Record Reviews

MAREK JAKUBOWSKI ~ COLORS ALLEGRO 037 (Barcode: 5901157049377) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2019 This is the third album as a leader by Polish Jazz drummer / composer Marek JakubowskiFind albums by this artist. The first two albums, recorded in a classic piano trio format, were recorded in 2013 (i.e. six years ago) and this debut album in a quartet setting was recorded in 2017 (i.e. two years ago), which means that Jakubowski is certainly taking his time to create new music for his releases, not like many other musicians who somehow feel obligated to release albums in an almost obsessive paste. The quartet includes saxophonist Marek KonarskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Jacek SzwajFind albums by this artist and bassist Damian KostkaFind albums by this artist, all members of the young and upcoming generation of the Polish Jazz scene. The album presents ten original compositions, all by Jakubowski. The music is all well within the modern mainstream Post-bop mold, but the compositions are all very well weaved and complex enough to serve as excellent vehicles for the quartet members to show their chops. The ballads display the characteristic Polish melancholy, which of course is expected. As usual with Jakubowski´s albums, the focus is certainly on the compositions rather than on the performances, which of course does not mean that those are inferior in any way. In many ways Jakubowski is almost a class of his own as far as Jazz compositions on the Polish scene are concerned, and deserved a much wider recognition than he enjoys today. Both Konarski and Szwaj offer excellent soloing, showing deep empathy with the compositions and Kostka stands shoulder to shoulder with the leader to keep the music well on track rhythmically, also soloing superbly on the way. This is European mainstream Jazz at its finest hour and a delightful listening experience to all fans of this idiom. It is good to see (hear) Jakubowski back on the track, hoping he will not keep us waiting so long next time, as he is certainly is one of the most talented Polish Jazz composers with a deep love and respect to all that is characteristically Polish in music, going back to Frederic ChopinFind albums by this artist´s legacy. A true beauty warmly recommended!

Updated: 15/11/2019Posted: 15/11/2019

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MAREK KONARSKI ~ KONARSKI & FOLKS NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 5904067067905) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2020 Released: 2021 This is the debut album as a leader by Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Marek KonarskiFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quartet setting with pianist Artur TuznikFind albums by this artist, bassist Damian KostkaFind albums by this artist and drummer Kuba GudzFind albums by this artist. Vocalist Ania RybackaFind albums by this artist guests on one track. The album presents nine tracks, seven of which are original compositions by Konarski and two are his arrangements of Polish Folk songs. Konarski spent several years studying and playing in Denmark and Finland and upon his return to Poland he formed this quartet with musicians he met over the years, all of which are by now experienced representatives of the young Polish Jazz scene. The music is all well within the strict Jazz mainstream idiom, with some Folkloristic influences. As expected, it is highly melodic and offers beautiful themes, which ideally suit Konarski’s saxophone performances, which feature a wonderful sweet, soulful tone. The rhythm section supports the leader superbly, with Tuznik excellent piano playing supplying the continuity and flow that keeps the music tightly together. I find Konarski’s treatment of the Polish Folklore motives rather dated, to be honest, somewhat similar to what Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist already perfected over five decades earlier, and many other Polish Jazz musicians handled way more successfully and innovatively over the, but of course it still has a lot of charm. Overall this is a very pleasant and wonderfully performed Jazz album, with excellent playing by all the participants and a wide appeal to Jazz listeners across the entire range of the genre. It firmly proves the strength of the local scene and is definitely worth to be explored.

Updated: 14/05/2021Posted: 14/05/2021

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DAWID KOSTKA ~ PROGRESSION SJ 036 (Barcode: 5912596066689) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the second album by Polish Jazz guitarist / composer Dawid KostkaFind albums by this artist, recorded in a trio setting with bassist Damian KostkaFind albums by this artist and drummer Mateusz BrzostowskiFind albums by this artist, with two top Polish Jazz musicians as guests: saxophonist Maciej KocinskiFind albums by this artist and pianist Pawel KaczmarczykFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Dawid Kostka. The music was recorded at the Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist and offers a spectacular sound quality, precision and clarity; a heaven for Hi-Fi enthusiasts. The music is a superb collection of stylistically diverse compositions, all melody based but offering a wide spectrum of moods, feelings and tempi, clearly pointing out Kostka´s compositional abilities. Stylistically Kostka seems to feel equally at ease with post-Bebop, Fusion and Modern European Jazz and listening to the album is a true joy ride through contemporary Jazz. The performances are also nothing short of stellar. The two guest musicians require no introduction to Polish Jazz cognoscenti and their performances here are as good as one might expect, far beyond just a guest appearance, involving a full integration within the quintet sound. Kocinski, who sadly slightly dropped off the horizon lately, delivers some heartfelt soli that are wonderful reminders of his heydays with SoundcheckFind albums by this artist and Kaczmarczyk never disappoints with his fluidity and musicality. The rhythm section is perfectly integrated with the soloists and offers a versatile and interesting technical competence, with solid and clear bass lines that hold the music together and support the harmony and creative drumming pulsations which are both precise and imaginative. But of course Dawid Kostka is the true hero of this album, playing outstanding guitar parts throughout, changing his sound and attack often and presenting a portrait of a mature Artist, who knows exactly where he want to go with his music. His guitar artistry and obvious virtuosity are the absolute highlight of this album, which is definitely the best Polish Jazz guitar offering for 2018. Overall this is the true debut album fully deserving to feature Dawid Kostka´s name on it, with the debut recorded a couple of years earlier being just a forgettable incident, which was just a teaser of his true abilities (as mentioned in my review of that album). This is definitely a major achievement and places Kostka in the forepost of the Polish Jazz guitar players, which is rather small considering the size and the vitality of the scene today. Wonderful from start to finish, this album is a true delight and a must for Polish / European Jazz connoisseurs!

Updated: 20/12/2018Posted: 15/12/2018

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DAWID KOSTKA QUARTET & CHICO FREEMAN ~ LIVE AT AQUANET JAZZ FESTIVAL, POZNAN 2016 NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016 This is a live recording by a young Polish Jazz quartet led by guitarist / composer Dawid KostkaFind albums by this artist, which also includes pianist Jacek SzwajFind albums by this artist, bassist Damian KostkaFind albums by this artist and drummer Mateusz BrzostowskiFind albums by this artist. The quartet plays just on one track, which is an original composition by the leader. On the other four tracks the pianist, bassist and drummer are joined by the veteran American saxophonist / composer Chico FreemanFind albums by this artist and play two Freeman originals and two standards. There is also a bonus video track with another Freeman original. The first track presents an interesting composition by Kostka, which is very promising, but since it is just a sample of the quartet´s ability not much can seriously be said about it. The four quartet tracks with Freeman are American Bebop, which is absolutely corny and presents zero intellectual challenge to the listeners. Freeman plays very well of curse and so does Szwaj, but that kind of music was exploited already ad nauseam, and makes no sense to be recorded today. Of course such music still has a wide following, especially in America, but it contributes nothing to the development of the Jazz idiom. What a pity this album does not present the entire performance by the Dawid Kostka quartet playing their own music, and was sacrificed to present young Polish musicians playing along a Big American Star, which did them no good whatsoever!

Updated: 01/01/2017Posted: 01/01/2017

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WEEZDOB COLLECTIVE ~ KOMEDA, OSTATNIA RETROSPEKCJA NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is the third album by Polish Jazz quintet Weezdob CollectiveFind albums by this artist, which comprises of harmonica player Kacper SmolinskiFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Kuba MarciniakFind albums by this artist, guitarist Piotr ScholzFind albums by this artist, bassist Damian KostkaFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam ZagorskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven original compositions, two by Marciniak, four by Smolinski, one by Kostka, two by Scholz, one by Zagorski and finally one co-composed by Kostka and Zagorski. The text (in Polish) included on the album was written by Tomasz LachFind albums by this artist and recited by Mariusz ZaniewskiFind albums by this artist. Date and place of recording are not specified on the album´s artwork. As the album´s title suggests, this is yet another project related to the legendary Godfather of Polish Jazz, pianist / composer Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist. Despite the fact that Komeda´s name and music was over time abused, misused and mistreated obsessively countless times, the temptation to gain attention is obviously stronger than decency and good taste. The pretext this time is the text written by Lach, Komeda´s adopted son, which consists of a series of reflections about his adoptive father, incorporated into the music written by the members of the ensemble, creating sort of radio sketch, a popular form of radio broadcast before television took over. The music is series of unrelated composition, which have nothing to do with Komeda´s music per se and if the intention was to create at least am atmospheric similarity, it fails to do so as far as I am concerned. These rather forgettable themes have simply no coherent continuity and although played in the background of the text being recited, offer little, if any, relation to the text itself. The members of the ensemble are obviously well schooled and experienced musicians; hopefully they will make better decisions in the future. Overall this album not only does not pay any tribute to Komeda´s name and status, but is a rather cynical and opportunistic venture, with no Artistic merit. Combined with a murky sound quality and incorrect balance between the music and the recitation, it is even difficult to listen to.

Updated: 04/01/2021Posted: 04/01/2021

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WEEZDOB COLLECTIVE ~ STAR CADILLAC WEEZART 001 (Barcode: 5907529223987) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the second album by Polish Jazz quintet Weezdob CollectiveFind albums by this artist, which comprises of harmonica player Kacper SmolinskiFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Kuba MarciniakFind albums by this artist, guitarist Piotr ScholzFind albums by this artist, bassist Damian KostkaFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam ZagorskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents twelve original compositions, three by Marciniak, four by Smolinski, four by Scholz and one by Zagorski. The music is all within mainstream Jazz, based on melodic compositions, which are rather forgettable. The highly unusual sound, which is created as a result of the harmonica playing up front and soloing extensively, and the lack of piano, which is usually supporting the harmonic foundation, is largely unnerving and is obviously an acquired taste. The concocted Sci-Fi background story of space travel and electronic effects used to “enhance” the music don’t help either. Overall, this album, although recorded by professional musicians, is not an enjoyable listening experience, in fact it was pretty difficult to listen to it in its entirety. Definitely not my cup of tea, but that is just my subjective opinion.

Updated: 12/10/2022Posted: 12/10/2022

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ZK COLLABORATION ~ DOUBLE UNIVERSE FPJ ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz quartet called ZK CollaborationFind albums by this artist, co-led by drummer Adam ZagorskiFind albums by this artist and saxophonist Maciej KadzielaFind albums by this artist, which also includes pianist Mateusz GawedaFind albums by this artist and bassist Damian KostkaFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten original compositions, five of which were composed by Zagorski (three of them are combined into a triptych), four were composed by Kadziela and one was composed by Gaweda. The music is modern melody based Jazz and offers excellent compositions and first class performances by the quartet members. A modest use of electronic effects is employed to spice the acoustic sound of the quartet, but does not dramatically alter the overall mainstream Jazz orientation of the music as a whole. But the music does offer a unique and characteristic sound, with the busy drums and the strong bass pulsations being often up front rather than behind the soloists, which creates a somewhat heavy and eerie effect. This music is quite different from the "usual" young Polish Jazz efforts, since it completely lacks any of the typical Polish melancholy and romanticism, which most Polish Jazz musicians employ almost involuntarily. Here the music tends more towards harsh, almost industrial motifs, which are often challenging and provocative. This creates an element of tension and unrest, which of course keeps the listener on edge as long as the music is playing. All four members of the quartet are well seasoned musicians, which of course is evident throughout the entire album. Gaweda tends to focus the listener´s attention on himself, whenever given a chance, as his brilliant piano parts are indeed extraordinary and neck-breaking even when he is not soloing. He is balanced by the well structured and full bodied saxophone parts by Kadziela. Zagorski makes sure that the listener is aware of the fact that the drummer is the boss here, but all in all he drives the music safely and securely towards its goal, shoulder to shoulder with Kostka, who makes sure nobody misses a beat. Overall this is an excellent debut effort, which offers highly original music and sound, different from most of what the Polish Jazz scene has to offer, excellent musicianship and first class compositions. Definitely worth being discovered and highly recommended!

Updated: 24/11/2018Posted: 24/11/2018

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