Record Reviews

ZAWADZKI / PRASNIEWSKI / WOSKO ~ TAGE MULTIKULTI MPJ 009 (Barcode: 5907529223383) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2011 Released: 2013 This is the debut album by a young Polish Jazz trio comprising of pianist Sebastian ZawadzkiFind albums by this artist, bassist Mariusz PrasniewskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Radek WoskoFind albums by this artist. The album was recorded in Odense (Denmark) where the trio members studied music at the time of the recording at the local Academy, where many other Polish musicians also study music in the last decade. The album presents eight original compositions, five by Zawadzki, one by Wosko and two collective compositions by all three members of the trio. Although recorded at the early stages of their career, this album shows the musicians searching and exploring the Jazz idiom with a youthful carefree approach, not yet bounded by convention and "proper" norms. The music is melodic and falls within the mainstream classic piano trio setting, but it is also pretty adventurous and at times even unconventional. Technically both the pianist and the rhythm section are proficient and sound professional. Zawadzki shows early signs of his brilliant technique, which will blossom a bit later, as evident on his subsequent albums. Prasniewski plays beautifully, with great feel and intrinsic melodious elegance, always exactly when his support is needed, and so does Wosko, who manages to keep the volume of his drums at a suitable level, not being obstructive with his solo spots being truly inspired. The two collective compositions are much more open and improvised than the strictly composed pieces, and are the highlights of this album, showing the trio´s experimentation and more ambitious approach. Zawadzki´s tunes are a bit too sweet at times, but definitely not crossing over into the sugary muzak. Overall a very impressive debut, which is just a glimpse at these talented young musicians, a sonic document caught for posterity. It is definitely nothing to be ashamed of and can be proudly mentioned in their respective CVs as a jumpstart success.

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