Record Reviews

ALGORHYTHM ~ MANDALA ALPAKA 001 (Barcode: 191061415527) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 This is the second album by Polish Jazz quintet AlgorhythmFind albums by this artist, which comprises of trumpeter Emil MiszkFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Piotr CheckiFind albums by this artist, pianist Szymon BurnosFind albums by this artist, bassist Krzysztof SlomkowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Slawomir KoryznoFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven original compositions, three each by Miszk and Burnos, two co-credited to them both and three short (not-credited) pieces. The music on this album is a significant step forward in comparison to what the quintet offered on their already quite excellent debut. It is much more complex, diverse and ambitious and includes many twists and turns, polyrhythmic layers, odd meters and multifaceted dynamics within each composition. Some World Music influences are also present. Therefore, again in comparison to their straight ahead debut album, this one is a whole new game. The performances are also more energetic and focused, with the entire crew taking part in the proceedings, contribution and supporting each other vigorously. The teamwork on these difficult pieces it truly wonderful. The overall sound of the quintet is very contemporary and sparkling with talent and oomph, placing Algorhythm on the list of Polish Jazz ensembles, which deserve to be closely watched and which are definitely very promising in their quest to better themselves. This is European Jazz at its best, bursting with talent, ideas and courage to explore rather than imitate, which of curse is what great music is all about. It makes me very happy to see the quintet to make such a giant step forward and I hope to catch them on stage soon. In the meantime hats off!

Updated: 09/04/2017Posted: 09/04/2017

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ALGORHYTHM ~ SEGMENTS NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015 This is the debut album by the young Polish Jazz quintet AlgorhythmFind albums by this artist, which comprises of trumpeter Emil MiszkFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Piotr CheckiFind albums by this artist, pianist Szymon BurnosFind albums by this artist, bassist Krzysztof SlomkowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Slawomir KoryznoFind albums by this artist. It presents seven original compositions, five by Burnos and two by Miszk. The classic Jazz quintet setting and the music are all well within the mainstream Jazz tradition, presenting modern, vital and interesting European version of the standard Jazz idiom, as usual drenched in the Polish lyricism and melancholy, which characterizes Polish Jazz. The compositions are well rounded and definitely non-trivial, with many odd rhythmic patterns; with altogether create an interesting listening experience. Personally I think the two compositions by Miszk are the best on the album, but the ones by Burnos do not fall far behind. The dynamic development and atmosphere of these pieces is quite remarkable. All three soloists perform splendidly and play several impressive passages and the rhythm section does a superb job supporting them all the way through, handling the complex rhythms elegantly and flawlessly. Again Checki seems to be the most impressive soloist on this album, but his colleagues are all gifted musicians and in time are sure to join the ranks of top Polish Jazz players. This is definitely an impressive debut, which deserves praise and support and as always makes me wonder how such young people are able to produce such mature and well developed music. Well done indeed!

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ALGORHYTHM ~ SOUL OF ELECTRO FA MUSIC ~ ISRAEL ~ Electronic & Ambient Algorhythm`s Soul of Electro is a project by brothers Yuval and Oded K.Dar. Written and performed on piano & guitar, produced on samplers and computers, featuring angelic and mysterious vocals by Dganit Daddo and a special guest – Russian guitarist Jacky Pissak. The music is serene and relaxed, but never boring. A prime example of quality ambient music, which has many fans.

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ALGORHYTHM ~ TERMOMIX ALPAKA 010 ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is the third album by young Polish Jazz ensemble AlgorhythmFind albums by this artist, this time reduced to a quartet which includes trumpeter Emil MiszkFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Piotr CheckiFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Szymon BurnosFind albums by this artist and drummer Slawomir KoryznoFind albums by this artist. It presents fourteen short compositions, which are not credited on the album´s artwork and therefore assumed to be co-composed by all four members of the ensemble. In fact even the name of the ensemble is (almost) missing from the artwork. The music and the ambience of this album are radically different from their earlier work and moves almost completely away from the traditional Jazz idiom into contemporary ambient / electronic music, Avant Rock and Avant-Garde explorations. However, Jazzy improvisations, are still an important ingredient of the music, and as such are an obvious link with the past. This album must have taken the followers of the group and the Polish Jazz scene by surprise, as it is both quite unexpected and stylistically revolutionary. In order to appreciate this music properly one has to put aside the ensemble´s earlier work and accept the music for what it is rather than judging what it should / could have been, which some "critics" graciously implied. Of course experimenting and searching for new ways of expression is always welcome, even if it produces a less appealing or immediately accepted result. Obviously this music sets a challenge in front of the listeners, who have to decide if they are willing to follow the musicians on their new path or let this music pass them by. The audiences are more often than not much more stagnant and conservative than the music makers, which creates the commonly accepted reserved attitude towards Avant-Garde, blaming the musicians for leaving the listeners behind, but it fact it is the listeners who are lingering behind of their own choice. Personally I find this album as a bold and important experiment, which finds the ensemble in a transitory stage between the established and safe musical environment and a new experimental milieu, without actually quite making up their mind. The future will tell if this was just a one time venture or a start of a new aesthetics which will be further developed. Whatever the future may hold for them, Algorhythm deserve respect for daring to experiment and looking into new forms of expression, threading the less travelled road. Their individual ability as instrumentalists is already well established and now is the time to forge their unique personal musical identities. May the Force be with you ;)

Updated: 16/06/2019Posted: 16/06/2019

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MICHAL BAK QUARTETTO ~ MICHAL BAK QUARTETTO ALPAKA 002 (Barcode: 191924127741) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz ensemble called Michal Bak QuartettoFind albums by this artist (the Italian reference remains obscure), led by bassist / composer Michal BakFind albums by this artist and also featuring trumpeter Emil MiszkFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Piotr CheckiFind albums by this artist and drummer Slawomir KoryznoFind albums by this artist. Miszk, Checki and Koryzno are also members of the AlgorhythmFind albums by this artist quintet, with another bass player and a pianist. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Bak. In a recent conversation with a fellow Polish Jazz journalist the subject of debut albums by young Polish Jazz groups released in 2017 came up and the conclusion was that relatively very few of those albums dealt with Free (at least to some degree) Jazz, concentrating mostly on melody and harmony. This album, although still based on melodic themes, demonstrates a much wider degree of freedom, which balances the overall output very nicely. The music is typical Modern Polish Jazz, based on beautifully lyrical / melancholic compositions, expanded into lengthy statements, full of opportunities for improvisation by the quartet members, which here demonstrate the freedom and space which can be achieved within music, which is still within the traditional boundaries of the idiom. All the players on this album demonstrate a high level of professionalism and obvious talent, and to those who follow their consecutive recordings, also a consistent path of personal development. The fact that this quartet is pianoless and still manages to sound fully harmonic speaks firmly as to the quality of these musicians and their mutual respect and ability to cooperate. Miszk plays some superb solo trumpet parts and is also a great accompanist when playing behind Checki, who is the romantic soul most of the time but also delivers some truly biting solos. Bak gets a lot of exposure as a bassist, both as part of the rhythm section and as a soloist, and his performances are all top notch. Koryzno is the rhythm machine driving the music forward and he is excellent both as an illustrator on the slow and free parts and the pusher behind the up-tempo swinging parts, demonstrating an overall exquisite drumming technique and feel. Overall this is an impressive debut album, which presents daring, intelligent and adventurous music and brilliant personal abilities by the players. Connoisseurs of Modern Jazz, especially those following the Polish Jazz scene, are in for a refreshing, invigoration experience. Definitely one of the most interesting debuts of 2017 – highly recommended!

Updated: 18/11/2017Posted: 18/11/2017

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BLED ~ ROOTS AND FUTURISTIC SCI-FI SOUNDS ALPAKA 016 (Barcode: 308175527866) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2021 Released: 2021 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz duo BLEDFind albums by this artist, which comprises of drummer Slawomir KoryznoFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Emil MiszkFind albums by this artist, who both employ also synthesizers and who both played together on several earlier recordings by the AlgorhythmFind albums by this artist quintet and other Polish ensembles. The album presents five original compositions, which remain uncredited on the album’s artwork. The music seems to be mostly improvised, although some preparations surely were made before the recording. Drums / trumpet duets are certainly a rather rare event, although nor entirely unheard off, and improvised music obviously is not limited by any instrumental configuration. This album, and other such recordings, clearly prove that liaisons, like that one, are valid and can be fruitful. Both musicians seem to have a great fun playing together and both are able to display their individual instrumental abilities, as well as the unique rapport between them. The music is diverse and dynamic enough to provide a continuous listening experience to the potential listeners, but the music offers no compromises and might prove to be beyond the attention span of the average listener. Overall, this is an interesting Avant-Garde musical experiment, which combines Ambient, Improvised Music, Free Jazz and even contemporary Classical Music elements, performed by two gifted young Polish Jazz musicians, which proves the versatility and constant searching, which characterizes the scene. This music is very far from the common Jazz denominator, but some listeners might find it fascinating.

Updated: 21/07/2022Posted: 21/07/2022

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TOMASZ CHYLA ~ ETERNAL ENTROPY POLSKIE RADIO 2033 (Barcode: 5907812241988) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz violinist / composer Tomasz ChylaFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quintet setting with saxophonist Piotr CheckiFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Szymon BurnosFind albums by this artist, bassist Krzysztof SlomkowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Slawomir KoryznoFind albums by this artist. These four players are also members of the quintet called AlgorhythmFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original compositions, three of which were composed by Chyla, three were co-composed by him and other members of the quintet, one was co-composed by him and his teacher at the Gdansk Music Academy Witoslawa FrankowskaFind albums by this artist and two were composed by Slomkowski. The music is mostly modern mainstream Jazz, but allows a lot of freedom to the quintet members to spread their wings. The melodic themes are very solid, mostly lyrical, with strong ties to Polish Folklore and typical Polish melancholy, felt even on the up-tempo numbers. The level of the compositions is surprisingly mature and coherent for such young musicians / composers, and again emphasizes the incredible strength of the young Polish Jazz scene. All three soloists play some amazing solo parts on this album and the rhythm section manages to support them amicably all the way through. Slomkowski deserves special mention as his bass pulsations are a stronghold of stability on which this entire music rests. Koryzno also plays exceptionally well, proving that drumming can be creative and atypical and at the same time fulfill the role assigned to the instrument. All five musicians are superb instrumentalists and they perform the music with passion and obvious mixture of talent and professionalism. Chyla has a surprisingly original tone and stylistic approach, quite different form other violinists active on the Polish violin scene. His playing is much closer to Polish Folklore than to classical music, which is usually the starting point for violinists and he is more open to less constrained improvisation, which at time borders with Free. He is definitely the most interesting new arrival on the crowded Polish Jazz violin scene, and a most welcome one due to his divergence. Overall this is an outstanding debut offer, one of the strongest on the Polish Jazz scene so far this year. The creativity and inventiveness of these young musicians simply never ceases to amaze. Hats off!

Updated: 09/06/2017Posted: 09/06/2017

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