Record Reviews
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  | KAROLAK / URBANIAK / BARTKOWSKI ~ MOVING SOUTH
POLJAZZ / ANEX 314 (Barcode: 5907513047698) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion
Recorded: 1973 Released: 2009
This is the only album recorded by the fabulous Polish Jazz trio, comprising of keyboardist / composer Wojciech KarolakFind albums by this artist, violinist / saxophonist / composer Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist and legendary drummer Czeslaw BartkowskiFind albums by this artist. In many respects this is a companion album to the groundbreaking album by the Michal Urbaniak ConstellationFind albums by this artist, which was released as part of the Polish Jazz series ("In ConcertFind albums with this title", Vol.36) and recorded the same year as this album. Both Karolak and Bartkowski were members of Constellation and therefore it´s hardly surprising that stylistically the music is very similar.
The album includes five compositions (one is a three-part suite), four by Karolak and one by Urbaniak, which can be roughly categorized as Jazz-Rock Fusion, but they are so unique and eons ahead of their time that simplistic labeling is not doing them justice. This is truly visionary music, capturing all three musicians at the peak of their creative powers. Although Karolak composed most of the music on this album, Urbaniak´s concept of Fusion / Funk are the primary forces at work here. His use of electronics to enhance the sound of his violin is simply brilliant and completely innovative. Karolak plays also brilliantly, with his Hammond ripping the sound-space to shreds. Bartkowski is driving the music forward like mad, being the Jazziest element of the music, busy but not intrusive, with fantastic polyrhythmic feel and incredible technique.
In retrospect this is one of the most important Polish Fusion albums, which sadly remains mostly unknown even to the local fans and especially so abroad. This reissue creates another chance for this album to be re-discovered, and I recommend to all the Fusion diehard fans to start looking for this gem ASAP!
Side Note: The PoljazzFind albums on this label label, which originally released this album, was active for 20 years (between 1972 and 1991) and was owned by the Polish Jazz Society. Considering the fact that the music industry in the Socialist State was centralized and totally controlled, with just one State owned music company producing all the albums, the possibilities to record and release Jazz albums were extremely limited. Poljazz was conceived and founded in order to allow for many more Jazz (and other) albums to be released independently from the State owned Polskie NagraniaFind albums on this label / MuzaFind albums on this label and as such revolutionized the music industry at the time, being the only such enterprise in Eastern Europe. The Polish label AnexFind albums on this label reissued many of the original Poljazz albums on CD, bringing this fabulous music back to life.
| | | CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | MICHAL URBANIAK ~ SMILES AHEAD
UBX 1018 (Barcode: 5099901531725) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock-World Fusion
Recorded: 1976 - 1977 Released: 2012
This is a reissue of the first (of two) album by Polish Jazz violinist / composer Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist released on the legendary German MPSFind albums on this label label, which was produced by my Friend and Mentor Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist, who had a deep understanding and love for Polish Jazz and who was instrumental in spreading the fame of Polish Jazz beyond the Iron Curtain. Of the eight tracks on this album, six were recorded at the famous Zuckerfabrik studio in Stuttgart / Germany in November of 1976 with vocalist (and Urbaniak´s wife at the time) Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Harold WilliamsFind albums by this artist, bassist Robert BunnFind albums by this artist and drummer Woody TheusFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Transcending SonshipFind albums by this artist). Two additional tracks were recorded in NY in January of 1977, one of which was a duo with Urbaniak and Emmet ChapmanFind albums by this artist, the inventor of the Chapman stick, and the other was recorded by the same team that recorded the "Body EnglishFind albums with this title" album (i.e. Urbaniak, Dudziak, Williams, guitarist Joe CaroFind albums by this artist, bassist Basil FearringtonFind albums by this artist and drummer Steve JordanFind albums by this artist). Urbaniak composed or co-composed four of the pieces, Dudziak two and Williams and Bunn one each.
Under Berendt´s supervision, the album moves back into the most experimental and musically advanced aura of Urbaniak´s exploration of Jazz-Rock Fusion, Electronic and World Music influences, leaving somewhat aside the American Funk and Groove influences, which stylistically resembles the early recordings with ConstellationFind albums by this artist and the three ColumbiaFind albums on this label albums. Berendt, who was a great admirer of Urbaniak´s vocal wizardry, managed to bring back her contribution to the music, giving her an equally prominent role in the proceedings, with two superb unaccompanied solo pieces, a duo with Urbaniak and a strong vocal presence on the rest of the tracks, which overall played a decisive part in the album´s final result. The duo track with Chapman proves Urbaniak´s deep interest in innovation and electronic music development.
In retrospect this is surely one of the strongest Urbaniak´s recordings and a quintessential piece of Fusion history, which still remains unparalleled four decades later. The unique amalgam of musical influences combined with virtuosi performances and a freedom of expression rarely found in today´s music.
For Urbaniak and Polish Jazz fans this is an absolute must of course, but Fusion connoisseurs the world over should be aware of the fact that their record collection is truly incomplete without this album in their possession.
| | Updated: 29/12/2023Posted: 13/09/2019 | CD 1 Digipak Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend |
  | MICHAL URBANIAK / CONSTELLATION ~ IN CONCERT (POLISH JAZZ VOL.36)
MUZA 1036 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock-World Fusion
Recorded: 1973 Released: 2005
This is a reissue of the second album on the legendary "Polish Jazz" series by the Polish saxophonist / violinist / composer / bandleader Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist. A veteran Polish Jazz musician, Urbaniak was a member of the legendary ensembles led by Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist, where he played the saxophone, but by the early 1970 he switched to the violin and plunged into Jazz-Rock Fusion, rapidly becoming one of the most inventive and creative pioneers of the genre.
This album and the albums recorded in Germany and later in the USA are absolute Fusion milestones, but also stand out as completely unique in their approach to the genre. Urbaniak combined the marvelous abilities of his wife Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist and her extraordinary and experimental vocalese technique with his common usage of Polish Folklore motifs, creating a superb and completely unparalleled Fusion music.
This live recording captures his baseless / double keyboard ensemble, which also includes organist Wojciech KarolakFind albums by this artist, pianist Adam MakowiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Czeslaw BartkowskiFind albums by this artist. The music, all composed by Urbaniak, is simply out of this world, brilliant and fresh, absolutely resistant to the tides of time and fashion. In retrospect one can only regret that Fusion followed mostly the direction of flashy virtuosic display of neck-breaking guitar races rather than the direction proposed by Urbaniak´s Fusion, but it´s unfortunately too late now. At least we can savor this music, 40 years after it was recorded, well aged and beautifully eternal. A must!
| | Updated: 08/09/2019Posted: | CD 1 Digipak Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend |
  | MICHAL URBANIAK / CONSTELLATION ~ IN CONCERT (POLISH JAZZ VOL.36)
POWER BROS 00119 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion
Recorded: 1973 Released: 1993
This is a reissue of the second album on the legendary "Polish Jazz" series by the Polish saxophonist / violinist / composer / bandleader Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist. A veteran Polish Jazz musician, Urbaniak was a member of the legendary ensembles led by Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist, where he played the saxophone, but by the early 1970 he switched to the violin and plunged into Jazz-Rock Fusion, rapidly becoming one of the most inventive and creative pioneers of the genre.
This album and the albums recorded in Germany and later in the USA are absolute Fusion milestones, but also stand out as completely unique in their approach to the genre. Urbaniak combined the marvelous abilities of his wife Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist and her extraordinary and experimental vocalese technique with his common usage of Polish Folklore motifs, creating a superb and completely unparalleled Fusion music.
This live recording captures his baseless / double keyboard ensemble, which also includes organist Wojciech KarolakFind albums by this artist, pianist Adam MakowiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Czeslaw BartkowskiFind albums by this artist. The music, all composed by Urbaniak, is simply out of this world, brilliant and fresh, absolutely resistant to the tides of time and fashion. In retrospect one can only regret that Fusion followed mostly the direction of flashy virtuosic display of neck-breaking guitar races rather than the direction proposed by Urbaniak´s Fusion, but it´s unfortunately too late now. At least we can savor this music, 40 years after it was recorded, well aged and beautifully eternal. A must!
| | Updated: 08/09/2019Posted: | CD 1 Essential Recommend To A Friend |
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