Record Reviews

EWA DEMARCZYK ~ SPIEWA PIOSENKI ZYGMUNTA KONIECZNEGO (EXPANDED EDITION) MUZA 445 (Barcode: 5907783494451) ~ POLAND ~ Classic Pop Recorded: 1967 Released: 1999 This is the most famous Polish album of all times, an extraordinary musical achievement revered all over the world in spite the fact that it is sung in Polish, which makes the lyrics accessible only to people speaking that language. The apparent power of the music crosses language barriers with its awe-inspiring intensity and expressiveness, similar to the music of Edith PiafFind albums by this artist, Jacques BrelFind albums by this artist and other famous troubadours, balladeers and chansonniers. The music, written by famous Polish composer Zygmunt KoniecznyFind albums by this artist, one of the most important composers in post WWII Poland, is absolutely marvelous, combining many different European music traditions, both of Western and Eastern European origin, providing a perfect match to the poetry, which serves as the song´s lyrics. The poetry is mostly modern, written by the country´s most talented and expressive minds, including my favorite Polish poet Julian TuwimFind albums by this artist. Outstanding Polish singer Ewa DemarczykFind albums by this artist performs these songs with such transcendent power and skill, theatrical dynamics and incredible vocal quality, that each and every one of them becomes an instant classic, all marvelous and brilliant. Combined together on one album they create a musical masterpiece rarely paralleled elsewhere, proving again that great music can be created outside of the mainstream, both musically and geographically. In the 43 years that passed since this album was recorded it lost absolutely nothing of its beauty, excellence and power and perhaps serves as yet another piece of evidence about the decadence and loss of direction we experience in music in recent times. This expanded edition of the original album includes a second CD with similar material recorded by Demarczyk four years earlier and issued as a single, which today is one of that rarest collector´s items in the Polish discography. Absolutely essential listening!

CD 2 Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend

LORA SZAFRAN ~ EWA DEMARCZYK: INSPIRACJE POLSKIE RADIO 2444 (Barcode: 5905610871109) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2023 Released: 2023 This is an album by veteran Polish Jazz vocalist Lora SzafranFind albums by this artist, supported by a formidable team of instrumentalists, fronted by pianist / arranger Milosz WoskoFind albums by this artist, drummer Sebastian FrankiewiczFind albums by this artist, bassist Adam KowalewskiFind albums by this artist and others. She also invited three guest: vocalist Aga ZaryanFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Henryk MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist and accordionist Jaroslaw BesterFind albums by this artist, who appear on selected tracks. The album presents ten tracks, all being songs associated with the repertoire of the Polish Diva Ewa DemarczykFind albums by this artist, six of which were composed by the legendary Zygmunt KoniecznyFind albums by this artist, two by Andrzej ZaryckiFind albums by this artist and the remaining two by others. The lyrics are mostly by renown Polish Poets, like Julian TuwimFind albums by this artist and others. Any attempt to touch an icon / legend / idol of the class of Demarczyk is a highly risky and virtually impossible task. Although the new arrangements of these songs, which are taken more into the Jazz environment, rather than the original chanson / theatrical idiom created matchlessly by Demarczyk, the comparisons are inevitable, and sadly come out rather oddly in the ears of anybody familiar with the original. Of course one has to give credit to the new arrangements and the excellent work by the instrumentalists involved, as well as Szafran’s vocal abilities and the throaty coloring of her voice, all of which are truly admirable. Still, the mind does not allow to separate oneself from the deeply seeded impressions and memories of the original. Some things are obviously better left alone… Overall, this is an impressive production / arrangement / execution in every respect, but I am simply too old to let my personal memories be forgotten, which is apparently needed in order to enjoy this album, beyond appreciating the effort. Of course these songs are still absolute treasures of Polish Culture.

Updated: 29/12/2023Posted: 29/12/2023

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WANDA WARSKA ~ DOMOWE PIOSENKI POLSKIE RADIO 1984-1985 (Barcode: 5907812249847) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 1964 - 2015 Released: 2016 This is a phenomenal collection of radio recordings by the iconic Polish Jazz vocalist Wanda WarskaFind albums by this artist, the wife of the Godfather of Polish Jazz, pianist / trumpeter / trombonist / composer / arranger / conductor / bandleader Andrzej KurylewiczFind albums by this artist. In retrospect, considering the criminally limited recorded legacy by Warska, in spite of her status and immense talent, she was perhaps overshadowed by the colossal figure of her husband and perhaps decided to support his career rather than develop her own. Whatever the reasons might have been, there is almost nothing available on the Polish music market that reflects her incredible artistry and this collection is a most welcome, albeit much belated, tribute to this Wonder Women! This 2CD album presents thirty seven stunning songs, all of which have two things in common: Warska sings them all and she wrote the lyrics to all of them, unveiling a part of her creative nature less know to the public. As if this wasn´t impressive enough, she also composed twenty four of these songs. Those she did not composed are mostly by Brazilian composers: Antonio Carlos JobimFind albums by this artist, Vinicius de MoraesFind albums by this artist, Dorival CaymmiFind albums by this artist and Joao GilbertoFind albums by this artist, the Godfathers of Bossa Nova and modern Brazilian music (total nine songs). Warska started her career as a lyricist in 1964, when she translated into Polish the a/m Bossa Nova songs, which swept the Polish scene as they did all over the world at the time. The remaining four songs come from other sources and interestingly none of the songs on this album were composed by Kurylewicz. These songs were recorded during a number of recording sessions as follows: one song was recorded in 1963, five songs were recorded in 1964, seven songs were recorded in 1966, one song was recorded in 1971 and seven songs were recorded in 1972; on all of the above twenty one songs Warska is accompanied by various ensembles led by Kurylewicz, lineups of which are unknown. Thirteen songs were recorded in 2002 and one in 2004 with a quartet which included Kurylewicz on piano, guitarist Marek NapiorkowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Pawel PantaFind albums by this artist and drummer Cezary KonradFind albums by this artist. Two more songs were recorded in 2015 (after the passing of Kurylewicz in 2007) with a trio featuring pianist Andrzej JagodzinskiFind albums by this artist, Napiorkowski and Panta. The songs composed by Warska are all pearls of the Polish Jazz & Poetry idiom, full of that heartbreaking lyricism, Slavic melancholy and beautiful melodies, that only Poles are capable of weaving. Warska´s interpretations of these songs are absolutely divine, although she was always the absolute Queen of Cool, playing around with her beautiful voice and using cleverly the idiosyncrasies of the Polish language and diction, but eschewing theatrics and drama. This perfect minimalism is her trademark, and sets her apart from all other Polish Jazz vocalists, regardless of their age. In truth this album is a wonderful opportunity to compare Warska to her alter ego, the legendary Polish Jazz vocalist Ewa DemarczykFind albums by this artist, who also enjoys an iconic status based mostly on a very limited number of recordings done decades ago. Demarczyk and Warska are the two most important figures of the Polish Jazz vocal artistry, and they both remain unchallenged so far. Demarczyk, the absolute Drama Queen, is the devilish face of Polish Jazz vocals whereas Warska is the absolute angelic face of it. They compliment each other perfectly, like Yin & Yang and a prospect of seeing them both on one stage and / or the possibility of them making an album together gives me the Goosebumps. As usual in such cases, the lyrical content of this album is sadly limited to those listeners who understand the Polish language, however I´m pretty sure that the beauty and the power of these songs is much stronger than language barriers and all sensitive listeners anywhere on this planet should be able to enjoy this album immensely. As far as Polish Cultural Heritage is concerned, this is an absolute National Treasure, which deserves to be cherished and studied by young musicians in Poland, first and foremost by vocalists of course. For us, the humble admirers, this is an essential addition to our record collections, no questions asked. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Updated: 05/05/2016Posted: 05/05/2016

CD 2 Digipak Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend

PATRYCJA ZINIEWICZ ~ LIST DO CZARNEGO ANIOLA NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 5900378715047) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is the debut album by Polish vocalist Patrycja ZiniewiczFind albums by this artist recorded with a classic Jazz piano trio comprising of pianist Jan JareckiFind albums by this artist, bassist Filip ArasimowiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Kacper SkolikFind albums by this artist. Three other musicians guest on selected tracks. The album presents thirteen songs, associated as the title suggests (Eng. “Letter To The Black Angel”), with the repertoire of iconic Polish vocalist Ewa DemarczykFind albums by this artist, nicknamed “Black Angel”, who died a few months after this album was recorded. Anybody familiar with Polish Culture is of course aware of the unique status achieved by Demarczyk, which sets her apart from everything that happened on the Polish Cultural landscape, high and above on an unreachable pedestal. Her phenomenal interpretation of Polish Poetry and idiosyncratic vocal style, combined with music that was composed (in most cases) specifically for her, is absolutely untouchable and beyond any attempt of being mimicked. The question if her repertoire can be interpreted remains open. Before anything else can be said, the sheer audacity displayed by Ziniewicz by her attempt to tackle this unsurmountable task must be admitted – she surely has “big balls” (gender aside), the question is if that is sufficient. Ziniewicz certainly does not attempt to impersonate Demarczyk, and offers her own interpretation of these songs, which are very far from Demarczyk’s theatrics and extremism. The general idea is to Jazz up these songs, but surprisingly the transformation into Jazz is only partial, and is directly evident on just a few of the songs. That creates an impression of going halfway, rather than presenting a coherent concept. Another problem is the fact, that most of these songs, once performed by Demarczyk in her highly eccentric way, become icons in themselves, and any attempt to perform them will immediately call for a comparison, which of course in impossible. Lofty Angels, Black, Blue or any others are simply best left alone. Ziniewicz is a very gifted vocalist, that goes beyond saying, with an obvious zets, a strong voice with an impressive range, obviously appropriate for the musical stage. She is still very young and will surely crystalize her own stylistic finesse. But Demarczyk did not sing songs from musicals; she was even beyond cabaret or sung poetry, with which she was associated for a lack of a better term, she was simply herself, a mixture of an Angel and a Devil in the flesh. The piano trio sounds the best when the musicians start to swing and even manage to insert an occasional solo, but for the rest of the way they remain pretty unremarkable – professional and technically highly proficient, but nothing special. Overall this album leaves me undecided and with a lot of unanswered questions. These are magnificent songs and the lyrics are pearls of Polish Poetry, so what is here not to like. Is this music as good as the original? Surely not, that is, as already sated, simply impossible. Is it worth listening to? Sure thing, it is even enjoyable if one manages to free oneself from hearing the original in the back of one’s mind. Was this a wise decision? Personally I doubt it, as with all the courage and effort, the task was sadly underrated and proved to be too daunting. But thank you young Lady for trying and for looking up to the best. I am already curious to hear your next album, just don’t give up and remember… this is a long journey up the hill. God bless!

Updated: 21/03/2021Posted: 21/03/2021

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