Record Reviews

KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA ~ KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA W POLSKIM RADIU VOL.02 – MUZYKA BALETOWA I FILMOWA – CZESC PIERWSZA POLSKIE RADIO 1862 (Barcode: 5907812248628) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1959 - 1963 Released: 2014 This is the second installment in a new series of albums launched by the Polish Radio, which presents radio recordings by the Godfather of Polish Jazz, pianist / composer / bandleader Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist. Komeda is of course the most familiar name associated with Polish Jazz and his legacy is of crucial importance to Polish and European Jazz. Considering the fact that Komeda´s studio recordings are relatively scarce, the radio recordings are in fact the main source of his recorded legacy, as they include among others the Jazz Jamboree festival appearances by Komeda and his various ensembles over the years. Recorded between 1959 and 1963 this volume collects only original music that Komeda composed for ballet and cinema and performed with his groups during the 1961 edition of the Jazz Jamboree festival in Warsaw (one track), the 1962 edition (four tracks) and 1963 edition (one track). The remaining two tracks are radio studio recordings. The music includes the following compositions: "Ballet Etudes", written by Komeda to be performed by a Jazz ensemble accompanying ballet dancers, which had its premiere during the 1962 Jazz Jamboree with dancers from the Warsaw Opera, theme from the film "Innocent Sorcerers" directed by Andrzej WajdaFind albums by this artist and the monumental music from the debut full length film "Knife In The Water" directed by Roman PolanskiFind albums by this artist. As any Polish Jazz enthusiast knows, this is the cradle of modern Polish Jazz and includes some of its most defining moments, as well as the essence of Komeda, the composer. The list of the musicians participating in these recordings reads like the who´s who of early modern Polish Jazz: vocalist Wanda WarskaFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist and Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, bassists Roman DylagFind albums by this artist, Adam SkorupkaFind albums by this artist, Jan ByrczekFind albums by this artist and Maciej SuzinFind albums by this artist, drummers Leszek DudziakFind albums by this artist, Czeslaw BartkowskiFind albums by this artist and Tadeusz FederowskiFind albums by this artist and percussionist Jozef GawrychFind albums by this artist. Three Swedish musicians also participate: saxophonist Bernt RosengrenFind albums by this artist, trombonist Eje ThelinFind albums by this artist and drummer Rune CarlssonFind albums by this artist. Overall this is a collection of brilliant music, superbly performed, which is an absolute revelation to anybody who loves Jazz. It is a fundamental piece of every decent Jazz record collection. The recordings are splendidly restored and remastered and nicely packaged in an elegant digipak / slipcase. Dates, places and lineups are faithfully included and even personal liner notes by young Polish Jazz critics are present, but there is no in-depth background material about Komeda and his music, however considering the plentitude of published material and several excellent books on the subject, an intelligent listener can easily bridge the knowledge gap. The only small reservation one might have is the fact that these recordings have been already released many times, more or less legally on the somewhat untamed Polish music market, which means they is already owned by the serious Polish Jazz collectors, probably more than once.

CD 1 Digipak Slipcase Remastered Recommend To A Friend

EJE THELIN QUINTET ~ AT THE GERMAN JAZZ FESTIVAL 1964 DRAGON 374 (Barcode: 7391953003747) ~ SWEDEN ~ Jazz Recorded: 1964 Released: 2002 This is a reissue / remaster of a live album by Swedish trombonist / composer / bandleader Eje ThelinFind albums by this artist, recorded with his quintet, which also included saxophonist Ulf AnderssonFind albums by this artist, Belgian pianist / flautist Joel VandroogenbroekFind albums by this artist, Polish (resident in Sweden) bassist Roman DylagFind albums by this artist and drummer Rune CarlssonFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven tracks, two of which are originals by Thelin, one is by Vandroogenbroek, another one is by Swedish pianist / composer Lars SjostenFind albums by this artist and three are standards. The last track is a previously unreleased bonus. The sound quality of this 1964 recording is absolutely stunning (well the German radio sound engineers were as good as their British peers). The album’s booklet reprints the original liner notes of the German edition, written by my Friend and Mentor Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist, whom I miss every day. Thelin was one of the great pioneers of European Jazz, and although he was strongly influenced by the American Jazz tradition, later on in his career he embraced modern European aesthetics. Dylag was a Polish Jazz pioneer and played on many early Polish Jazz recordings, including those by Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist, where Thelin and Carlsson also played. After he emigrated to Sweden, he was the “Polish connection” for many Polish Jazz musicians, who kick started their careers in Scandinavia. The music is mostly Bebop oriented, but the European finesse and elegance turns the album into an instant classic, which shows that by the mid-1960s the Europeans were catching up with what arose across the pond, soon to leave the Americans behind deep in the dust ;) Overall, this is a classic early European Jazz recording, which shows how well the local musicians learned from what was happening across the pond, ready to go their separate ways soon after. Brilliant reminder of the mid-1960, when I was growing up listening to this kind of stuff.

Updated: 28/01/2025Posted: 28/01/2025

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ POLISH RADIO JAZZ ARCHIVES VOL.03 POLSKIE RADIO 1599 (Barcode: 5907812245993) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1962 Released: 2013 This is the third installment in the new series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings. Radio recordings are always a fabulous source of remarkable material, and as far as Polish Jazz history is concerned, the Polish Radio, which was a state monopoly for 45 years, recorded over time a plethora of invaluable material, which apart from the albums released by the Polskie Nagrania record company (also a state monopoly), is the only additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland´s most important Jazz venue, the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well. The material collected here presents recordings made during the 5th Jazz Jamboree, which took place between October 27 and 29, 1962 in Warsaw. The artists include two Scandinavian Jazz ensembles: Swedish trombonist Eje ThelinFind albums by this artist and his quintet and the Jazz FraktionenFind albums by this artist quintet featuring the Danish saxophonist John TchicaiFind albums by this artist. One track features the American trumpeter Don EllisFind albums by this artist accompanied by a Polish trio led by pianist Wojciech KarolakFind albums by this artist, which was already presented on volume 2 of this series, offering here an alternate take. Another track presents the quintet led by Polish vibraphonist Jerzy MilianFind albums by this artist, which features the legendary Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist on piano. The last track presents the Danish vibraphonist Louis HjulmandFind albums by this artist also accompanied by pianist Wojciech Karolak and his trio. At the time Poland kept a relatively open relation with the Scandinavian countries, as opposed to the Western Europe, which explains the presence of several Scandinavian players at the festival. Also some Polish Jazz managed to play in Scandinavia at that time, including Komeda. Except for Ellis, who plays an original composition, all the other ensembles play Jazz standards, mostly Bebop, which was the model for most modern European Jazz musicians at the time, leading to the development of a new style, which would crystallize over the next few years. The performances are all excellent and their invaluable historical significance is beyond reproach. Beautifully restored sound quality and a warm ambience of the live analog recording is a true joy. As usual with this series, which is very reasonably priced, I miss the presence of "in depth" liner notes / booklet, which should convey the circumstances at which this music was recorded and its meaning to the development of Polish Jazz in particular and Polish Culture in general. Nevertheless this is an essential piece of history which every Polish Jazz fan will surely consider an absolute must.

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend

VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ POLISH RADIO JAZZ ARCHIVES VOL.31 POLSKIE RADIO 2076 (Barcode: 5907812244149) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1966 Released: 2018 This is the thirty-first installment in the series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings from the radio vaults. Radio recordings are always a fabulous source of remarkable material, and as far as Polish Jazz history is concerned, the Polish Radio, which was a state monopoly for 45 years, recorded over time a plethora of invaluable material, which apart from the albums released by the Polskie Nagrania record company (also a state monopoly), is the only available additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland´s most important Jazz venues, including the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well. The tracks presented here were recorded live in October 1966 during the ninth Jazz Jamboree Festival in Warsaw and are the third volume of a collection of tracks from that event. The first four tracks present the American violinist / vocalist Stuff SmithFind albums by this artist, accompanied by an ad hoc trio which included Czech (at that time) pianist Jan HammerFind albums by this artist, Swedish bassist Kurt LindgrenFind albums by this artist and Italian drummer Franco ManzecchiFind albums by this artist. The quartet performs four standards and the entire set is rather unimpressive to say the least. Smith died shortly after this appearance and these ware among his last recordings. The next track presents a quartet led by Swedish trombonist Eje ThelinFind albums by this artist with French saxophonist Barney WilenFind albums by this artist (mistakenly listed as Wilen Barney), Swedish bassist Palle DanielssonFind albums by this artist (misspelled as Danielsen) and American drummer Billie BrooksFind albums by this artist. The quartet performs one lengthy (almost half an hour long) just about entirely improvised piece of Free Jazz, which at the time was considered quite Avant-Garde, but portrays the rapid development of European Jazz at the time, catching up with the Free Jazz developments in the US. The next track presents a quartet co-led by two USSR Jazz musicians: guitarist Nicolai GrominFind albums by this artist and saxophonist Georgy GaranianFind albums by this artist, with bassist Adolf SatanowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Aleksander GoretkinFind albums by this artist (all the Russian names are misspelled). The quartet performs one original composition by Gromin, kept in the mainstream Jazz idiom. The next and last and most interesting track presents a Polish / Czech quintet comprising of trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Jan Ptaszyn WroblewskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Jan Hammer, bassist Jacek BednarekFind albums by this artist and drummer Grzegorz GierlowskiFind albums by this artist. The quintet performs one original composition by Stanko, brilliant and typical of the era, which is an absolute cherry on top of the entire album and reflects the strength of the Polish Jazz scene at the time. The beautifully restored sound quality is excellent and the warm ambience of the analog recording is a true joy. As usual with this series, which is very reasonably priced, I miss the presence of "in depth" liner notes / booklet, which should convey the circumstances at which this music was recorded and its importance to the development of Jazz in Poland. Nevertheless this is an absolutely essential piece of Jazz history which every Jazz fan will surely consider an absolute must.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 01/05/2018

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend

WEATHER REPORT ~ LIVE IN BERLIN 1971 GAD 271 (Barcode: 5903068124884) ~ USA ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1971 Released: 2023 This is a sensational 2CD live archival album by the legendary Fusion supergroup Weather ReportFind albums by this artist, captured soon after the release of their eponymous debut album just a few months earlier. The lineup includes Austrian keyboardist Joe ZawinulFind albums by this artist, American saxophonist Wayne ShorterFind albums by this artist, Czech bassist Miroslav VitousFind albums by this artist, American drummer Alphonse MouzonFind albums by this artist and Brazilian percussionist Dom Um RomaoFind albums by this artist, who replaced the founding member, also Brazilian percussionist Airto MoreiraFind albums by this artist. The album presents thirteen tracks, on three of which the quintet is expanded into an octet with the presence of Swedish trombonist Eje ThelinFind albums by this artist and British saxophonists Alan SkidmoreFind albums by this artist and John SurmanFind albums by this artist. This particular album is completely unique for several reasons. This early lineup of Weather Report has almost no other live recordings, except for the Japanese only “Live In TokyoFind albums with this title” album. The music is characterized by highly improvised, often completely Free Jazz approach, before the group gradually shifted into the more melodic / Funky vein, which sounded completely different from the early period. Also the presence of the three musicians from outside the group’s lineup is of course unprecedented. Additionally, the fact that half of the tracks here last for well over ten minutes in duration, and the entire album lasts for two hours, emphasizes the highly improvised nature of the music. In short, this album presents mostly the less known side of Weather Report, which reflects their most ambitious, creative and challenging period. It is worth to remember that although the group was formed in the US, it was never a typical American act, and when all the European elements were finally gone, it lost most of its initial impact before eventually falling apart. On the other hand, if the group would have continued in the same direction of advanced improvisation, it probably would have never achieved the popularity and fame they did achieve at their peak. Overall, this album is a true revelation in every respect, and for the many Weather Report fans worldwide, it is an eye (ear) opener, which they can’t miss. The fact that it was released by a Polish reissues label GADFind albums on this label Records speaks volumes of the label’s initiative to uncover past musical treasures. This music is beyond essential!

Updated: 05/01/2024Posted: 05/01/2024

CD 2 Recommend To A Friend

KENNY WHEELER ~ AROUND 6 ECM 1156 (Barcode: 731452912428) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 1979 Released: 1990 This is the third album on the ECMFind albums on this label label by the great British (born in Canada) trumpeter / composer Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist, one of the Godfathers of modern British and European Jazz. Recorded in a sextet setting, the album combines the forces of several superb European musicians: British saxophonist Evan ParkerFind albums by this artist, Swedish trombonist Eje ThelinFind albums by this artist, US (resident in Europe) vibraphonist Tom van der GeldFind albums by this artist, French bassist Jean-Francois Jenny-ClarkFind albums by this artist and Finnish drummer Edward VesalaFind albums by this artist. The sextet performs six original compositions by Wheeler, two of which are expanded pieces over ten minutes long and one is a solo trumpet piece. In many respects this album is quite different from all other recordings Wheeler made for ECM, mostly due to the presence of Parker, who belongs to the radical Free Jazz circle, which almost never (except for the very early days) manages to get any exposure on the label. Wheeler, however, seems to have absolutely no problem with Parker being a part of the lineup and switches elegantly between the melodic / lyrical compositions or passages within a composition, into the wild free realms Parker resides in. There are very few recordings, which manage to create such a wonderful cross-genre symbiosis like this one, and therefore this album is in retrospect one of the most interesting ECM recordings. All the players here have been major figures on the European Jazz scene since many years and participated in countless recording sessions from the mid 1960s all throughout the 1970s and Wheeler´s capability to bring them together as part of this project is truly admirable. The level of performance is absolutely dazzling and combined with the level of freedom the musicians are granted by the leader they are able to express themselves to the max, which is clearly evident to the listener. This music lost absolutely nothing of its power and beauty over time, on the contrary listening to this album only makes one wonder why such ambitious and groundbreaking music is rarely being recorded today. This is an absolute gem and every record collection will be greatly enriched by having this album as one of its items. Grab it if you can find it!

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend