Record Reviews

BARTENDERS ~ SKANKIN` TO THE JAZZ FOR TUNE 0165 (Barcode: 5906395808816) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 2022 Released: 2023 This is the 4th album by the Polish ensemble BartendersFind albums by this artist, a nonet combining Jamaican Ska / Reggae influences with Jazz arrangements. The album presents eleven tracks, ten of which were composed by the ensemble members, and one is by Polish / Jewish composer and early Jazz musician Jakub KaganFind albums by this artist, who died in the Warsaw ghetto. Although definitely on the lighter side of the Jazz spectrum, the music features excellent Jazzy arrangements, perfectly and intelligently performed by the eight instrumentalists and the lead singer Jakub KaczmarekFind albums by this artist. The lyrics are mostly in Polish but sometimes also in English. Pianist Andrzej MikulskiFind albums by this artist plays some truly inspiring Fender Rhodes parts, and the brass section sounds funky and always right on the money. All the songs offer highly melodic and nontrivial arrangements, which are a reflection of the ensemble members’ professionalism, dedication and rich experience. Overall, this is a most entertaining piece of music, which does not compromise any aesthetic values in order to stay accessible to a wide audience and offer a truly delightful listening (well, dancing as well) experience. Great music for a festive party, definitely recommended to Jazz listeners, who are able to take their head out of their behind ;)

Updated: 16/12/2023Posted: 16/12/2023

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EVENT HORIZON ~ EVENT HORIZON SJ 017 (Barcode: 5912596066191) ~ POLAND ~ Smooth Jazz Recorded: 2013 - 2016 Released: 2017 This is the debut album by Polish duo Event Horizon, which comprises of drummer Gniewomir TomczykFind albums by this artist and keyboardist / bassist Andrzej MikulskiFind albums by this artist. A plethora of guest musicians, some form the echelons of the young Polish Jazz circles and others from different areas, add their contributions, including Piotr SchmidtFind albums by this artist, Aga DerlakFind albums by this artist, Krzysia GorniakFind albums by this artist, Mateusz SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist, Kuba WiecekFind albums by this artist, Marek KadzielaFind albums by this artist and many others. The album presents ten original compositions (one repeated twice), recorded over a period of several years, five of which were co-composed and arranged by Tomczyk and Mikulski, others composed either individually by one of the duo members or co-composed with others, improvised or being arrangements of Classical themes, in short a very diverse collection of ideas. Three of the pieces feature texts / lyrics in English. The music is strongly melody based and rooted in Jazz, but emphasizes production and sound at least as much as improvisation, creating wonderful contemporary vistas, which feel completely cross-genre and can be liked by a very wide spectrum of listeners, predominantly belonging to the younger generation. The music is intelligent and wonderfully coherent, offering a superb selection of melodies and harmonies, which often are absent in the so called "serious Jazz" recordings. Although this music can be categorized as Smooth Jazz for lack of a better definition, based on the "cool" and seemingly "smooth" approach, it is full of excellent musicianship and masterly music production. Overall this is a classic example of "don´t judge a book by its cover" (here both metaphorically and directly, as the album´s cover art is rather bleak, completely uncharacteristic of its contents). What might be considered as a youthful experiment turns out to be a solid piece of excellent music, which stands its own ground, regardless what the Jazz purists might say. In many respects this album represents what the new generation of Jazz players feels about Jazz, respecting the tradition but reaching out to electronics, new sounds and original approach, which attempts to discover new ground, which after all is the most important aspect of music making. This is definitely one of the most interesting releases so far in 2017, as far as I am concerned. Well done Wonder Kids!

Updated: 07/04/2017Posted: 07/04/2017

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GNIEWOMIR TOMCZYK / PROJECT LIVE ~ QUALITY JAZZ LIVE SJ 034 (Barcode: 5912596066672) ~ POLAND ~ Smooth Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the second album by Polish drummer / composer Gniewomir TomczykFind albums by this artist, this time recorded live and presenting some of the compositions included on the debut album recorded with keyboardist Andrzej MikulskiFind albums by this artist and new original compositions by Tomczyk intended to appear on the next studio album. The album consists of seven tracks recorded live and five additional bonus tracks recorded in various locations either live or in studio. Tomczyk is accompanied by an impressive group of young Polish musicians, which includes keyboardist Zdzislaw KalinowskiFind albums by this artist, cellist Anna FurkalowskaFind albums by this artist, violinist Robert SeniutaFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Maciej KadzielaFind albums by this artist and others, with several people providing the rap and vocal parts. The music is a sophisticated amalgam of Jazz roots with contemporary Pop / electronic / Avant Rock / Rap excursions, melody based but allowing plenty of space for improvisation and individual statements by the participating musicians, which works quite well and definitely explores new horizons as far as Jazz music is concerned, bringing it much closer to contemporary popular music trends, without loosing any of the intellectual and artistic quality. The album is a very refreshing listening experience and although it is a compilation of available recordings rather than a coherent and well planed album, it still works out well and offers plenty of diverse and at times even fascinating music. For the young generation of Jazz musicians and listeners, such cross genre excursions sound completely natural. For the Jazz purist my advice is to take the stick out of their rectum and let go – this is fun music and is to be treated as such. Personally I am already waiting to hear the next album by Tomczyk, which promises to be an exciting journey.

Updated: 11/01/2019Posted: 11/01/2019

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