Record Reviews

BASTARDA & SUTARI ~ TAMOJ AUDIO CAVE 2022/008 (Barcode: 5908298549537) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2022 Released: 2022 A short while ago I had the immense pleasure to guest the BastardaFind albums by this artist trio – clarinetist Pawel SzamburskiFind albums by this artist, cellist Tomasz PokrzywinskiFind albums by this artist and contrabass clarinetist Michal GorczynskiFind albums by this artist – as part of my Singer Jazz Festival in Warsaw. Their phenomenal performance at the Norzyk Synagogue was, as expected, immensely successful, followed by a standing ovation, which reflects the incredible talent of these musicians and their unusual ability to reach audiences, despite their music being highly sophisticated and often quite complex. This is already the 7th album by Bastarda, and their sixth release in a rapid succession of just six years. It is also their third subsequent collaboration project, which emphasizes their willingness to constantly expand their horizons into different musical territories. Following an adventure with Fado and Medieval Music, this time they cooperate with the female SutariFind albums by this artist duo – Basia SonginFind albums by this artist and Kasia KapelaFind albums by this artist – both vocalists and instrumentalist, and together explore the traditional music from the eastern Polish regions bordering with Belarus and Lithuania. The resulting music is, as usual, astounding in every respect. It reaches far beyond the folkloristic themes, on which it is based, and the sublime arrangements expand the overall sound into incredible vistas, completely unexpected and as expected (pun intended) breathtakingly penetrating. It seems that the instrumental contributions by Bastarda are somewhat in a background of the vocal parts, but in fact it is the collective effect of the vocals and instrumental improvisations, which create the powerful and effective totality, which benefits from both and is way beyond just the sum of its ingredients. Overall, this is another masterpiece in Bastarda’s recorded output, which puts them in a class of their own, not only on the Polish scene, but far beyond. The incredibly lucky combination of talent and the openness to music, in complete disregard of fads and fashions, marks them as an act worth following closely. God only knows what these guys are capable of on their next projects, and honestly I really don’t care, as it is a sure bet the result will be outstanding. Thank you, my Friends, for the music!

Updated: 15/05/2024Posted: 17/09/2022

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

SUTARI ~ KOLYSANKI SWIATA (LULLABIES FOR THE WORLD) AUDIO CAVE 2024/001 (Barcode: 5908298549841) ~ POLAND ~ World Music & Folklore Recorded: 2022 - 2023 Released: 2024 This is the 4th album by the Polish female trio SutariFind albums by this artist, comprising of vocalists / instrumentalists Kasia KapelaFind albums by this artist, Basia SonginFind albums by this artist and Dobromila ZyczynskaFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine tracks, all of which are, as the titles suggests, original songs based on folklore lullabies from different parts of the world. On one of the tracks the trio invited four female singers from Iran, on another they invited the previous member of the trio Joanna KurzynskaFind albums by this artist and finally on one song they invited a Ukrainian vocal duo to participate on the recording. Sutari are wonderfully unique as far as the Polish modern folklore scene is concerned, offering a non-conformist, approach to music in every aspect. The vocal harmonies and the instrumental accompaniment create a complete aural experience, unlike any other, and although their folkloristic influences and sources are strongly audible, the music breaches the usual stylistic approaches, often sounding almost “Avant-Garde” in some respects. The resulting music is totally captivating and fascinating, creating a new amalgam of familiar elements, which are put together in a completely unprecedented way. It is difficult to analyze if all this is done subconsciously / naturally, or carefully pre-conceived by the trio, but in fact it does not matter as long as the result is as thrilling as what can be heard on this album. Anybody expecting to hear a collection of what is usually considered as lullabies, is in for a huge surprise. Although these pieces might have a soothing, relaxed intention, the result is anything but something that might put the listener into a lethargic state of sleepiness. Au contraire, the intellectual and aesthetic depth of this music and its complexities / intricacies are surely highly stimulating. Overall, this is a beautiful and fascinating piece of music of the highest caliber, which every true music lover the world over should be able to enjoy and savor. It might take a while to be able to penetrate the depth of the music, but once the external “eccentricity” is penetrated, it is but a total bliss…

Updated: 20/09/2024Posted: 20/09/2024

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend

SUTARI ~ WIANO AUDIO CAVE 2023/006 (Barcode: 5908298549629) ~ POLAND ~ World Music & Folklore Recorded: 2013 - 2014 Released: 2023 This is a reissue / remaster of the debut album form 2014 by Polish female trio SutariFind albums by this artist, which comprises of vocalists / instrumentalists Basia SonginFind albums by this artist, Kasia KapelaFind albums by this artist and Zosia ZambrzuskaFind albums by this artist. The album presents twelve tracks, all based on traditional Polish Folklore, with some original adaptations / additions by the trio members. Although Sutari was founded in 2012, I admit of being completely unaware of their existence until their appearance on the “TamojFind albums with this title” album by the BastardaFind albums by this artist trio. Their striking originality and unconventional approach to music in general and Polish Folklore in particular is truly astounding. Polish Folklore offers an endless wealth of multi-cultural sources, which developed over the Centuries, bringing many different Cultures together. It seems that many contemporary Polish musicians are discovering the treasures of the diverse Folklore traditions, like the recently reviewed Same SukiFind albums by this artist trio and quite a few others. Although obviously less popular than the dreadful contemporary Polish Pop, it is great to see that this music still finds a place in the heart of Poles, who respect their Cultural traditions. The music, although seemingly simplistic and lacking complex musical challenges, is in fact fascinating, especially when treated with a slight degree of humor and an attempt to show, that human life on the basic level, especially emotionally, did not change radically over time, still sharing the pains of love and other personal relationships, which are the subject of the Folkloristic material adopted by Sutari. The vocal harmonies of the trio members are the focus of this music and the instrumental accompaniment is rather secondary, but definitely unconventional, but that does not diminish the excellent end result. Overall, this is an exceptional example of a contemporary interpretation of Polish Folklore, which is vibrant and fascinating, and having this album back in circulation is definitely a field day. Kudos to Audio CaveFind albums on this label for bringing this music back to circulation, in style, as usual.

Updated: 12/05/2023Posted: 12/05/2023

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Remastered Recommend To A Friend