Record Reviews

JAZZBLASTER ~ NIGHT OUT V 017 (Barcode: 5903111377168) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the second album by Polish ensemble JazzBlasterFind albums by this artist, which comprises of trumpeter / vocalist Tadeusz KulasFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Piotr RachonFind albums by this artist, violinist Dominik BienczyckiFind albums by this artist, bassist Roland AbreuFind albums by this artist and drummer Marcin RakFind albums by this artist. Bassist Wojciech BerganderFind albums by this artist plays on one track and additional synthesizers are played by Pawel KonikiewiczFind albums by this artist, who was also involved in the recording process. The album presents eight original tracks all composed by Rachon (except one co-composed with Kulas) and all texts (in English) are by Kulas. The music moves away from Jazz even more significantly than on the debut album and the overall sound and musical direction of the ensemble are entirely Pop / Rock oriented with the Jazz accents present only within the instrumental passages, which are sadly less prominent on this album. Kulas almost completely resigned from his role as a trumpeter and is manly featured as vocalist. As it usually happens with Polish vocalists singing in English, his accent and pronunciation are really unacceptable, but perhaps on the local Polish scene this is less noticeable. I wander if JazzBlaster and EABSFind albums by this artist are about to create the Wroclaw sound, as there are strong similarities between these two young bands´ sound? Having said all that, the album does have its moments and the overall Punkish attitude probably does it for the younger generation of the Polish listeners. The heavy bass sound and presence of the bass up front in the mix creates a trance like somewhat Funky mood, which is quite effective. The piano parts are all very well played and the addition of the violin also enriches the sonic ambience. The trumpet, when finally played, is also pretty helpful. To sum it up, take away the vocals (or perhaps make them wordless vocalese) and what is left becomes quite a tasty piece of youthful Funky / Punk Jazz, which is danceable and overall quite entertaining. Sorry guys that I can´t be more enthusiastic, but as usual to each his own. The music shows tons of potential for sure, and just a little push in the right direction and everything will click!

Updated: 17/03/2020Posted: 22/09/2019

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MILOSZ SKWIRUT ~ ROAD MOVIES NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the debut EP album (under half an hour of music) by young Polish Jazz bassist / composer Milosz SkwirutFind albums by this artist, recorded with several other young Polish Jazz musicians like pianist Katarzyna PietrzkoFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Dominik BienczyckiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Marcin HilarowiczFind albums by this artist, drummer Maksymilian OlszewskiFind albums by this artist, percussionist Lukasz KurzydloFind albums by this artist, vocalist Susanna Jara-MaleckaFind albums by this artist and veteran vocalist Jorgos SkoliasFind albums by this artist, who appears on one track. The album presents five original compositions, all by Skwirut. The cinematic term "road movie" refers to the genre which tells a story of a person leaving home and venturing on a journey of discovery, which often changes the hero´s perspective of life and shapes his character. The strong World Music influences, which are reflected in Skwirut´s music, are the analogy to a virtual journey into different cultures, with the compositions serving as mini-soundtracks of that imaginary journey´s chapters. The music is based on strong melodic motifs, which are then ornamented by World Music rhythms and an atmosphere of mysticism and exoticism, crated by the vocalese and synthesizer parts and Skwirut´s use of arco. All the participants do a truly splendid job, which suits the intended atmosphere of the music ideally. As expected the vocals by Skolias are one of the highlights of this offering. The album is obviously just a glimpse at Skwirut´s abilities as a composer and a player, rather than a full-fledged musical offering, for which we have still to wait. But this glimpse is certainly fascinating and intriguing enough to create an anticipation of things to come. Considering the fact that Jazz-World Fusion is not a very popular and strongly present idiom on the contemporary Polish Jazz scene, especially that exploring World cultures beyond the Slavic sources, this music is a breath of fresh air. In short, this is a very nice introduction to the musical world of Milosz Skwirut, which offers great compositions and excellent playing by his cohorts, rising high hopes for his future ventures!

Updated: 03/07/2019Posted: 03/07/2019

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TEMPERO ~ 6 PM NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2012 Released: 2012 This is the debut album by young Polish Klezmer Jazz quartet TemperoFind albums by this artist, which hails from Krakow, as do many other similar ensembles, and comprises of violinist Dominik BienczyckiFind albums by this artist, accordionist Konrad LigasFind albums by this artist, bassist Krzysztof AugustynFind albums by this artist and percussionist Lukasz KurzydloFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten traditional tunes, not all of which are of Jewish origin, arranged for the acoustic quartet. Since Tempero do not have a clarinetist as a lead instrumentalist, they are not a typical Klezmer ensemble to start with. The arrangements they utilize are also not really associated with Jewish music per se, and therefore although the repertoire might point towards Jewish musical sources, the result has almost nothing to do with true Jewish music. The overall sound and attitude are simply to refined, accurate and temperate for a Klezmer band. Having said that the members of Tempero are all excellent musicians, especially Bienczycki, whose performances are nothing short of virtuosity, but all three of his cohorts play excellently as well. The arrangements are all nontrivial and at times even quite interesting and the music is performed with zest, passion and elegance, resulting in a highly entertaining musical voyage. Jazz enthusiasts will find plenty of improvisation, again mostly by the violinist, who is simply divine. It would be most interesting to hear him in a bona fide Jazz setting. Overall this is quite nice album, which Jazz-World Music Fusion enthusiasts should find most entertaining. Definitely worth investigation!

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