Record Reviews

3 JAZZ SOLDIERS ~ ODLAMKOWA NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2011 - 2012 Released: 2012 This is the debut album by the Polish Jazz-Rock / Fusion trio 3 Jazz SoldiersFind albums by this artist, led by the veteran guitarist Krzysztof MisiakFind albums by this artist, with bassist Filip SojkaFind albums by this artist and drummer Grzegorz GrzybFind albums by this artist. Of the twelve tracks on the album, four are original composition by Misiak and the rest are Jazz and Rock standards ranging from Miles DavisFind albums by this artist to the BeatlesFind albums by this artist. The group is a typical Jazz-Rock power trio with a stronger Rock than Jazz affiliation rhythmically, but the music is mostly improvised, as appropriate for the Jazz-Rock milieu. The guitar is of course the most dominant instrument, leading the music most of the time, with the rhythm section providing all the background and basis for the leader to ride upon. The bassist has very nice chops and the drummer is rock-steady and keeps time, which in these circumstances is exactly what the doctor prescribed. Misiak is a gifted and very experienced player, who is able to make his guitar sound "retro", which is quite nice and effective. The overall atmosphere of the album is very much the 1970s, which in this case is a good thing. The selection of tunes is versatile enough to present a whole spectrum of guitar bravado, from slow and smoky ballads to up-tempo energetic rockers. The music is funky and enough to dead dance. There are no great musical innovations or challenges here, this is good time stuff, which is meant to entertain, something music should definitely do, at least occasionally. But being entertaining without being vulgar or overly simplistic is rare these days and this album is just a nice example how to do it. For guitar aficionados this is a must, especially those, who like the Rocky side of Jazz-Rock / Fusion. Definitely worth investigating!

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KRZYSZTOF HERDZIN ~ DANCING FLOWERS FUSION 001 (Barcode: 5907564258012) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2001 Released: 2005 This album by Polish keyboardist / composer / arranger Krzysztof HerdzinFind albums by this artist presents yet another aspect of his seemingly universal musical personality. It is basically a Funk album, which consists of seven instrumentals and three songs, all composed by Herdzin. The arrangements, especially those involving the horn section, have some proximity to Jazz, but overall it is a Pop album with some Jazz-Rock Fusion elements. The music is performed by an excellent team, which includes guitarist Marek NapiorkowskiFind albums by this artist, bassists Zbigniew WegehauptFind albums by this artist (in a rare appearance on bass guitar), Filip SojkaFind albums by this artist and Miroslaw WisniewskiFind albums by this artist and drummers Cezary KonradFind albums by this artist, Grzegorz GrzybFind albums by this artist and Michal DabrowkaFind albums by this artist and horn players like saxophonists Michal KulentyFind albums by this artist, Marek PodkowaFind albums by this artist and Mariusz MelczarekFind albums by this artist and several others. The vocals are handled by three young Pop vocalists, two female and one male, all of them quite unimpressive The music is based on the American Funk model, which was developed in the 1970s / 1980s by a plentitude of mostly African American musicians, especially the archetypical Earth, Wind & FireFind albums by this artist, but also by many partly Jazz oriented artists like George DukeFind albums by this artist, Stanley ClarkeFind albums by this artist, Grover Washington, Jr.Find albums by this artist and even Miles DavisFind albums by this artist and Herbie HancockFind albums by this artist during some periods of their extensive careers. Herdzin presents his version of Funk, which is based more on the melodic content than the rhythmic progression and is therefore somewhat softened, or simply more European. Herdzin often states that anything he does is by no means inferior to whatever the Americans are doing, and to tell the truth he is often correct when saying so, but on the other hand as it was once so adequately put: "White Man Can´t Jump" and Funk is after all about "jumping" more than anything else. When asked if he ever played Funk, Herdzin can most certainly answer positively, following this recording. Overall this is a well done, pleasant album (except for the vocal tracks), which is ideal for driving on sunny days (pretty rare in Poland) with the volume up and a pretty blonde beside you. Enjoy!

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