Record Reviews

WOJCIECH GOGOLEWSKI TRIO ~ MEDYTACJE WIEJSKIEGO LISTONOSZA JAZZOWEGO NOT ON LABEL 9788365344007 (Barcode: 9788365344007) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2015 Released: 2015 This is an album by Polish Jazz piano trio led by veteran pianist / composer Wojciech GogolewskiFind albums by this artist, with bassist Pawel PantaFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam LewandowskiFind albums by this artist. As the album´s title suggests, at least to those familiar with the Polish music scene, this album is dedicated to the music by the legendary Polish Rock group SkaldowieFind albums by this artist and pays tribute to their extraordinary talents. The album presents ten songs Skaldowie created during their heyday, all composed by Andrzej ZielinskiFind albums by this artist (one of the two Zielinski brothers who led the group) and arranged for Jazz trio by Gogolewski. It is of course completely impossible for someone like me, who grew up listening to the music of Skaldowie, to be in any way objective while listening to this album, and indeed I don´t intend to be objective at all. This is a marvelous piece of music in every respect, even without the tsunami of nostalgia, which floods my brain while listening to it, since it perfectly holds water just by being what it really is, i.e. an excellent piano trio album playing some superbly crafted music, beautifully recorded and perfectly executed. Of course the music of Zielinski presents some of the most incredibly weaved melodies on this planet, full of "impossible" chord changes and weird harmonies, tempi shifts and other musicological mumble-jumble, which most people have absolutely no idea about, but which simply work wonders and create some of the most beautiful songs ever written, which made our childhood and then adolescence so incredibly beautiful. Comparing Skaldowie to the BeatlesFind albums by this artist would have been mostly unfair to the Polish group, as they were light-years ahead musically. The fact that their music transfers so gracefully into the Jazz idiom is a great proof of its quality, whereas most Jazz arrangements of Beatles songs never really rise above pastiche. I am pretty sure this album should be universally appealing to every Jazz connoisseur around, even those who can´t find Poland on the map. This music is simply universal and its elegance and typical European sophistication is irresistible. I can only wholeheartedly thank the people involved in creating this masterpiece for the immense pleasure it has bestowed upon me. Perhaps some listeners, happy with what they find here, will reach out for the original Skaldowie albums, where this music originates from, to take another step on the path of exploration. Bless you all!

Updated: 11/09/2017Posted: 11/09/2017

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