Record Reviews

BARTOSZ HADALA ~ THE RUNNER UP PILOO 003 (Barcode: 859703475543) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2008 Released: 2010 This is the debut album (in the Jazz field) by Polish pianist / composer Bartosz HadalaFind albums by this artist, currently residing in Canada. The album was recorded with the help of six excellent Jazz musicians, playing in different settings: trumpeter Randy BreckerFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Ada RovattiFind albums by this artist, bassists Dave AndersonFind albums by this artist (electric) and Noriko UedaFind albums by this artist (acoustic), drummer Antonio SanchezFind albums by this artist and percussionist Kevin GarciaFind albums by this artist. The album includes nine original compositions by Hadala and one standard. The music is mainstream modern Jazz, with clear melody lines and classic instrumentation approach, which clearly places the album in the American rather than European Jazz category. It is perfectly executed, with many excellent solos and professionalism evident at every step. The compositions are truly first-rate, and are the strongest asset of this album. Hadala´s piano playing is absolutely wonderful, elegant and expressive but perhaps slightly too conventional for more advanced listeners. Nevertheless the overall level of the music and especially the compositions are praiseworthy. The album´s versatile settings, from a classic piano trio to a sextet, and the interesting compositions, which are excellent vehicles for the musicians´ improvisations, make it a pleasurable listening experience, highly recommended to mainstream Jazz connoisseurs. Hopefully Hadala will record another album soon, as his music is too good to be undiscovered.

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