Record Reviews

NEW TRIO ~ PERPENDICULAR REALITIES TMP 004 (Barcode: 5903292104850) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2011 Released: 2013 This is the second album by the New TrioFind albums by this artist ensemble, which consists of Polish brothers: Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist, who plays Hammond organ and composed most of the music herein and Mateusz SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist, who plays violin and is completed by Russian drummer Alex ZingerFind albums by this artist. The album includes twelve original compositions, seven of which were composed by Jan and the remaining five are credited to all the trio members. Aesthetically the music continues exactly from the point where their stunning debut left off and presents more of the same unique sound, which exists only within the particular Hammond / violin / drums setting and which has but a few predecessors, most of which are French, where the violin has a firm position as a leading Jazz instrument. The superb Jean-Luc PontyFind albums by this artist / Eddy LouissFind albums by this artist / Daniel HumairFind albums by this artist trio immediately comes to mind as a point of reference. The same "retro" atmosphere, which characterized the debut album, is maintained here as well. The result however losses the surprise effect, that exemplified the reaction to the debut. But surprised or not, the listeners will find here all the ingredients that make music great and worth listening to: superb compositions and first-class performances. Although well within the Jazz mainstream this music keeps the listener on edge, never being obvious or overtly predictable, with intellectual and emotional approaches intertwined. The diverse tempi enable showcases of different compositional tools, which work out very effectively. As for performances, this album is full of exceptional playing with the violin work by Mateusz being simply virtuosic from start to finish. He is quickly establishing himself as one of the leading violinist not only in Poland, but now also on a worldwide scale and is surely destined to get far. But both Jan and Alex don´t fall far behind and their contributions are first-rate every step of the way. Overall this is a splendid piece of music and a commendable follow up to their debut effort. Having passed the dreaded "second album" trial with flying colors, they now have a carte blanche to continue this path as far as I´m concerned. Both Jazz violin and Hammond organ connoisseurs will absolutely love this album from start to finish and it is wholeheartedly recommended to every Jazz enthusiast. We must not forget also the fact that Jan Smoczynski is not only a great musician, but also one of the top (if not the top) sound engineers in Poland and his legendary Studio Tokarnia, where this album was recorded, is one of the best in Europe and produced a myriad of albums of extraordinary sound quality. Hats off!

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NEW TRIO ~ SIMULTANEOUS ABSTRACTIONS TMP 003 (Barcode: 5905912558340) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2009 Released: 2010 This is one of those unexpected albums, which fall on your head like a sledgehammer… The album was recorded by a Polish trio, which calls itself rather ambiguously New TrioFind albums by this artist, and consists of brothers: Mateusz SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist – violin and Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist – Hammond organ and drummer Alex ZingerFind albums by this artist. I admit being a little puzzled by the "new" part of their name, but a couple of minutes into the music made everything abundantly clear; they are a new / updated version of the fabulous 1960s French trio, which included violinist Jean-Luc PontyFind albums by this artist, organist Eddy LouissFind albums by this artist and drummer Daniel HumairFind albums by this artist. That revolutionary trio, one of the great precursors of European Jazz, which combined the art of improvisation with the great European music tradition, serves as a model for New Trio, not only in its instrumental lineup, but also stylistically and sonically, as the album presents a wonderful "retro" sound, typical of the great 1960s recordings. Of course the music is all new and almost entirely original, composed mostly by the organist, with a couple of tracks being co-composed by all three members and one standard – a breathtaking redemption of John ColtraneFind albums by this artist´s "Naima". The music is absolutely brilliant, admittedly not very adventurous, but with great melody lines, well developed themes and interesting rhythmic variations. The performances are excellent as well, with all three musicians being obvious virtuosi on their respective instruments and the trio being blessed with great rapport and telepathic mind-reading between its members. Of course the sound of violin is capable of melting even the iciest of hearts, and is used here with passion but also with great taste, not "overdoing it" on the sentimental side. The Hammond, one of my most beloved instruments, is the basis of all this music and with slightly enhanced sonic capabilities proves its vitality and enormous rage of possibilities, which should be envied by any of the modern / electronic keyboard super-machines. The drums bear an enormous responsibility in this music, providing both the rhythmic backbone and the wonderful ornamentation, without being overzealous. In short, this music is just perfect the way it is, which happens unfortunately quite rarely. Of course there is also the "Polish connection" in the background, especially the Polish Jazz violin tradition, which must have had its influence here. Therefore an attentive listener will be able to catch glimpses of Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist and Zbigniew SeifertFind albums by this artist in this music, but only symbolically and never used overtly as plagiarisms. I urge every Jazz lover to get hold of this wonderful album pronto, especially those of you who love violin and / or the Hammond organ. This is an invigorating, intelligent and beautiful piece of music, which should be enjoyed by as many music lovers as possible. A must!

Updated: 24/05/2017Posted:

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