Record Reviews

JAROMIR HONZAK ~ THE BLUES OF A STRING HANGING IN THE WIND ANIMAL MUSIC 127 (Barcode: 8594211850452) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2023 Released: 2024 This is the 12th album by Czech Jazz bassist / composer / bandleader Jaromir HonzakFind albums by this artist, recorded with his regular quintet, with includes saxophonist Lubos SoukupFind albums by this artist, guitarist David DoruzkaFind albums by this artist, pianist Vit KristanFind albums by this artist and drummer Martin NovakFind albums by this artist, and the Prague Radio Symphony OrchestraFind albums by this artist, conducted by Bastien StilFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight tracks, which are in fact parts of a suite for Jazz quintet and Symphonic Orchestra, all composed by Honzak. The music was recorded live and offers an exceptional sound quality, as all Animal MusicFind albums on this label releases. Life is full of surprises, sometimes very pleasant ones, and writing about this album is one of them, as only a couple of days ago I wrote about another album, which is not only of very similar nature but also features almost identical lineup, both originating from the Czech Republic (see the “Scandinavian ImpressionsFind albums with this title” album by Soukup). Despite the obvious similarities, these two albums are also very different musically, which is even more wonderful. It is not a secret that Honzak is one of my favorite European bass players, but even more so composers. His music is always absolutely breathtaking, and despite its complexity, it manages to be superbly coherent and melodic. Here, with the additional layer of orchestral arrangements (by Tomas SykoraFind albums by this artist) on top of the Jazz quintet performances, the music is even more dense and intricate than usual, and yet, as usual, it is almost clairvoyant in its intellectual verity and emotional strength. The two layers, Jazz and orchestral, complement one another perfectly, but rather oddly, whereas Honzak uses the orchestra to expand the rhythmic and even improvisational nature of the music, rather than only support the harmonic / melodic elements, which is the usual modus operandi applied in most Jazz-Classical Fusion ventures, and as such this album stands out in its originality. It goes without saying that the quintet’s performances are nothing short of stellar, as expected. Soukup is in charge of the melody lines, leading the proceedings like the pied piper of Hamelin, Doruzka spices the mixture with his tasteful chords and strings of notes, Kristan sets the harmonic base and Novak tastefully sets the paste of things. And Honzak, like always, stands firmly, like the ship’s mast, in the epicenter of the music at all times, making sure everything works, as it is supposed to. Overall, Honzak delivers again a sublime piece of music, which offers a fascinating emotional journey, and which swipes the listener off his feet the minute the music starts, and never lets go. I can’t imagine anybody who loves music not to like this album, even if it sounds somewhat strange at the first moment. This is some of the finest music one can come across these days, and it should not be missed by whatever excuse. And yes, if you listen carefully, the Blues is there…

Updated: 12/08/2024Posted: 12/08/2024

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