Record Reviews

TOMASZ DABROWSKI / FREE4ARTS ~ WHEN I COME ACROSS AUDIO CAVE 2019/009 (Barcode: 5905669566810) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2019 This is the second album by Polish Jazz trumpeter / composer Tomasz DabrowskiFind albums by this artist and his Danish quartet Free4ArtsFind albums by this artist, which also includes baritone saxophonist Sven Dam MeinildFind albums by this artist, drummer Kasper Tom ChristiansenFind albums by this artist and this time guitarist Simon KrebsFind albums by this artist, who replaced pianist Jacob AnderskovFind albums by this artist that played on the debut album. The album presents seven original compositions, all by Dabrowski. In many respects this album continues the direction set by the debut, which moves completely into Avant-Garde Jazz, far away from traditional, melody based Jazz, flirting also with contemporary Chamber Music explorations. The music offers some melodic motifs but those often get hidden to a less experienced listener by the group improvisations. Without the presence of bass and now also the piano, there is almost no conventional harmony and rhythmic continuity, which leaves it to the listener to connect the dots. The sharp sound of the guitar is initially somewhat weird and takes time to get used to within the otherwise acoustic environment. The music is mostly very subdued and delicate, low profile and quietly streaming, with long passages that involve solos, duets and trios and rarely the entire quartet. It seems Dabrowski is trying to re-define the known parameters of Jazz and Improvised Music, stretching the existing limits of these idioms. He uses the trumpet to produce a plethora of unusual sound effects that often do not resemble the conventional sound of the instrument. The same can be said about Christiansen, who again proves to be one of the most creative European Jazz drummers, moving on a completely unique acoustic parallax, again re-defining the role of drums in contemporary music. Unexpectedly, it is the guitar which turns out to be the most conventional factor of this music, playing at times long melodic strings of notes. In many respects this is the boldest and most adventurous project Dabrowski headed in the decade-long period of his artistic development. It is completely uncompromising and boldly unconventional, against all odds. Hopefully the music, despite its estranged exterior, will find sympathetic, open-minded audience in time. Avant-Garde was never a rewarding and smooth career choice and Dabrowski and his cohorts deserve our respect for pushing the boundaries time and again.

Updated: 04/10/2019Posted: 04/10/2019

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