: trumpeter / composer Maciej FortunaFind albums by this artist, bassist Krzysztof CiesielskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Roman SlefarskiFind albums by this artist. They perform eight original compositions; four by Goldsbury, three by Moore and one by Fortuna. The music, although original, is pretty standard mainstream Jazz, undistinguishable from myriad of other similar tunes, with the exception of the sole composition by Fortuna, which is more ambitious and stands out as the only piece which is less constrained stylistically and even has a glimpse of freely improvised moments. After listening to the album for a while it becomes quite apparent that Fortuna is by far the best player in the quintet, with the two Americans simply being mundane and overall unimpressive. It is possible that the informal atmosphere of the recording and the proximity to New Year´s festivities made everybody less careful and attentive, as the entire set sounds a bit disorganized. The recording quality is also pretty lax, which does not improve the overall result. Obviously a learning experience for the young Fortuna, who in the meantime proved himself to be one of the most impressive young lions of Polish Jazz, this is definitely not one his finest moments.

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