Record Reviews

MICHAEL GARRICK ~ POETRY AND JAZZ IN CONCERT VOCALION 8416 (Barcode: 765387841621) ~ UK ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 1964 - 1966 Released: 2006 The love affair between the two Art Forms: Jazz music & Poetry, goes back to the late 1950s, when American writers / poets of the Beat Generation (Jack KerouacFind albums by this artist, Allen GinsbergFind albums by this artist and others) discovered the “intellectual proximity” between their writing and the process of creating Jazz music, as represented by the founding Fathers of Bee Bop (Charlie ParkerFind albums by this artist, Dizzy GillespieFind albums by this artist and others). However, although the poets were frequent patrons of the burgeoning NY Jazz club scene, actual poetry readings combined with Jazz performances were pretty rare and sporadic. Only when the Jazz & Poetry concept crossed over the Atlantic to Britain (and later the rest of Europe) the movement reached a full swing and enjoyed immense popularity with the poets, musicians and the audiences. The intellectual crowds in London and the rest of Britain attended Jazz & Poetry concerts in huge numbers through the early and mid-1960s, but towards the end of the decade the enthusiasm diminished. British poet Jeremy RobsonFind albums by this artist and pianist / composer Michael GarrickFind albums by this artist were largely responsible for the movement’s popularity. Garrick, a graduate in English Literature, had a great sensitivity to the literary works and managed to compose music, which suited the words perfectly. This album, released originally in 1964 as two separate LPs (Vol.1 & 2) documents a typical Jazz & Poetry concert. Recorded “live” in a studio, the applause and the audience’s reaction to the poetry faithfully reproduce the atmosphere of a performance hall. The Jazz quintet (Garrick – piano, Joe HarriottFind albums by this artist – sax, Shake KeaneFind albums by this artist – trumpet, John TaylorFind albums by this artist – bass and Colin BarnesFind albums by this artist – drums) provides the music and four poets (Adrian MitchellFind albums by this artist, Dannie AbseFind albums by this artist, Jeremy Robson and Laurie LeeFind albums by this artist) read their poems, creating a wonderfully intellectual encounter, where the sum of the two Arts is actually better than their individual contribution. This new addition adds an ultra-rare EP of Jazz & Poetry recorded a couple of years later, featuring the Michael Garrick quintet (with Ian CarrFind albums by this artist – trumpet and Coleridge GoodeFind albums by this artist – bass replacing their respective counterparts in the earlier quintet) and Jeremy Robson, called Before Night/DayFind albums with this title. This is a timeless masterpiece and an everlasting food for sensitive souls – brilliant!

Updated: 01/01/2016Posted:

CD 2 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

EWA LIPSKA / ZBIGNIEW PREISNER ~ 2016 DOKAD? UNIVERSAL MUSIC POLSKA 602557360660 (Barcode: 602557360660) ~ POLAND ~ Sung Poetry Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 This is a live recording of a concert, which presents a series of compositions by composer Zbigniew PreisnerFind albums by this artist with texts by poetess Ewa LipskaFind albums by this artist. The music is performed by several vocalists, including Lisa GerrardFind albums by this artist, Edyta KrzemienFind albums by this artist and others, a large mixed choir and many instrumentalists, including pianist Dominik WaniaFind albums by this artist, organist Jozef SkrzekFind albums by this artist, percussionist Slawomir BernyFind albums by this artist and others. Both Lipska and Preisner also contribute spoken / sung parts. The 2CD album presents twenty-two tracks, which are also available on the enclosed DVD. The music, which encompasses Classical, Folkloristic and Popular music elements, offers a form of a contemporary oratorio, but the subject matter is completely secular, and touches on deeply philosophical / political / social matters, which trouble the Polish society, as much today as it did through the ages. Lipska’s tongue, sharp as a razor, is completely ruthless and slaughters holly cows by the dozen, often shockingly “in the face”, which often is the only way to jiggle people out of their lethargy. Preisner’s music fits the “wild” and provocative lyrics perfectly, creating an amalgam of somber, deadly serious atmosphere with seemingly lighter interludes of cabaret-like textures. Of course one can always ponder on the effectiveness of “protesting” in Art, and the realization that even the most talented human beings, like Allen GinsbergFind albums by this artist and the entire Beat Generation, or Bob DylanFind albums by this artist and the entire Protest Generation, or Marek GrechutaFind albums by this artist, or Julian TuwimFind albums by this artist managed to change anything in the long run, prevent wars, social injustice or human stupidity. And yet, the Artists simply must do, what they do, since they just wouldn’t be Artists if they wouldn’t do what they do, hoping that someone will hear what they mean. Overall, this is a monumental stage enterprise, which forces the listener to face a mirror, and which uses an entire arsenal of Cultural armament: music, poetry, spoken word, etc. to make one simple, but powerful statement: “wake up! I consider myself extremely happy to be able to count several of the protagonist of this ambitious masterpiece as my friends. Thank you for the words and the sounds!

Updated: 24/05/2024Posted: 24/05/2024

2CD+DVD 3 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

MATEUSZ POSPIESZALSKI ~ TAM I SAM POLSKI RAP 04 (Barcode: 5902860144779) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is a solo (au naturel saxophone and Nature) album by veteran Polish Jazz saxophonist / flautist / composer Mateusz PospieszalskiFind albums by this artist, recorded outdoors in several locations. The album presents nine (one appearing twice) original compositions / improvisations, all by Pospieszalski, featuring the natural ambience and Nature sounds of the beautiful Polish landscape during the late autumn of the pandemic year and according to the social distancing protocol. Pospieszalski belongs to the highly respected Polish Jazz oppositionists, beautiful freaks and proud Avant-Gardists, who over time created some of the most interesting music on the local scene with ensembles like Free CooperationFind albums by this artist, Tie BreakFind albums by this artist, GraalFind albums by this artist, Voo VooFind albums by this artist and others, as well as cinematic and theatre music, a truly vast scope of creativity. This album presents Pospieszalski at the most intimate setting, not only completely solo, but also without the comfort and protection of a studio environment or concert audience. This is perhaps the reason the music sounds so brutally honest and penetrating, devoid of any mannerism or showmanship. The music is deeply lyrical, almost gloomy and desperate, perhaps a reflection of the atmosphere influenced by the pandemic, which took from us the most basic need of human contact. I cannot, of course, speak for the creator of this music, only as a listener, but it seems that the music carries universal human emotions, in this case of sadness and grief. It is a great artistry to be able to express grief through music, as heartbreakingly and boldly as present on this album. Perhaps one day in the future, this album will become an aural testimony of what 2020 was all about, like Allen GinsbergFind albums by this artist’s “Howl” remains a testimony of the Beat Generation. The is no doubt that this album is a monumental achievement in the already impressive legacy of Pospieszalski’s work. Probably not intended as such, as in most cases of important achievements, this intimate statement shouts more loudly than gigantic productions, which often turn to be hollow. My deepest respect and thanks for this gift of music are accompanied by a wholehearted recommendation to all music lovers to get a copy of this album, since there are but a few singular statements of such emotional authority out there as this one!

Updated: 06/03/2021Posted: 06/03/2021

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

ROBERT SWISTELNICKI ~ PIOSENKI MULTIKULTI MPO 005 (Barcode: 5903068680137) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2020 Released: 2022 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz guitarist / composer / lyricist Robert SwistelnickiFind albums by this artist, recorded with his sextet, which also includes trumpeter Pawel PalcowskiFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Adam BlawickiFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Kajetan BorowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej KitajewskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Piotr BudniakFind albums by this artist. Vocalists Klara CloudFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Sylwia Klara ZasempaFind albums by this artist) and Lukasz LipskiFind albums by this artist guest on one track. The album presents nine original compositions and texts, all by Swistelnicki, recorded at the legendary Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, with the usual splendid sound quality. The album falls into the Jazz & Poetry idiom, although Swistelnicki recites his texts / poems / songs (the album’s title) on top of the music, rather than singing them, coming back to the early days of the Jazz & Poetry movement of the Beat Generation in America in the 1950s, when Allen GinsbergFind albums by this artist and others recited their revolutionary poetry accompanied by Jazz bands. A decade later the idiom appeared also in Europe, in London, Paris and other European cities, spilling over the Iron Curtain like molten lava and soon popped up in Poland and Czechoslovakia, despite the political regime’s censorship. Therefore, this album definitely has its nostalgic / retro aspects, although there are some important stylistic differences, both literary and musical. The texts are highly personal and reflect the alienation of contemporary human condition, as often reflected in contemporary Rap music, rather than social / political / ideological rebellion, which was the essence of the Beatniks. The music is also much more tamed and mainstream oriented, mixing elements of Jazz with Rock and even Pop, rather than Bebop or early Free Jazz. But notwithstanding nostalgia, etc. this is quite a remarkable album in many respects, with offers some excellent musical ideas and (retro) innovative approach to the Jazz & Poetry idiom, which surely proves open-mindedness and courage. The musicianship is of course beyond reproach, which is hardly surprising, and the listeners are offered a diverse collection of compositions and non-trivial texts, which elegantly kick the butt. Overall, this is an impressive debut album, which hopefully will be followed by future achievements by Swistelnicki and his colleagues. Kudos to the MultikultiFind albums on this label label, which bravely keeps releasing unusual / pioneering projects against all (mostly economic) odds. Well done everybody!

Updated: 20/12/2022Posted: 20/12/2022

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend