Record Reviews

KUBA CICHOCKI ~ AUDUBON LAB EXPERIMENT NOT ON LABEL 024606956035 (Barcode: 024606956035) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Funk Fusion Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016 This is the debut album by Polish (resident in NY) Jazz keyboardist / composer Kuba CichockiFind albums by this artist, recorded with his ensemble called Audubon Lab ExperimentFind albums by this artist, which also includes bassist Dylan KaminkowFind albums by this artist, drummer Allen BranchFind albums by this artist and percussionist Francis BenitezFind albums by this artist. Vocalist Bogna KicinskaFind albums by this artist (another Polish NY resident) guests on one track. The album presents five original compositions, all by Cichocki. The music is a typical Jazz-Rock Fusion, which was popular in the early 1970s and closely follows the pattern of Chick CoreaFind albums by this artist´s early albums with Return To ForeverFind albums by this artist or Herbie HancockFind albums by this artist´s albums of that period. The music is very melodic and offers a Funk groove, which makes it a very pleasant listening experience, although at the same time invoking a strong déjà vu feeling. The fact that there is only one instrument capable of soloing makes the overall experience a bit trying, but on the other hand the sound of the Rhodes is irresistible and people who have profound nostalgia to that kind of music will definitely enjoy it. The rhythm section does a great job; the bass keeps the Funky feeling up quite brilliantly, and performs a few nice solo parts, and the two percussionists add a polyrhythmic background, which also keeps the music bubbling. Overall this is a superb Funky / Fusion album, which is a great fun to listen to and perhaps even to dance to. Nothing innovative, au contraire, a strong nostalgic trip to the time when music was based on the "no bullshit" approach. Funky / Fusion fans will have a field day with this, as nobody makes music like this today. Unadulterated Fun(k)!

Updated: 29/05/2017Posted: 29/05/2017

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KUBA CICHOCKI ~ FLOWING CIRCLES BJU 076 (Barcode: 195269264673) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2021 - 2023 Released: 2023 This is an album by Polish (resident in US) Jazz pianist / composer Kuba CichockiFind albums by this artist, recorded with American musicians: saxophonist Lucas PinoFind albums by this artist, guitarist Brandon SeabrookFind albums by this artist, bassist Edward PerezFind albums by this artist and drummer Colin StranahanFind albums by this artist. Polish vocalist Bogna KicinskaFind albums by this artist (also resident in US) adds vocalese parts and in one case sings lyrics. Three musicians guest on one track and a string quartet guests on three tracks. The album presents ten tracks, all of which are original composition by Cichocki, and one includes lyrics by Polish poetess Wislawa SzymborskaFind albums by this artist. The music comes as a huge surprise, considering the fact that earlier recordings by Cichocki, which I am familiar with, were pretty straightforward Fusion, whereas this album is way more advanced musically and offers pretty radical modern Jazz, often bordering on Free, uses mostly odd meters and unconventional instrumentation. Kicinska’s vocalese parts are similar to her work on her debut album “The MazeFind albums with this title”, recorded almost a decade earlier, which was excellent, and the track, which features the lyrics, is definitely of the best ones on the album. The radical change in Cichocki’s approach is very interesting and commendable, but on the way he lost much of his melodic / romantic touch, which was pretty impressive on his earlier recordings, and as a result this new album suffers from many pretty chaotic moments, where the music seems to have lost its course. It seems that the stylistic change was tad too radical, at least to my ears. Also the recording quality lacks depth and detail, which makes the music sound detached and alienated, being quite difficult to listen to. The last track on the album, a solo piano piece, which was recorded more than a couple of years following the rest of the material, is another radical stylistic change, in a Jazz-Classical Fusion direction, which is perhaps a sign of things to come. It is the most interesting piece on this album. Overall, this is a very interesting experiment, perhaps somewhat to drastic and recorded too early, before the music had time to crystalize and settle. But it is definitely a step in the right direction, as far as making ambitious music is concerned, and one can hope the next effort should be more focused.

Updated: 26/07/2024Posted: 26/07/2024

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BOGNA KICINSKA ~ THE MAZE SURCA 002 (Barcode: 5907796319574) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2014 This is the debut album by the Polish (resident in NY) Jazz vocalist Bogna KicinskaFind albums by this artist, recorded with a core quartet comprised of violinist Mateusz SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Kuba CichockiFind albums by this artist, bassist Edward PerezFind albums by this artist and drummer Colin StranahanFind albums by this artist. Electric bass player John BenitezFind albums by this artist plays on two tracks replacing the regular bassist, and a string quartet is utilized on two other tracks. The album includes nine tracks, five of which are originals by Kicinska (only one of those includes lyrics) and the remaining four are standards. I approach albums by Polish vocalists with an almost pathological fear of the dreaded "English vocals sung by non-native English speakers" syndrome, which for many years time after time consistently proves to be a failure, sometimes of catastrophic proportions. The exceptions are few and far between, and luckily this album manages to slip into the class of exceptions, which does not mean that the English vocals work – they simply don´t. But there is enough merit on this album to make it interesting and the English vocals are after all the less significant ingredient of the entire package. What does work wonderfully is the fact that Kicinska uses her vocals as an instrument, singing scat and vocalese, which combined with the excellent instrumental backing, works out wonders. She emerges as a very interesting composer and arranger, with her original compositions being the highlight of this album musically and her arrangements of the standards being very original, non-trivial and intricate. She combines wonderfully her Polish roots by using folkloristic themes and mixing them with other elements, most importantly Jazz improvisation. With the violin behind her, these originals bring fond recollections of the work done by Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist and Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist four decades earlier. Considering the fact that four of her five original compositions do not involve lyrics at all and concentrate on vocal explorations is very promising and hopefully shows the way towards the future. The two Polish players on this album: Smoczynski, who is a violin virtuoso and swings like hell and Cichocki, who is a delicate poetic player yet also swings magnificently, both support the vocalist intelligently and elegantly. The rhythm section is accommodating and handles the sometimes complex tempi changes well, but remains in the background without leaving a very strong impression. Overall this is a very promising debut, full of potential and holding many promising developments in the future. Just skip the lyrics (and the standards) next time and you will get far girl. Thanks for the thrills and keep doing your thing!

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RAFAL SARNECKI ~ CAT`S DREAM BJU 045 (Barcode: 5908254159367) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2014 This is the third album by the Polish Jazz guitarist / composer Rafal SarneckiFind albums by this artist, who currently lives in NY. It presents eight original compositions, all by Sarnecki, which are performed by a sextet led by him, which also includes vocalist Bogna KicinskaFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Lucas PinoFind albums by this artist, pianist Glenn ZaleskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Rick RosatoFind albums by this artist and drummer Colin StranahanFind albums by this artist. One of the tunes uses lyrics by the great Chilean poet Pablo NerudaFind albums by this artist. The music is a beautiful blend of many influences, based on the Jazz tradition but incorporating various other influences, like World Music, Fusion, Progressive Rock and Contemporary Classical, creating a unique universe of sound. The compositions are very diverse and present a wide vista of Sarnecki´s inventions; also distinctly melodic, they are quite complex with frequent tempi changes and intertwined melodic themes, which keep developing, often unexpectedly. In fact this music requires quite an attentive listening in order to be properly comprehended. It is truly refreshing to hear such ambitious music being made today. The individual performances are all excellent and the album is above all an ensemble effort. But the talents of all the players are plainly exposed. Kicinska sings wordless vocalese (except for one case), using her voice as an instrument, which blends well with other instruments in the ensemble. Her presence is a stimulating factor, which adds to the overall success of this album. Pino plays some excellent solos throughout, which are fluent and expressive. Zaleski and the rhythm section keep the music moving ahead smoothly and elegantly, exactly as needed, obviously keeping their ears open and handling the tricky parts with ease and elegance. I´d love to hear them in a piano trio format. And of course Sarnecki and his guitar are, as always, the cherry on the cake. I´ve always liked his tone and phrasing, but his playing on this album is definitely stronger than ever. Overall this is an ambitious effort, splendidly performed and beautifully recorded, adding up to an album of true artistic value, so rare these days. Sarnecki shows a distinctive process of growing up and developing his talents, one of which is surrounding himself with great musicians. This is definitely one of the most interesting recordings released so far in 2014 and I hope it will be received open-mindedly both by the audiences and the critics, which for projects like these is, sadly, far from being self-understandable. This is the kind of aesthetic approach I´d personally love to hear in many other recordings, especially those originating in the US, but in the case of Sarnecki he simply managed to maintain his European qualities unblemished. Brilliant stuff!

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RAFAL SARNECKI ~ CLIMBING TREES OUTSIDE IN MUSIC 1804 (Barcode: 5908254159800) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018 This is the fourth album by Polish (resident in NY) guitarist / composer Rafal SarneckiFind albums by this artist and the second album recorded with the same sextet, which includes vocalist Bogna KicinskaFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Lucas PinoFind albums by this artist, pianist Glenn ZaleskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Rick RosatoFind albums by this artist and drummer Colin StranahanFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten original compositions, all composed by Sarnecki. The music is a continuation of the path paved by this album´s predecessor "Cat`s DreamFind albums with this title", which amalgamates a plethora of different influences, including modern mainstream Jazz, but also adding World Music influences and contemporary Classical approach. This album is significantly more open and Freely Improvised than his previous recordings, and as such is noticeably more difficult and complex than anything he recorded earlier on. All of the sextet members contribute significantly towards the overall result, each in his special way. Kicinska´s vocalese parts are a highlight of the music and she manages to handle the complex and neck breaking parts with stunning ease and elegance. Zaleski lays down the harmonic layers and plays splendid solos, Pino is the calm and cool cat, who adds almost romantic elements, before his improvisations wander into the Free vicinity. The rhythm section handles the tricky tempi and constantly changing beat with flair and obvious dedication and finesse. Sarnecki limits his guitar performances to the same level of presence as the rest of the band, definitely not dominating the music with his guitar parts, which are just one more voice of the sextet´s overall output. He is obviously a very gifted instrumentalist, but his role on this album concentrates on the compositional level, leadership of the sextet and production. Overall this is a strong, mature statement, which takes Sarnecki one step further towards his own voice as a composer and instrumentalist, with the music being certainly more ambitious and demanding. Some listeners might need several listening sessions before penetrating the depth of this music, but this ambitious music definitely deserves to be heard and admired. Well done!

Updated: 12/09/2018Posted: 12/09/2018

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