Record Reviews

ZBIGNIEW NAMYSLOWSKI ~ AIR CONDITION POLJAZZ / ANEX 317 (Barcode: 5907513047728) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1980 Released: 2009 One of the Godfathers of Polish Jazz, saxophonist Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist, remained firmly in the position of the leading Jazz figure in his country for several generations. Starting in the early 1960s as member of the legendary Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist quintet and later leading his own groups, Namyslowski kept his ears open constantly to follow the developments on the ever changing worldwide Jazz scene and his groups always included young talented players, who became his disciples. The group Air ConditionFind albums by this artist included the immensely talented keyboardist Wladyslaw SendeckiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Dariusz KozakiewiczFind albums by this artist, bassist Krzysztof ScieranskiFind albums by this artist and an extended percussion section, and played a kind of Jazz-Funk, which could move an elephant´s ass, not falling behind any of the US groups playing in the same vein. This album was intended for the US market, where it was released (along with several other Polish Jazz albums) by the Inner CityFind albums on this label label, admittedly without much commercial success. As usual, Americans were simply not ready to recognize any kind of Jazz happening outside of their home turf. In retrospect, this album is still a lot of fun and as Funky as they get. Sendecki´s keyboard wizardry is stunning, as always, and the leader plays plenty of nasty sax chops. Recommended!

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ZBIGNIEW NAMYSLOWSKI ~ FOLLOW YOU KITE WARNER MUSIC POLAND 190296307577 (Barcode: 190296307577) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1980 Released: 2022 This is a reissue / remaster of an album by the Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer / bandleader and a Godfather figure on the local scene, Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist, recorded with his sextet called Air ConditionFind albums by this artist, which also included keyboardist Wladyslaw SendeckiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Dariusz KozakiewiczFind albums by this artist, bass guitarist Krzysztof ScieranskiFind albums by this artist, drummer Wojciech KowalewskiFind albums by this artist and percussionist Jerzy TanskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents six original compositions, all by the leader. The album was one of the very few Polish Jazz recordings released at the time, which were not included in the legendary “Polish Jazz” series, and was now released in the new “Polish Jazz Masters” series. The music is all on the lighter side of the Jazz spectrum, supposedly part of the flourishing Fusion movement, that arrived in Poland a bit later than in Europe and even in other countries behind the Iron Curtain. Namyslowski, deeply rooted in the modern Jazz and Jazz-World Fusion genres, embraced Fusion following his short stint in the US, but that love affair was short lived. The same lineup recorded the same year another album, with included different material, called simply “Air ConditionFind albums with this title”, which was released by the PoljazzFind albums on this label label and also by Inner City in the US. But as always with Namyslowski, he was able to weave immensely beautiful tunes, with strong melodic lines, which were ideal vehicles for his sidemen to show their chops. The absolute star of this album is the very young and insanely talented keyboardist Wladyslaw Sendecki, who was to become one of top polish Jazz pianists in the years to come. His keyboards parts, especially those played on the acoustic piano, are still absolutely stunning. Although Namyslowski was not a Fusion player, Scieranski was the epitome of Funk, and his bass playing is what gives this album the Fusiony tinge. Kozakiewicz, who is a brilliant Blues / Blues-Rock guitarist, is sadly lost here as this musical environment is not really his cup of tea. Overall, this is a very nice historic Polish Jazz album, with great tunes and excellent performances by these splendid musicians, which is always great to return to, when in a nostalgic mood. The music lost nothing of its slick musicality and the reissue is a great tribute to Namyslowski, who sadly died in 2022.

Updated: 11/04/2023Posted: 11/04/2023

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ZBIGNIEW NAMYSLOWSKI ~ POLISH RADIO JAZZ ARCHIVES VOL.28 POLSKIE RADIO 2060 (Barcode: 5907812245849) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1983 Released: 2017 This is the twenty-eighths installment in the series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings from the radio vaults. Radio recordings are always a fabulous source of remarkable material, and as far as Polish Jazz history is concerned, the Polish Radio, which was a state monopoly for 45 years, recorded over time a plethora of invaluable material, which apart from the albums released by the Polskie Nagrania record company (also a state monopoly), is the only available additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland´s most important Jazz venues, including the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well. The tracks presented here were recorded live in October 1983 during the twenty-fifth edition of Jazz Jamboree Festival in Warsaw and present the quintet led by one of the Godfathers of Polish Jazz, saxophonist Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist, called Air ConditionFind albums by this artist, which also included pianist Wojciech GogolewskiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Marek BlizinskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Jan CichyFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam LewandowskiFind albums by this artist. The quintet performs seven original compositions, all composed by Namyslowski. Namyslowski is one of the very few Polish Jazz musicians who have appeared consistently on the local scene since the 1950s and kept their music up to date over time, pioneering trends and new developments. Over the years his many groups featured the ever young talents of the heart and soul of the Polish Jazz community. This recording is a great document of that phenomenon, showing Namyslowski´s Air Condition group, which was active in the early 1980s, recorded several excellent albums and toured worldwide. Although the group changed its lineup quite often, it was always excellent. This particular lineup recorded only one studio album, which was only released in Greece, which makes this recording especially valuable. For Namyslowski´s many fans around the world and Polish Jazz enthusiasts this is an absolute must! The beautifully restored sound quality is excellent and the warm ambience of the analog recording is a true joy. As usual with this series, which is very reasonably priced, I miss the presence of "in depth" liner notes / booklet, which should convey the circumstances at which this music was recorded and its importance to the development of Jazz in Poland. Nevertheless this is an absolutely essential piece of Jazz history which every Jazz fan will surely consider an absolute must.

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

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