Record Reviews

TOMASZ STANKO ~ A FAREWELL TO MARIA (SOUNDTRACK) GOWI 12 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1993 Released: 1994 This is an album by legendary Polish Jazz trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, which presents the music used as a soundtrack of an obscure Polish TV movie "A Farewell To MariaFind albums with this title", directed by Filip ZylberFind albums by this artist. The music is performed by a large cast of top Polish Jazz musicians, like saxophonist Tomasz SzukalskiFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Janusz SkowronFind albums by this artist, bassists Andrzej CudzichFind albums by this artist and Adam CegielskiFind albums by this artist, drummer Cezary KonradFind albums by this artist and others, as well as a string quartet. The album comprises of thirteen relatively short tracks, which appear within the film. The music is a wonderful example of the strength of Stanko the composer and is based around the leitmotif, which is, as always, a heartwrenching ballad that Stanko masterly created. But the album also includes several additional melodic and improvised pieces, which create a diverse and fascinating musical experience. In contrast to many soundtrack albums, this one works perfectly well by itself, detached from the cinematic layer. The performances are all top notch, again as expected, and in many respects this album firmly belongs to the mainstream of Stanko´s recorded heritage. It´s a great pity that this album so little known by Stanko´s fans and the fact that it is impossible to find a copy of this album is a crying shame. Grab it if you can find it!

Updated: 18/07/2017Posted: 18/07/2017

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

TOMASZ STANKO ~ EGZEKUTOR (SOUNDTRACK) UNIVERSAL 044001434723 (Barcode: 044001434723) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2001 Released: 2001 Polish trumpet virtuoso / composer Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist is universally recognized as one of world´s top Jazz musicians since many years. However, his contributions as composer of music for cinema is somewhat lesser known, which is a pity. Stanko´s work in that area started way back to the early 1970s, but even earlier, when he was a member of the legendary Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist ensemble, he already became intimate with the art of writing for cinema from his mentor, who was one of the greatest soundtrack creators ever, mostly known for his work for Roman PolanskiFind albums by this artist. It is therefore understandable that Stanko´s music for films would become heavily influenced by Komeda´s approach, which culminates with this soundtrack, written to a brilliant film by Polish director Filip ZylberFind albums by this artist. In fact this is the second time Stanko contributes the soundtrack to a film by Zylber, with "A Farewell To MariaFind albums with this title" being the predecessor to this one. Stanko is accompanied by some impressive players on this album, most notably by singer Justyna SteczkowskaFind albums by this artist, who contributes some breathtaking vocalese parts. Also present are Janusz SkowronFind albums by this artist on synthesizer, Slawomir KurkiewiczFind albums by this artist on bass, Michal MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist on drums, and Zbigniew BrysiakFind albums by this artist on percussion, as well as a string quartet. But Stanko´s trumpet dominates this music completely and overwhelmingly, when it plays completely solo or is accompanied by other instruments. Stanko´s virtuosity and magic sound are truly magnificent and supported by the atmospheric and often melancholic melodic motifs, the overall effect is simply stunning. It is a rare occasion when a soundtrack stand alone as a full fledged Jazz album, and this is a superb example of this being the case. I can only say that every Stanko fan should try and listen to this album, even if finding it today, only 10 years after it was released, is virtually impossible. The album was released as a double set with a CD and DVD Audio (Surround Sound) version of the music, which present different mixes of the same music. An absolute must!

CD+DVD 2 DVD-A Recommend To A Friend