Record Reviews

AGA DERLAK ~ FIRST THOUGHT HEVHETIA 0090 (Barcode: 8588005257329) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2014 This is the debut album by a young Polish Jazz trio led by pianist / composer Aga DerlakFind albums by this artist with bassist Tymon TrabczynskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Bartosz SzablowskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents five lengthy original compositions, all by Derlak. It takes a lot of courage to take the bold step of recording a debut album in the classic piano trio format and play one´s original compositions, like Derlak and her cohorts do on this album. Piano trio is a "naked" environment, where every note, every nuance, even every touch of the keyboard is perfectly audible with absolutely nothing to hide behind. Such endeavors are often quite risky and perilous and therefore I´m happy to say that in this particular case the courage pays off big time. The music is mostly very lyrical and melancholic, almost meditative, even on the mid / up tempo compositions. The melodic statements played as the usual at the entry point of each track develop into lengthy improvised passages, which feature extensive dialogues between the piano and the rhythm section, which gets much more exposure on this album that usually accepted on piano trio albums. Trabczynski and Szablowski both perform wonderfully throughout, using the almost universal approach in today´s young piano trios, where the bass is actually playing the rhythm and the drums are allowed to play "around", often polyrhythmically. There is an obvious empathy and comradeship between the trio members, which is always the best glue which turns musicians into one harmonious entity. Of course not everything is perfect, which is quite understandable considering the age of these young Lions and a Lioness. The extensive improvisations, which last on three of the tracks well over ten minutes, are honestly a bit over the top. It takes a lifetime of playing Jazz to be able to keep an audience on the edge for ten continuous minutes… Perhaps inclusion of at least a couple of additional tunes and shortening the timings considerably would have produced an even more impressive album? But of course these are just my personal musings. Overall this is a most impressive debut, which hopefully will be followed by many more mature albums in the future. I intend to follow the careers of these youngsters, as they are surely a promising bunch. Well done Lady and Gentlemen!

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AGA DERLAK ~ HEALING HEVHETIA 0149 (Barcode: 8588005258104) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017 This is the second album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Aga DerlakFind albums by this artist, recorded again in a classic piano trio format, this time with bassist Tymon TrabczynskiFind albums by this artist, who also played on the debut, and drummer Szymon MadejFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Derlak. Musically the album continues exactly from where the debut left off. The long, contemplative themes, introvert and full of silent breaths are still here, but they are much more condensed and compressed, which works all for the best. This music is very minimalistic, hinting more that it is actually saying, hiding more than it is actually disclosing. This clever game of hide and seek keeps the attentive listener on the edge at all times, trying to guess the next move. Derlak manages to define her very personal style on this album much more fluently and precisely that on her debut, which is quite understandable. The performances are extremely hard to judge, as they are fragmented into short passages, which limit the possibility of displaying technical fluency. But perhaps the ability to play a myriad of fragments rather than a steady flow of notes is the true challenge here. If I might use a metaphor from another field of Art, Derlak´s music is like impressionist pointillist painting, which in music is called divisionism. I have no idea if Derlak is at all aware of these terms, but that what her music is really all about. Of course in painting, as in music, the individual dots of paint / sound dots create a complete picture of uniquely structured beauty. The rhythm section faces the same difficulties as the leader, with the music being introvert and constantly intervallic, which of course makes the traditional role of keeping time and pulse devilishly difficult. These young players stand up to the challenge bravely, supporting the pianist amicably, elegantly and with superb cohesiveness and harmony, which is nothing short of being brilliant. Derlak and her fellow musicians mange to overcome the proverbial second album jinx with flying colors, producing a brilliant piano trio album, which is not only elegant and intelligent, but also completely innovative and unique. Even on the incredibly busy and productive Polish Jazz scene albums like this one are an exception. As a result Derlak becomes a talent worth watching, and considering her achievements in such early stages of her career, God only knows where she intends to take us in the future. Mon plus profond respect Milady!

Updated: 08/05/2017Posted: 08/05/2017

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AGA DERLAK ~ PARALLEL NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2021 Released: 2023 This is the third album as a leader by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Aga DerlakFind albums by this artist, recorded in a septet setting with trumpeter Jerzy MalekFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Wojciech LichtanskiFind albums by this artist and Marcin KaletkaFind albums by this artist, bassist Michal KapczukFind albums by this artist, drummer Szymon MadejFind albums by this artist and vocalist Basia DerlakFind albums by this artist. The septet is further expanded by the Atom String QuartetFind albums by this artist (violinists Dawid LubowiczFind albums by this artist and Mateusz SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist, violist Michal ZaborskiFind albums by this artist and cellist Krzysztof LenczowskiFind albums by this artist). The album presents nine tracks, all original compositions by Aga Derlak. Following two albums recorded in a classic Jazz piano trio setting, this album is a giant step forward (pun intended) in Derlak’s career, which takes her right into the “serious” league, with complex compositions and elaborate arrangements for an ensemble of eleven musicians, all of which requires not only a lot of work and talent, but also courage to undertake such an adventurous and risky enterprise. I am happy to say that despite my initial concern, she manages to pull it off without a hitch. The music is quite diverse and moves between song oriented parts with the vocals up front, extended instrumental passages spiced with soloing, orchestral movements with the strings parts dominating the proceedings, in short an ever changing stream of aural explorations, which keeps the listener on edge. Aga’s piano is omnipresent, supplying the harmonic and melodic compass to the entire enterprise and she solos sparingly, which is not surprising, considering how much is happening on this album almost at any moment. She weaves beautiful, romantic melodies, which are ideal for the songs (the lyrics of which remain uncredited), which are beautifully performed by Basia, who also offers some lovely vocalese parts, which are used somewhat in the background in instrumental capacity. The brass players offer some excellent soli, with Malek being as always the romantic heartbreaking champion, and the saxophonists moving more into somewhat more advanced Jazz areas. The rhythm section is as perfect as can be, despite the fact that I personally have a problem with the dry and muffled sound of the drums (not the playing, just the sound), which unfortunately seems to be the latest fashion, but of course this is a minor issue and a matter of taste. Overall, this is a wonderful Jazz album, which offers a capsule of contemporary European Jazz aesthetics, with great instrumental work, vocals and string arrangements, all coherently combined and balanced, and of course a set of great compositions. Hats off Aga for your vision and the stamina to make it happen. You have earned my respect and the well-deserved position on the Polish Jazz scene, which nobody can deny.

Updated: 19/08/2023Posted: 19/08/2023

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EVENT HORIZON ~ EVENT HORIZON SJ 017 (Barcode: 5912596066191) ~ POLAND ~ Smooth Jazz Recorded: 2013 - 2016 Released: 2017 This is the debut album by Polish duo Event Horizon, which comprises of drummer Gniewomir TomczykFind albums by this artist and keyboardist / bassist Andrzej MikulskiFind albums by this artist. A plethora of guest musicians, some form the echelons of the young Polish Jazz circles and others from different areas, add their contributions, including Piotr SchmidtFind albums by this artist, Aga DerlakFind albums by this artist, Krzysia GorniakFind albums by this artist, Mateusz SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist, Kuba WiecekFind albums by this artist, Marek KadzielaFind albums by this artist and many others. The album presents ten original compositions (one repeated twice), recorded over a period of several years, five of which were co-composed and arranged by Tomczyk and Mikulski, others composed either individually by one of the duo members or co-composed with others, improvised or being arrangements of Classical themes, in short a very diverse collection of ideas. Three of the pieces feature texts / lyrics in English. The music is strongly melody based and rooted in Jazz, but emphasizes production and sound at least as much as improvisation, creating wonderful contemporary vistas, which feel completely cross-genre and can be liked by a very wide spectrum of listeners, predominantly belonging to the younger generation. The music is intelligent and wonderfully coherent, offering a superb selection of melodies and harmonies, which often are absent in the so called "serious Jazz" recordings. Although this music can be categorized as Smooth Jazz for lack of a better definition, based on the "cool" and seemingly "smooth" approach, it is full of excellent musicianship and masterly music production. Overall this is a classic example of "don´t judge a book by its cover" (here both metaphorically and directly, as the album´s cover art is rather bleak, completely uncharacteristic of its contents). What might be considered as a youthful experiment turns out to be a solid piece of excellent music, which stands its own ground, regardless what the Jazz purists might say. In many respects this album represents what the new generation of Jazz players feels about Jazz, respecting the tradition but reaching out to electronics, new sounds and original approach, which attempts to discover new ground, which after all is the most important aspect of music making. This is definitely one of the most interesting releases so far in 2017, as far as I am concerned. Well done Wonder Kids!

Updated: 07/04/2017Posted: 07/04/2017

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HOTS ~ LIVE IN TROJKA FOR TUNE 0139 (Barcode: 5906395808526) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2019 This is the third album by the Polish Jazz ensemble HoTSFind albums by this artist, led by guitarist / composer Mikolaj PoncyljuszFind albums by this artist, which also includes trumpeter Radek NowakFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Bartosz TkaczFind albums by this artist, bassist Adam ProkopowiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Maciek WojcieszukFind albums by this artist. Pianist Aga DerlakFind albums by this artist joins the ensemble on four tracks. The album was recorded at Studio Three of the Polish Radio and presents six original compositions, all by Poncyljusz, some originating from the ensemble´s earlier recordings and other appearing here for the first time. The music continues the tradition of modern Polish mainstream Jazz, which characterized the ensemble since its inception, emphasizing the solid compositions by the leader, which are ideal vehicles for all the members of the ensemble to express their individual talents. The addition of Derlak expands the overall ambience of the ensemble and the harmonic layers, which are now shared by two instruments. The music remains somewhat slow and dynamically limited, with the individual tunes building up the tension very gradually, but since this is the ensemble´s trademark, one has to accept this as a fact and play along, in order to enjoy the music in full. All the six young Polish Jazz players display the extremely high level of the local scene, with their individual contributions all being beyond reproach. Personally Prokopowicz turns out to be the outstanding musician on this album, with his beautifully melodic and wonderfully solid bass lines being the glue that keeps all this music together. Wojcieszuk, who is the new member of the ensemble, is a more dominant player than his predecessor, which marks a significant improvement in the role of the rhythm section and takes the music to a much agile level. Derlak´s presence is also a very significant factor to the success of this album. She manages to "fill the holes" with her intelligent piano chords and lifts the overall sound to a new level. Her presence allows Poncyljusz to play much more adventurous solos, where he does not need to worry about the harmonic parts. The years of playing together also come to effect of course and this album is definitely the most enjoyable recording by this ensemble. Overall this is a splendid display of live Jazz played by the young generation of Polish Jazz musicians, who are the future of the local scene. For listeners who never came across an album by HoTS, this is a splendid opportunity to jump on the wagon, with Derlak definitely serving as the proverbial cherry on top. Warmly recommended!

Updated: 13/08/2019Posted: 29/03/2019

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JERZY MALEK ~ BLACK SHEEP NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is the eighth album by Polish Jazz trumpeter / composer Jerzy MalekFind albums by this artist, recorded in a classic Jazz quintet setting with saxophonist Radek NowickiFind albums by this artist, pianists Piotr WylezolFind albums by this artist or Aga DerlakFind albums by this artist, bassist Max MuchaFind albums by this artist and drummer Sebastian FrankiewiczFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, all by Malek. Stylistically the music is all within melodic Jazz mainstream, close to the American Jazz tradition, quite atypical to the contemporary Polish Jazz scene, which is more modernistic and experimental. That said, the music is wonderfully crafted and perfectly executed by seasoned musicians and sound every bit as good as the best of what American Jazz has to offer, proving again that Polish Jazz deserves to be completely free from any inferiority complexes in comparison to what is happening across the pond. Malek has a brilliant ability to weave perfect tunes, all of which are well rounded and based on coherent melodic themes, especially so with his marvelous ballads. On the whole his compositions are truly classic examples of post Bebop idiom at its finest. Although not very innovative, this kind of music is still perfectly valid and has many followers the world over and albums like this are a perfect fit to their bill of fare. Of course Malek is also a wonderful trumpeter, with perfect skills and intelligence, which guides him to avoid empty flashy displays of technique. His playing is always soulful and heartfelt, and a true pleasure to listen to. The other quintet members are all seasoned veterans and even the young Aga Derlak, who plays on two tracks, does an excellent job and showcases the next generation of the Polish Jazz stars. Overall this is a perfect mainstream Jazz album in every respect, full of wonderful music and perfect musicianship, which should completely satisfy all connoisseurs of that idiom regardless of their geographical location. It is also an excellent example of the quality of Polish Jazz and the abilities of Jerzy Malek as a composer and a trumpeter, which he earned fair and square by hard work and a heap of talent. Well done!

Updated: 26/05/2019Posted: 26/05/2019

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SABINA MECK ~ LOVE IS HERE FOR TUNE 0090 (Barcode: 5902768701821) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 - 2015 Released: 2016 The new generation of Polish Jazz musicians, which swept the local scene like a tsunami with the onset on the 21st Century, produced a staggering number of superb instrumentalists: trumpeters, saxophonists, pianists, bassists and drummers, but sadly almost no significant discoveries in vocal Jazz arrived on the scene, with just a very few exceptions. There are many possible explanations why this has happened: the crisis in the vocal Jazz idiom in general, the fact that vocalists born in Poland are not native English speakers, yet they tenaciously insist on singing in English even when it works against them, and most importantly the fact that the human voice is not only the most beautiful and limitless instrument, but also the most difficult one. Therefore listening to this album by the young Sabina MeckFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Sabina MyrczekFind albums by this artist) one can finally release a sigh of relief saying "it´s finally happening". Not only does she sing fabulously but she also wrote all the music and the lyrics on this album, which is almost too good to be true. The whole thing sounds like a classic vocal Jazz album, featuring a set of carefully selected standards; anything but a debut album. Meck selected the accompaniment of a classic piano trio, which is classy, elegant and minimalistic, but also incredibly bold. There is no electric trickery to hide imperfection, but there is a challenging need to combine forces with the trio members at all times. The trio´s performance is by all means as spectacular in every respect as the vocals. The upcoming and still very young Aga DerlakFind albums by this artist on piano is absolutely brilliant as an accompanist and together with the singer they are in a perfect Ying and Yang harmony. The rhythm section, bassist Franciszek PospieszalskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Bartosz SzablowskiFind albums by this artist, adds its support amicably and very skillfully, with nothing short of flawlessness. The insiders of the Polish Jazz scene will of course notice immediately that Sabina Meck is the sister of the incredibly talented vocalist Wojciech MyrczekFind albums by this artist. It will be completely unfair to treat her just as "the sister of", since although she shares with her brother the gene pool of the highly gifted Myrczek clan, this album proves that she is a greatly talented Artist in her own right. Hopefully this is just the first of many wondrous albums to come. You’ve got it, my Fair Lady; you certainly have got what it takes! Side Note The above are my liner notes included on this album's artwork. I am honored when asked by the Artists to write liner notes for their albums, always hoping that my words reflect the true spirit of the music. This is also a symbol of our mutual respect and friendship developed over the years. The same is also true when Record Labels ask me to write liner notes for their releases, mostly in the case of reissues of archival albums, which is a symbol of their appreciation of my knowledge and historical perspective and my recognition of their dedication to the preservation of the history of recorded music and the effort to keep human Culture and Aesthetics alive.

Updated: 19/09/2018Posted: 06/05/2016

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MOW ~ HISTORIE ZEBRANE HEVHETIA 0169 (Barcode: 8588005258319) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by Polish ensemble MOWFind albums by this artist, which comprises of vocalist / songwriter Ania BratekFind albums by this artist, pianist Aga DerlakFind albums by this artist, bassist Mateusz SzewczykFind albums by this artist and drummer Patryk ZakrzewskiFind albums by this artist. Guitarist Jakub MizerackiFind albums by this artist guests on three tracks. The album presents eleven original songs, all featuring lyrics (in Polish language) written by Bratek and all but one were composed by Bratek and one co-composed by her. All songs were arranged by the ensemble members. The album was recorded at the Monochrom Studio and was engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, with the expected excellent sonic result. The music is a Jazzed-up Alternative Pop, but basically eschews clear genre classification. The focus is naturally on the lead vocals, accompanied by a piano trio, which collectively offers a constant stylistic duality between the vocal parts, which are more Soul / Pop oriented and the instrumental piano trio parts, which are clearly Jazz related. The mixture does work together well and the album is an interesting listening experience. For the Polish speaking audiences, the well crafted and intelligent lyrics offer an additional benefit. Bartek´s vocal delivery is somewhat theatrical, which emphasizes the messages delivered by the lyrics. She is able to express the emotions as well as the melodic / harmonic contents with ease and sincere involvement, and her compositions are exciting and diverse enough to make the music flow swiftly and keep the listener interested all the way through. The instrumental work is also excellent, which is hardly surprising as Derlak´s piano playing already earned her a lot of attention in spite of her young age and short mileage. The rhythm section sticks to the Jazzy formula with great bass lines and inventive drumming moving the music forward. Mizeracki´s guitar parts are also admirable and it´s a pity he wasn’t featured as a regular member of the band. Overall this is an excellent debut offering, which will hopefully be followed by new music soon. The two female Artists on this album are a sign of the growing role of the Women Power in Polish Jazz, which is wonderful of course. Kudos to the Slovak HevhetiaFind albums on this label label for supporting the Polish music scene since several years, and for offering new opportunities and exposure to creative Artists, which the local Polish record industry is unable to contain. Well done Milady and all the best in the years to come!

Updated: 22/12/2018Posted: 22/12/2018

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