Record Reviews

RASM ALMASHAN ~ YEMENIA SOLITON 365 (Barcode: 5901571093659) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2018 - 2019 Released: 2020 This is the debut album as a leader by Polish (of Yemeni origin) vocalist Rasm AlmashanFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Rasm Al-MashanFind albums by this artist), recorded with an excellent group of musicians: percussionist Adeb ChamounFind albums by this artist, oud player Mateusz SzemrajFind albums by this artist, drummer Pawel DobrowolskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Bartozzi WojciechowskiFind albums by this artist and keyboardist Adam LemanczykFind albums by this artist. Saxophonist Grzech PiotrowskiFind albums by this artist, who is the musical producer of the album, guests on three tracks and violinist Stanislaw SlowinskiFind albums by this artist guests on one track. The album presents nine songs, six of which are composed by Almashan, two are co-composed by her and Piotrowski and one is a traditional Yemenite song, made world-famous by Israeli singer Ofra HazaFind albums by this artist as "Im Nin´alu", who also had Yemenite roots. Most of the lyrics (In Yemeni Arabic and English) were also written by Almashan, except for "Im Nin´alu" which has lyrics in Hebrew written by Rabbi Shalom ShabaziFind albums by this artist, and two songs with lyrics by the great Yemeni singer Abu Bakr Salem BelfqihFind albums by this artist. The music is an amalgam of Pop and Middle Eastern / African Folklore elements with a strong Jazz-World Fusion accompaniment, excellently put together and very entertaining. Melodically and rhythmically the music is mostly quite European, but the arrangements are strongly influenced by Ethnically sounding ornamentations and Jazzy improvisations. For a person like me, who is surrounded by Middle Eastern music every day, this music does not sound "authentic" enough, but for European listeners this might work out perfectly, especially in view of the fact that Middle Eastern scales and phrasing can sound very outlandish to a European ear. However, this music sounds great regardless of its distance from authenticity, thanks to the great melodies and superb performances by all the participants, mixing perfect doses of European melody and exotic Middle Easter spices. Almashan is an excellent vocalist, whom I have been lucky to hear live many times, with a wide range, great sensitivity and wonderful musicality. The Jazzy accompaniment suits her perfectly and personally I love most the songs on which she lets go of the strict melody and ventures into more improvised passages, which are the absolute highlight of this album. Listeners who love Pop songs with strong Ethnic elements and Jazzy accents, similar to the music of the lamented Ofra Haza, should be delighted by this album from start to finish, as it is full of great playing and superb vocal parts, offering new musical layers with each repeated listening session and bridges Cultures in a most accessible and heartfelt manner. Warmly recommended!

Updated: 05/03/2020Posted: 05/03/2020

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SZYMON LUKOWSKI ~ SHORT SKETCHES HEVHETIA 0197 (Barcode: 8588005258753) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is the third album by young Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Szymon LukowskiFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quartet setting with keyboardist Adam LemanczykFind albums by this artist and superb veteran rhythm section comprising of bassist Wojciech PulcynFind albums by this artist and drummer Sebastian FrankiewiczFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, four by Lukowski and one each by Lemanczyk, Pulcyn and Stankiewicz. The music was recorded at the excellent Studio Tokarnia and engineered by Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist, with the usual first class sonic quality. The music is all within the modern mainstream Jazz convention, but Lukowski´s progress as a composer and instrumentalist is again clearly apparent in comparison to his earlier work. His bass clarinet parts expand the sonic palette considerably and his compositions are more complex and excellently arranged for the quartet, which results in these performances being highly absorbing from start to finish. The strength of the quartet as a tight musical unit also adds to the success of this material. Lemanczyk is equally effective on acoustic piano and electric keyboards, playing some truly mesmerizing parts. Pulcyn, as always, keeps everything in check and his highly melodic bass lines offer a steady ground for the music to lean on. Frankiewicz adds a highly percussive and dynamic drum parts on the up-tempo numbers and delicate ornamentation on the ballads, like a professional he truly is. Overall this is a truly fine piece of Jazz music, diverse, interesting and aesthetically satisfying, which all Jazz lovers should find worth listening to. As usual it perfectly reflects the high level of original music being created in Poland these days, which is as good, if not better, as Jazz created all over Europe these days, without any inferiority complex. Well done indeed!

Updated: 21/02/2020Posted: 21/02/2020

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EMILIA PAWLOWSKA ~ NIEBO NAD JEZIOREM SOLITON 1111 (Barcode: 5903684231119) ~ POLAND ~ Sung Poetry Recorded: 2019 - 2021 Released: 2021 Although not her debut release, this is the debut album by Polish singer / songwriter Emilia PawlowskaFind albums by this artist, which offers her original material. It presents eleven songs, all co-composed by Pawlowska with keyboardist Adam LemanczykFind albums by this artist, who was also in charge of all the arrangements. Veteran Jazz trumpeter Marcin GawdzisFind albums by this artist plays on five tracks. The lyrics to all the songs were written by two Polish poetesses Anna SzucaFind albums by this artist and Alina RzepeckaFind albums by this artist. Not surprisingly, the album sits firmly within the Sung Poetry idiom, which is sadly less popular these days, but used to be Poland’s musical pride for many years in the good old times. The music fits the lyrics beautifully and the arrangements present a diverse kaleidoscope of influences, with a distinct Jazz subtext, emphasized by the trumpet solos, but also some shades of World Music and Polish Folklore. Each and every song is quite different from all the others, but at the same time the album offers a remarkable musical and conceptual coherence. Obviously Sung Poetry is also about selecting the poetry carefully and delivering it properly, which in this case was certainly appropriately done. It seems that Polish poetry is largely in the hands and minds of female poetesses these days, many of which I personally admire, and the female sensitivity of selecting the right words and expressing strong emotions without necessarily using “strong” bombastic vocabulary seems to be their main strength. Pawlowska certainly treats the poetry with respect, eschewing theatrics and pompous trickery, which dominates contemporary popular music. Her delicate, often seemingly aloof vocal delivery, is a perfect way to transfer the depth of the poetic charm straight into the listener’s heart. Her vocals are recorded without artificial electronic enhancement, which allows the natural warmth of her voice to work the magic. Obviously Sung Poetry, however dressed up musically, requires careful listening and I must admit that the album sounds quite differently each time I listened to it, which is part of its appeal. The superb instrumental delivery by all the participants and the concise / precise soli ornament the songs beautifully. The sound quality, production and arrangements are all highly professional and are a perfect example of how little details and touches can be more important that a dreadful wall of sound, which characterizes most of what we can hear on albums recorded today. Especially impressive is the skillful use of electronic effects and synthesizers, which when used sparingly can be highly effective. Overall this is a very impressive album, carefully planned and beautifully executed, which pays tribute to good taste, cultural values and artistic desires, all at the same time. It is definitely outstanding on the contemporary Polish music scene and is worthy of praise and recognition, although being an old cynic, it is also one of those rare albums that are too good to be successful. Nevertheless, the old romantic in me hopes it will get to as many listeners as it deserves. Women power rules!

Updated: 20/07/2021Posted: 20/07/2021

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