Record Reviews

MACIEJ SADOWSKI ~ I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO SAY, SO LISTEN RHODIUM 012 (Barcode: 193872506616) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2020 Released: 2021 This is the debut solo album by Polish Jazz bassist / composer Maciej SadowskiFind albums by this artist (who also plays synthesizers) recorded with a bunch of musicians / friends including his usual cohorts: drummer Tomasz KoperFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Dawid LipkaFind albums by this artist, a string quartet, several vocalists, American multi-instrumentalist / producer Kevin Scott DavisFind albums by this artist, pianist Antoni WojnarFind albums by this artist and others. The album presents eight original compositions, all by Sadowski. The highly provocative / sarcastic title of the album stands in complete contrast to the contents of the album, which has in fact quite a lot to say on any imaginable musical plane. The compositions are spectacularly resounding, continuing the modus operandi which prevailed on the LowBowFind albums by this artist duo album by Sadowski and cellist Malgorzata ZnarowskaFind albums by this artist (who also plays here), called “Murmurs”. The resulting music presents a unique kind of Avant-Garde Contemporary Classical Music, which incorporates subtle elements of Jazz and Ambient / Electronic Music in addition to Chamber Classical Music, producing deeply lyrical and fascinating sound vistas. Sadowski eschews flashy expositions and prefers solid compositions, based on coherent melodic themes, which are the basis for his sound-paintings. His music leaves much to the listener’s imagination and real-time interpretation, which of course means that with every listening session the aural result might resound differently, which is a rare quality. Despite the fact that the album offers only slightly over half an hour of music, it definitely presents a full musical package, naturally leaving the listeners wishing for more. The team of musicians that performs on this album is nothing short of a “dream-team” every artist might desire to work with, setting aside any individual ambitions other than do their best to contribute to the success of Sadowski’s compositions. The delicate minimalism, which is the prevailing artistic directive on this album, pays off in full, according to the “less is more” principle, with the music rather floating in the air than hitting the listener directly between the ears. Judging by the quality of his output in the last few years, Sadowski proves that he is by far not a “one hit wonder” and has plenty to say, all of which is worth listening to. He definitely emerges as one of the most interesting figures on the young Polish scene, who deserve to be followed closely. Overall, this is a stunning piece of a wonderful musical treasure, which deserves to be heard by as many true music lovers around the globe as possible, regardless of their stylistic preferences. This is simply universally beautiful music!

Updated: 05/01/2022Posted: 05/01/2022

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