Record Reviews

ANDRZEJ MITAN / GRZEGORZ ROGALA ~ KIEDY UMIERA CZLOWIEK / PODNIESIENIE TRZECIA FALA 001 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1983 Released: 2013 This DVD is another reminder of the fact that Polish Avant-Garde is alive and kicking and from time to time also takes a look back at its fascinating roots. The legendary figure of Andrzej MitanFind albums by this artist, which re-appears in the limelight from time to time, mostly completely unexpectedly, is always full of surprises. This time Mitan produces a multi-media project combining music and cinematography (or video-art), resulting in this debut release on a new Polish label called Trzecia FalaFind albums on this label, headed by a young Art enthusiast Lukasz StrzelczykFind albums by this artist. Back in the mid-1980s, when Poland was in its most depressing period, both politically and culturally, Polish Avant-Garde was enjoying a renaissance of sorts, taking advantage of the state of confusion that the Socialistic Regime was in due to the eminent collapse of the system already clearly apparent and as a result with a laxer censorship in place. Andrzej Mitan, who always believed in doing things rather than talking about them, released in 1984 a series of very bold musical statements by Avant-Garde musicians as five independently pressed LPs under the Alma ArtFind albums on this label moniker, which also presented outrageous and innovative packaging designed by Avant-Garde artists, including for example a barb-wired LP sleeve. Those five albums have become record collector´s Holy Grail due to the fact that only 1000 copies of each album were pressed, reaching today astronomical prices on the collector´s market. In 1987 four more albums appeared in a similar effort. This DVD uses part of the first of these legendary album as the musical layer, combining it with a video-art by Polish experimental artists Grzegorz RogalaFind albums by this artist, who utilizes a technique called time stretching, which in this case takes a 3 seconds long fragment of video and stretches it to last for about seven minutes, which produces an almost still like picture with barely visible change. The combination of the tension induced by the video and the dramatic musical background produce together a powerful statement, which is also quite unique. The music, which was recorded during the 1983 Jazz Jamboree in Warsaw (organized shortly after the Martial Law in Poland was lifted and obviously symbolizing an eruption of liberty), is performed by many Polish Avant-Garde legends, like bassist / leader Helmut NadolskiFind albums by this artist, vocalist Andrzej Mitan, pianist Andrzej BiezanFind albums by this artist (who died shortly after the recording), trumpeter Andrzej PrzybielskiFind albums by this artist and others, appearing under the moniker of Jubileuszowa Orkiestra Helmuta NadolskiegoFind albums by this artist. In retrospect it becomes clearly evident that these nine albums released by Mitan in the 1980s are extremely important documents of Polish Jazz and Polish Avant-Garde and absolutely have to be made available again, the sooner the better. Considering the fact that this DVD was also released as a numbered limited edition of 100 copies, it is by now as impossible to get as those legendary albums.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

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