Record Reviews

PIOTR BARON ~ MONIUSZKO JAZZ POLSKIE RADIO 2372 (Barcode: 5907812241889) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2021 This is an album by veteran Polish Jazz saxophonist Piotr BaronFind albums by this artist recorded in a classic quintet setting with top Polish Jazz musicians: trumpeter Robert MajewskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Michal TokajFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej AdamczakFind albums by this artist and drummer Lukasz ZytaFind albums by this artist. As the title suggests, the album plays a Jazz tribute to the music of Polish National composer Stanislaw MoniuszkoFind albums by this artist, and features four of his compositions in a Jazz arrangement. The fifth track on the album is an arrangement of a composition by Feliks NowowiejskiFind albums by this artist, another Polish Classical composer. The year 2019 was declared as Moniuszko year in Poland, which not surprisingly produced a plethora of recordings of his music, including several within the Jazz idiom, some already reviewed by me earlier. Personally I am not convinced that the music of Moniuszko and Jazz go ideally hand in hand, but since the Moniuszko year offered a possibility to get a grant for playing his music, many musicians took advantage of such an offer – not a bad thing per se of course. The music on this album has very little to do with Moniuszko, except for the fact that the melodic themes from his compositions are quoted subtly. This does not mean of course that the music suffers from that fact, since anything played by these excellent musicians must sound great thanks to their talents. The arrangements call for a gentle, melodic, mainstream approach, which is taken here to the max. Following the intros, where the source is quoted, the five tracks present lengthy solos by all five musicians, all brilliantly executed, as expected. Overall, this is a wonderful Polish Jazz mainstream album, performed by top musicians, which is a joy to listen to, although does not try to be innovative or surprising in any way. Works for me! And please leave Moniuszko out of Jazz in the future.

Updated: 31/12/2021Posted: 31/12/2021

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ILONA DAMIECKA / TOMASZ LICAK QUINTET ~ PIESNI POLSKIE VOL.1 NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is the debut album by the Polish Jazz quintet co-led by vocalist / pianist Ilona DamieckaFind albums by this artist and saxophonist Tomasz LicakFind albums by this artist, which also includes saxophonist Michal Jan CiesielskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Pawel GrzesiukFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam GolickiFind albums by this artist. The album presents six songs by Polish Classical composers: Stanislaw MoniuszkoFind albums by this artist, Feliks NowowiejskiFind albums by this artist and Mieczyslaw KarlowiczFind albums by this artist, arranged for the quintet by Licak. The music was recorded live at the Radio Gdansk studio and offers a remarkable sound quality. The music is an interesting Jazz-Classical Fusion, and although personally I am not a great fun of the original music, composed mostly in the 19th Century, these Jazz arrangements manage to transform it into the Jazz idiom rather successfully. The swinging treatment transforms the original melodies, many of which are based on Polish Folklore, into a much more vigorous environment and the resulting modern mainstream zest serves them well. The ballads emphasize the typical Polish melancholy, again deeply rooted into Polish Folk music, and those also work out very well in the up-to-date dressing. The closing song on the album gets a much more adventurous treatment, and perhaps points to a direction of the follow up album? The entire transformation process is done with taste and sophistication, which deserves to be praised. The members of the quintet are all seasoned musicians, which is clearly obvious by the splendid level of the performances herein. The idea of the double saxophone front line is excellent, but sadly although the two saxophonists perform beautifully on their own they do not play together enough, which might have intensified the result. Damiecka plays some wonderful piano soli and her treatment of the original lyrics, which are replaced by her vocalese, is also excellent, albeit somewhat minimalist. The rhythm section swings passionately and carries the tunes forward, as expected from professionals. Overall this is a superb debut effort and a most enjoyable listening experience, which as the title pledges, is just a first glance of the future plans by the quintet. Passionate performances, great soloing and swinging fluidity – what else can one expect form a mainstream modern Jazz album. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 16/07/2020Posted: 16/07/2020

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