Record Reviews

BESTER QUARTET ~ BAJGELMAN. GET TO TANGO ANAKLASIS 013 (Barcode: 5907795209739) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is an album by Polish Jazz ensemble Bester QuartetFind albums by this artist, led by accordionist / composer / bandleader Jaroslaw BesterFind albums by this artist, with violinist Dawid LubowiczFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej AdamczakFind albums by this artist and drummer Ryszard PalkaFind albums by this artist. The ensemble was expanded for this album to include three top Polish Jazz vocalists: Grazyna AuguscikFind albums by this artist, Dorota MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist and Jorgos SkoliasFind albums by this artist. Trumpeter Michal BylicaFind albums by this artist and cellist Krzysztof LenczowskiFind albums by this artist guest on most of the tracks. The album presents ten tracks, one instrumental and nine songs, all composed by the Jewish / Polish violinist / composer / songwriter / bandleader Dawid BajgelmanFind albums by this artist, with words (originally in Yiddish, except for one in Polish) by himself and other lyricists. This studio recording is a documentation of a special concert originally performed in 2018 as part of the anniversary commemorating the liquidation of the Lodz Ghetto in 1944, with was devised and produced by Miron ZajfertFind albums by this artist. The album was released by the prestigious Polish AnaklasisFind albums on this label label as part of its “Revisions” series. Jaroslaw Bester was one of the first Polish musicians to accept the challenge of treating seriously the Jewish Music created in Poland during the centuries of Jewish presence on the Polish soil. Sadly, most of the attempts to deal with Jewish Music border between kitsch and chaltura, but Bester managed consistently to avoid falling into this trap over the years. He founded the Cracow Klezmer BandFind albums by this artist in 1997, which later morphed into the Bester Quartet, with a long series of successful recordings to his credit. Following the initial period of focus on the Klezmer tradition, he expanded his vision to include other musical traditions, especially the tango, which became his passion in more recent years. Jewish Music and tango come together hand in hand on this album, since the secular Jewish Music in Poland, during the period between the two great wars, was fascinated with the tango as well. The life’s story of Dawid Bajgelman is easily divided between his meteoric career before WWII, which found him as a highly successful composer and songwriter, with his songs performed by the most popular Polish singers at the time, but in parallel his massive composing legacy for local Jewish cultural life in Lodz, at the time the second biggest urban Jewish community after Warsaw, and of course his activity in the Lodz Ghetto during the Holocaust period, which came to the end with his tragic death in Auschwitz, cynical and absurd, just a few days after the camp’s liberation. His songs, written in the ghetto, are some of the most expressive manifestations of the horror and misery of that time. Although Bester’s role on this album seems somewhat less illustrious than on his other recordings, limited to arrangements and leadership of the project, he does an absolutely splendid job herein. The music is brilliantly executed by all the participants, the recording offers a high quality sound and the entire project offers a deeply moving aesthetic experience. The vocalists are amongst the finest Polish Jazz Artists, quite different from each other in every possible sense, and yet they manage to cooperate perfectly when singing duets or trios, in addition to their solo parts. They also manage to handle the Yiddish lyrics reasonably well, but the four texts translated into Polish and the original Polish lyrics are of course as perfect as one might expect from such pros. The vocalese, although used sparingly, is also just right. The instrumental parts are all superbly done, with the new lineup of the Bester Quartet reaching a level of coherence higher than ever before. The trumpet is a nice touch, building an imaginary bridge to the original sound of these songs. Overall, this is a beautiful album, full of heartbreaking nostalgia and a proper, wonderfully conceived and executed tribute to the great contribution of the Polish / Jewish composer Dawid Bajgelman to the Polish Culture, one of so many so often forgotten Polish Jews, who shaped contemporary Polish identity, whether one likes it or not. My personal thanks to Miron Zajfert, who shares my passion of exposing our proud legacy, and of course to all the participants, who are amongst my favorite Polish musicians. May the Force be with you!

Updated: 17/02/2023Posted: 17/02/2023

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KRZYSZTOF HERDZIN ~ JESTES SWIATLEM UNIVERSAL 602537293872 (Barcode: 602537293872) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2012 Released: 2013 The Jazz & Poetry sub-genre is one of the pillars of Polish Jazz in particular, but also Polish Music in general, as it appears on the scene in many variations and crosses genre boundaries between Pop, Rock and Jazz since many decades. The abundance of great poets and poetesses as much as composers and performers, the intrinsic Polish lyricism and melancholy and the intellectual elitism of Polish Art evidently produce a fruitful ground for such meetings between words and music, which happen in the Polish Culture more often then anywhere else in the world. This album by celebrated Polish Jazz pianist / composer / arranger Krzysztof HerdzinFind albums by this artist is his contribution to the Jazz & Poetry legacy. It presents eight original compositions and one arrangement of a song by the Polish 19th Century Romantic composer Karol KurpinskiFind albums by this artist to the words of a late 18th / early 19th Century poet Franciszek KarpinskiFind albums by this artist, the father of Polish Sentimentalism. Of the eight compositions by Herdzin, one (the title track closing the album) is an instrumental and the others have lyrics by contemporary Polish poets: Konstanty Ildefons GalczynskiFind albums by this artist (one of my favorite Polish poets) and Kazimierz Przerwa-TetmajerFind albums by this artist. Herdzin assembled a dreamy team to record this music, which features him on keyboards and a plethora of other instruments, bassist Robert KubiszynFind albums by this artist and drummer Cezary KonradFind albums by this artist. Guitarist Marek NapiorkowskiFind albums by this artist guests on five tracks. The vocal tracks are sung by the legendary Anna Maria JopekFind albums by this artist, Dorota MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist and Grzegorz TurnauFind albums by this artist. Herdzin himself sings on one track and adds background vocals on two more. In spite of the truly excellent instrumental accompaniment and no less excellent vocals, the focus of this album is the original music, which spotlights Herdzin´s talent as a composer. Diverse and often even contrasting in the many tempi and cross-genre excursions, from deep lyricism to exotic World Music themes, this music remains constantly beautifully melodic and round. It fits the various poems used as the lyrics perfectly, which is always a great challenge for any composer. Even though Herdzin is still a relatively young musician, his enormous experience and his many talents come to full fruition herein. The instrumental work is pretty exciting as well, with Herdzin changing instruments more often that he changes his socks, playing all of them quite well, Kubiszyn playing some very nasty fretless bass parts that make the hair on your neck curl, Konrad keeps the entire ensemble rolling like only he can, and Napiorkowski adds some superbly tasty ornamentation. All three (or four in fact) vocalists are without reproach, with Jopek being (for me) divine as always, but the others not falling behind by any means. Turnau, who specializes in the Jazz & Poetry niche, sings most of the vocals, always with sensitivity and exquisite diction. So here we have it, another great album by Maestro Herdzin, whose inexhaustible energies know no limits. Jazz & Poetry buffs will of course love this to bits, but for any cultural music connoisseur this is a piece of music worthy admiration and a source of many pleasurable moments.

Updated: 01/01/2016Posted:

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DOROTA MISKIEWICZ ~ PIANO.PL UNIVERSAL MUSIC POLSKA 602557206852 (Barcode: 602557206852) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 This is a live recording of a gigantically ambitious project conceived by Polish Jazz vocalist Dorota MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist, which pays tribute to the Polish Jazz piano school, which spans several generations and is a sublime example of Polish / European Jazz tradition. The album presents twelve songs, one original by Miskiewicz and eleven "Polish standards" composed and written by the best Polish composers and lyricists, each performed by Miskiewicz accompanied by a different pianist and on eight of them also accompanied by the renowned Atom String QuartetFind albums by this artist. The list of the pianists reads like the who´s who of Polish Jazz: Michal TokajFind albums by this artist, Andrzej JagodzinskiFind albums by this artist, Lutoslawski Piano DuoFind albums by this artist, Bogdan HolowniaFind albums by this artist, Leszek MozdzerFind albums by this artist, Piotr OrzechowskiFind albums by this artist, Tomasz KalwakFind albums by this artist, Marcin WasilewskiFind albums by this artist, Krzysztof HerdzinFind albums by this artist, Dominik WaniaFind albums by this artist, Grzegorz TurnauFind albums by this artist (who also briefly sings) and Wlodzimierz NahornyFind albums by this artist. Saxophonist Henryk MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist (Dorota´s Father) guests on one song. The DVD (filmed during the concert), included in the package, adds the concert´s intro, outro and a couple of songs not included on the CD. I am happy to say that I managed to have a more modest (with just three pianists) version of this project perform at the 2018 Singer Jazz Festival, which was extremely successful. As expected, all the performances are absolutely wonderful, a typical example of European haute Culture, where music, words and stage performance are combined to deliver an overall experience, which is more than just a sum of its ingredients. The album moves between Jazz & Poetry and highly lyrical popular music, all expertly arranged and brilliantly executed, especially in view of the fact that it was captured live. This album delivers exactly what it promises: an extraordinary panorama of Polish Jazz piano, full of elegance, virtuosity and flair. Miskiewicz moves with ease from one song to another, with a chameleonic change of moods and emotions, as appropriate for a great performer. For lovers of Polish Jazz in general and Polish Jazz piano in particular, this album is a superb introduction to the subject. Even for listeners beyond the Polish language sphere, this music easily penetrates and language barriers and should be completely accessible to every music lover.

Updated: 14/09/2018Posted: 14/09/2018

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DOROTA MISKIEWICZ & TONINHO HORTA ~ BONS AMIGOS WARNER MUSIC POLAND 5054197756405 (Barcode: 5054197756405) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2019 - 2020 Released: 2023 This is an album by Polish Jazz vocalist Dorota MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist and Brazilian guitarist / vocalist / composer Toninho HortaFind albums by this artist. The album was recorded mostly in Brazil with bassist Michael PipoquinhaFind albums by this artist and percussionist Armando MarcalFind albums by this artist. Later on overdubs by Polish (resident in Germany) drummer Bodek JankeFind albums by this artist and vocal overdubs by Miskiewicz were added in Poland. The album presents eleven tracks, eight of which were composed by Horta, and three were co-composed by Miskiewicz and Marek NapiorkowskiFind albums by this artist, two appearing originally on the album “CaminhoFind albums with this title” from 2008 and one appearing originally on the album “AleFind albums with this title” from 2012. The music is everything Brazilian music lovers might expect: brilliant songs, excellent guitar parts, superb vocals by Miskiewicz, who sings in Portuguese and Polish, and heartfelt accompaniment by the rhythm section. Horta plays some amazing guitar licks and Miskiewicz sings as if she was born in Bahia, and it is obvious that a lot of fun was had by everybody on board. The music sounds completely authentic, which is not easy to achieve with musicians not originally from Brazil, but Miskiewicz obviously feels deeply the specific zest of Brazilian music, sounding natural even when she sings in Polish. Her lovely vocals are pure magic, as always. The album is full of delicate nuances, both instrumental and vocal, which should keep all fans of Brazilian music happy, and continues the vocalist’s passion with that specific genre, now in its natural habitat. Overall, this is a truly delightful piece of music, which Miskiewicz can be really proud of and her many fans and admirers can enjoy wholeheartedly, as can all Brazilian Jazz fans the world over. Thank you my Dear for this gift of music!

Updated: 03/03/2024Posted: 03/03/2024

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DOROTA MISKIEWICZ / HENRYK MISKIEWICZ ~ NASZA MILOSC AGORA 5903111495572 (Barcode: 5903111495572) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2021 Released: 2021 This is an album by Polish Jazz vocalist (and violinist) Dorota MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist and her Father, saxophonist / composer Henryk MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist, recorded with an excellent team which includes pianist Piotr OrzechowskiFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. PianohooliganFind albums by this artist), bassist Slawomir KurkiewiczFind albums by this artist and another member of the Miskiewicz clan (often fondly referred to as the “Polish Jazz Royal Family”), Dorota’s brother Michal MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist. Kurkiewicz and Miskiewicz are the rhythm section of the Marcin WasilewskiFind albums by this artist Trio (previously Simple Acoustic TrioFind albums by this artist). The album presents eight original compositions, all composed by Henryk Miskiewicz or co-composed with his two offspring. Seven of the compositions feature lyrics by Polish Poets and one features Dorota singing wordless vocalese. The music is absolutely beautiful, kept well within the Classic Jazz convention and presenting superb melodies and spotless aesthetics, as well as perfect and truly virtuosic performances. All the five musicians, each in his own specific field, contributes to the final result, which emerges as more than just a sum of its parts. Dorota masterfully utilizes her velvety voice and her sensitivity to the lyrics, which she interprets splendidly. Henryk ideally emphasizes the romantic atmosphere and proves to be both a great accompanist and a soloist. Piotr adds the spark and fantasy, with his virtuosic piano parts, proving that he can be as imaginative and inventive in mainstream Jazz as he is in more complex Jazz idioms. And the rhythm section is a dream come true, supporting the music firmly and elegantly. Overall this is a superb vocal Jazz experience, which combines lofty compositions, intelligent and elegant lyrics and classy Jazz, that is an absolute marvel from start to finish. Although perhaps not a classic Jazz & Poetry project per se, it has many common characteristics with my beloved High Art idiom, shedding some light on the romantic side of the poetry of Ewa LipskaFind albums by this artist, and returns to the splendid work of Bogdan LoeblFind albums by this artist, Wojciech MlynarskiFind albums by this artist, Grzegorz TurnauFind albums by this artist and Andrzej PoniedzielskiFind albums by this artist, all being true wizards of words. Absolutely delightful!

Updated: 20/10/2021Posted: 20/10/2021

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WLODZIMIERZ NAHORNY ~ CHOPIN GENIUS LOCI CONFITEOR 005 (Barcode: 9788393161003) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2010 Released: 2010 The veteran Polish Jazz pianist / saxophonist / composer Wlodzimierz NahornyFind albums by this artist, one of the Godfathers of the post-WWII Polish Jazz scene, manages continuously to display a phenomenal vitality and unprecedented imagination, often much superior to those of his colleagues, often decades younger than himself. This album is a wonderful proof of exactly these qualities. Recorded in a sextet setting, with vocalist / violinist Dorota MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist, violinist Henryk GembalskiFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Wojciech StaroniewiczFind albums by this artist, bassist Mariusz BogdanowiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Piotr BiskupskiFind albums by this artist, Nahorny presents a set of Jazz transcriptions of eight pieces by the Polish composer Frederic ChopinFind albums by this artist, three pieces by a lesser known 20th Century Polish composer Roman MaciejewskiFind albums by this artist and one piece by Karol SzymanowskiFind albums by this artist. In addition one original composition by Nahorny is also included. Polish Jazz suffers terribly from overexploitation of Chopin´s music, which varies in quality from brilliant (rarely) to completely banal (most of the time). Therefore another attempt to interpret Chopin in the Jazz context is always a perilous undertaking. Nahorny´s bold and far fetching approach results in transcriptions, which although quote the original music, move very far away from the source during their execution, being in fact completely new and whole pieces of music, which Nahorny even names anew, giving the source as a reference only. Although such liberties might appear sometimes as to audacious, in Nahorny´s case they are fully justified and simply brilliant. The eleven transcriptions, spread over two CDs, are all fascinating musically and serve as wonderful vehicles for the musicians to display their respective talents. Miskiewicz sings some great vocalese, at times even almost free form, using lyrics on just one piece. Gembalski plays some scorching violin passages and Staroniewicz, as always, charms with his beautiful saxophone tone. The rhythm section keeps the music together with flair and elegance, pushing it ahead with just the right amount of energy. And last but not least Nahorny´s piano serves as glue between the Classical and the Swinging elements, bridging and bonding everything together. Although seemingly positioned well within the mainstream Jazz boundaries (except for the Classical references of course), this music displays quite a lot of freedom and unexpected ventures into less programmatic areas, sometimes almost touching upon Free / Avant Garde idioms, which of course is nothing new as far as Nahorny´s music is concerned. This album is a living proof that the Jazz-Classical Fusion can avoid pastiche, cliché and kitsch, and simply bite!

Updated: 17/12/2018Posted:

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TOMASZ STANKO ~ ROBERTO ZUCCO POLONIA 059 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1995 Released: 1996 This is a relatively little known brilliant album by Polish virtuoso trumpeter / composer Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, presenting one of the numerous soundtracks Stanko created for stage and cinema. This soundtrack was used for the Polish production of the theatre play "Roberto Zucco" by Bernard-Marie Koltés, based on the life of infamous Italian serial killer Roberto Succo. The music, which as usual with Stanko´s work, stands alone perfectly when removed from the stage context, consists of sixteen relatively short pieces performed by a quintet, quartet or on solo trumpet. Thirteen of these pieces are composed by Stanko and the remaining three are variations on the famous standard "Blue Velvet", of which two include vocal parts by singer Dorota MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist. This is an ultra rare opportunity to hear Stanko performing a standard, which he almost never does. Other players include pianist Andrzej JagodzinskiFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Janusz SkowronFind albums by this artist, bassist Slawomir KurkiewiczFind albums by this artist, drummer Michal MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist and percussionist Zbigniew BarysiakFind albums by this artist. Overall, as always with Stanko, this music is powerful and delicate simultaneously, simply making you wish it just wouldn´t stop. This is of course an absolute must to any Stanko acolyte / collector and a great proof of Stanko´s versatility as a composer. Brilliant stuff!

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RYSZARD WOJCIUL UNITED ORCHESTRA ~ ZORZA PRZESLICZNA WYNIKA FILMOTEKA NARODOWA (Barcode: 5908259554495) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2022 Released: 2023 This is an album by Polish Jazz saxophonist / clarinetist / keyboardist / bandleader / producer Ryszard WojciulFind albums by this artist, recorded by a large ensemble of some of the best Polish musicians from various stylistic associations. The list is way too long to be included here, but includes vocalists Grazyna AuguscikFind albums by this artist and Dorota MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist, multi-instrumentalist Maria PomianowskaFind albums by this artist, hurdy-gurdy player Joachim MencelFind albums by this artist, guitarist Marcin OlakFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej SzczycinskiFind albums by this artist, drummer Krzysztof SzmandaFind albums by this artist and many others. The album presents twenty-three tracks, twelve of which are short solo vocal cantos providing the continuity to the entire musical concept of this album, and eleven are Polish Folklore Easter songs, which served as inspiration to the new, much extended songs Wojciul and his team create, preserving the traditional lyrics but taking quite a lot of liberty with the instrumental and vocal arrangements. In his liner notes Wojciul explains that despite the beautiful and extremely rich Polish Folklore Easter songs tradition it remains mostly unknown, which prompted him to produce this wonderful album, and which I of course second wholeheartedly. Wojciul manages to transform the highly sacral / religious character of the original material into completely universal / modern musical environment, which is accessible to a much wider audience and succeeds to open up the little know beauty of these songs to general audience. His arrangements, general concept, choice of material and the participating musicians is absolutely perfect, creating an uplifting, highly spiritual and moving musical experience, which is breathtakingly beautiful. Overall, this is a very unique and highly sophisticated musical undertaking, creating a bridge across styles, cultures, genres and emotional frames, producing a superb piece of music, which has a universal aesthetic value, beyond its original source. This is a truly inspired piece of music and the producer and the entire team can be proud of their achievement, which is absolutely heartfelt and artistically inspired. Hats off!

Updated: 05/04/2023Posted: 04/04/2023

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