Record Reviews

KAISER, CLOV, AND HARRIS ~ MEASURE ONCE CUT TWICE AMALGAM 009 (Barcode: 888295599122) ~ USA ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 This is the debut album by Chicago based Improvising Music trio consisting of guitarist Steve KaiserFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Alex Clov BaczkowskiFind albums by this artist (of Polish descent obviously) and drummer Bill HarrisFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight pieces credited to all three members of the trio. Although the trio plays Improvised Music, there are distinct melodic themes and the improvisation is mostly "well behaved" enough to make the music accessible to listeners beyond the strict Avant-Garde circles. The trio´s unusual instrumentation enables a clear sonic reception of the music without clashes between the instruments that often make Improvised Music sound cacophonic. The trio members demonstrate obvious respect and spirit of cooperation, which of course are the basic qualities necessary for making music together. These young musicians clearly move towards innovative expressionism, rather than joining the hordes or mainstream trotters, which is commendable. Of course they will in time develop a personal language, and based on what they present here they are on the right track. Individual performances are all promising: Kaiser plays a retro sounding guitar with a sound faithful to early Improvising guitarists, Clov has already a well developed technique and sounds especially impressive on the baritone saxophone and Harris, as usual in such environment, plays anything but time, simply adding addition rhythmic layer to the music. Overall this is a promising debut offering, which will be hopefully followed by additional interesting musical explorations in the future.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 03/02/2018

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

NIECHEC ~ RECKLESS THINGS AUDIO CAVE 2025/003 (Barcode: 5908298549971) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Ambient Fusion Recorded: 2023 Released: 2025 This is the 4th album by Polish ensemble NiechecFind albums by this artist, a quintet comprising of saxophonist Alex ClovFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Alex Clov BaczkowskiFind albums by this artist, who replaced the founding member Maciej ZwierzchowskiFind albums by this artist), keyboardist Michal ZaleskiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Rafal BlaszczakFind albums by this artist, bass guitarist Maciej SzczepanskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Dominik MokrzewskiFind albums by this artist (who replaced the founding member Michal KaczorekFind albums by this artist), which means than 4/5 of the founding members are no longer members of the ensemble. The album presents nine original compositions, six composed by Clov, two by Zaleski and one by Mokrzewski. The music was recorded at the Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, offering the usual superb sound quality. Despite the dramatic lineup shifts, Niechec manages to continue its stylistic direction pretty consistently, walking on the tightrope between Jazz improvisations and Ambient / electronic instrumental music with a dark / dense sound. It is a very specific musical direction with a pretty much “take it or leave it” attitude, which has it faithful followers, but is definitely not for everyone. After all it has been fourteen years now (and four albums) since they appeared on the scene, and the “statute of limitations” expires eventually. That said, the music is still quite pleasant, inviting and I had again a good time listening to it, despite the omnipresent déjà vu feeling. Overall, it is a pleasant album for the Jazz-Ambient Fusion lovers, which offers basically no innovation or previously uncharted vistas, but is entertaining and even danceable to some extent. As mentioned above, I had a good time and this music is obviously appealing to wide younger audiences.

Updated: 16/03/2025Posted: 16/03/2025

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

NINJA EPISKOPAT ~ ALL THOUGHTS ARE BAD THOUGHTS AUDIO CAVE 2023/012 (Barcode: 5908298549742) ~ POLAND ~ Electronic & Ambient Recorded: 2023 Released: 2023 This is the debut (physical) album by Polish trio Ninja EpiskopatFind albums by this artist, which comprises of saxophonist Alex ClovFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Alex Clov BaczkowskiFind albums by this artist), guitarist Mojzesz TworzydloFind albums by this artist and drummer Patrycja WybranczykFind albums by this artist. A couple of guest musicians appear on selected tracks. The album presents seven tracks, which are uncredited (assumed to be co-created by the trio members) and the total playing time is about thirty-five minutes, which makes it an EP rather than a full album, which is often considered a “standard” these sad days, and which often makes me think of selling wine in bottles half empty… The music is a mixture of many influences, soaked in electronics, but including Rock, Trance, Rap and even Jazz improvisation, which creates atmospheric vistas somewhat of cinematic associations. It is ambitious and quite interesting, but somewhat uneven and lacking a clear statement, possibly intentionally. I enjoyed the music, but by the time it was over I had more questions than answers. The drumming parts are certainly the most impressive instrumental contributions herein. Overall, this is an interesting, but probably prematurely released piece of music, which is intended for a much younger generation of listeners that your truly, but certainly offers enough excitement to watch out for their next outing. Kudos to Audio CaveFind albums on this label for giving it a chance to reach a wider audience and thinking out of the box.

Updated: 16/03/2025Posted: 03/03/2024

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend