Record Reviews

PRZEMEK DYAKOWSKI ~ LUDMILA ALLEGRO 047 (Barcode: 5901157049476) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2022 Released: 2023 This is an album by veteran Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer / bandleader Przemek DyakowskiFind albums by this artist, recorded in a sextet setting with saxophonist Wojciech StaroniewiczFind albums by this artist, organist Artur JurekFind albums by this artist, vibraphonist Dominik BukowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Janusz MackiewiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Maksymilian KreftFind albums by this artist, and featuring the vocalist Joanna KnitterFind albums by this artist. The album is a tribute to the Polish vocalist Ludmila JakubczakFind albums by this artist, who died tragically in 1961, being just twenty-two years old, and presents Jazzed up interpretations of songs from her repertoire. The music is all within the mainstream Jazz / Swing idiom, perfectly executed by this excellent and highly experienced team. Knitter also delivers her usual soulful and warm vocals, which are always great fun to hear without being a tad pretentious. The main purpose of this album is to bring back some first class songs created by best Polish composers and lyricist at the time, which lost nothing of their charm and quality over time, emphasizing the old saying that “they don’t write songs like this anymore”, which is sadly more and more truthful as the time flows by. Overall, this is a nice, pleasant and somewhat educationally nostalgic album by a first class group of Polish Jazz musicians, which is a great fun to experience and reminiscence about the good old days. Warmly recommended to listeners who like their Jazz to Swing ;)

Updated: 10/08/2023Posted: 10/08/2023

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PRZEMEK DYAKOWSKI ~ SWING! ALLEGRO 032 (Barcode: 5901157049322) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2015 Released: 2015 This is a live recording of a concert that celebrated the 80th Birthday Anniversary of the veteran Polish Jazz saxophonist Przemek DyakowskiFind albums by this artist. The music, recorded at Radio Gdansk, was performed by a group of Dyakowski´s friends, which included, in addition to him of course, vocalist Joanna KnitterFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Wojciech StaroniewiczFind albums by this artist, vibraphonist Dominik BukowskiFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Artur JurekFind albums by this artist (who also arranged all the songs), bassist Janusz MackiewiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Tomasz SowinskiFind albums by this artist. A few guest musicians also took part in the proceedings. The album presents eight songs (and a bonus track with vocalese by Hanna BanaszakFind albums by this artist), seven of which are originals: two each by Staroniewicz and Knitter, and one each by Dyakowski, Bukowski and Mackiewicz. Knitter also wrote the lyrics (in English) to all these original songs. The last song is a standard. The music is exactly what the album´s title promises: a set of songs kept within the mainstream Jazz tradition, all of which sound as if they were well known Jazz standards, which of course means that they are all beautifully crafted to the highest standard. The performances are also excellent, executed with flair and obvious professionalism, spiced with many beautiful solos. The relaxed atmosphere and good sound make the music flow smoothly from one song to another, with an overall effect of joyous occasion and great fun had by all the musicians present Knitter manages to pass the test of singing in English, which usually has a disastrous result on Polish Jazz albums. Her pronunciation, although obviously non-English, is charming enough and highly musical, which makes the overall result comparable to other great non-native English language singers. Her singing here and her warm timbre fit the general concept of the music like a glove. Her lyrics are also quite excellent, so she comes out of this recording definitely on the winning side. Overall this album is definitely as good, if not better, than most American mainstream / Swing albums, and the original music herein is way better, which of course means that Polish Jazz is not inferior anymore to anything from across the pond.

Updated: 12/02/2016Posted: 12/02/2016

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RENATA IRSA ~ CZERWONA SPODNICA SOLITON 1190 (Barcode: 5903684231904) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2019 - 2021 Released: 2021 This is the second album by Polish vocalist / songwriter Renata IrsaFind albums by this artist recorded with a spectacular team of Polish Jazz musicians, which include the Atom String QuartetFind albums by this artist, pianists Nikola KolodziejczykFind albums by this artist, Artur JurekFind albums by this artist and Canadian John RoneyFind albums by this artist, bassist Jaroslaw StokowskiFind albums by this artist, drummer Grzegorz LewandowskiFind albums by this artist, guitarists Maciek PyszFind albums by this artist and Krzysztof PaulFind albums by this artist, trumpeters Piotr SzlempoFind albums by this artist and Emil MiszkFind albums by this artist and saxophonist Dariusz HerbaszFind albums by this artist. Actor Miroslaw BakaFind albums by this artist guests on one track. The album presents twelve songs, eleven of which are original compositions by Roney (2), Jurek (3), Jurek & Irsa (4) and Miszk (2) and one is a standard. Irsa wrote the lyrics to the original songs, all in Polish except one in English. The album, from the very onset, is absolutely amazing, offering a dazzling amalgam of superbly composed songs and brilliant, highly intelligent, witty and humorous, and above all very personal lyrics, which can hardly be found within the Polish Jazz vocal scene lately. Although Irsa’s lyrics are not poetry per se, at least not formally, I personally think they are, and therefore the album easily falls within my favorite Jazz & Poetry idiom. What is poetry after all if not an expression of deeply personal observations, captured in a frame of words, and these lyrics do exactly that. It is a rare occasion when a collection of songs on an album consists of a coherent continuity, with each of the songs fitting perfectly to the ones preceding and following it, despite the diversity of stylistic approaches and arrangements, but Irsa manages to pull this off as well. There are no weak songs here, and each one seems to be simply irreplaceable. The vocal abilities Irsa displays here are also quite remarkable. She floats somewhere between singing and reciting the lyrics, with every syllable and every word clearly articulated and audible, and the whole always telling a story, which is believable and deeply personal. Well, these are her lyrics after all, and she knows exactly what to do with them. Accompanied by a collection of seasoned Jazz musicians, who know exactly how to play the right notes every time, she does not have to worry about what is happening behind her and is able to concentrate on her vocal parts. Her delivery is often wonderfully “old fashioned”, which is meant as a compliment here, with a close association to cabaret and on stage coquetry, and which is all charming. Combined with the excellent sound quality this album offers, it is an unadulterated piece of joy. Even the album’s elegant artwork and booklet with the lyrics are carefully designed and fit the entire picture perfectly. Overall, this is a wonderful album, exceptionally put together and performed, and a blissful reminder of what Jazz vocals can deliver, when properly done. These songs go directly to the listener’s heart, and are perfect sonic companions for rainy days. Sadly, this is one of the very few Polish Jazz vocal albums released this year that make any sense. Definitely a ray of hope and a superb listening pleasure, which could prove to be a best friend in days of need. Wholehearted recommended of course and hats off Milady for this gift of music!

Updated: 30/12/2021Posted: 30/12/2021

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JOANNA KNITTER ~ ARETHA ALLEGRO 041 (Barcode: 5901157049414) ~ POLAND ~ Blues-Rock Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is an album by Polish vocalist Joanna KnitterFind albums by this artist and her band called Blues & Folk ConnectionFind albums by this artist, which comprises of keyboardist Artur JurekFind albums by this artist, guitarist Krzysztof PaulFind albums by this artist, bassist Adam ZuchowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Piotr GoraFind albums by this artist. As the title suggests, this s a tribute album to the American Soul / Rhythm And Blues Diva, singer / songwriter Aretha FranklinFind albums by this artist. The album presents thirteen songs either written by or associated with Franklin’s repertoire. Normally I’d have dismissed such enterprise without even giving it a listen; I mean Polish vocalist singing classic / untouchable songs, probably with a terrible Polish accent and accompanied by a bunch of anonymous musicians. But luckily for me I have heard several earlier recordings by Knitter and decided to give the album a chance, which turned out to be quite a pleasant surprise. Of course there is nothing innovative or original as far as the music is concerned, but Knitter is an incredible vocalist, with a lovely husky / throaty voice, which she uses very effectively, her accent is not bad at all and her feel for the Blues / Soul is pretty astonishing, as if she was born Black at heart. And to top things up, the guys in the band turn out to be ass-kicking instrumentalist, who can play great guitar licks, soulful Hammond and piano accompaniment and the rhythm section pushes the music strongly forward. In short this is a great Blues / Soul album, which stands proudly shoulder to shoulder with anything recorded across the pond, and with the American music market’s head deeply stuck up the Hip Hop behind, this music sounds more American than anything made in the America these days. In short, as usual, never dismiss an album before you hear it, as nice surprises can happen. Hats off to Knitter for making my ass dance in the chair when I listened to this album, which I hope will happen to everybody listening to it. I surely appreciate to courage to face this challenge – you did well Lady!

Updated: 08/05/2023Posted: 09/08/2021

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STARONIEWICZ / JAGODZINSKI / RAJSKI ~ TRANQUILLO ALLEGRO 025 (Barcode: 5901157049254) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2011 Released: 2012 Lush saxophone, gently strumming piano and a string orchestra sound more like a recipe for a soundtrack to a third-rate erotic movie (i.e. porn flick) than a serious musical venture. The iniquitous "Sax and Strings" trap made many of the best Jazz saxophone players sound like muzak junkies, leaving only a few of them, who managed to create some superb music out of this unforgiving format. I was prepared for the worse when I placed this album into the CD player and hesitantly pushed the Play button. Lo and behold, the music turned out to be simply delightful… what a relief. Veteran Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Wojciech StaroniewiczFind albums by this artist combines forces with pianist Andrzej JagodzinskiFind albums by this artist and his trio, which also includes bassist Adam CegielskiFind albums by this artist and Master veteran drummer Czeslaw BartkowskiFind albums by this artist. The resulting quartet is accompanied by the Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Sopot, conducted by Wojciech RajskiFind albums by this artist. The album consists of eleven compositions, two of which are originals by Staroniewicz and the rest are standards (four of those are by Antonio Carlos JobimFind albums by this artist). The orchestral arrangements of seven of the tracks were written by another veteran Polish Jazz hero Wlodzimierz NahornyFind albums by this artist, three are by Jagodzinski and the remaining one by Artur JurekFind albums by this artist. The music is presented on three overlaying platforms: the saxophone, the piano trio and the orchestra; each of those with its separate content, and merging with the other two to create the overall effect and compliment each other. Staroniewicz is a superb sax player and his wonderful tone and flow are absolutely perfect for this music. He plays the melodies, but also improvises constantly, although staying well within the harmonic boundaries. Jagodzinski and his trio are also one of the finest Polish Jazz ensembles, and although their role on this album is mostly limited to provide the Jazzy atmospheric background and rhythmic backbone, the trio´s leader plays several beautiful lyrical solos and the rhythm section swings like there´s no tomorrow. The strings are the biggest surprise of them all; the arrangements are quite unusual and often not what the listen might expect at all – intelligent, challenging and with a life of their own. Combined with the quartet playing on top they enhance the overall result enormously and one must admit they do it most pleasantly. Yes, this is the gentle side of Jazz. It is sweet and romantic and beautiful, but it is also clever, perfectly done and heartwarming. It manages to avoid being kitschy, which is so damn difficult under these circumstances. OK I admit, I´m a dead romantic at heart and I love this stuff, exactly for what it is – bite me ;) The album´s artwork is also beautiful, one of the few cases when the artwork fits the album´s contents perfectly. Great stuff!

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