Record Reviews

NON VIOLENT COMMUNICATION ~ OBSERWACJE AUDIO CAVE 2019/004 (Barcode: 5905669566704) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by the Polish Quasi-Jazz quartet Non Violent CommunicationFind albums by this artist, which consists of saxophonist Rafal WawszkiewiczFind albums by this artist, electronics manipulator Michal GlowackiFind albums by this artist, bassist Lukasz LembasFind albums by this artist and drummer Arek LerchFind albums by this artist. The album offers four lengthy sound vistas, not credited on the album´s artwork and assumed to be co-composed by all four quartet members. The music hits the listener right in the stomach from the first moment and keeps pushing relentlessly till the very last notes with an avalanche of sound in the true "wall of sound" tradition, which is extremely potent and effective. There is little melody as such, rather sound riffs that the saxophone develops into continuous improvisation, backed up by a solid bass groove and busy, but coherent drumming, all of which happens over sheets of electronic ambient noise. As strange as all this might sound, all this mayhem makes perfect sense and the music is overwhelmingly successful. Any attempt to categorize this weird but beautiful experiment is futile as it defines a completely, although not entirely innovative, new idiom. Wawszkiewicz is a monster saxophonist, perhaps not by Jazz standards, but he is able to keep the music rolling and not repeat himself for the entire duration. He plays like a Rock star on speed, but never loses control or focus. The rhythm section is there behind the saxophone at all times, with the bass steady like a rock, pulsating like a swinging heartbeat and the drums all over the place but always exactly on time. But it is the electronics that make all the difference here, since the saxophone / rhythm section would have probably run out of steam and sound hollow without the background effects. Without analyzing the music much further, this album is a sound bomb that resonates with such power that it simply can´t be ignored. I can already see the faces of the Jazz "critics" trying to swallow this music, sweating profusely. This is definitely an event, that happens only every now and than and one can only hope that some people will really get it. Personally I love it to bits and hope it gets the attention it deserves, which is not always the case with truly innovative and daring music. Congratulations are in order!

Updated: 13/04/2019Posted: 13/04/2019

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NVC ~ EMOCJE AUDIO CAVE 2021/008 (Barcode: 5908298549377) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Ambient Fusion Recorded: 2021 Released: 2021 This is the second album by the Polish Jazz-Ambient Fusion quartet NVCFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Non Violent CommunicationFind albums by this artist), which comprises of saxophonist Rafal WawszkiewiczFind albums by this artist, electronic sounds and computers operator Michal GlowackiFind albums by this artist, (new) bassist Grzegorz ChudzikFind albums by this artist and drummer Arek LerchFind albums by this artist. The album presents five original compositions, two of which last well over ten minutes in duration. The composers are not specifically credited and therefore the music is assumed to be collectively composed. Stylistically the music continues faithfully the formula presented on the excellent debut album, which consists of the saxophone performing all the melodic contents on top of a wall of sound electronically created ambient layers and driven by the highly energetic rhythm section. It is as overwhelming and hypnotic as the debut, but naturally less surprising this time. Wawszkiewicz, who is a most unusual and unique saxophonist, obviously draws most of the attention of the listener, and his lyrical expressionism offers a wonderful contrast to the almost alienated and rugged background, creating a delightfully effective aura, as hypnotic as a fakir charming a snake. The steady beat and almost Funky bass add to the feeling of floating in space and NVC excel in their ability to entice the listener into their magical sound, taking no prisoners. The combined talents of the quartet are certainly a phenomenon worthy of attention, especially now, when they passed successfully the “second album test”. However, considering how akin this music is in comparison to the debut, they certainly need to expand their future concept to some extent, in order not to lose the momentum. Overall this is another superb album by NVC, absolutely mesmerizing from start to finish, with the quartet offering a unique approach and sound on the Polish Jazz scene, which considering how competitive that scene is, is almost miraculous. Well done indeed!

Updated: 04/07/2021Posted: 04/07/2021

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SO SLOW ~ W OTWARTE DLONIE POWIETRZE SYPIE GRUZ PRZEDSWITU AUDIO CAVE 2019/008 (Barcode: 5905669566797) ~ POLAND ~ Electronic & Ambient Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is the fourth album by Polish Alternative Rock group So SlowFind albums by this artist, which includes vocalist Michal GlowackiFind albums by this artist, who is also in charge of electronics, guitarist Daniel KryjFind albums by this artist, bassist Adam StepienFind albums by this artist and drummer Arek LerchFind albums by this artist. The former bassist of the group, Lukasz LembasFind albums by this artist, played on three of the tracks, before he was replaced by Stepien. Jazz trumpeter Wojciech JachnaFind albums by this artist played a solo on one of the tracks. The album presents five tracks, all collectively credited to the group´s members, with lyrics by Glowacki. The opening track is a short introduction and the remaining four tracks are extended pieces lasting on average about ten minutes each. Glowacki, Lembas and Lerch are also members of the Non Violent CommunicationFind albums by this artist quartet, which released its stunning debut album "ObserwacjeFind albums with this title" earlier this year (2019), and not surprisingly there are some musical parallels between these albums, although So Slow are definitely more Ambient / Electronic oriented and their music is dramatically less contents oriented, intended rather to serve as an imaginary soundtrack to whatever goes through the head of the listener at the time the music is playing. The electronics provide a steady "wall of sound" effect; the rhythm section supplies a steady pulsation, although attentive listening will allow the listener to hear many subtle variations. The guitar is the only source of melodic riffs, usually repeated continuously with subtle variations as well. The "vocals" are heard only well back in the background and serve more as a hint than real source of acoustic information. In total an atmosphere of mystery and tension prevails. One can only wonder how the album would have sounded if Jachna was a permanent member of the group and played for the entire duration of the music, but for the few minutes he does play here the music crosses into an entirely new dimension and becomes absolutely magical. The minimalist / monotonous background that this music is based on offers a possibility to the listener to enter a hypnotic state of total submission, which creates a unifying experience between the musicians and their audience. Personally I found it to be fascinating, but other listeners unable to "follow" might find this music eccentric and uninviting. Overall this is definitely a piece of music worth exploring and offers highly emotional, although seemingly minimalist scenery. Sadly I am not familiar with the group´s earlier recordings, which would have enabled me to offer some comments on the group´s musical path over time, but based just on just this limited glimpse, they are searching and exploring, which is already highly unusual and certainly commendable. Hoping to hear more soon!

Updated: 09/11/2019Posted: 09/11/2019

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