Record Reviews

GENERATION NEXT ~ LIVE AT JAZZ NAD ODRA SJ 007 (Barcode: 5902596066062) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2013 This is the debut album by the Polish Jazz sextet, which as the name suggests, presents the Father-to Son continuity on the local scene; four of the sextet´s members are second generation of Polish Jazz personalities. Trumpeter Piotr SchmidtFind albums by this artist is a son of Andrzej SchmidtFind albums by this artist, a renowned educator and author of Jazz history books, trombonist Jacek NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist is a son of the legendary saxophonist / composer Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist, Gabriel NiedzielaFind albums by this artist is a son of the celebrated bassist / composer Jacek NiedzielaFind albums by this artist and finally saxophonist Tomasz WendtFind albums by this artist is a son of saxophonist Adam WendtFind albums by this artist. The remaining two members of the sextet are Italian bassist Francesco AngiuliFind albums by this artist and veteran drummer Arek SkolikFind albums by this artist. The sextet performs seven original compositions, two each by Schmidt, Namyslowski and Wendt and one by Niedziela. The material was recorded live at the Jazz Nad Odra Festival and at the Polish Radio´s Warsaw studio. The idea of forming a musical ensemble based on the fact that the members have something in common, other than the music they play, is always a perilous affair. Just imagine a group of left-handed players, or red-haired players or musicians who like strawberry ice cream? This is perhaps not the case at hand, but on the other hand it is difficult to guess what the purpose of this sextet really is. The music they play is straight-forward mainstream, which is completely déjà-vu and contributes no thrill and no challenge. Yes, they are all excellent players individually, but does their presence together on this album create any special interaction, which would have not happened in different circumstances? Not really. So here we have it, an unremarkable Jazz recording, which is listenable enough but simply fades away as soon as the music is over. Considering the fact that there are hordes of fabulous young Jazz musicians on the Polish scene, who make outstanding music, this is sadly an example of what should be avoided.

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PIOTR SCHMIDT ~ SAXESFUL VOL II SJ 056 (Barcode: 5902596066703) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2021 It’s not a secret that when recording an album, the producer often “thinks ahead” and takes the opportunity of the studio sessions already in place to record much more material than actually needed to complete one album. This is exactly the case with the recording sessions for the album “SaxesfulFind albums with this title”, which took place in 2018, recorded by Polish Jazz trumpeter, composer, bandleader, record label owner and producer Piotr SchmidtFind albums by this artist. Following the hiatus of the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent passing of Piotr’s Father, Prof. Andrzej SchmidtFind albums by this artist, an iconic figure on the Polish Jazz scene, whom I had a great pleasure to meet many a time, Piotr decided to return to the unreleased material from the “Saxesful” sessions and release a follow up album with that material, among other things to commemorate his Father’s memory. The concept of “Saxesful” was to present a series of Polish Jazz saxophonists, each playing on a different track. This second volume does exactly the same, presenting six classic Jazz standards, each performed by the core quartet and featuring a different saxophonist. The list of the saxophonists reads like the who´s who of Polish Jazz and is also an obvious tribute to Polish Jazz itself. With their ages ranging from Jan Ptaszyn WroblewskiFind albums by this artist (born 1936), Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist (born 1939), Henryk MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist (born 1951), Maciej SikalaFind albums by this artist (born 1961), Adam WendtFind albums by this artist (born 1962) and finally Grzech PiotrowskiFind albums by this artist (born 1974), i.e. four generations of Polish Jazz players, they represent the incredible power and stylistic versatility of the scene. The core quartet is by no means less impressive, featuring Schmidt on trumpet, pianist Wojciech NiedzielaFind albums by this artist and Poland´s top rhythm section comprised of bassist Maciej GarbowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof GradziukFind albums by this artist, all of which have a most impressive list of achievements under their arms. My Grandmother loved to quote the Polish proverb, which says: ”Those, who eat the leftovers are smooth and beautiful” (In Polish: “Kto zjada ostatki, ten jest piękny i gładki”). The meaning of this proverb is, that leftovers are as good, if not better, than the original food and should not be discarded, which applies exactly to the music on this album in every sense, and it would have been a shame to leave this music unreleased. Once again we have here a feast great classic Jazz music and first rate performances, which is a tribute to the genre itself, Polish Jazz history and tradition and a great listening experience. Enjoy! Side Note The above are my liner notes included on this album's artwork. I am honored when asked by the Artists to write liner notes for their albums, always hoping that my words reflect the true spirit of the music. This is also a symbol of our mutual respect and friendship developed over the years. The same is also true when Record Labels ask me to write liner notes for their releases, mostly in the case of reissues of archival albums, which is a symbol of their appreciation of my knowledge and historical perspective and my recognition of their dedication to the preservation of the history of recorded music and the effort to keep human Culture and Aesthetics alive.

Updated: 30/08/2021Posted: 30/08/2021

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