Record Reviews

JACEK MIELCAREK / JAKUB MIELCAREK ~ I CO DALEJ? NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015 This is a debut album by Polish Jazz saxophonist / clarinetist Jacek MielcarekFind albums by this artist and his son bassist / pianist Jakub MielcarekFind albums by this artist, which presents ten original compositions / improvisations, all co-composed by the duo. The music was initially intended as a soundtrack for children´s stories, but the recorded music turned out to be solid enough to tell a story of its own. According to the PR material the music was recorded completely spontaneously and was all composed at a spur of the moment, unplanned and unrehearsed. It is difficult to believe that nothing was planned in advance, as this music is way to organized to be completely composed on the fly, but of course I might be mistaken. In any case the album presents, as said above, ten duets of improvised music, performed beautifully by both musicians, who are completely in synch both emotionally and musically. They both display a high level of technique, with Jacek especially impressive on clarinet, and Jakub, as already evident from his other recordings over time, is a superb virtuoso bassist. The music, in spite of its free spirited nature, manages to remain very melodic, even if the melody is mostly subconscious. It is quite an experience to listen to these duets for the first time, and the only reservation one might put forward is if this music is interesting enough to make listeners to return to it periodically. The problem with atmospheric music like this one is of course that it moves the listeners emotionally while it is playing, but leaves them rather baffled when it´s over. But of course this might be just my impression. There is still enough great musicianship on this album to grant it the opportunity to be heard by as many people as possible. It is gentle and "nice" enough to bring new listeners to improvised music, which is already a winner.

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