Record Reviews

KLEMENSIEWICZ - KISIEL ~ CASSUBIA MJUSE 001 (Barcode: 5903919630106) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2021 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz duo comprising of saxophonist Jakub KlemensiewiczFind albums by this artist and pianist Dominik KisielFind albums by this artist. The album presents just three extensive pieces (all well over ten minutes in duration), which are influenced by the Folklore from the Kashubian region and based on music composed by Marian SelinFind albums by this artist, a local poet / composer, arranged by the duo members. Baritone saxophonist Dariusz HerbaszFind albums by this artist guests on one track. The music was recorded live at the Sfinks 700 club in Sopot and offers a wonderful sound ambience, with the music reverberating in the club’s space. This album is one of several Polish Jazz albums dealing with the Kashubian Folklore, recorded in the last decade. The music is very melodic, floating on waves of thematic repetitions, which change very gradually, somewhat like serial or minimalist music, but less constrained sonically. Kisiel provides a rich, carpet like platform, upon which Klemensiewicz scatters his melodic splashes, together creating a floating, spacey, almost ambient vistas. Although such approach would have perfectly suited electronic music, the fact that it is performed on acoustic instruments, adds a magic touch, creating a unique sonic structure. The borderline between Jazz and other music genres are constantly crossed in this music, obviously touching upon Classical Romanticism (well, these guys are Polish so Frederic ChopinFind albums by this artist is under their skin), but also other domains. The Folkloristic influence is rather less obvious, being hidden deeply beneath the surface, but this perhaps adds to the universal appeal of this music, which should be fascinating to every open-minded listener. The performances by these young musicians are truly inspiring, and their ability to function as a team is phenomenal. There is an obvious empathy and respect between them, which allows the musical synergy they are able to create on the fly. Despite the fact that this music is mostly melody based, it is by far not trying to be “nice and easy” by any means and demands attentive listening, which of course is quite expected in case of a serious attempt to inspire the audience. Overall, this is a unique and beautiful piece of music, which should make many listeners from a wide range of musical idioms very happy. Well done indeed!

Updated: 19/06/2021Posted: 19/06/2021

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