Record Reviews

OLGA BOCZAR MUSIC ESSENCE ~ LITTLE INSPIRATIONS NOT ON LABEL 001 (Barcode: 5905279086005) ~ POLAND ~ Pop & Rock Recorded: 2013 - 2014 Released: 2014 This is the debut album as a leader by Polish vocalist / flautist / songwriter Olga BoczarFind albums by this artist, recorded with her ensemble called Music EssenceFind albums by this artist, with core members: keyboardist Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Andrzej GondekFind albums by this artist, bassist Wojciech PulcynFind albums by this artist and drummer Pawel DobrowolskiFind albums by this artist. In addition several other musicians also participate on selected tracks, including bassist Krzysztof PacanFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Radek NowickiFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Dominik GawronskiFind albums by this artist, trombonist Michal TomaszczykFind albums by this artist and several background vocalists; altogether quite a formidable team. The album presents ten original songs all composed by Boczar and with lyrics mostly written by her as well. Only two of the songs feature lyrics in Polish and eight have English lyrics. The music was recorded in three different studios, including the Studio Tokarnia where Smoczynski also served as the sound engineer recording the rhythms section tracks. In spite of the fact that the album features some very prominent Polish Jazz musicians, it is by no means a Jazz album. Except for a few piano solos, the album presents a singer / songwriter Pop / Rock effort with slight Jazzy accents mostly present in some of the arrangements. There is of course nothing wrong with that, but promoting and marketing this album under a Jazz moniker is a conceptual mistake. The music is a collection of mostly low key melancholic melodies, which all sound a bit similar and leave no lasting impression. Everything is "nice" and "smooth", but there is no excitement, zest or attempt hit the listener between his eyes. Boczar´s voice and delivery don´t help much either, as she has a limited range and sings in the same narrow spectrum using repeatedly the same mannerisms, regardless of the text she is singing. Except for a few vocalese attempts, the rest is rather unexciting. And on top of this all these there is the problem with lyrics in English, which sound pretty inappropriate. In contrast, plainly audible, the two songs sung in Polish sound infinitely better. The instrumental work is all quite all right, but again lacks any spark. The arrangements are all rather trivial, and the potential of such mighty team of musicians seems completely wasted. Except for the already mentioned piano solos, there is no attempt to put some excitement into this music. Overall this is all professionally done, but sadly completely uninspired. This album has a potential on the Polish Pop market, if promoted properly. It might even win a Fryderyk award next year, as anything can happen there, but hopefully not in the Jazz category. And before an outcry of angry responses accusing me of ruining young people´s careers erupts again, let me emphasize that this is just my private, subjective opinion, which has absolutely no bearing on anybody´s fate.

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DAMIAN HYRA ~ Z ODDALI V 019 (Barcode: 5903111377205) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz vocalist / guitarist Damian HyraFind albums by this artist recorded in a quartet setting with trumpeter Dominik GawronskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Ambrozy RanzFind albums by this artist and drummer Dawid OpalinskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original songs composed and featuring lyrics (eight in Polish and one in English) by Hyra. The music is all melodic mainstream Jazz, based on solid themes, easy on the ear and definitely on the easier side of the Jazz spectrum, but highly entertaining, briskly swinging and offering a good time listening experience to the listeners. The instrumental lineup is unusual, with the trumpet / flugelhorn playing most of the leads and soli and the guitar playing the "second fiddle", but also soloing on most of the tracks, utilizing a somewhat Fusion oriented sound and attitude while soloing. The rhythm section is highly supportive and keeps the time perfectly, but stays mostly on the back plane. Hyra´s vocals are definitely an acquired taste and take a while to get used to, but after a while become enjoyable, despite their atypical sound and articulation. The one track with the English lyrics is a perfect example of what should be avoided by all possible means. Overall this is an entertaining Jazzy album, which offers some nice songs and a lot of good time, but stays away from exploring uncharted territory. This is definitely not a typical Polish Jazz album, by any respect, showing another facet of the local scene.

Updated: 20/04/2024Posted: 10/11/2020

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BARTOSZ PERNAL SEXTET ~ INTO THE WILD BCD 47 (Barcode: 5906881885475) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2020 This is the debut album as a leader (as far as I know) by Polish Jazz trombonist / composer Bartosz PernalFind albums by this artist recorded in a pianoless sextet setting with trumpeter Dominik GawronskiFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Wojciech LichtanskiFind albums by this artist and Marek KonarskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Jakub OlejnikFind albums by this artist and drummer Grzegorz PalkaFind albums by this artist. The album presents six original compositions, including the title track three part suite, all by Pernal. The album was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and was engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, offering a wonderful sound quality, as expected. The music is typical modern Jazz, based on melodic compositions and skillfully arranged for the Brass dominated sextet, which has a very unique sound due to lack of harmonic support. The extended pieces offer plenty of opportunity for all the participants to solo at length and the first-rate rhythm section keeps the music moving forward on secure ground. Despite their relative young age all the members of the band are seasoned and experienced instrumentalists, as evident by their performances herein. The outstanding drumming by Palka is an absolute highlight and definitely worthy of special attention. The album is not trying to be flashy or dazzling, but it offers solid, well developed musical ideas, superbly performed and coherently put together, which turns it into a most enjoyable and rewarding listening experience, worth returning to, especially for enthusiasts of Brass sections and multi-part expanded Jazz compositions. Overall this is a great piece of music, perhaps more in the "musician´s musician" mold, as it offers many tricks of the Jazz trade on different levels, starting with the compositions and then almost orchestral arrangements, the delicate balance between the instruments and crowned by the wonderful execution. Definitely well done!

Updated: 25/12/2020Posted: 25/12/2020

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