Record Reviews

ELMA ~ LICENTIA POETICA HEVHETIA 0232 (Barcode: 8588005259286) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2020 Released: 2022 This is the long awaited third album by Polish Jazz vocalist ElmaFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Elma KaisFind albums by this artist) recorded live with American guitarist Knox ChandlerFind albums by this artist, Australian (resident in Berlin) bassist Daigo NakaiFind albums by this artist and German drummer Klaus KugelFind albums by this artist. The album presents thirteen original pieces, all co-composed by the four musicians. The music is spontaneously improvised, although obviously somewhat pre-conceived, and as such could be classified as Improvised Music or Free Jazz, but honestly it makes no sense to apply any definitions to it, as it is as free-spirited as humanly possible. Although Elma’s vocal parts are obviously in the center of the listener’s attention, the music is collaborative and involves all four musicians at the same level of creativity. Elma continues her wordless vocalese / “voice as instrument” approach, which she demonstrated on her two earlier albums, but takes it further out into the truly virtuosic sphere, which sets her in a separate universe from almost all Jazz vocalists active today, continuing the vocal Jazz revolution started in the 1970s by European vocal pioneering female vocalists like Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist, Lauren NewtonFind albums by this artist, Jeanne LeeFind albums by this artist, Mirka KrivankovaFind albums by this artist and several others. On contemporary Polish Jazz scene, she seems to be almost completely solitary, except for the work of Anna GadtFind albums by this artist. There is no doubt that this album is completely unique, as far as vocal Jazz is concerned, and Elma’s talent shines ever so brightly, fulfilling gracefully all the great hopes she stirred with her earlier albums. The music she creates with her colleagues hits the listener straight between his eyes, shocks and uplifts on a truly spiritual level, which happens only very rarely with new music that arrives on my desk. Considering the fact that Elma practically reinvents the approach to vocal improvisation, throwing away all pre-conceptions and limitations, she is able to cross into uncharted territory. We often tend to think that “everything was already done” in music (or otherwise), but that is a defeatist approach and life proves that there a possibility for progress. Overall, this is a shockingly beautiful, uplifting musical experience, which happens extremely rarely. As pompous as this might sound, this is probably the most perfect Polish Jazz vocal album of all times, a creation of unprecedented courage, inventiveness and free-spirited exploration. Yes, yes I see all the sceptics shrugging…

Updated: 21/05/2022Posted: 21/05/2022

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend

GADT / OSBORNE / ZAKROCKI / OLAK ~ SPONTANEOUS CHAMBER MUSIC VOL.3 FSR 2020/17 (Barcode: 5905279364752) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2018 Released: 2020 This is the third album in the "Spontaneous Chamber Music" series, created by the Polish improvising duo comprising of violinist Patryk ZakrockiFind albums by this artist and guitarist Marcin OlakFind albums by this artist, this time expanded to a quartet with participation of Polish vocalist Anna GadtFind albums by this artist and Luxembourgian cellist Annemie OsborneFind albums by this artist. The album presents fourteen relatively short spontaneous performances, recorded in a studio, which are assumingly credited to the participating musicians. Although continuing the ideas and modus operandi behind the two previous albums, the music presented here is even more "chamber" than before, in the "intimate" meaning of the chamber idiom. The presence of the two female musicians must have deeply influenced the proceedings, which is hardly surprising after all. Gadt treats her voice as an instrument, which she uses skillfully both to improvise in tandem with the others and to create a background tonal layer behind the others while they improvise. Her brilliant ideas and technical abilities easily place her on top of the list of Polish female improvising vocalists. Considering the fact that she in parallel to her performing career also teaches vocals, the next generation of Polish Jazz vocalist is certainly in good hands. She is the first Polish vocalist to take Polish Jazz / Improvised Music vocals a significant step forward for the first time in decades. Her cooperation with Olak can be heard on the wonderful album "GombrowiczFind albums with this title" they recorded as a duo and Osborne appeared as guest on the recording of her beautiful solo album "Mysterium LunaeFind albums with this title". Although Gadt´s contributions on this album are the most striking, all four musicians contributed wonderfully to its creation. Olak plays some superb guitar lines, Zakrocki adds atmospheric viola choruses and Osborne weaves complex cello structures, all of which combined with Gadt´s vocals create some of the finest improvising music I came across lately, which is perhaps also accessible to relatively wider audiences than such music usually is able to attract, due to the highly melodic approach used by the musicians. Overall this is a splendid album, which proves that Improvised Music can by way more than just an expression of musical freedom and cooperation but also an opportunity to innovate and produce music that is able to reach audience beyond the close circle of sympathizers, which sadly is the case in most Improvised Music recordings. For enthusiasts if Avant-Garde vocals this album is an absolute must.

Updated: 10/10/2020Posted: 10/10/2020

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend

ANNA GADT ~ BREATHING UNIVERSAL 602537564392 (Barcode: 602537564392) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2012 - 2013 Released: 2013 This is the third album by Polish Jazz vocalist Anna GadtFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Ania StepniewskaFind albums by this artist) and her first collaboration with the fabulous RGGFind albums by this artist trio: pianist Lukasz OjdanaFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej GarbowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof GradziukFind albums by this artist. The album consists of eleven original songs, ten of which were composed by Gadt and nine of which feature her lyrics, all in English. The tenth song uses a quote by American poet Ralph Waldo EmersonFind albums by this artist, combined with another quote by American opera singer Beverly SillsFind albums by this artist, with the entire quote credited only to Emerson? The remaining song was composed by Garbowski and features lyrics by Polish poet Miron BialoszewskiFind albums by this artist. The album was recorded at Poland´s finest recording facility, Studio Tokarnia, engineered as usual by the man with a pair of best ears in Poland, the studio owner Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist. At the first glance this album had the potential to achieve the status of one of the best Polish Jazz recording in 2013: the finest Polish Jazz piano trio active on the scene, fascinating music, highly sensitive vocal delivery, superb sound quality, in short a dream come true. Sadly this potential proved to be unfulfilled as a result of committing one single mistake, the same unforgivable mistake which hunts the Polish Jazz vocal scene consistently since decades, namely the unexplainable desire to sing in English. Why on earth would anybody, who is not a natural English speaker, want to sing in that langue is a total mystery to me? It is plainly obvious that the articulation, the pronunciation and the accent will be always against you, so why even try? Time after time all Polish Jazz vocalist fall into the same trap and nobody´s learning; what a pity. This album is no different; the vocals sung in English sound odd, unnatural and even bizarre at times. As if to prove the case, the only song with the Polish lyrics is simply heavenly and untouchable, as are the moments when Gadt is utilizing wordless vocalese. On the bright side, the music composed by Gadt is simply excellent from start to finish. Intelligent, atmospheric, versatile, moving, in short she made no mistakes whatsoever in that department and deserves all the praise. Of course there are plenty of wonderful moments left to be enjoyed. The trio plays delightfully from start to finish and stands up to the challenge of accompanying a singer, which is quite different and in many respects more difficult that playing by themselves. Together with their astounding album "SzymanowskiFind albums with this title" released earlier this year, these two recordings firmly reassure their prime and unchallenged standing, which withstood the ground shaking personnel change they went through. They are simply beyond words. The way the trio improvises "around" the songs Gadt composed is simply a genius at work. In spite of the problem created by singing in English, Gadt is obviously a great vocalist, with exquisite sensibility, musicality and musical intelligence. All these qualities come through against all odds in these circumstances. One can only imagine what a brilliant, superb album this would be if she had decided to use Polish lyrics. All things considered this is an amazing album after all, even magnificent at times. A magnificent failure? Well not quite, simply just another step on the long way which has no beaten tracks and leads to a place worth going. You win some, you lose some, c´est la vie…

CD 1 Slipcase Recommend To A Friend

ANNA GADT ~ MYSTERIUM LUNAE HEVHETIA 0170 (Barcode: 8588005258326) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2017 - 2018 Released: 2018 This is the fifth album by Polish vocalist / composer Anna GadtFind albums by this artist and her second cooperation with the fabulous Polish piano trio RGGFind albums by this artist, which comprises of pianist Lukasz OjdanaFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej GarbowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof GradziukFind albums by this artist. Cellist Annemie OsborneFind albums by this artist from Luxembourg is the guest artist. The album presents seventeen pieces some of which incorporate four poems written by the Polish / Jewish poet Boleslaw LesmianFind albums by this artist, but most feature only wordless vocalese. Nine of the pieces were composed by Gadt, one each by Ojdana and Garbowski and the remaining six are improvisations. The album was recorded at the excellent Studio Tokarnia and engineered by Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist, with the usual superb sound quality. From the very onset of the album it is obvious that this is her most ambitious effort so far, mostly improvised and full of complex melodic themes, which last sometimes only for a brief moment before being transformed into another improvised passage. With wordless vocalese dominating the proceedings, this is perhaps the boldest step in Polish vocal Jazz since decades, bridging the void stretching over forty years into the past, when Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist created her revolutionary vocal experiments in the early 1970s. Gadt is exceedingly fortunate to develop the collaboration with RGG, who are one of the most open minded and technically proficient Polish ensembles able to match her vision, which as a result goes way beyond accompaniment and becomes a fully integrated musical creation. The piano trio also moves consistently over time towards more open formats and Improvised Music, and proves to be a most amicable companion to Gadt, which is fully demonstrated herein. It is also very satisfying to see Gadt embarking upon the ambitious and highly aesthetic Jazz & Poetry idiom, especially in view of the fact that a century old poems are able to become a part of today´s Avant Garde, alive and kicking, timeless and penetrating. Words and sounds combined are able to build highly complex and intricate intellectual structures, which can be, when properly executed like in this case, more potent than simply the sum of their ingredients. Overall this is a brilliant piece of contemporary music, fascinating, exciting and challenging, which is a sublime proof of the fact that music knows no limits and there is always a way to step beyond the horizon. My sincere thanks to the musicians involved, not only for the intellectual pleasure their music bestows upon the listener, but primarily for keeping the ray of hope alight in a word full of mediocre darkness. Hats off Milady and Gents!

Updated: 17/12/2018Posted: 20/03/2018

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

ANNA GADT ~ RENAISSANCE HEVHETIA 0143 (Barcode: 8588005258005) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 This is the fourth album by Polish Jazz vocalist Anna GadtFind albums by this artist, which presents her interpretations of Polish Renaissance music by such composers as Waclaw z SzamotulFind albums by this artist, Mikolaj GomolkaFind albums by this artist, Jan z LublinaFind albums by this artist and Mikolaj z KrakowaFind albums by this artist, who all lived and composed music in the 16th Century. The fourteen pieces presented on this album include also three short improvisations and three original compositions by Gadt. On the album Gadt is accompanied by only two musicians: accordionist Zbigniew ChojnackiFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof GradziukFind albums by this artist (of RGGFind albums by this artist fame). The music was recorded at the fabulous Studio Tokarnia and engineered by Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist, with the usually spectacular sonic quality. The music features mostly vocalese, with just a few fragments of lyrics, which of course means that Gadt´s voice is the centerpiece of this project. Her control of the vocal range and her improvisational abilities are astounding. The overall musical effect is not easy to be absorbed by the average listener, as it requires patience and understanding of both ancient music and Jazz, which is definitely far from being trivial. Those who can truly appreciate this highly unique undertaking will be rewarded by immense emotional and aesthetic gratifications. The conscious decision to appear with minimal instrumental support is also an extremely courageous one, but luckily Gadt found two most sympathetic cohorts. Chojnacki is a Master accordionist and his instrument is able to create sonic vistas which move between the mighty church pipe organ to a wooden flute. His virtuosity is simply completely exceptional. Gradziuk, who is one of the most versatile and sensitive drummers on the Polish Scene, also contributes formidable support to the vocal parts. Together the three musicians are able to create a much bigger effect than just the sum of their contributions. Overall this is a most ambitious and praiseworthy effort, which combines paying tribute to the Polish Culture from the past and its development in recent times. The obscure Renaissance Music, known only by a few selected scholars, gets an exposure, which hopefully will result in more people discovering it. Gadt´s contribution to the Polish Vocal Jazz School is fully noted and sealed by this release, being fully deserved. Well done Anna! Kudos to Jan SudzinaFind albums by this artist and his HevhetiaFind albums on this label label for supporting Polish Jazz so enthusiastically, which is of course very neighborly of him. Keep it up!

Updated: 23/02/2017Posted: 23/02/2017

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

ANNA GADT ~ RENAISSANCE GESUALDO FSR 2021/13 (Barcode: 5905279364998) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2018 - 2021 Released: 2021 This is the sixth album by Polish Jazz vocalist Anna GadtFind albums by this artist, recorded in a trio format with accordionist Zbigniew ChojnackiFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof GradziukFind albums by this artist. The 2CD album presents two separate projects, with a new studio recorded music based on her interpretations of the Italian Renaissance composer Carlo GesualdoFind albums by this artist on CD1 and a live recording by the trio from 2018, with a live and much transformed version of the music released on her fourth album called “RenaissanceFind albums with this title” on CD2. The music on CD1 was recorded at the fabulous Studio Tokarnia and engineered by Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist, with the usually spectacular sonic quality. Gadt is the only Polish Jazz vocalist using almost exclusively vocalese and her vocal performances can be considered as “instrumental” in every respect, which makes her a bona fide member of the trio, rather than a vocalist accompanied by instrumentalists. It is truly amazing to see (hear) how a minimalist setting can produce music with such diversity, dynamics and power. It would be quite difficult to find any quotes of the original music by Gesualdo in the pieces inspired by it, which appear here. Gadt used just partial names of the Gesualdo compositions to emphasize that distance, and the proximity is more associative, aesthetical and atmospheric than straightforwardly coloristic. The mysticism that surrounds Gesualdo’s music is taken here even further, into purely imaginary soundscapes, creating a world in itself. But despite this highly spiritual environment, the music is wonderfully embracing or even caressing, going immediately into the listener’s heart, rather than penetrating the cerebral hemispheres. The live recording, on the other hand, is a wonderful illustration of how the music on the studio album gets transformed, both by the live performance and the fact that it was captured a couple of years after it was first recorded, and like a living creature it keeps constantly evolving. The trio’s concerts, which I was fortunate to attend, offer a magical experience, which is faithfully captured herein. All three musicians are incredibly talented Artists, completely individual and unique, and the fact that they are able to create such a symbiotic coexistence musically is a wonderful human experience. Overall, this is an amazing and striking album, which shows how highly ambitious, completely unconventional musical explorations can offer coherent, wonderful aesthetic experience, which has few parallels, both on the local and the entire European scene.

Updated: 02/02/2022Posted: 02/02/2022

CD 2 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend

ANNA GADT / MARCIN OLAK ~ GOMBROWICZ HEVHETIA 0196 (Barcode: 8588005258746) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is a wonderful debut album by the Polish Avant-Garde Jazz duo comprising of vocalist Anna GadtFind albums by this artist and guitarist Marcin OlakFind albums by this artist, which offers their interpretations of the writings by Polish author Witold GombrowiczFind albums by this artist, one of the most idiosyncratic and controversial literary figures in Polish Cultural heritage. Although based on prose fragments, this album firmly belongs to the Jazz & Poetry idiom, both conceptually and aesthetically. The album presents twelve tracks of improvised voice / guitar pieces, which include recitation, singing and vocalese, each of them based on a different fragment taken from texts by Gombrowicz Listeners familiar with the Polish Avant-Garde / Improvised Music scene are probably familiar with Marcin Olak´s recordings on the FSRFind albums on this label label, which are all worth checking out. Gadt is of course one of the brightest stars on the Polish Jazz vocal scene, with a substantial recording legacy, but most importantly characterized by her chameleonic quality of constant transformation of her vocal style, which over the years developed from mainstream to highly personal Improvising Music environment, which is still evolving. She is also a respected and devoted teacher of the vocal Art and her students are beginning to shape the next generation of the Polish Jazz vocal scene. During my recent visit in Warsaw I had the opportunity to attend the debut performance of this music in a small club, which offered an intimate opportunity to celebrate the release of this album. I watched the audience to see how effectively this highly demanding music will be able to penetrate the walls of indifference and cerebral demand this music requires, but to my surprise the audience was absolutely mesmerized by what was happening on the small stage. Obviously this music is stronger and more communicative than what one might expect, in spite of its farfetched aim towards intellectual brain functionality, acting on the purely emotional, raw instinct level as well, in retrospect somewhat similar to Gombrowicz´s writing. Connoisseur of the human voice Art will be of course delighted by Gadt´s performances on this album, which include probably many of the things "you always wanted to do with your voice but were afraid to try" list. She is simply fearless and completely uninhibited in the way she uses her voice, which often expands the known boundaries of vocal expression. Although using texts in Polish language, this kind of vocal expression transcends any language barriers completely, making them meaningless. In some cases Gadt´s vocal construction are so distinctive, that she seems to construct a completely new vocal "language" of her own design. It is pretty rare when an album labeled as Avant-Garde is truly Avant-Gardist in its nature, since the label is used way too lightly these days. Anything that is unusual / unconventional often gets labeled as Avant-Garde, whereas in fact despite being different, it does not offer anything that is done for the first time and is a pillar of fire showing the way to whoever is following. This album, however, is genuinely Avant-Gardist in every bit of its existence and its ingredients as much as a whole – a rare and beautiful thing indeed – and an absolute treasure! Thank you Anna and Marcin!

Updated: 22/02/2020Posted: 22/02/2020

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

JAZZ CITY CHOIR ~ JAZZ CITY CHOIR AMI 001 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2012 Released: 2012 This is the excellent debut album by Polish vocal ensemble Jazz City ChoirFind albums by this artist, which comprises of nine female and male vocalists singing together arrangements of Jazz compositions in a new and unprecedented way. Although vocal Jazz ensembles, usually quartets, have a longstanding tradition in Jazz, and even in their native Poland (the superb NOVIFind albums by this artist quartet), there were very few attempts to take Jazz vocals to the full extent of choir level, like this one. Listeners familiar with this particular niche might remember the work of Singers UnlimitedFind albums by this artist, which also used a choir effect, but it was achieved by multi-tracking the four members of the ensemble, whereas here we have a genuine choir at hand. The album presents six compositions, four of which are Jazz standards arranged by Pawel ZielakFind albums by this artist, the choir´s house arranger, and two compositions created especially for the choir, one by its soprano singer Joanna KucharczykFind albums by this artist and another by composer Jan SanejkoFind albums by this artist, a young and very talented person worth watching!. Five of the six compositions feature a lead soloist, which in four cases is the choir´s music director and conductor Anna GadtFind albums by this artist and in one case the wonderful Polish singer Grzegorz KarnasFind albums by this artist. Five of the compositions feature vocalese only and one – Chick CoreaFind albums by this artist´s "Spain" – features partly lyrics, written by Al JarreauFind albums by this artist and sung in English. The initial impact of this album is completely overwhelming; the power, complexity and inherent beauty of human voices harmonizing and building up multi-layered structures, multiplied by ten individual sound signatures, is breathtaking. Of course in time the initial shock gives way to a more articulate reception, but moving on into the music the stimulation of brain cells continues up to the moment when the very last sound resonates into silence. This is really something else… Of course a detached and coolheaded analysis reveals certain problems and imperfections, most serious of which is the dichotomy between the musical devices (in this case choral devices) used by the choir, which almost all originate in the world of Classical Music or even earlier musical forms like Medieval chants or early Church music. The transition of these devices into the world of Jazz has puzzled many composers / performers over the years, with varying results. Nevertheless, Jazz City Choir manages to swing at all times, which after all is the basic quality one expects from anything under the Jazz umbrella, even if their tools and paraphernalia originate in another world. Using lyrics, and especially in English, was a completely unnecessary move, exposing their weakest link, but considering it is a minor part of the entire presentation, it can be easily forgiven and hopefully forgotten. Overall this is a stunning debut and the thought what these people might come up with next is scary (in a positive way). I simply can´t wait! It´s an absolute most for anybody fond of vocal Jazz in all forms and shapes and of course for connoisseurs of the Jazz-Classical Fusion sub-genre. Respect!

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

NATALIA KORDIAK ~ BAJKA HEVHETIA 0194 (Barcode: 8588005258708) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz vocalist Natalia KordiakFind albums by this artist recorded in a quintet setting with saxophonist Przemyslaw ChmielFind albums by this artist, pianist Mateusz KolakowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Alan WykpiszFind albums by this artist and drummer Grzegorz PalkaFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, all by Kordiak, two of which feature lyrics (one by Polish poetess / playwright Maria Pawlikowska-JasnorzewskaFind albums by this artist and the other by Kordiak) and the rest feature wordless vocalese. The album was recorded at the RecPublica Studios and engineered by Michal WasylFind albums by this artist, and offers a superb sound quality. A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to hear Kordiak sing live in Katowice as a member of the First Was The VoiceFind albums by this artist vocal ensemble conducted and directed by my friend the fabulous Anna GadtFind albums by this artist, which should have prepared me for what I was about to hear on this album, but now I have to admit that probably nothing could have really prepared anybody for what this album offers. This is simply the Polish Jazz vocal album I have been dreaming about for the last half a Century, since Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist appeared on the Polish Jazz scene and revolutionized the approach to vocal Jazz not only in Poland but worldwide. Kordiak treats her voice as an instrument and her vocalese explorations are simply unbounded by any previously set limitations, conventions or boundaries. Her singing is completely intuitive and her sense of melody is so open and free that the music becomes completely boundless and unconventional. Each of the tunes offers a melodic theme, but the vocal and instrumental improvisations move freely beyond the sketched horizons into the unknown and unexpected, which happens extremely rarely and immediately pushes this music into the "high sphere" of Jazz aesthetics. The instrumentalists do a magnificent job on this album, with the most important task always before their eyes: do not disturb the vocals. Each of these players is able to play exquisitely as a soloist but this album sets a textbook example of respect and supportive role by the instrumentalists, who are clearly heard within the delicate fabric of the music, but never overshadow the vocal parts even for one moment. The rhythm section of Wykpisz and Palka, which is certainly phenomenal on its own, offers here a magnificent assistance to the vocals, often just in a trio settings. Kolakowski, who deserves a much wider recognition that he enjoys in Poland at the moment, is a key element which makes this music what it is, playing absolutely stunningly and beautifully free, which is amazing considering his Classical Music upbringing and education. Chmiel, also relatively anonymous, offers some stunning saxophone parts, which immediately put him alongside the most respected names on the Polish scene. In short this is a true dream team and Kordiak was extremely fortunate to record this album with these magnificent musicians at her side. Polish vocal Jazz has been struggling in the last decades to produce anything as artistically and aesthetically valuable as the output it managed to offer time after time in modern instrumental European Jazz, which won it an international acclaim. Sadly Polish vocal Jazz got stuck mostly in imitating rather that inventing, with the ever present obsession of singing English lyrics, more often than not with appalling results. Therefore, although obviously hardly politically correct, the most accurate compliment I can think of under these circumstances is to say that Kordiak emerged here as someone with truly "big-balls", setting everything aside and doing her own thing. I am not surprised that Kordiak comes from under the wings of the above mentioned Anna Gadt, who is a true revolutionary Artist and obviously also and Educator. Considering the fact that Kordiak is still a student, God only knows what she is capable of in the future and I can’t wait to find out. And yes, now I know what my best Polish Jazz album for 2019 will be on my list ;) Thank you for a true fairytale my Dear!

Updated: 13/12/2019Posted: 13/12/2019

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

ALEKSANDRA KUTRZEPA ~ IMPRESSIONS NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz violinist / composer Aleksandra KutrzepaFind albums by this artist recorded in a quartet setting with guitarist Bartlomiej GarczynskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Michal StudniarekFind albums by this artist and drummer Robert KutrzepaFind albums by this artist. Vocalist Anna GadtFind albums by this artist and pianist Patryk CzyzewskiFind albums by this artist appear as guests on selected tracks. The album presents eight original compositions, all by Alexandra Kutrzepa. The music offers a series of contemporary Polish Jazz compositions, full of lyricism, melancholy and even romanticism, all developing slowly and based on solid melodic themes. Stylistically the music displays a strong touch of Fusion, especially when the guitar is featured up front, but also due to the unique sound and manner of playing the violin that Kutrzepa utilizes, which has strong ties with the French Fusion violin school (Jean-Luc PontyFind albums by this artist / Didier LockwoodFind albums by this artist) rather than with the Polish Jazz violin school (Zbigniew SeifertFind albums by this artist / Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist). As already mentioned above, Kutrzepa manages to achieve a unique and very personal violin sound and mannerism, which is quite different from the numerous other young generation Polish Jazz violin players, and which is quite remarkable by itself. She is very aloof, minimalist and reserved creating incredible tension and anticipation, which is extremely effective. The rest of the players on the album are all highly professional and talented. Garczynski serves as a contrast to Kutrzepa´s laid-back phrasing with his energetic and expressive solos, like a musical cold-hot or yin-yang seesaw. The rhythm section supports the soloists amicably and displays inventive and fully responsible ensemble playing, always solid and reliable. The guests add spice and panache to the proceedings, as expected, with Gadt taking the music slightly towards more imaginary ground on the last track with her beautiful vocal contributions. Personally this is my favorite piece on the album and perhaps points towards the direction the music might take in the future. Overall this is an excellent debut offering, obviously well planned and rehearsed, original and ambitious, and most importantly offering elements previously unheard and exploring uncharted territory, which after all happens quite rarely. For lovers of intelligent Fusion this album is a true gem and should not be missed, and judging by the potential it displays, Kutrzepa is definitely a Lady to keep a close watch on, both as a composer and a player, which I definitely intend to do in the future, wishing her all the best on the way.

Updated: 18/12/2018Posted: 18/12/2018

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

ALEKSANDRA KUTRZEPA ~ MERMAID NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the second album by Polish Jazz violinist / composer Aleksandra KutrzepaFind albums by this artist recorded by the same quartet as the one that recorded the debut "ImpressionsFind albums with this title" a year earlier: guitarist Bartlomiej GarczynskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Michal StudniarekFind albums by this artist and drummer Robert KutrzepaFind albums by this artist. Vocalist Anna GadtFind albums by this artist and pianist Milosz BazarnikFind albums by this artist appear as guests. The album presents seven original compositions, six by Aleksandra Kutrzepa and one by Robert Kutrzepa. This album is stylistically very similar to its predecessor and everything I wrote about the debut applies also here, so I won´t repeat myself (just click on the link above). The music is a fine example of intelligent Fusion featuring beautiful lyrical compositions, unique violin style and elegant execution, which offers an excellent listening experience, accessible to a wide range of listeners who like anything between mainstream Jazz, Fusion and even Progressive Rock. Some excursions into more Free territory on the tracks with Gadt (sensational as always) and Bazarnik on board are hopefully pointers as to what Kutrzepa should pursue in the future and their presence upgrade this album considerably. This album cements Kutrzepa´s status as a promising composer and original violinist, which definitely deserves being followed, but she will need to update her formula on future recordings in order to avoid a pattern, which will became stale if repeated to often. Overall this is an excellent album by all means, which intelligent Fusion and violin aficionados will love to bits, and which also offers highly aesthetic and ambitious vistas pointing (perhaps) to the future endeavors. Warmly recommended!

Updated: 14/12/2019Posted: 14/12/2019

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

ALEKSANDRA KUTRZEPA ~ NO ONE KNOWS WHERE… NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2021 Released: 2021 This is the third album by Polish Jazz violinist / vocalist / composer Aleksandra KutrzepaFind albums by this artist and her quartet, with guitarist Bartlomiej GarczynskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Michal StudniarekFind albums by this artist and drummer Robert KutrzepaFind albums by this artist. Vocalist Anna GadtFind albums by this artist guest on one track and saxophonist / bass clarinetist Mikolaj TrzaskaFind albums by this artist guests on three tracks. The album presents six original compositions, all by the leader. This album offers a significant departure from the formula dominating the first two albums, and almost completely leaves the melodic / lyrical tendencies and Jazz-Rock Fusion stylistic in favor of almost completely Avant-Garde / Free Improvised music, which of course is a welcomed development testifying as to the need of searching for new paths. The choice of the two guest musicians complies with this new direction, as both are associated with the Polish Jazz Avant-Garde scene. Kutrzepa also expands her role in the music making by using her vocals extensively, in addition to her violin playing, which obviously shows new aspects of her musical personality. Her vocalese, which is used more as a background rather than main feature of the music, but adds a most appropriate element to the result and works our splendidly. The soloing is now mostly performed by the leader and the guests, with the guitar playing a more restricted role on this album in comparison to the earlier work, and remains a clear link to the past, still sounding rather Fusion like. The rhythm section follows the new direction without a hitch, but tends to remain somewhat subdued, which altogether serves the new ambience rather well. Overall this is an excellent and fascinating album, which proves Kutrzepa is here to stay and slowly structures her individual voice and position on the local scene. Due to the fact that her approach to violin is completely different from the traditional Polish Jazz violin school, her work deserves to be noticed and surely watched in the years to come. Perhaps not the easiest album to listen to, it is definitely an eye (ear) opener. Well done!

Updated: 24/12/2022Posted: 23/08/2021

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

RGG / POHJOLA / BLASER ~ CITY OF GARDENS FSR 2018/08 (Barcode: 5905279364318) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018 This is a live recording by Polish Jazz trio RGGFind albums by this artist (pianist Lukasz OjdanaFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej GarbowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof GradziukFind albums by this artist), expanded to a European quintet with the addition of the Finnish trumpeter Verneri PohjolaFind albums by this artist and Swiss trombonist Samuel BlaserFind albums by this artist. The music was recorded during the quintet´s concert at the XII Silesian Jazz Festival in Katowice, with yours truly present in the audience and therefore also, at least spiritually, a part of this recording. The album presents five original compositions, all by Garbowski. Although the Polish Jazz scene always had an abundance of excellent Jazz piano trios, RGG certainly deserve a special mention in every respect. Their quest for musical perfection and constant searching, their openness and uncompromising aesthetics, their ability to survive the change of the pianist and continue safe and sound in a natural progression and above all their personal charm are all truly unique. I have of course followed the trio´s development from day one, collectively and individually, and consider them to be a quintessential paradigm of the young post-Millennium Polish Jazz scene. The trio´s previous live recording, which placed them alongside the veteran British avant-gardist Evan ParkerFind albums by this artist and their recordings with Polish vocalist Anna GadtFind albums by this artist opened another chapter in their approach to music, namely their hunger to develop collaborations with musicians from outside the trio´s closed habitat. This led also to work first with Pohjola and then also Blaser, which we are able to hear on this album. Although credited to Gradziuk, the music is of course mostly improvised and the lengthy, between ten and fifteen minutes long tracks, are an orgy of controlled spontaneity and free fall, which is completely captivating. The quintet goes through all the possible iterations, with musicians playing solo or in duo, trio, quartet and quintet settings, all impulsively forming on the stage. But with all that openness and freedom, which can be heard throughout, there is also a magic coherency and discipline, which sets boundaries and defines the scope and form of the music at any given point. This miraculous ability to play free and at the same time show a clear direction is the most important ingredient, which makes this music what it is. The individual statements are all phenomenal, which is hardly a surprise. Pohjola is definitely stealing a lot of the attention, as his trumpet pyrotechnics are breathtaking, but at the same time his playing is incredibly melodic, lyrical and often purely romantic. Blaser, already a young veteran of the trombone scene, has an incredible technique and no lesser feel, and the sound he is able to produce with his instrument is a ceaseless box of wanders. RGG – oh well they are the locomotive which carries this music along, a stylish carriage full of chic and aesthetic beauty and a red Lamborghini which adds zest and gusto. This is definitely some of the best Jazz music one can listen to these days, and I wish it gets to as many people as possible, as it is unconditionally superb. I am happy to be friends with these guys and proud of their achievements – they are the kind of people that do not let you down – and that is so rare. Thanks for the music!

Updated: 08/06/2018Posted: 08/06/2018

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend