Record Reviews

ANNA MARIA JOPEK / BRANFORD MARSALIS ~ ULOTNE AMJ 001 (Barcode: 5906395769315) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2015 - 2017 Released: 2018 Every new release by the Polish Diva Anna Maria JopekFind albums by this artist is a celebration of Culture and a major musical event on an international scale, especially so when it involves a revered Jazz superstar like saxophonist Branford MarsalisFind albums by this artist. Jopek, famous for her consistent independent Artistic vision, managed to create her own universe, where she does not need to compare or compete with the rest of the world, which enables her complete freedom of expression and self-determination, which only very few Artists worldwide were able to achieve over time. Recording an album with Marsalis was a dream, which Jopek held on to since the time she heard him playing with StingFind albums by this artist, which of course was a huge influence on every true music lover at the time. The incredible chemistry that Sting and Marsalis demonstrated was an extremely tall order to follow, but Jopek never eschewed a challenge and this album proves that the realization of that dream was indeed worthwhile waiting for. The album was recorded during two separate recording sessions, twenty one months apart, which considering the busy schedule that Jopek and Marsalis are both entangled in, is not as surprising as it might sound. The somewhat esoteric group of musicians includes percussionist Mino CineluFind albums by this artist, pianists Krzysztof HerdzinFind albums by this artist (who was also in charge of arrangements and conducting) and Marcin WasilewskiFind albums by this artist, multi-instrumentalist Piotr NazarukFind albums by this artist, bassist Robert KubiszynFind albums by this artist and Atom String QuartetFind albums by this artist (violinists Mateusz SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist and Dawid LubowiczFind albums by this artist, violist Michal ZaborskiFind albums by this artist and cellist Krzysztof LenczowskiFind albums by this artist). Polish Folklore Guru Maria PomianowskaFind albums by this artist guests on one track. The album presents ten tracks on the "formal" first CD and four additional tracks (one of which is an alternate version of a track on the album) on the "bonus" second CD. The songs are mostly originals, written by Jopek or co-written with her spouse Marcin KydrynskiFind albums by this artist, one song is by Herdzin, one by Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist (see below), one by Andrzej ZielinskiFind albums by this artist (SkaldowieFind albums by this artist) and one by Harry KandelFind albums by this artist with the rest being originally traditional Polish Folklore songs. Musically the album marks a return to Jopek´s established modus operandi, which combines Polish Folklore and original songwriting, spiced with Jazzy arrangements and of course dominated by her highly original expressionism. The music is deeply soaked in Polish lyricism and melancholy and her decision to sing in the Polish language emphasizes these elements even further. Marsalis plunges into this Slavic environment with vigor and determination, as if Eastern European sensitivities were his second nature, which is quite remarkable. It proves not only his openness and ability to embrace diverse Cultures, but also his incredible musicality, which enables him to feel completely at home in this Slavic musical setting. It also proves, perhaps more importantly, that music is universal, as is human soul, and ethnic boundaries can be crossed and amalgamated on the collective plane. Jopek, Marsalis and all the musicians involved in the recording of this album are of course veteran professionals in addition to their individual Artistic abilities, which results in the music being perfectly and incredibly sensitively executed. This music requires total dedication and every single note played by every musician at every given moment must be precisely articulated to achieve the desired effect. Luckily this team rises to the challenge admirably. The delicate and wonderfully written string arrangements performed by the Atoms add a superbly "angelic" aura to the overall sound and the folkloristic elements by Nazaruk spice the proceedings splendidly. Marsalis plays a series of breathtaking solos throughout the album, exactly as expected of course and Jopek, as always, manages to create goose bumps all over the listener´s body regardless if she sings lyrics or awe-inspiring vocalese. When selecting the material for this album, Jopek requested the permission of Tomasz Stanko to use his beautiful ballad "A Farewell To MariaFind albums with this title", originally used in the soundtrack of a movie of the same name, as she was sure Marsalis would be able to embrace the lyricism of this incredible melody and create a marvelous solo while performing it. She was right of course and this track is definitely one of the highlights of this album, and at the same time it constitutes a mournful tribute to Stanko, who passed away before the album was released. Another interesting piece is the excellent arrangement of the classic Harry Kandel (born in Lwow) Klezmer tune "A Night In The Garden Of Eden", which features Jopek´s hair-raising vocalese. Of course Klezmer music has always been an integral part of the Polish Folklore tapestry, in which the Jewish contribution was invaluable. Overall this album is a Masterpiece from start to finish, which is no news to the numerous Jopek´s fans. There is not one moment on this album, which is not inspirational and eloquent, heartwarming and heartfelt. Both deeply Polish and at the same time universally appealing this music knows no stylistic or Cultural boundaries. It is beautiful and sensitive and at the same time deeply emotional, soul-searching and introspective. In short, this album delivers everything one expects to hear when Great Artists are involved. Thank you, as always, my Dear!

Updated: 08/12/2018Posted: 08/12/2018

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KROKE ~ FEELHARMONY EMI 5099901770827 (Barcode: 5099901770827) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2012 Released: 2012 In autumn of 2011 I had the pleasure of being present at the opening concert of the Singer´s Warsaw Festival, which featured Poland´s most prominent World Music ensemble KrokeFind albums by this artist and their guest, superstar vocalist Anna Maria JopekFind albums by this artist. Jopek, who in recent years discovered World Music herself, as evident on her latest recordings, was nevertheless quite a surprising partner for Kroke, and considering she only landed in Warsaw a few hours before the concert and managed only a brief rehearsal with them, things were quite tense. But when the lights went out and the music started, it was obvious that magic was in the air that night and for the next two hours the audience was completely mesmerized. Obviously the very same magic prompted Kroke to include Jopek on this, their next studio album. Kroke, which consists of viola player Tomasz KukurbaFind albums by this artist, accordionist Jerzy BawolFind albums by this artist and bassist Tomasz LatoFind albums by this artist, started in the early 1990s as a Klezmer band, one of numerous such bands established in Poland as a result of the Renaissance of the Jewish Culture in the country. They started to perform at Krakow´s old Jewish district Kazimierz, which became a fashionable tourist attraction, and in time their reputation grew. They were lucky to gain international attention and soon became the resident ethnic stars. In time they left Klezmer music almost entirely and embraced World Music originating in many different cultural spheres and added noticeable Jazz influence to their music. For this album Kroke joined forces with, in addition to the a.m. Anna Maria Jopek, also the excellent drummer Slawomir BernyFind albums by this artist and pianist / composer / arranger Krzysztof HerdzinFind albums by this artist, who co-produced the album, composed and arranged some orchestral intros to the band´s music and conducted the Sinfonietta CracoviaFind albums by this artist, which performed the orchestral parts. The album presents twelve pieces, eleven of which are original compositions by the band´s members and one is by the pioneer of modern Klezmer music Harry KandelFind albums by this artist. As the title suggests, the band intended to "take a step" into a more "symphonic" sound for their music, utilizing the orchestra. Unfortunately, intentions aside, the album fails to achieve the same level of excitement and spontaneous inspiration, which characterized the live concert I witnessed. Although Jopek delivers some superb vocal parts, they constitute only a small contribution to the entire project. The orchestral arrangements sound quite out of place in this case, turning the free spirit of World Music into a housebroken animal, which is a pity. Some things simply don´t go well together. Overall there is plenty of great music here and even if the album sounds very commercial at times, it was created by excellent musicians, who meant well.

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