Record Reviews

ARTUR DUTKIEWICZ TRIO ~ COMETS SING PIANOART 5907760035066 (Barcode: 5907760035066) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2021 Released: 2021 This is the eighth album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Artur DutkiewiczFind albums by this artist, this time recorded in a classic piano trio format with bassist Michal BaranskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam ZagorskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, all by the leader. The music was recorded at the fabulous Studio Tokarnia and engineered by Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist, and offers a superb sound quality. Dutkiewicz is one of those great Artists, who make sure that their Art can’t be taken for granted and this album is an elegant example of his modus operandi. The music is way more open and edgy than on any of his previous albums, and his romanticism and lyricism are more of an undercurrent rather than what happens on the surface. The resulting music is modern Jazz at its best, melody based but wandering freely on the chord changes and switching tempi unexpectedly, with the magnum opus eleven-minutes long opening track setting the example of the new concept. The roles of the trio members went also through a transformation, no longer being just a straightforward piano trio, but a triangle of mutual inspiration. Baranski, who plays with Dutkiewicz since the 2013 album “PranaFind albums with this title”, gets more exposure here than ever before, not only when soloing, but more importantly while accompanying the piano with his fat pulsations, that dominantly reverberate in the soundscape. The young Zagorski, the new member of the trio, is certainly a pleasant surprise, as he receives the formidable task to supply the complex rhythmic skeleton to this music, and which he manages brilliantly like a veteran pro. Dutkiewicz plays way more assertively than ever before, almost aggressively, but never really crosses the line of restraint and elegance. His statements are more concentrated and dense and he readily shares the burden of creation with his peers. As a result, he exposes here another facet of his musical persona, which of course make things way more exciting than hearing just another album by an Artist we are already familiar with. “This is just a corner, not the end of the journey” indeed – with many more corners to follow. Overall this is a brilliant example of modern Jazz, a superb piano trio masterpiece and an important giant step in the career, which Dutkiewicz keeps nourishing with every new release. This music not only fills your heart with joy and your brain with reflection, but is also aesthetically rounded, promising that the music we love is not really dying, although it seems like that most of the time. Thank you, my Friend, for such moments of delight.

Updated: 12/07/2021Posted: 12/07/2021

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