Record Reviews

52UM ~ GOODBYE AMSTERDAM 52UM 0002 (Barcode: 5903068124136) ~ POLAND ~ Pop & Rock Recorded: 2024 Released: 2024 This is an album by Polish Alternative Rock band UM52Find albums by this artist, recorded in the aftermath of the death of the band’s legendary leader Robert BrylewskiFind albums by this artist. The lineup includes the founding member, guitarist / vocalist Konrad JanuszekFind albums by this artist, bassist Rafal MicinskiFind albums by this artist, drummer Michal LeksFind albums by this artist, multi-instrumentalist Wojciech KonikiewiczFind albums by this artist and vibraphonist Pawel StawarzFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten tracks, co-credited to all band members. The album was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist. The music offers an interesting cross-genre amalgam of Rock, Reggae, World Music influences and strong Jazzy flavors, induced by Konikiewicz, who produced the album. Soaked in typical Polish melancholy, the album has a retro feel and sound, which is a fond reminder of better days in Polish Rock / Pop music, when it was not only music but a form of expression, protest and social awareness, and before it was kidnapped by Western destructive mediocracy and other poisonous influences. Sadly, I suppose that this album will find little rapport with contemporary young Polish listeners, and is oriented towards the disappearing class of music listeners, who remember what music was all about. It is simply too good and demanding to compete with contemporary musical nothingness. Overall, this is a sentimental tribute to Polish Alternative Rock music of several decades ago, full of nice melodies, intelligent lyrics and excellent instrumental performances, which work well for people my age, but probably are less attractive to younger listeners. I had a blast listening to this, who else?

Updated: 27/06/2024Posted: 27/06/2024

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ROLAND ABREU / CUBAN LATIN JAZZ ~ ROOTS V 018 (Barcode: 5903111377199) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is the second album by Cuban (resident in Poland) bassist / composer Roland AbreuFind albums by this artist and his Cuban Latin JazzFind albums by this artist quartet, which also includes Ukrainian saxophonist Taras BakovskyiFind albums by this artist, pianist Pawel KukulaFind albums by this artist and drummer / percussionist Dominik JaskeFind albums by this artist. Two additional Cuban percussionists: Nando Del RioFind albums by this artist and Elio Rodriguez LuisFind albums by this artist also take part in the recording. The album presents seven original compositions, all co-credited to the members of the quartet. The music was recorded at the splendid Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, with a truly spectacular sound quality. Cuban Jazz can not be played perfectly by musicians not originating from Cuba, and I am glad that this album presents music, which has obvious Cuban roots, but does not try to be strictly just Cuban Jazz. It offers a very successful amalgam between the Cuban rhythms and the Slavic lyricism represented by the rest of the quartet members, which works out very well, now for the second time in a row. The compositions are all well structured and perfectly coherent; the melodic content is excellent, as are the arrangements spiced by the Cuban elements. Although the music is mostly on the lighter side of the Jazz spectrum, it is wonderfully entertaining and even spiced with a dash of exotic humor, which makes the album a true pleasure to listen to. But Jazz connoisseurs will be also able to enjoy the great saxophone and piano soloing, the wonderfully warm bass parts and the delightful polyrhythmic percussion "balagan". Overall combining the fluent playing, nice tunes, exuberant rhythmic background and great sound quality, this album has a great entertaining value, without compromising the artistic qualities even one notch. This is one danceable piece of unadulterated pleasure, which is guaranteed to move your ass unless you are completely deaf.

Updated: 19/03/2020Posted: 19/03/2020

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ADAM BALDYCH ~ POETRY ACT 9939 (Barcode: 614427993922) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2021 Released: 2021 This is the seventh album on the prestigious German ACTFind albums on this label label by Polish Jazz violinist / composer Adam BaldychFind albums by this artist recorded with his Polish quintet, which comprises of saxophonist Marek KonarskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Krzysztof DysFind albums by this artist, bassist Michal BaranskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Dawid FortunaFind albums by this artist. Italian Master trumpeter Paolo FresuFind albums by this artist expands the quintet into a sextet. The album presents eleven tracks, ten of which are original compositions by Baldych and one is an arrangement of a song composed by the enigmatic BjorkFind albums by this artist. The music was recorded at the fabulous Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, with the usual exceptional sound quality. Following a dazzling career, which developed over the last decade, Baldych emerges as a pillar of the Polish Jazz violin tradition, joining the ranks of the Giants of the generations that preceded his era. This album sets also Baldych’s status as a composer, perhaps more clearly and distinctly than any of his earlier recordings. The collection of his compositions on this album presents a remarkable stylistic clarity and coherence, which, at least for me, sound completely his own, with specific characteristics, which are now clearly distinguishable. The music is beautifully melancholic, brilliantly melodic and superbly lyrical, following the Polish musical tradition on every level, from Polish Folklore, Classical Music and of course the Polish Jazz tradition. There is an elegant restrain and easy pace inherent in all the pieces, which perhaps is a result of the fact that Baldych does not need to prove anything anymore, as far as his violin virtuosity is concerned, and creating music is his only concern. Despite the fact that the music offers seemingly unrelated pieces, the album sounds remarkably as one aesthetically logical continuum. Although Baldych is surrounded here by first class instrumentalists, the album offers very limited soloing, except for the violin parts of course and occasionally subdued trumpet or saxophone soli. The fact that Fresu agreed to take part in this project, with his personal profile barely audible, speaks highly of his respect towards the essence of the music. Nevertheless, the contributions of all the participants are absolutely brilliant, as expected. Sonically the most surprising accent is a very unusual sound produced by the drums, which sound completely different to what one expects in the Jazz environment. Overall, as someone who had the honor to write the liner notes for Baldych’s debut album more than ten years ago, I feel a great satisfaction as a result of following his career closely and witnessing its splendid progress. The music offers a deeply spiritual sonic experience of rare quality and the album is wholeheartedly recommended as one of the most significant Polish Jazz outings of 2021.

Updated: 11/11/2021Posted: 11/11/2021

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BANDONEGRO ~ HOLA ASTOR SJ 043 (Barcode: 5912596066764) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the third album by Polish Tango ensemble BandonegroFind albums by this artist, which consists of bandoneónist Michal GlowkaFind albums by this artist, violinist Jakub CzechowiczFind albums by this artist, pianist Marek DoleckiFind albums by this artist and bassist Marcin AntkowiakFind albums by this artist. On this album the quartet was expanded to a sextet with the addition of two young Polish Jazz players, guitarist Dawid KostkaFind albums by this artist and drummer Mateusz BrzostowskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven tracks, six of which are compositions by Astor PiazzollaFind albums by this artist and five are original compositions by Antkowiak, all arranged by the ensemble. The album was recorded at the celebrated Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist with the usual spectacular sound quality. Bandonegro formed in 2016 and over time established an international reputation with tours around the world, including Argentina, the cradle of Tango. Musically this album takes the ensemble closer to the Nuevo Tango of Piazzolla and its proximity to Jazz. Both the ensemble´s interpretation of Piazzolla´s compositions and even more so their original compositions are remarkable, especially in view of the idiosyncrasy of the Tango, which one does not expect to be performed authentically by East European musicians, who have culturally nothing in common with the original idiom. Bandonegro prove that love of the music and talent are able to conquer the seemingly impassable cultural gap, which enables them to sound as bona fide Tango performers. The addition of the Jazz elements is very subtle and quite elegant, and does not impede the natural Tango spirit of the music. To the trained ear, the original compositions by Antkowiak, which constitute the more Jazzed up portion of the album, hide also some understated elements of Slavic origin, which of course is a fascinating element of the music. Whatever this music misses in Argentinean passion, it more than pays back in elegance and subtlety of European origin. Overall this is a superb album, full of great compositions and superb performances, passionately executed and intelligently put together. For Tango connoisseurs this is an absolute must, but even listeners who would not usually listen to Tango music, this album is both special and beautiful enough to win them over. As a great lover of the Tango I can´t help but recommend this album wholeheartedly, hoping it will find a warm place in the hearts of as many listeners as possible.

Updated: 27/07/2019Posted: 27/07/2019

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MILOSZ BAZARNIK ~ NEW MARKET KLAMKA MUSIC ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2022 Released: 2022 This is the second album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Milosz BazarnikFind albums by this artist, this time recorded in a quintet setting with saxophonist Krzysztof MatejskiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Szymon KozikowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Marek DufekFind albums by this artist and drummer Lukasz GiergielFind albums by this artist. Violinist Stanislaw SlowinskiFind albums by this artist guests on three tracks. The album presents eleven tracks, ten of which are original compositions by the leader and one is an arrangement of a BeatlesFind albums by this artist song. The music was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, with the usual excellent sound quality and clarity. The music is all based on beautiful melodic themes, full of lyricism and melancholy, as appropriate for classic Polish Jazz approach, but perhaps just a tad too “sweat” at times. Nevertheless, it offers a peaceful, relaxed listening experience, which a dreamy atmosphere, which is very enjoyable. The young musicians, who are (to me at least) anonymous so far, show great skills and vigor, as expected on the local scene, and nothing but praise can be said about their performances. The presence of the electric guitar has the usual Fusiony effect, but to be fair it is almost marginal, and the music is not trying to copy the 1970s Fusion tendencies, except for the aural similarity, and therefore manages to avoid that trap. Personally the melodic content of this album is its major forte, as there is not even one weak melody on the entire album (well except for the cover perhaps – just kidding), so it is a composing portfolio first and foremost, which Bazarnik can be proud of. Overall, this is a very pleasant, beautifully put together melodic Jazz album, which should keep many listeners perfectly happy. There is nothing groundbreaking or especially challenging herein, but the remarkable “simplicity” and straightforwardness turn out to be its strong suit. Time for some great heartfelt melodies in the midst of the mayhem that surrounds us all. Well done indeed!

Updated: 13/01/2023Posted: 13/01/2023

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BEAT FREAKS ~ STAY CALM NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 5707471065136) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the second album by Polish ensemble The Beat FreaksFind albums by this artist comprising of guitarist Michal StarkiewiczFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Tomasz LicakFind albums by this artist, bassist Pawel GrzesiukFind albums by this artist and drummer Radek WoskoFind albums by this artist. The album presents thirteen original compositions, eight of which were composed by Starkiewicz, two by Licak, one by Wosko and two were co-composed by all four members of the quartet. The album was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist. The quartet´s debut album recorded three years earlier (2016) left me with mixed feelings and I am happy to say that this one is a significant improvement, especially as far as the compositions are concerned, as well as the guitar playing, which works this time without a hitch. Also the superb recording quality improves the overall coherence of the music, with less harshness and excellent separation, making every little nuance audible. The music is all melody based, Fusion oriented contemporary Jazz and offers some excellent guitar / saxophone interplay supported by a steady and solid rhythm section. Licak is the primary soloist, but Starkiewicz follows suit time after time with a nicely balanced guitar tone, which manages to shake off most of its Fusion mannerisms that prevailed earlier on, and offers heartfelt guitar soli. Their unisono parts, which then develop into a saxophone / guitar conversations is the central feature of this album. Overall this is an album which can be enjoyed by a wide Jazz / Fusion audience, especially guitar enthusiasts, who should be able find many interesting licks here. Definitely worth investigation!

Updated: 08/12/2019Posted: 08/12/2019

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BEAT FREAKS / RALPH ALESSI ~ MECHANICS OF NATURE NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 5707471095904) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2023 Released: 2024 This is the third album by the Polish Jazz quartet Beat FreaksFind albums by this artist, which comprises of guitarist / composer Michal StarkiewiczFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Tomasz LicakFind albums by this artist, (new Italian, resident in Poland) bassist Flavio GullottaFind albums by this artist and drummer Radek WoskoFind albums by this artist. They are joined by American trumpeter Ralph AlessiFind albums by this artist. The album presents fourteen tracks, nine of which were composed by Starkiewicz, one by Wosko and four are co-credited to the quartet members and Alessi. The music was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, with the usual superb sonic quality. The music on this album is revolutionary different from the two earlier albums recorded by the quartet and presents a giant step forward in their musical development. The straightforward Fusion direction is completely gone and the music here offers an excellent Free Form / Improvised Music meeting. Despite the openness and Freedom, the music is subtly but decidedly very well organized, based on beautiful melodic themes, which serve as vehicles to the extensive improvisations. Not surprisingly, Alessi is the dominant soloist and sets the direction of the music, but the quartet members are noticeably featured and given ample opportunity to contribute. Starkiewicz lets go of his role as a dominant leader, which is exactly what was needed in these circumstances, and adds concise guitar licks, which add both harmonic and rhythmic support. Gullotta is a true godsend, as his firm and precise bass pulsations are cementing the music into a cohesive whole. Licak stands bravely shoulder to shoulder with Alessi, contributing coherently and with remarkable feeling and Wosko adds the highly irregular rhythmic layer, which fits the music perfectly. In short this session simply works together like a dream. Although I am not familiar with the entire very extensive recording legacy by Alessi, I’d go as far as to say that this is definitely one of his finest moments so far, despite the impressive gallery of names of his American recording partners. Overall, this is a highly surprising album by Beat Freaks, which catapults them directly into the “serious league” of the Polish Jazz scene, with one of the best recordings so far released in 2024. I truly hope they found their new vocation and will continue on this path in the future, and of course wish them all the best. Hats off, Gentlemen!

Updated: 22/05/2024Posted: 22/05/2024

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CONFUSION PROJECT ~ PRIMAL SOLITON 800 (Barcode: 5901571098005) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018 This is the third album by Polish Jazz trio called Confusion ProjectFind albums by this artist, led by pianist / composer Michal CiesielskiFind albums by this artist, with electric bassist Piotr GierszewskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam GolickiFind albums by this artist. The album presents an eleven part suite, which is based on a concept story of Naturalist motif, composed and arranged by the leader. The album, which was recorded at the Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, offers a superb sound quality, which should delight the Hi-Fi enthusiasts. The music is deeply melodic and only marginally belongs to the mainstream of the Jazz idiom, although it does include a substantial element of improvisation. It could be also considered as Progressive Rock, Fusion or contemporary Classical Music and better yet an amalgam of all these genres. Since the music is performed by a piano trio the obvious focus is on the leader, who dictates the dynamics and the flow of the suite and is also the principal improviser. The rhythm section stands shoulder to shoulder with the leader, providing the harmonic and chronometric basis of the music, but also soloing quite effectively, although sparingly. The smooth electric bass lines are ideally suited to the music, at times providing a very effective Groovy, almost Funky feel. The trio is perfectly matched up and synchronized up to the tiniest detail and sounds like one perfect musical unit. Overall this is a most enjoyable piece of music, which can be appreciated by a wide range of listeners. It is full of wonderful melodic themes and offers a coherent development of the themes, which constitute the entire suite. Although on the lighter side of the music spectrum, it is honest and elegant and above all highly professional and definitely inspired. It seems that Confusion Project found a niche they wish to operate within, which offers beautifully crafted and highly melodic music, which offers to please rather than challenge the listener, without compromising an iota of their musical integrity. This is definitely a legitimate and highly rewarding modus operandi. Enjoy!

Updated: 28/04/2018Posted: 28/04/2018

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TERCET KAMILI DRABEK ~ MUZYKA NAIWNA SOLITON 951 (Barcode: 5901571099514) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz trio led by bassist / composer Kamila DrabekFind albums by this artist, with saxophonist Marcin KonieczkowiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Kacper KazmierskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven tracks, ten of which are original compositions by Drabek and one is a standard arranged by her. The music was recorded at the Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist and offers a wonderful natural sound quality. The album´s title (Naïve Music in English) is a most appropriate description of its musical contents, which is a collection of seemingly simplistic and minimalist compositions, played without much panache or exhibitionism. All this is an obvious and fully conscious approach by the composer and the trio, trying to keep the music down to its bare components, without polluting it with unnecessary adornment, which is the modus operandi of Naïve Art. Naïve is sadly often confused with primitive or underdeveloped, but in Art it simply means natural / honest / direct rather than limited. The music presented here is by all means fully developed as are the technical skills of the trio members, and the minimalist approach is extremely effective as far as getting the message through, especially in today´s noise polluted musical environment. As a result the album offers a completely innovative path, which of course is commendable, especially in view of the young age of the musicians involved. It takes a few listening sessions to get to the bottom of these compositions and discover their full blossom, but the effect is definitely worth the effort. The recording quality of the music allows the listener to hear clearly every nuance of the instrumental work, which under these circumstances is even more important than usual, as every note played counts. As already stated, this kind of natural sound complements this music perfectly. Overall this is a splendid and very unique debut, which certainly deserves to be heard and rises high hope as to the future if its creators. Very well done!

Updated: 07/08/2019Posted: 07/08/2019

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EABS MEETS JAUBI ~ IN SEARCH OF A BETTER TOMORROW ASTIGMATIC 024 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2022 Released: 2023 This is an album documenting the musical meeting between the Polish Jazz ensemble EABSFind albums by this artist and the Pakistani World Music ensemble JaubiFind albums by this artist, which is not the first encounter between the two, but the first full-fledged common recording as an octet. EABS comprises of keyboardist Marek PedziwiatrFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Jakub KurekFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Olaf WegierFind albums by this artist, bassist Pawel StachowiakFind albums by this artist and drummer Marcin RakFind albums by this artist. Jaubi consists of guitarist Ali Riaz BaqarFind albums by this artist, tabla player Kashif Ali DhaniFind albums by this artist and sarangi player Zohaib Hassan KhanFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten relatively short original compositions, three each by Baqar and Pedziwiatr, two by Stachowiak and one each by Kurek and Khan. The music was recorded at the Monochrom Studio and engineered by the sound wizard Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, with the usual spectacular results. The music is nothing short of spectacular, a perfect match of EABS Funky Jazz and the oriental rhythms from thousands of kilometers away, which merge perfectly into a danceable, bottom shaking orgy of sounds and rhythms, which is unstoppable. EABS have perfected their unique amalgam of great melody lines and Groove, spiced with fiery soloing and heartfelt improvisations. The addition of the Pakistani elements spiced up the mixture, but did not change the essence, blending together effortlessly and dreamily. Of course the concept is not entirely new and at times my reaction to this music reminds me my blood pressure rising, when I heard “Indo-Jazz Fusions” for the first time in the late 1960s, which I hope will be taken as a compliment. The true measure of a successful merging of multi-cultural music is the level of inseparability of the various elements, which means that they often cannot be even precisely pointed out / distinguished from each other. Overall, this is another great album by EABS, which by now established itself as a stable (perhaps a bit too stable) creator of highly polished, elegant and still fascinating music, this time even more so with the help of the exotic external contributors. As to the “search of a better tomorrow”, at my age I am a bit doubtful about the outcome… As usual, well done Gentlemen!

Updated: 27/05/2023Posted: 27/05/2023

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ENTROPIA ENSEMBLE ~ ENTROPIA ENSEMBLE ALPAKA 007 (Barcode: 192914874195) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by the young Polish Jazz quartet Entropia EnsembleFind albums by this artist, which consists of saxophonist Dariusz StanislawskiFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Marcel BalinskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Rafal RozalskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Kacper KazmierskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven original compositions, six composed by Balinski and one each by Kazmierski and Stanislawski. The remaining three compositions remain mysteriously unauthored. The music was recorded at the Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist with the usual spectacular sonic quality. The music is a highly interesting collection of modern Jazz compositions, melody based but clearly open to include unexpected twists and turns, polyrhythmic tempi and Free group improvisations, all this without loosing the focus for a single moment. These clever young chaps seem to have a complete disregard of stylistic conventions and frivolously move between tango, Free Jazz and Swing within one tune without even blinking, in the true spirit of the Avant Garde. There is plenty of space on the album for personal expressions and all four members of the quartet get proper exposure. The piano leads the twisted melodic plot, the saxophone improvises on top, the bass takes care of the linkage between the parts as well as carrying the lot together and the drummer adds a steady clockwork beat and frenzy explosions to confuse the listener whenever possible. Overall this is an incredibly intelligent, devilishly clever (perhaps a bit too clever), totally surprising, completely unusual piece of music, definitely one of the most striking (if not the most) debut albums of 2018 on the vibrant Polish Jazz scene. With hundreds of albums released in Poland alone, recording a highly original and completely innovative album is an almost impossible task – but these young musicians stand up to the challenge with eloquence and a fantastic sense of humor (or sarcasm). Absolutely stunning!

Updated: 17/12/2018Posted: 17/12/2018

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FOLLOW DICES ~ ETERNAL COLORS SJ 029 (Barcode: 5912596066320) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by the Polish quartet Follow DicesFind albums by this artist, comprising of pianist Franciszek RaczkowskiFind albums by this artist, violinist Mikolaj KostkaFind albums by this artist, bassist Jan Jerzy KolackiFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam WajdzikFind albums by this artist. The album presents thirteen relatively short original compositions, five of which were composed by all four members of the quartet, four by Kostka, two by Raczkowski (one of them with Wajdzik) and two by Kolacki (one of them with Tobiasz GottfriedFind albums by this artist). The album was beautifully recorded at the Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist. The music is a wonderful amalgam of Jazz and Polish Folklore influences, with traces of contemporary Classical and Nordic ambiance. The separate pieces can be easily conceived as a continuous suite, as they present a coherent compositional unity and harmonic consistency, as well as stylistic European Jazz aesthetic. Although based on solid melodic themes, the music is generously open and allows free improvisation between the melodic statements. Constantly floating rhythmically and harmonically, the music is in many aspects an epitome of modern European Jazz at its best, presenting intellectual and emotional involvement complementing each other in perfect equilibrium. All four of these young musicians emerge triumphantly from this ambitious and often quite complex music. Raczkowski weaves the harmonic magic carpet upon which the music floats, Kostka ornaments the proceedings with his romantic and soulful melodic statements, Kolacki is, as expected, the pillar of stability and the beacon pointing out the way and Wajdzik is the master of good taste and delicacy not disturbing the fragile rhythms and playing exactly as much as needed. The unity and cooperation among the band members is truly exemplary. The album distinctly presents the best of what can be defined as Polishness in contemporary Polish music, i.e. it borrows wisely from the tradition, more conceptually than literally, emphasizing the Polish lyricism and melancholy majestically and with elegance and flair. If someone is looking for an example of "Polish Jazz", this is perhaps one of the best recent examples of the idiom. There is no doubt that this is a stunning debut effort, which hopefully paves a way for a fruitful future. As such, it is so far one of the strongest albums that landed on my desk (and in my ears) this year, which is a rare distinction. I can only recommend it to all music connoisseurs all over the world, as music of such quality and depth is very precious and rare. Well done Gentlemen!

Updated: 23/07/2018Posted: 23/07/2018

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MARTA GOLUCH ~ APETYT NA SZCZEROSC MUSIC CORNER 070 (Barcode: 5906489287695) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 2024 Released: 2024 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz vocalist / lyricist Marta GoluchFind albums by this artist. It presents ten tracks, all featuring her original lyrics. She is accompanied by a classic piano trio, with pianist Karolina KrzyzanowskaFind albums by this artist, who composed nine of the songs, bassist Bartlomiej BrozdaFind albums by this artist and drummer Kacper SkolikFind albums by this artist. Guitarist Pawel RuszkowskiFind albums by this artist, who composed the remaining song, guests on four tracks and trumpeter Sergiej KriuczkowFind albums by this artist guests also on four tracks. The album offers a wonderful sound quality, which is not surprising considering that Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist was behind the console. The album is kept in a classic Jazz Swing / cabaret mood, with a clear wink towards the musical scene of the period between the two wars. The songs are all based on solid melodies, the lyrics are intelligent and somewhat humorous, and the entire album swings and entertains splendidly for the entire duration. Goluch has a worm, lovely voice and performs the songs exactly as required by the stylistic setting, which is an Art in itself. The trio plays splendidly and amicably, staying respectfully in the background, but supporting the vocals with panache and verve. The quartet is presented under the moniker of Kabaret Mlodszych PanienFind albums by this artist (cabaret of younger women), which for Polish listeners has an obvious meaning, referring to a famous Kabaret Starszych PanowFind albums by this artist (cabaret of older men), a post WWII famous Polish cabaret, which entertained an entire generation. It is pretty obvious that the music on this album can be performed as a cabaret show, which I’d personally love to hear. Overall, this is a splendid peace of entertainment, somewhat limited to Polish speaking audiences due to the language barrier, but can be universally enjoyed. Although soaked in nostalgia, it is far from simple imitation and offers original new material with a nostalgic tear in eye’s corner. Fabulously done!

Updated: 19/01/2025Posted: 19/01/2025

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PATRYCJUSZ GRUSZECKI ~ FACES BNB 011 (Barcode: 5903714963270) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022 This is the second album by Polish Jazz trumpeter / composer Patrycjusz GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, recorded with the same trio that recorded the debut five years earlier, which includes organist Kajetan GalasFind albums by this artist and drummer Zbigniew LewandowskiFind albums by this artist. Vocalist Janusz SzromFind albums by this artist sings on one track. The album presents nine original compositions, eight by Gruszecki and one by Lewandowski. The album was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, with the usual superb sound quality, close to the classic early Blue NoteFind albums on this label sound. The music continues the path set by the debut, presenting a series of coherent, melody based compositions, excellently performed by the trio, all strictly within mainstream Jazz and often bordering on Smooth Jazz, which is accessible to a wide range of music lovers, including those beyond the strict Jazz circles. The trio has a very unique sound due to the unusual instrumentation, which sets it aside from most other Polish Jazz ensembles. Gruszecki has a beautiful rounded sound and technical skill, Galas is an amazing organ player with a wide range of diverse sound techniques and innovative approach to the instrument and Lewandowski is a Master drummer, driving the music with his dense but not overbearing polyrhythmic virtuosity. Together they are a lean and mean swinging machine, which manages to create music, which keeps the listener both fascinated and entertained for the duration. Overall, this is an excellent album from start to finish, which lets the listener to relax and enjoy the music without too much analyzing or cerebral pseudo-intellectual effort to look beyond what the ears can hear. Despite what the Jazz snobs will probably say, this music is fun, without sacrificing any basic musical qualities. Simply listen and enjoy. It is of course wholeheartedly recommended as far as my taste buds are concerned!

Updated: 19/07/2022Posted: 19/07/2022

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IMMORTAL ONION ~ XD (EXPERIENCE DESIGN) U KNOW ME 079 (Barcode: 5902860143130) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is the third album by the Polish trio Immortal OnionFind albums by this artist comprising of keyboardist Tomir SpiolekFind albums by this artist, bassist and moog player Ziemowit KlimekFind albums by this artist and drummer Wojciech WarmijakFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight tracks with the compositions uncredited (as usual) and assumed to be co-created by the trio members. The album was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist and offers the usual wonderful sound quality. The music follows closely the pattern initiated by the two earlier albums, creating an amalgam of instrumental Prog and Fusion, based on melodic sketches which are expanded into lengthy instrumental improvisations by the trio members. The sound and overall aura of this album is more electric, although the acoustic piano still dominates the proceedings. The music is interesting and offers surprising arrangements, sudden tempi changes, volume dynamics, odd meters and excellent soling, which should keep the listener captivated, but all this starts to sound repetitive after a while and it is difficult to see where, if at all, it is going. There is no doubt that the trio managed to create a unique niche as far as their sound and approach are concerned, but they need to find some new paths to explore in their future recordings, since the first three albums are way to similar to each other and show no real progress. Having said that, this album is still a solid listening experience for listeners who love Symphonic Prog and melodic Fusion, beautifully performed and offering a superb sound, which is more than most Prog / Fusion albums are able to offer these days.

Updated: 24/07/2020Posted: 24/07/2020

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JARMUZEK / PAKOWSKA ~ PRZED SKONCZENIEM SWIATA NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 5907731954853) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022 This is the debut album by Polish duo comprising of keyboardist / composer / arranger Robert JarmuzekFind albums by this artist and vocalist Kasia PakowskaFind albums by this artist. They are supported by a rhythm section comprising of bassist Marcin LamchFind albums by this artist and Hungarian drummer Peter SomosFind albums by this artist. A few guests also participate on selected tracks. The album presents thirteen Polish Folk songs, mostly from Lower Silesia, arranged by Jarmuzek. The album was partly recorded at the Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, and offers a spectacular sonic experience. The music sounds completely contemporary due to the masterly arrangements, which offer a strong Jazz under-taste, mixed with ambient sonic vistas. The Folklore basis is still present in the vocal layer, which is kept close to the traditional atmosphere, but modernized slightly in pronunciation and vocal ornamentation, which Pakowska manages to keep under remarkable control. It is encouraging to hear the young generation of Polish musicians discovering the riches of the Polish Culture, especially the regional Folklore, which is extremely diverse and offers endless hidden treasures. This album is an excellent example of tradition being handled with respect and class, as well as imaginative contemporary adaptation. Overall, this is an excellent album, intelligent and highly aesthetic, which offers a glimpse at the depth of Polish Folklore in an exciting, Jazzy perspective, which deserves to be heard by every music lover. It is certainly one of the most rewarding albums on the Polish scene that arrived on my desk lately. Well done!

Updated: 06/05/2022Posted: 06/05/2022

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ADAM JARZMIK ~ ON THE WAY HOME AUDIO CAVE 2019/005 (Barcode: 5905669566742) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is the third album by young Polish Jazz pianist / composer Adam JarzmikFind albums by this artist recorded with the same quintet that accompanied him on the two previous albums: saxophonist Jakub LepaFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Pawel PalcowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej KitajewskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Piotr BudniakFind albums by this artist, but expanded to a sextet by the presence of the American guitarist Mike MorenoFind albums by this artist. The album presents six original compositions, all by Jarzmik. The music was recorded at the Monochrome Studio by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, and offers the expected excellent sound quality. The music is again kept strictly within the mainstream Jazz idiom and although the compositions are solid and well developed, they seem to be stuck in the same mold that created the two earlier recordings. Usually by the third album young Polish Jazz composers come up with a more open formula, which allows them to spread their wings and move into new territory, but this does not happen on this album. This does not mean that the music is not valuable, but it does not fulfill the high hopes that were expected. Of course the musicians involved are all highly professional players, with slick licks and polished technique, and the music is definitely very well performed, but remains somewhat mechanical and lackluster. Moreno, albeit his experience and reputation adds very little, if anything at all to the album´s contents, and the music would have sounded about the same without him. Overall this is a relatively less successful effort by Jarzmik and his excellent team, definitely not up to par with his earlier work, but still offering highly professional original mainstream Jazz. Better luck next time I hope ;)

Updated: 14/04/2019Posted: 14/04/2019

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WOJTEK JUSTYNA TREEOH! ~ THRICE PLANET EZY STREET 2201 (Barcode: 8714835144410) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Funk Fusion Recorded: 2022 Released: 2022 This is the third album by Polish (resident in Holland) guitarist / composer Wojtek JustynaFind albums by this artist and his international quartet Treeoh!Find albums by this artist. The album presents six tracks recorded by the quartet and a bonus track on with the American keyboardist Larry GoldingsFind albums by this artist appears as a guest. Most of the music is co-credited to the quartet members. The album was recorded at the Monochrom Studio by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, and offers a crispy sound quality. The music mixes elements of classic Fusion and some World Music influences, mostly Latin rhythmic ornamentation contributed by percussionist Diogo CarvalhoFind albums by this artist. All the tunes are based on solid melodic compositions and Funky guitar riffs, which are the quartets trademark. Although not particularly innovative, the music is great fun to listen to and at times even quite danceable, with Funky Grooves at the helm, creating a light, tropical mood, which is accessible to a wide audience. Overall, this is a fun album, somewhat different from most Fusion albums released these days, mostly due to the Latin influences, which many fans of the genre should find inspiring. Great stuff to make gloomy days brighter!

Updated: 21/09/2022Posted: 21/09/2022

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KAHOMA TRIO ~ IN THE WOODS MUST-ART 005 ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz Recorded: 2022 Released: 2022 This is the debut album by the Czech Jazz piano trio, called Kahoma TrioFind albums by this artist, which comprises of pianist Jan KavkaFind albums by this artist, bassist Marek DufekFind albums by this artist and drummer Kamil SlezakFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven original compositions, seven by Kavka, one by Dufek and three co-composed by all three members of the trio. The album was recorded at the splendid Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, with the expected superb sonic quality. The music is based on well-constructed melodic themes, beautifully performed by the trio. The performances are characterized by full cooperation between the trio members, rather than the soloist – rhythm section approach, which is especially effective here. The entire outcome is very delicate, almost fragile, and the extremely slow pace of some of the pieces is almost “painful”, in the best meaning of the word. Kavka was very lucky to find his companions, as they both prove to be not only highly supportive, but also very creative. Dufek plays some of the best bass lines I have heard in a piano trio setting in a long time, absolutely virtuosic and extraordinarily supportive. The long-lasting love affair between Czech Jazz musicians and the bass gets here another extension from the young generation. Slezak keeps mostly very quiet, adding his delicate touches exactly as needed, without trying be pervasive, which is a valued quality. Kavka plays very emotionally, caressing the keyboard with his fingers elegantly and gently, but confidently. Rather than showing off he minimizes the amount of notes played, just enough to articulate the melody and the mood he wishes to convey. Overall, this is a beautiful, classic Jazz piano trio album, one of the best I had the opportunity to hear lately, with the clear “less is more” approach, which is most effective and aesthetically pleasing. Well done, Gentlemen and hope to hear more of your music again soon.

Updated: 01/03/2023Posted: 01/03/2023

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KLARA CLOUD & THE VULTURES ~ VAUNA CHALLENGE 73476 (Barcode: 608917347623) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2017 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz ensemble Klara Cloud & The VulturesFind albums by this artist which comprises of vocalist Sylwia Klara ZasempaFind albums by this artist, violinist Bartosz DworakFind albums by this artist, pianist Mateusz GawedaFind albums by this artist, bassist Adam TadelFind albums by this artist and drummers Piotr BudniakFind albums by this artist and Sebastian KuchczynskiFind albums by this artist. Legendary guitarist Apostolis AnthimosFind albums by this artist guests on one track. The album presents ten tracks, eight of which are original compositions mostly by Zasempa and some created with the help of the entire ensemble (the two instrumental tracks) and finally two are traditional. Most of the lyrics are also by Zasempa. The subject matter of the album refers to Nature, wildlife and harmonious coexistence. The music was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, with the usual superb sound quality. The music offers a fascinating concept, combing Jazz-World Music Fusion with Free Jazz, which is quite striking. Although Polish Jazz often sources Slavic music, typical Polish melancholy and Polish Folklore, amalgamating it usually with original mainstream Jazz, but rather rarely so with more adventurous forms, which makes this music immediately outstanding. This does not mean that the music loses contact with melody per se, but the improvisations offer a wide range of freedom, both rhythmically and harmonically, which are not usually found within the Jazz-World Fusion idiom. Dworak and Gaweda, who are amongst the most celebrated young Polish Jazz players, have plenty of opportunity to show their chops on this album, standing up to the expectations in full. The reinforced rhythm section, with the polyrhythmic double drums (in stereo) and solid bass pulsations, pushes the music steadily forward and serves as an anchor for the listener to keep his bearings. The guitar solo by Anthimos on the final track is simply divine. Of course the vocals are the epicenter of this music and Zasempa stands up to the challenge with flying colors. She keeps to the basics, avoiding unnecessary theatrics and meanderings, and invests directly in the delivery of the lyrics, often improvising in the process. She does not use vocalese extensively, preferring to "play with the words" rather than with the sounds, but when she does, it works perfectly and hopefully will be used more in future projects. Zasempa is a "total" musician, being obviously the leader, the composer, the lyricist and the main soloist – Woman power incarnate. Overall this is a beautiful piece of music, excellently put together and executed, original, ambitious and intelligent. Definitely one of the most interesting Polish Jazz releases of 2019. It is also the fifth album by young Polish Jazz musicians to be released on the prestigious Dutch Challenge label, which proves that this music is being recognized beyond the local market and steadily captures the position it truly deserves. Well done Lady and Gentlemen!

Updated: 10/11/2019Posted: 10/11/2019

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DAWID KOSTKA ~ PROGRESSION SJ 036 (Barcode: 5912596066689) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the second album by Polish Jazz guitarist / composer Dawid KostkaFind albums by this artist, recorded in a trio setting with bassist Damian KostkaFind albums by this artist and drummer Mateusz BrzostowskiFind albums by this artist, with two top Polish Jazz musicians as guests: saxophonist Maciej KocinskiFind albums by this artist and pianist Pawel KaczmarczykFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Dawid Kostka. The music was recorded at the Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist and offers a spectacular sound quality, precision and clarity; a heaven for Hi-Fi enthusiasts. The music is a superb collection of stylistically diverse compositions, all melody based but offering a wide spectrum of moods, feelings and tempi, clearly pointing out Kostka´s compositional abilities. Stylistically Kostka seems to feel equally at ease with post-Bebop, Fusion and Modern European Jazz and listening to the album is a true joy ride through contemporary Jazz. The performances are also nothing short of stellar. The two guest musicians require no introduction to Polish Jazz cognoscenti and their performances here are as good as one might expect, far beyond just a guest appearance, involving a full integration within the quintet sound. Kocinski, who sadly slightly dropped off the horizon lately, delivers some heartfelt soli that are wonderful reminders of his heydays with SoundcheckFind albums by this artist and Kaczmarczyk never disappoints with his fluidity and musicality. The rhythm section is perfectly integrated with the soloists and offers a versatile and interesting technical competence, with solid and clear bass lines that hold the music together and support the harmony and creative drumming pulsations which are both precise and imaginative. But of course Dawid Kostka is the true hero of this album, playing outstanding guitar parts throughout, changing his sound and attack often and presenting a portrait of a mature Artist, who knows exactly where he want to go with his music. His guitar artistry and obvious virtuosity are the absolute highlight of this album, which is definitely the best Polish Jazz guitar offering for 2018. Overall this is the true debut album fully deserving to feature Dawid Kostka´s name on it, with the debut recorded a couple of years earlier being just a forgettable incident, which was just a teaser of his true abilities (as mentioned in my review of that album). This is definitely a major achievement and places Kostka in the forepost of the Polish Jazz guitar players, which is rather small considering the size and the vitality of the scene today. Wonderful from start to finish, this album is a true delight and a must for Polish / European Jazz connoisseurs!

Updated: 20/12/2018Posted: 15/12/2018

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PAWEL KRAWIEC QUARTET ~ OFENSYWA SJ 076 (Barcode: 5905489720478) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2023 Released: 2023 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz guitarist / composer Pawel KrawiecFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quartet setting with trumpeter Mateusz ZydekFind albums by this artist, bassist Filip HornikFind albums by this artist and drummer Mateusz LorenowiczFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven tracks, all composed by the leader (although not credited on the album’s artwork). The music was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio, engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, and offers a wonderful sound quality. The music is basically modern mainstream Jazz oriented, but the unusual guitar / trumpet front line is very unique and offers a splendid “twist”, which makes the album stand out amongst the multitude mainstream Jazz releases. The guitar floats between Jazz, Rock / Fusion and Blues, but again in a most original way, the trumpet steals the show with its brilliant sharp and clear sound and virtuosity and a superb rhythm section, which also shows an inventive approach to keeping time. All together, the quartet offers a highly exciting sound and novel sound and attitude, which makes this album to attract attention immediately. The compositions are all also very creative and definitely non-trivial, with less attention to the lyrical side and much more open, even slightly touching on Free here and there, which makes things way more exciting and intellectually challenging. This adds to the general feeling of this album being “something else”, with a wink of humor and a “take it easy” attitude, which sadly are way too rare on most Jazz recordings these days. I absolutely must emphasize the enormous value of the contributions by Zydek, whose trumpet playing is nothing short of phenomenal, as already stated in my review of the ZiemiaFind albums by this artist debut album “Ziemia DniemFind albums with this title”, which accidently shows some similarities to this album, especially as far as originality and attitude are concerned. Overall, this is a wonderful debut album. Creative, vibrant and a true pleasure to listen to, as well as being a vivid proof that the young Polish Jazz scene is alive and kicking, as always. As usual in such case, I am already eager to hear the next album by these talented young people and wish them all the best on their path to artistic development. Well done!

Updated: 22/04/2024Posted: 22/04/2024

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INGA LEWANDOWSKA ~ CHOPIN SONGS OP. 74 SOLITON 1313 (Barcode: 5903684233137) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2022 Released: 2022 This is an album by Polish Jazz vocalist Inga LewandowskaFind albums by this artist, recorded with local Jazz musicians: trumpeter Jan ChojnackiFind albums by this artist, pianist Przemyslaw RaminiakFind albums by this artist, bassist Grzegorz PiaseckiFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam WajdzikFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine of the seventeen songs composed by the Polish National composer Frederic ChopinFind albums by this artist, collected together as Op. 74, with lyrics by various Polish poets. The music was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, as offers a splendid sound quality. This album is in fact a “remake” of an album Lewandowska recorded some twenty years earlier with pianist Kuba Stankiewicz, entitled “Chopin Songbook Op. 74”, which offers a 2CD bi-lingual version of this material, but this recording offers a completely new arrangements and instrumentation, in addition to twenty years of experience, and as such is a valid attempt. Of course my opinion about serious molestation of Chopin’s music by Polish Jazz musicians are still sound and valid, but again, since this is something that was done already, at least it can’t add any harm. As perilous as this material might become, all in all I quite like this album. Lewandowska has an idiosynchratic voice, which takes a while to get used to, but her vocalese and the vocal gymnastics she performs here are quite impressive, which keeps the listen in suspense. Her articulation and theatrical pronunciations are great fun and she obviously knows what she wants. For example, on the last track of this album she sings accompanied only by the bass, and still manages to hold the melody and improvise, like a pro. The instrumental work is as perfect as one might wish for, with Chojnacki ornamenting the proceedings with his trumpet solos and Raminiak’s accompaniment being right on at all times, with several great solos added as well. The rhythm section adds a supportive pulse and as already mentioned the bass also plays splendidly along with the vocals. Overall, this is a very pleasant and splendidly executed album, which should keep all Vocal Jazz fans happy, not to mention the many Chopin a la Jazz fans out there, who never seem to get enough. Although the lyrics are in Polish, this is of secondary importance here. Have fun and enjoy!

Updated: 03/02/2023Posted: 03/02/2023

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ZBIGNIEW LEWANDOWSKI QUINTET ~ A NEW OPENING PSJ WROCLAW 004 (Barcode: 5906492433102) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2023 Released: 2024 This is an album by veteran Polish Jazz drummer / composer Zbigniew LewandowskiFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quintet setting with saxophonist / flautist Tomasz PruchnickiFind albums by this artist, pianist Robert JarmuzekFind albums by this artist, bassist Jakub OlejnikFind albums by this artist and American guitarist Kenny CarrFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight tracks, all of which are original compositions, three by the leader and five by Pruchnicki. The album was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, offering a wonderfully worm and clear sound quality. The album marks a most welcome return of Lewandowski to recording duty, which has been interrupted by a three-decades long gap. Judging by the energy and quality of the new recording, Lewandowski lost none of his skill and talent over time. The music is somewhere between mainstream and modern Jazz, based on excellent compositions with strong melodic themes and interesting rhythmic textures, flowing coherently for the entire duration. Carr’s guitar work adds a slight Fusiony touch here and there, but all in great taste and impeccable precision. All the quintet members get ample opportunity to show their chops, and all stand up to the challenge without a hitch. Lewandowski adds a dense rhythmic layer, but without dominating the proceedings unnecessarily, which is excellently complemented by the bass lines, both on bass guitar and acoustic bass. Overall, this is an excellent mainstream Jazz recording, with a gentle touch of Funk and Groove, which is a real pleasure to listen to and which managed to make me smile when listening, which happened pretty rarely these days. Accessible to a wide Jazz loving audience, this is a true little gem, a nice reminder of the good old days and a pleasant dose of good time!

Updated: 18/05/2024Posted: 18/05/2024

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LUB JAZZTET ~ LAPACZ SNOW BNB 012 (Barcode: 5903714963263) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022 This is the debut album by the Polish Lub JazztetFind albums by this artist quintet, which comprises of vocalist Berenika ZiaberFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Miroslaw SaneckiFind albums by this artist, pianist Konrad StankiewiczFind albums by this artist, bassist Bogdan FeliczakFind albums by this artist and drummer Jaroslaw RybkaFind albums by this artist. Trumpeter Patrycjusz GruszeckiFind albums by this artist guests on seven of the eleven tacks the album presents, which are mostly Jazz standards or well-known Polish songs with the exception of the title track, which is an original composition by Gruszecki and the quintet members. The album was recorded at the fabulous Monochrom Studio by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, and offers a wonderful (and very specific) sound (see below). The music is completely within the mainstream Jazz limits, and sounds very retro, in fact listening to this album brings fond memories of my early childhood, when I heard Jazz (well, almost) for the first time, when my Mother used to take me out for tea and cake (well, coffee for her) at one the posh (for the post WWII Socialist Poland in the early 1950s) coffee houses in town, which remained as the last symbol of the pre-War splendor. This music would fit perfectly some of the old B/W movies made in Poland at the time, or perhaps a contemporary movie about the period? Of course it would be completely unfair to review this album as a professional Jazz recording, since it is after all an amateurish affair, a work of love and dedication without claiming a professional status. Patrycjusz Gruszecki’s parts are fully professional, obviously, but that is beyond the point here. Overall, this is lovely album, as long as it is kept in the right framework and state of mind, reflecting a different aspect of the Polish Jazz scene, which almost never gets recorded, but which proves that the love of Jazz is much wider that just the strict circle of musicians and dedicated (if not snobbish) fans. A voice from the past…

Updated: 14/08/2022Posted: 14/08/2022

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AGNIESZKA MACIASZCZYK ~ IN SEARCH OF NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz vocalist Agnieszka MaciaszczykFind albums by this artist recorded with a quartet comprising of pianist Michal CiesielskiFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Szymon LukowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Michal BakFind albums by this artist and drummer Przemyslaw JaroszFind albums by this artist - all four prominent upcoming representatives of the young Polish Jazz scene. The album presents seven original compositions, all co-credited to Maciaszczyk and Ciesielski, although in a short online conversation I conducted with her Maciaszczyk credited the entire crew for arranging and co-creating the music, except the one song, which she composed and wrote the English lyrics for and one other track which was entirely composed by Ciesielski. All the six compositions, other than the song, feature wordless vocalese by Maciaszczyk. The music was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, with usual as always superb sound quality. The music and the entire artistic concept of this album is quite unusual and unique, since as already stated, the focus here is on wordless vocalese rather than on songs, which use lyrics (with one exception). As I have already stated repeatedly, most young Polish Jazz vocalist make the tragic mistake of insisting to sing in English, which in most cases ends up in a fiasco. I also often say that it would have been better if they used wordless vocalese instead. I have no idea if Maciaszczyk ever read any of my record reviews and took my advice or arrived at this conclusion on her own, but the result is exactly what I had in mind and now I can use this album as an example. The vocalist uses her voice like an instrument and becomes an integral part of the resulting quintet, something great Jazz vocalist, including the sublime Polish vocalist Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist, pioneered already five decades ago. I was a bit surprised that Maciaszczyk decided to use only acoustic vocals and chose not to use electronic enhancements, but that is of course entirely her own decision and a future option. The courage to choose the path less travelled by is of course admirable. The four instrumentalists all perform superbly here, as expected. Ciesielski builds up most of the melodic and harmonic layer, accompanying the vocalist amicably and with great sensitivity. Lukowski is less dominant but adds some hair-rising parts, especially those played on the bass clarinet. The rhythm section is also absolutely first class, handling the often devilishly tricky odd rhythmic patterns and quirky tempi changes with flair and elegance. The ensemble performance is absolutely second to none. Overall this is a stunning debut, full of intelligent music and superb performances by these excellent musicians. The music might be a tad difficult at first hearing, but open minded listeners are sure to fall in love with this music at some point, as it offers a new perspective on vocal Jazz in contemporary young European Jazz, an event that happens only very rarely. Wholeheartedly recommended to all serious vocal Jazz connoisseurs and thanks to the talented minds behind this music! Chapeau bas!

Updated: 28/09/2019Posted: 28/09/2019

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JERZY MACZYNSKI ~ JERRY & THE PELICAN SYSTEM (POLISH JAZZ VOL.83) WARNER MUSIC POLAND 190295475895 (Barcode: 190295475895) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the debut album as a leader by young Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Jerzy MaczynskiFind albums by this artist, recorded with his quintet which also includes trumpeter Marcin ElszkowskiFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Marcel BalinskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Franciszek PospieszalskiFind albums by this artist and drummer / flautist Wiktoria JakubowskaFind albums by this artist. Hindu violinist Apoorva KrishnaFind albums by this artist guests on one track. The album presents eight original compositions, two of which are in three parts and one in two parts – together thirteen tracks. The music was beautifully recorded at the Monochrom Studio, engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist. Maczynski is an archetypical representative of contemporary young European Jazz musician: musical education from early age, academic studies in Poland, then Odense in Denmark, then Berklee in Valencia, Spain, recordings, concerts and festivals, a biography that reflects the borderless Europe which allows its young musicians to get exposed to diverse education systems, meet musicians from many different places and cultures and develop their personal styles in a span of just a few years, something that usually took decades to achieve in the not so distant past. It is not surprising therefore to see these young musicians to show characteristics such as diversity, openness and multi-genre / multi-cultural approach to the music they create. The music on this album is exactly like that – an amalgam of influences which encompasses such radically different genres as Rock, Yass (a Polish variety of Jazz rebellion with a strong Punkish attitude), Jazz-Rock Fusion, Free Jazz and even Avant-Garde, spiced with beautifully melodic, almost Popish balladry - a multi culti heaven on earth. One can not avoid an immediate feeling of likeness to the music created by Kuba WiecekFind albums by this artist, who after all is of almost identical age and biographical background, and who is another proud representative of the young Polish Jazz generation. The musical approach that this album reflects has one imminent danger, however. The diversity, as blessed as it is, can, and in this case does, create a slight sensation of lack of musical focus. Perhaps it is the highly emotional debut album responsibility, perhaps the untamed youthfulness, but this music creates an impression that Maczynski tries to say a bit too much in the scope of one album. Strangely (or perhaps not really) the two albums by Wiecek suffer from the same slight predicament. But all things considered, this is by all means a splendid debut effort, full of potential, great promises, exciting musical ideas and superb playing by all the participants. As already stated earlier, many Jazz musicians of older generations had to wait for years to produce an album as rich in contents and talent as this one, which means that congratulation are in order. Since I am writing these words exactly on Jerzy´s birthday (completely accidentally BTW) I can only wish him many future achievements, which will surely outshine this one, surely after such an outstanding liftoff! Side Note The iconic "Polish Jazz" series of recordings, originally released between 1965 and 1989 by the Polish state owned record company Polskie NagraniaFind albums on this label, which used the MuzaFind albums on this label label as its moniker, consists of seventy six LP albums. It presents the history of Polish Jazz recordings during that period, which includes some of the most important Polish / European modern Jazz milestones and reflects the extraordinary development of Jazz music behind the Iron Curtain. It is one of the most important historic documents of Polish Music and of course Polish Culture in general. The series had an eminent logo designed by Roslaw Szaybo and the albums were numbered sequentially from Vol.1 to Vol.76 accordingly. The album's artwork was wonderfully stylish and modernist, featuring the brilliant photographs and characteristic design by the legendary Polish Artist Marek Karewicz. Stylistically the series presented all Jazz genres, from Traditional Jazz to Avant-Garde / Free Jazz, which was extraordinarily liberal considering the cultural censorship imposed by the Socialist Regime. It suffered from some inconsistency, as far as the musical quality and aesthetics were concerned, as well as the internal "politics" of the Polish Jazz scene at the time, but in retrospect it achieved a spectacular overall result, unparalleled as far as consistently documenting a national Jazz scene is concerned. After the Polskie Nagrania catalogue was bought by Warner Music PolandFind albums on this label, the new owner started a reissue process of the Polish Jazz series, carefully remastered, repackaged and including extensive liner notes, which keeps the artwork as close to the original design as possible. So far forty four volumes of the original series were reissued. In 2016 Warner Music Poland decided to continue the original series by releasing new contemporary Polish Jazz recordings under the same format and even to continue the sequential numbering starting with Vol.77 – a decision I personally consider almost sacrilegious. Some things are simply untouchable, and the "Polish Jazz" series is surely one of those things. If Warner Music Poland wants to produce Jazz albums, which is always more than welcome, they could have started a new series, under a new title, rather than exploiting the reputation of the historic series. As a result, some artist whose albums are released as part of the new series might be led to expect instant gratification, fame and stardom, just for being an artificial part of a prestigious past, which of course is as bogus as it is sad.

Updated: 17/03/2020Posted: 17/03/2020

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PAWEL MANKA SEMIOTIC QUINTET ~ KUBIZM SJ 055 (Barcode: 5902596066680) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2021 Released: 2021 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz quintet, named Semiotic QuintetFind albums by this artist and led by guitarist / composer Pawel MankaFind albums by this artist, which also includes other young representatives of the local scene: saxophonist Robert WypasekFind albums by this artist, pianist Franciszek RaczkowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Piotr NarajowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Stefan RaczkowskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine tracks, which are all original compositions by the leader. The music was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, with the usual superb sound quality. The music is quite adventurous and offers a mixture of Fusion and Avant-Garde Jazz, based on sketchy compositions, which are a basis for extended, often Free improvisations by the soloists, with solid, more well-behaved rhythm section support. The result achieves a somewhat chaotic, but certainly enthralling listening experience, with an end-result delivering more of seeking than achieving, but certainly being very absorbing along the way. The leader’s guitar playing is at times somewhat detached from the rest of the ensemble, emphasizing the electric Fusion guitar sound, which clashes with the acoustic Jazzy sound of the remaining quartet, but when kept in check it is able to coexist with the quartet more amicably. This is more a “sound” / ambience problem that a musical drawback, but for the best of the quintet has to be resolved in the future. Wypasek keeps the music down to earth, offering an almost traditional jazz approach, which leaves most of the glory around Raczkowski (the pianist), who is the true spark of this recording. His work on several albums he took part in during the last few years certainly marks him as a player worth watching, yet to emerge in full glory, but his playing here if pretty amazing. The rhythm section, as already mentioned, does a wonderful job to keep the music together, which without their heroic efforts, might have disintegrated at some moments. Overall, this is a very ambitious album, which is only partly successful, but is way more interesting than most “well behaved” recordings, which dominated to Polish Jazz scene this year, perhaps partly paralyzed by the Pandemic. The daring and ambition are highly appreciated and with some “fine tuning” and discipline this quintet can certainly get places. Kudos for the effort and all the best in the future!

Updated: 30/11/2021Posted: 30/11/2021

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MACIEJ MAZUREK ~ MY HOME V 024 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 2022 Released: 2023 This is the debut album by Polish guitarist / composer Maciej MazurekFind albums by this artist, recorded in a trio format with bassist Piotr MazurekFind albums by this artist and drummer Michal MalinskiFind albums by this artist. Percussionist Bartek PajakFind albums by this artist plays on three tracks and guitarist Artur LesickiFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Tomasz WendtFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Robert JarmuzekFind albums by this artist and vocalist Natalia LubranoFind albums by this artist guest each on one track. The album presents seven tracks, six of which are original compositions by Maciej Mazurek and one is co-written by Mazurek and Lubrano. The music was recorded at the excellent Monchrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, offering a spotless sound quality. The music is all highly melodic, based on solid tunes, which serve as basis for the improvisations by the participating musicians. The steady rhythmic background has a Smooth Jazz tendency, but the guitar is rather more Fusion oriented with strong Blues ties. Altogether the music is a nice mixture of melodic tunes, which flow without challenging the listener’s gray cells, but offer a pleasant background listening experience. Overall, this is a nice debut by young musicians, who are still searching for their specific musical path, showing obvious talent, but lacking maturity. Still, guitar lovers should find this very entertaining and full of exciting licks.

Updated: 09/06/2023Posted: 09/06/2023

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SABINA MECK ~ SLOWO NA T SJ 048 (Barcode: 5912596066849) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the third album by Polish Jazz vocalist / songwriter Sabina MeckFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Sabina MyrczekFind albums by this artist), recorded in a sextet setting with saxophonist Przemyslaw ChmielFind albums by this artist, guitarist Lukasz KokoszkoFind albums by this artist, pianist Michal JakubczakFind albums by this artist, bassist Piotr NajarowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Szymon MadejFind albums by this artist. Sabina´s brother vocalist Wojciech MyrczekFind albums by this artist guests on one track. The album presents ten original songs, all written (music and lyrics, all bar one in Polish language) by Meck. The album was recorded at the Monochrome Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist with excellent, as usual, sound quality. The album is a perfect document of the process Meck completed in the first five years of her career, both as vocalist and even more so as songwriter. The choices she made here to sing only original material and finally singing in Polish prove to be the right ones in every respect, as this album is definitely the most advanced and sophisticated achievement she made so far, even though the two previous albums were already remarkable by any standard. The most striking quality of this album is the quality of the compositions, which is nothing short of astounding. Although hey are all full of beautiful melodies, they also dare to explore much less conventional areas, sometimes even bordering on Free. The rhythmic patterns are often unusual and convoluted as well. As a result musically the album enters another dimension entirely, stepping beyond what is expected from "song oriented" music. Meck utilizes all her wonderful vocal abilities augmented by an extensive technical range, singing both lyrics and vocalese, spoken word and theatrical phrasing, each and every time perfectly appropriate to the given musical setting. Singing in Polish allows her to emphasize the dramatic qualities of her lyrics, which adds another layer to the songs´ overall effectiveness. She is beautifully supported by the five instrumentalists, who spice the proceedings with superb soloing and steady rhythmic flow, which is extremely important in this complex music. The young generation of Polish Jazz musicians is so full of wonderfully talented people that we take this level of quality for granted, but in fact this is true miracle. 2019 finally proved to be a remarkably fruitful year for Polish vocal Jazz albums after many decades of relative stagnation. This album is certainly one of most impressive of these albums, deserving as much love and attention as possible. I am happy so see that my high hopes and expectations from Sabina Meck, from the moment I first heard her, proved to be justified and it makes me extremely happy to see her consistently reaching for the stars. You make me proud my Dear!

Updated: 26/12/2019Posted: 26/12/2019

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MICHALSKA / JARZMIK QUINTET ~ MONIUSZKO: PRAGNIENIA I ROZTERKI MUSIC ART FUN (Barcode: 5907745979309) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz quintet co-led by vocalist Patrycja MichalskaFind albums by this artist and pianist Adam JarzmikFind albums by this artist, which also includes saxophonist Jakub LepaFind albums by this artist, bassist Mateusz SzewczykFind albums by this artist and drummer Stefan RaczkowskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven Jazz arrangements by Jarzmik of songs from the "Home Songs" collections composed by Polish Classical composer Stanislaw MoniuszkoFind albums by this artist, with texts by different Polish poets. Moniuszko published twelve volumes of "Home Songs", which contained altogether 268 songs, meant to be sung by people at home, rather that be used for performances in concert halls. They include some of Moniuszko´s most beautiful melodies and are full of the typical Polish melancholy and lyricism. The album was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist with the usual excellent sound quality. 2019 is Moniuszko´s birth bicentenary, which resulted in quite a few new recordings of his music, but this album is certainly one of the most successful modern interpretations of his music, full of respect and deep understanding of his credo, especially the lyrical streak, which was superbly captured by Jarzmik´s arrangements and the delicacy of Michalska´s vocal delivery. The music is splendidly executed, as expected. Jarzmik is an excellent pianist, with an established reputation and his playing is always a source of great pleasure. Lepa, who played with Jarzmik on all of his albums so far, is perfect for the job, adding ably to the ensemble sound. The rhythm section, although very young, does exactly what is expected, with precision and taste. Michalska delivers the lyrics with sensitivity and respect, avoiding unnecessary theatrics, which could have spoiled the desired result. Overall this is an intelligent, very well played piece of music, which treats the legacy of Moniuszko´s music with respect and love, adding a contemporary point of view, which might be instrumental in bringing this music to younger generations of listeners. A splendid debut effort by all means – well done!

Updated: 08/06/2020Posted: 17/09/2019

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MOW ~ HISTORIE ZEBRANE HEVHETIA 0169 (Barcode: 8588005258319) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by Polish ensemble MOWFind albums by this artist, which comprises of vocalist / songwriter Ania BratekFind albums by this artist, pianist Aga DerlakFind albums by this artist, bassist Mateusz SzewczykFind albums by this artist and drummer Patryk ZakrzewskiFind albums by this artist. Guitarist Jakub MizerackiFind albums by this artist guests on three tracks. The album presents eleven original songs, all featuring lyrics (in Polish language) written by Bratek and all but one were composed by Bratek and one co-composed by her. All songs were arranged by the ensemble members. The album was recorded at the Monochrom Studio and was engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, with the expected excellent sonic result. The music is a Jazzed-up Alternative Pop, but basically eschews clear genre classification. The focus is naturally on the lead vocals, accompanied by a piano trio, which collectively offers a constant stylistic duality between the vocal parts, which are more Soul / Pop oriented and the instrumental piano trio parts, which are clearly Jazz related. The mixture does work together well and the album is an interesting listening experience. For the Polish speaking audiences, the well crafted and intelligent lyrics offer an additional benefit. Bartek´s vocal delivery is somewhat theatrical, which emphasizes the messages delivered by the lyrics. She is able to express the emotions as well as the melodic / harmonic contents with ease and sincere involvement, and her compositions are exciting and diverse enough to make the music flow swiftly and keep the listener interested all the way through. The instrumental work is also excellent, which is hardly surprising as Derlak´s piano playing already earned her a lot of attention in spite of her young age and short mileage. The rhythm section sticks to the Jazzy formula with great bass lines and inventive drumming moving the music forward. Mizeracki´s guitar parts are also admirable and it´s a pity he wasn’t featured as a regular member of the band. Overall this is an excellent debut offering, which will hopefully be followed by new music soon. The two female Artists on this album are a sign of the growing role of the Women Power in Polish Jazz, which is wonderful of course. Kudos to the Slovak HevhetiaFind albums on this label label for supporting the Polish music scene since several years, and for offering new opportunities and exposure to creative Artists, which the local Polish record industry is unable to contain. Well done Milady and all the best in the years to come!

Updated: 22/12/2018Posted: 22/12/2018

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MUNDINOVA ~ W DRODZE NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 5903661867201) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is the debut album by Polish ensemble MundinovaFind albums by this artist comprising of vocalist Dorota KolodziejFind albums by this artist, bassist Marzena CybulkaFind albums by this artist and guitarist Michal WilczynskiFind albums by this artist. Percussionist Dariusz KaliszukFind albums by this artist and oud player Mateusz SzemrajFind albums by this artist guest on selected tracks. The album presents ten original pieces, eight composed by Cybulka and two by Wilczynski. Cybulka also wrote three of the lyrics (two in English) and co-wrote one with Kolodziej, and four lyrics were contributed by Justyna PaluchFind albums by this artist. Two pieces are instrumentals. The music was recorded at the fabulous Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist with the usual spectacular sound quality. The music is a wonderful Jazz-World Fusion project, with splendid themes beautifully weaved and excellently executed by the trio and guests. Although song oriented, the music offers unusual accompaniment performed basically just by bass and guitar, which again portrays the tendency towards minimalism so characteristic of Polish Jazz in 2019. The World Music influences, although quite obvious both melodically and rhythmically, are not very specific, which is very effective. Attentive listeners will be able to hear some Flamenco (well guitar), Middle East, Slavic and other layers, mysteriously popping up when least expected. Kolodziej offers splendid vocal performances, both while singing the lyrics with sensitivity and heartfelt honesty and even more so when singing marvelous vocalese. Wilczynski plays superbly tasteful guitar accompaniment and solos exuberantly but without unnecessary pathos. But it is Cybulka, who easily steals the show with her bass virtuosity, which should make many bassists truly envious. She is simply sensational and beautifully exemplifies that female intuition and feel are much more important than technical proficiency and showmanship trickery, albeit she lacks neither. She really has the Groove! Szemraj, as expected, adds some hair-raising moments of his own, which are the proverbial cherry on top. Overall the album offers plenty of wonderful music, a rich variety of moods and melodic worlds, brilliant instrumental performances, all this in a pleasant, highly focused atmosphere, which makes listening a truly joyful ride. There is no pretentious slickness, no trying to sound somebody else, just some wonderful, straight-to-the-heart musical message. Brilliant stuff!

Updated: 19/03/2021Posted: 19/03/2021

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NIECHEC ~ RECKLESS THINGS AUDIO CAVE 2025/003 (Barcode: 5908298549971) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Ambient Fusion Recorded: 2023 Released: 2025 This is the 4th album by Polish ensemble NiechecFind albums by this artist, a quintet comprising of saxophonist Alex ClovFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Alex Clov BaczkowskiFind albums by this artist, who replaced the founding member Maciej ZwierzchowskiFind albums by this artist), keyboardist Michal ZaleskiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Rafal BlaszczakFind albums by this artist, bass guitarist Maciej SzczepanskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Dominik MokrzewskiFind albums by this artist (who replaced the founding member Michal KaczorekFind albums by this artist), which means than 4/5 of the founding members are no longer members of the ensemble. The album presents nine original compositions, six composed by Clov, two by Zaleski and one by Mokrzewski. The music was recorded at the Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, offering the usual superb sound quality. Despite the dramatic lineup shifts, Niechec manages to continue its stylistic direction pretty consistently, walking on the tightrope between Jazz improvisations and Ambient / electronic instrumental music with a dark / dense sound. It is a very specific musical direction with a pretty much “take it or leave it” attitude, which has it faithful followers, but is definitely not for everyone. After all it has been fourteen years now (and four albums) since they appeared on the scene, and the “statute of limitations” expires eventually. That said, the music is still quite pleasant, inviting and I had again a good time listening to it, despite the omnipresent déjà vu feeling. Overall, it is a pleasant album for the Jazz-Ambient Fusion lovers, which offers basically no innovation or previously uncharted vistas, but is entertaining and even danceable to some extent. As mentioned above, I had a good time and this music is obviously appealing to wide younger audiences.

Updated: 16/03/2025Posted: 16/03/2025

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PIOTR ORZECHOWSKI / KUBA WIECEK ~ THEMES OF DRACULA ANAKLASIS 021 (Barcode: 5907795211893) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022 This is a duo album by two of the most prominent representatives of the young contemporary Polish Jazz scene: pianist / composer Piotr OrzechowskiFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. PianohooliganFind albums by this artist) (born 1990) and saxophonist / composer Kuba WiecekFind albums by this artist (born 1994). The duo performs their take on the music composed by the Polish Classical Music / Cinematic Music composer Wojciech KilarFind albums by this artist, which served as the soundtrack of Francis Ford CoppolaFind albums by this artist film “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”, hence the title. The album was released by the prestigious Polish AnaklasisFind albums on this label label as part of its “Revisions” series. The music was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, with the usual subline sound quality. Although Kilar’s music received already quite a few Jazz readings over time, this album goes far beyond just interpreting the original notes, and offers an entirely new musical universe, way beyond the source. Both Orzechowski and Wiecek are able to add their very personal and highly unusual / unique vistas, both as composers of the newly created music and performers, often applying novel / innovative techniques utilized on their relative instruments. The level of the performances by both musicians is absolutely phenomenal. The resulting music is completely fascinating and totally unexpected, even for listeners familiar with earlier recording by these two musicians. It becomes a wonderful example of the “Art of the Duo”, not only on the physical / audible plane and even more importantly on the metaphysical plane, which drives them to play they was they do. Although the music is complex and demands total submission from the listener, it rewards the audience by inspiring the intellectual processes it manages to invoke and the aesthetic pleasures generated it stimulates. Overall, this is another excellent addition to the “Revisions” series and an important step forward in the recording legacy of both these young and highly talented musicians, who are open to new vistas and don’t shun difficult challenges. This is not stress-free music, but a highly rewarding visit to new musical worlds, which does not happen that often these days. Beautifully done – hats off my young Friends!

Updated: 02/02/2023Posted: 02/02/2023

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KASIA OSTERCZY ~ TRAVEL ELEGY AUDIO CAVE 2020/009 (Barcode: 5908298549070) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz vocalist / composer Kasia OsterczyFind albums by this artist recorded in a trio setting with saxophonist / clarinetist Kuba MarciniakFind albums by this artist and guitarist Piotr ScholzFind albums by this artist. It is a Jazz & Poetry project, which presents eight original compositions, all by Osterczy, two instrumentals and six songs with lyrics by Polish poetess Wislawa SzymborskaFind albums by this artist translated into English by Stanislaw BaranczakFind albums by this artist and Clare CavanaghFind albums by this artist. The album was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist. Form the first moment I took the album in my hands I was taken aback by the concept; why would a Polish singer perform Polish poetry in the English language? Tragically my worst fears turned out to be justified. For the entire duration of the album I was not able to understand a single word pronounced by the singer, that for several reasons: Firstly the usual problem of pronunciation, accent and delivery that all Polish singers have while singing in English, which is a true plague of the Polish vocal Jazz scene in particular and music scene in general. This madness has been going on for decades and sadly is only spreading. Secondly the arrangements, which call for the vocals to be accompanied unisono by the guitar or clarinet, hide the vocal parts making them in many instances hardly even audible. The shrill guitar sound and the high pitch of the vocals have a devastating result when heard together. Thirdly the very idea of singing Polish poetry in English, other than possibly popularizing Polish Culture for non-Polish speaking audiences, is truly absurd. At least a text with the translated poems should have been included in the packaging? It is, after all, not a case where this album will be heard by millions of listeners outside Poland, is it? There are of course some positive aspects to this album: the music is ambitious and interesting, the musicians are certainly able, and even the vocals are fine as long as they are vocalese only. It makes me truly sad to think that this project might have achieved a completely different result if Osterczy had stuck to the beautiful original texts in Polish and the balance / separation between her voice and the accompanying instruments was different… oh well, a great pity.

Updated: 04/09/2020Posted: 04/09/2020

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P.E. QUARTET ~ COKOLWIEK MULTIKULTI MPJ 022 (Barcode: 5907529223604) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz ensemble called P.E. QuartetFind albums by this artist, which comprises of saxophonist Jerzy MaczynskiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Szymon WojcikFind albums by this artist, bassist Rafal RozalskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Bartosz SzablowskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions, all co-credited to the four members of the quartet. The music was wonderfully recorded at the Monochrom Studio with Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist in charge of the sound. The music is an interesting mixture of pre-composed themes and improvised pieces, all very open and unrestrained, which allow individual members of the quartet to express their statements as well as involve in collective improvisation. The ingenuousness and obvious openness of these young musicians is truly astounding, as such playing usually requires years of experience. By listening blindly to this music no one would be able to guess the young age of these musicians. The music is also quite complex and sophisticated, and yet flows elegantly and smoothly without awaking antagonism or hardship in the listener. Organized chaos or restrained freedom come to mind, but the only way to comprehend this music is of course to listen to it. At some moments the music is also more relaxed and fluid, but usually that is just a starting point of another intensive improvisation part. The individual statements are all excellent, and diametrically different. Personally my "hero" on this album is Rozalski, who builds wonderful bass intros, full of tension and anticipation. But the guitar work by Wojcik is also superb, regardless if it is beautifully melodic or completely distorted. But Maczynski and Szablowski contribute equally well and this music is first and foremost an ensemble statement, which works splendidly. Overall this is a splendid debut effort, which shows tons of potential and again confirms the incredible strength of the young Polish Jazz scene, which never ceases to amaze. It is frightening to think what these guys will come up with next! Not to be missed!

Updated: 29/07/2018Posted: 29/07/2018

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MATEUSZ PALKA ~ BLUR ECHO ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2020 Released: 2021 This is the second album as a leader by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Mateusz PalkaFind albums by this artist and his first solo piano effort. The album presents fourteen relatively short pieces, five of which are even shorter untitled “variations”, all composed by Palka. The album was recorded at the splendid Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, offering a spectacular sonic experience. The music is absolutely wonderful, floating gently between romanticism and modernism, with strong ties to Polish / European Classical tradition, full of beautiful minimalist melodic motives, harmonic structures and inspired improvisations. In many respects the music is only partially Jazz oriented, being Jazzy more spiritually than formally, and it remains always beyond any attempt of being clearly categorized. One can recognize some contemporary Polish Jazz influences in this music, like those of Piotr WylezolFind albums by this artist, who was Palka’s teacher and Dominik WaniaFind albums by this artist, who undoubtedly served as a lofty inspiration, both being some of the finest piano players / composers in Jazz today, in Poland and beyond. Solo piano album is undoubtedly the ultimate Jazz challenge, especially for artist as young as Palka, and the fact that he manages to overcome the difficulties and create such outstanding piece of music, is quite overwhelming in every respect. Overall, this is a brilliant album from start to finish, which offers a challenging music and at the same time a wonderfully deep aesthetic experience, which is fresh and daring. Cleverly avoiding categorization, this music should delight both modern Jazz listeners and contemporary Classical Music enthusiasts. Combined with some of the best sound quality of solo piano recordings out there, this is nothing less than a spiritual experience.

Updated: 11/02/2022Posted: 11/02/2022

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BARTOSZ PERNAL SEXTET ~ INTO THE WILD BCD 47 (Barcode: 5906881885475) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2020 This is the debut album as a leader (as far as I know) by Polish Jazz trombonist / composer Bartosz PernalFind albums by this artist recorded in a pianoless sextet setting with trumpeter Dominik GawronskiFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Wojciech LichtanskiFind albums by this artist and Marek KonarskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Jakub OlejnikFind albums by this artist and drummer Grzegorz PalkaFind albums by this artist. The album presents six original compositions, including the title track three part suite, all by Pernal. The album was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and was engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, offering a wonderful sound quality, as expected. The music is typical modern Jazz, based on melodic compositions and skillfully arranged for the Brass dominated sextet, which has a very unique sound due to lack of harmonic support. The extended pieces offer plenty of opportunity for all the participants to solo at length and the first-rate rhythm section keeps the music moving forward on secure ground. Despite their relative young age all the members of the band are seasoned and experienced instrumentalists, as evident by their performances herein. The outstanding drumming by Palka is an absolute highlight and definitely worthy of special attention. The album is not trying to be flashy or dazzling, but it offers solid, well developed musical ideas, superbly performed and coherently put together, which turns it into a most enjoyable and rewarding listening experience, worth returning to, especially for enthusiasts of Brass sections and multi-part expanded Jazz compositions. Overall this is a great piece of music, perhaps more in the "musician´s musician" mold, as it offers many tricks of the Jazz trade on different levels, starting with the compositions and then almost orchestral arrangements, the delicate balance between the instruments and crowned by the wonderful execution. Definitely well done!

Updated: 25/12/2020Posted: 25/12/2020

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KAROLINA PERNAL ~ CLARIDAD SJ 033 (Barcode: 5912596066665) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Karolina PernalFind albums by this artist recorded in a quintet setting with Italian saxophonist / clarinetist Achille SucciFind albums by this artist and Polish pianist Kuba PluzekFind albums by this artist, bassist Jakub OlejnikFind albums by this artist and drummer Wojciech BulinskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents six tracks, five of which are original compositions: three by Karolina Pernal and two by her spouse trombonist Bartosz PernalFind albums by this artist and one is a Sam RiversFind albums by this artist composition arranged by Bartosz Pernal. The album was recorded at the Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist with the usual excellent sound quality. The music is all kept within the melodic mainstream Jazz idiom, with solid original compositions by the Pernals, which are mostly ballads with typical Polish melancholic streak. It is easy on the ear but eventually rather uneventful, although professionally performed by the quintet members with Pluzek being the most interesting soloist by far. Having said that, this album offers a pleasant listening experience to mainstream Jazz connoisseurs and can be enjoyed in full, like many similar other albums in that vein. Karolina Pernal is one of relatively few female Polish Jazz instrumentalists, and as such she deserves support and encouragement to achieve an equal footing with her many male cohorts. This debut offering is surely just a first step on the way to a hopefully wonderful musical career.

Updated: 14/12/2018Posted: 14/12/2018

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FRANCISZEK POSPIESZALSKI ~ ACCUMULATED THOUGHTS NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is the second album by young Polish Jazz bassist / composer Franciszek PospieszalskiFind albums by this artist, this time recorded in a classic piano trio Jazz setting with pianist Franciszek RaczkowskiFind albums by this artist and Hungarian drummer Peter SomosFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight tracks, seven of which are original compositions by Pospieszalski and one is by the legendary British trumpeter / composer Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist. The music was recorded at the now legendary Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, with the expected exceptional sound quality. In complete contrast to his debut album, which was an explosion of youthful exploration and discovery flirting mostly with Free Jazz and a myriad of other influences, this album is completely focused on melodic modern Jazz, coherent compositions and superb instrumental work by the trio. Pospieszalski emerges here as a gifted composer, who is able to weave interesting and multilayered themes, as well as a superb bassist, with refined technique and remarkable feel for the music. His work as a trio member and as a soloist is absolutely spotless and inspired. Raczkowski, who is a relative newcomer on the Polish scene, made an impressive progress as a player since his own debut album recorded three years earlier, and his splendid performances on acoustic and electric piano are a true delight from start to finish. His progress is heartwarming and definitely paves his way towards the incredibly crowded Polish Jazz pianist clique. Somos is an excellent drummer, which is mostly evident from the fact that he is rather felt that heard. His elegant sense of rhythm and subtle use of his instrument are remarkable. Overall this is a wonderful piano trio Jazz album, up to date and vibrant, full of excellent music and brilliant playing, definitely one of the most exciting of the kind that came to my attention in quite a while. Congratulations are in order for the chameleonic transformation Pospieszalski went through and for putting this trio together and I can´t wait to hear the next album by these young lions. A breathe of fresh air!

Updated: 15/04/2019Posted: 15/04/2019

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FRANCISZEK POSPIESZALSKI ~ SECOND STEP NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 5903771865210) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2021 Released: 2021 This is the third album as a leader by young Polish Jazz bassist / composer Franciszek PospieszalskiFind albums by this artist and his second recording with his sextet, which here includes saxophonists Marek PospieszalskiFind albums by this artist and Jedrzej LagodzinskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Grzegorz TarwidFind albums by this artist, multi-instrumentalist Wiktoria JakubowskaFind albums by this artist and drummer Szymon GasiorekFind albums by this artist. Barbara PospieszalskaFind albums by this artist plays piano on one track and a string quartet plays on two tracks. The album presents eight original compositions, all by the leader. The album was recorded at the Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist. As usual with Pospieszalski, his music eschews all attempts of straightforward classification and encompasses many different influences, from contemporary Classical Music, via the Jazz tradition, Folkloristic fragrances and Avant-Garde tendencies, which altogether produce a unique amalgam, which is first and foremost his own. It is fascinating to follow the development of Pospieszalski in the last five years since the recording of his debut album and the crystallization of his stylistic tendencies, influenced undoubtedly by the years he studied music in Denmark, which is a melting point of the young European Jazz scene. The bond he forged there with Lagodzinski and Gasiorek, which resulted in the formation of the Love And Beauty SeekersFind albums by this artist trio seems to hold on, as these young people obviously share common musical vibes. In the liner notes accompanying this album Pospieszalski reflects upon the blind worship of everything “American”, in music and life habits alike, which is tragically so omnipresent among young Europeans, rather than following and developing the rich and beautiful European tradition that has so much to offer. I wholeheartedly share that point of view of course and the fact that Pospieszalski is open enough to talk about it, in addition to creating music which is deeply European in its essence, is highly commendable. Overall, this is a wonderful piece of music; bold, interesting, beautifully put together and executed, which fully justifies the hopes and belief in the young generation of Polish / European Jazz, that some of us share. There are only a few albums recorded each year that have so much to offer, and this one surely deserves to be heard by as many music lovers around the world as possible. Well done!

Updated: 07/09/2021Posted: 07/09/2021

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RASP LOVERS ~ ROMANTIC ALTERNATIVE SCHIZOPHRENIC PUNK HOWARD 4 (Barcode: 5903420816273) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by the Polish Jazz ensemble RASP LoversFind albums by this artist, led by guitarist Szymon WojcikFind albums by this artist and also including saxophonist Jerzy MaczynskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Marcel BalinskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Rafal RozalskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Bartosz SzablowskiFind albums by this artist. However, four of the above listed musicians (all except Balinski) appeared last year as members of the P.E. QuartetFind albums by this artist which released their debut album "CokolwiekFind albums with this title" then, so one might wonder why the change of moniker? The album presents eleven original compositions, all by Wojcik. The music was recorded at the Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, who is probably the only person on earth up to the task. To my surprise the music on this album does not continue the direction of the above mentioned P.E. Quartet´s debut album, which perhaps answers the question about the name change. It is a harsh, often conflicting amalgam of many musical elements, from Avant-Garde, Jazz, Rock and Punk (more in attitude than musically). As a result the music shakes the listener at first contact, which perhaps is the desired effect. It is very difficult to find a coherent direction or concept in this music at first, again perhaps intentionally so, with the music jumping between rocky riffs and improvised music parts without warning and which, as a result, can be quite masochistic for a casual listener. But on the other hand one has to admire the non-conformism and the courage to follow the Artistic vision, which obviously stands behind this music. The five musicians all perform wonderfully and imaginatively throughout this album, creating absorbing flow and fascinating moments, given the opportunity to be heard and noticed. It takes time and patience to create a mental bridge to this music, which probably very few listeners are able to build eventually, and which is probably not a primary concern of the music´s creators. For hardened Improvised Music / Avant-Garde fanatics this is an obvious chaotic heaven, the rest of the world – you have been warned ;)

Updated: 14/12/2019Posted: 14/12/2019

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JORGOS SKOLIAS / PIOTR RACHON ~ FREE V 014 (Barcode: 5903111377137) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by Polish duo comprising of vocalist Jorgos SkoliasFind albums by this artist and pianist Piotr RachonFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten original compositions, spontaneously created during the recording session and credited to both participants, with the "lyrics" credited to Skolias. The album was recorded at the Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, with the expected superb sound quality. From the very onset of the music it becomes immediately obvious that this album is unlike anything one might have come across before. As the album´s title suggests, this music is completely free from any preconceptions and genre limitations. Skolias and Rachon let themselves to be led by their respective instincts and the telepathic rapport they manage to establish during the session´s duration. They are clearly listening to each other very carefully, and yet they take turns in pushing the music from one plane to another, moving forward and backwards and sideways constantly. Despite the seemingly directionless aura, the music is perfectly coherent and even "organized" and "melodic" most of the time, certainly in the abstract gist of these idioms. With Skolias using almost completely unconventional vocal techniques, Rachon sticks to almost conventional chords and scales, keeping the overall result "in check", which helps to avoid havoc and confusion. Both players are of course equally inventive at all times. Skolias uses his voice in a multilayered and multidirectional manner, utilizing single words and phrases, Multilanguage and gibberish, natural and distorted vocals and harmonized vocal effects, screams and whispers, in short an amazing array of human-produced natural and unnatural effects, which only he is capable of creating. Rachon skillfully and incredibly sensibly manages to insert his piano sounds to harmonize perfectly with the barrage of sounds produced by Skolias, creating a symbiotic whole. In fact describing this music in words is an a priori futile effort, and listening to it is the only proper way to treat it. Having said that, one must admit that this music is so extraordinary and Avant-Garde that it can be considered groundbreaking, certainly as far as Improvised Vocal Music is concerned. The Giant Step taken by Skolias from his Rock, Blues and Jazz roots towards this revolutionary modus operandi is astonishing in its boldness and ingenuity. Although I have always considered Skolias as a superbly talented and multifaceted artist, this time he truly managed to knock my socks off! Hats off to you my Friend!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 19/11/2018

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SOUND PACK ~ ON AIR SJ 045 (Barcode: 5912596066801) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by the Polish Jazz vocal quartet The Sound PackFind albums by this artist, led by Marcin WawrzynowiczFind albums by this artist, which also includes three female singers: Joanna Swiniarska-SzebeszczykFind albums by this artist, Katarzyna MirowskaFind albums by this artist and Malgorzata BiniekFind albums by this artist. They are accompanied by a splendid instrumental septet, which comprises of trumpeter Dominik MietlaFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Marcin KaletkaFind albums by this artist, trombonist Lukasz RakalskiFind albums by this artist (who was in charge of the excellent instrumental arrangements), guitarist Gabriel NiedzielaFind albums by this artist, pianist Boguslaw KaczmarFind albums by this artist, bassist Michal KapczukFind albums by this artist and drummer Przemyslaw JaroszFind albums by this artist (who was also in charge of the album´s mix). The vocal arrangements were supplied by veteran Polish Jazz musician / arranger Aleksander MazurFind albums by this artist (more about him later). The album presents ten Jazz standards, nine of which are evergreens known to every Jazz fan around the world and one originates in Poland. The album was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist offering the usual splendid sound quality. To anybody familiar with Polish Jazz this album immediately brings on the obvious association with the legendary and phenomenal Polish Jazz vocal quartet NOVIFind albums by this artist, which clearly also sets an incredibly tough and perhaps even unfair standard of comparison. After just a few seconds into the music the association becomes a reality, which is not entirely surprising considering the fact that Mazur worked with NOVI on one of their later albums and was involved with arranging for vocal groups for years. Therefore rather than comparing this album with those made by NOVI, I´d like to say that it is good to see (well, hear) finally someone who dares to stand up to the challenges and continue the Polish Jazz vocal quartet legacy. The album offers excellent vocal arrangements and up to date instrumental approach, which allows for soloing by the individual players. All the performances, vocal and instrumental as one, are first rate and represent the fabulous level of the young Polish Jazz generation. The bluesy guitar parts by Niedziela and lyrical piano parts by Kaczmar are my personal favorites, but again everybody performs splendidly. The vocal parts deliver both lyrics and vocalese with the same level of harmonic perfection. Some critical notes, however, are also in order: the choice of material is a tad too obvious / trifling, which can be forgiven considering this is a debut outing, and hopefully will be improved on future recordings. Although the singing of lyrics in English is not particularly ostracizing here, the sole song in Polish is an example of how things could be done better? Overall this is a splendid debut offering, which is a true pleasure to listen to from start to finish and a delightful experience for Jazz vocal group connoisseurs. Looking forward for the next album already, well done Ladies and Gents!

Updated: 13/02/2023Posted: 26/10/2019

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ROBERT SWISTELNICKI ~ PIOSENKI MULTIKULTI MPO 005 (Barcode: 5903068680137) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2020 Released: 2022 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz guitarist / composer / lyricist Robert SwistelnickiFind albums by this artist, recorded with his sextet, which also includes trumpeter Pawel PalcowskiFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Adam BlawickiFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Kajetan BorowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej KitajewskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Piotr BudniakFind albums by this artist. Vocalists Klara CloudFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Sylwia Klara ZasempaFind albums by this artist) and Lukasz LipskiFind albums by this artist guest on one track. The album presents nine original compositions and texts, all by Swistelnicki, recorded at the legendary Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, with the usual splendid sound quality. The album falls into the Jazz & Poetry idiom, although Swistelnicki recites his texts / poems / songs (the album’s title) on top of the music, rather than singing them, coming back to the early days of the Jazz & Poetry movement of the Beat Generation in America in the 1950s, when Allen GinsbergFind albums by this artist and others recited their revolutionary poetry accompanied by Jazz bands. A decade later the idiom appeared also in Europe, in London, Paris and other European cities, spilling over the Iron Curtain like molten lava and soon popped up in Poland and Czechoslovakia, despite the political regime’s censorship. Therefore, this album definitely has its nostalgic / retro aspects, although there are some important stylistic differences, both literary and musical. The texts are highly personal and reflect the alienation of contemporary human condition, as often reflected in contemporary Rap music, rather than social / political / ideological rebellion, which was the essence of the Beatniks. The music is also much more tamed and mainstream oriented, mixing elements of Jazz with Rock and even Pop, rather than Bebop or early Free Jazz. But notwithstanding nostalgia, etc. this is quite a remarkable album in many respects, with offers some excellent musical ideas and (retro) innovative approach to the Jazz & Poetry idiom, which surely proves open-mindedness and courage. The musicianship is of course beyond reproach, which is hardly surprising, and the listeners are offered a diverse collection of compositions and non-trivial texts, which elegantly kick the butt. Overall, this is an impressive debut album, which hopefully will be followed by future achievements by Swistelnicki and his colleagues. Kudos to the MultikultiFind albums on this label label, which bravely keeps releasing unusual / pioneering projects against all (mostly economic) odds. Well done everybody!

Updated: 20/12/2022Posted: 20/12/2022

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T/ABORET ~ CYJANOTYPIA NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2020 Released: 2021 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz quartet T/AboretFind albums by this artist comprising of pianist / vocalist Natalia CzekalaFind albums by this artist, string instruments player / vocalist Karolina MatuszkiewiczFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej SzczycinskiFind albums by this artist and percussionist Krzysztof GuzewiczFind albums by this artist. A couple of guest players appear on two tracks. The album presents nine tracks, which are a mixture of arrangements of folk songs and original compositions. The music was recorded at the fabulous Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, offering the usual excellent sound quality. The music is heavily soaked in Polish Folklore, especially that of the Kurpie region, which already was featured as the central theme of two excellent Polish Jazz albums: “BukolikiFind albums with this title” and “Kurpian Songs & MeditationsFind albums with this title”. In fact, the quartet’s music manages to incorporate the Folklore so closely into their musical fabric, that it is impossible to distinguish which of the tracks are arrangements of Folk melodies and which are original compositions. The group members play on a plethora of instruments, especially Matuszkiewicz, most of which are associated with folk music. The overall acoustic sound is serene, deeply melancholic and beautifully melodic, with the Jazz elements appearing as an undercurrent accent, rather than the main facet of the music. This album is one of several recent Polish Jazz releases, which emphasize the popularity of the trend of returning to the musical roots, in which young musicians find a remedy for the constant pressure of the global noise and emptiness of uniform non-culture. Overall this is a highly aesthetic, delicate and beautifully designed piece of embracing music, which offers an immediate, embraceable aural experience, respectful of tradition and Culture in general. Definitely a breath of fresh air and a most promising debut effort!

Updated: 17/04/2021Posted: 17/04/2021

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DANIEL TOLEDO ~ FLETCH AUDIO CAVE 2020/002 (Barcode: 5908298549018) ~ ECUADOR ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2020 This is the third album by Ecuadorian bassist / composer Daniel ToledoFind albums by this artist, recorded in a classic quartet setting with all Polish team consisting of saxophonist Kuba WiecekFind albums by this artist, pianist Piotr OrzechowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Michal MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, all composed by Toledo. The music was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist. Toledo´s steady output of albums, starting in 2014 and offering a new recording every couple of years (I had the pleasure of writing the liner notes for his second album "AtriumFind albums with this title"), as well as his cooperation with Orzechowski, follow a steady course of development as a composer and player. The music on this album significantly departs from the earlier melody based conventional modern Jazz into a way more spacey, free spirited ventures and complex odd meters based rhythmic background. The metamorphosis is quite dramatic and presents Toledo in a completely new perception. Orzechowski, who plays both acoustic and electric piano, and who is the focal soloist, takes upon himself a major role in voicing this new approach, playing of course as brilliantly as always, but again quite differently from his usual environment, and listeners familiar with his impressive output as instrumentalist will have an opportunity to hear him from a different point of view. Wiecek steps in boldly and this music seems to suit his stylistic preferences ideally. Although his statements are relatively limited they are all right on the money. Miskiewicz, one of Poland´s most versatile and experienced drummers, handles the difficult rhythmic challenges without a hitch, as expected. Toledo´s solid bass parts are of course the spinal chord which connects all the ingredients together. Overall this is a difficult, serious piece of music, which although demanding, can be a source of great musical enjoyment, as long as the listener allows it the required attention and time needed to penetrate the external crust. Full of great ideas and superb performances, this is definitely something worthy of serious investigation.

Updated: 19/03/2020Posted: 19/03/2020

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VIBRASLAP ~ DIFFERENT WOR(L)DS MILOR 001 (Barcode: 5907796632000) ~ POLAND ~ Smooth Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the second album by Polish Jazz ensemble VibraslapFind albums by this artist, co-led by vibraphonist / composer Milosz RutkowskiFind albums by this artist and bassist Tomasz GrabowyFind albums by this artist. The current sextet version of the ensemble also includes saxophonist Tomasz WendtFind albums by this artist, pianist Robert JarmuzekFind albums by this artist, drummer Lukasz SobolakFind albums by this artist and vocalist Marcin WawrzynowiczFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions, all by the ensemble members. The music was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, with the usual superb sound quality. The music is definitely on the easy side of the Jazz spectrum, based on simple melodies and catchy riffs, but altogether offering a pleasant and entertaining listening experience. The group members are excellent and experienced musicians and their performances are all beyond reproach, appropriate within this specific genre. The vocals are the weakest chain on the album, but again excusable in that context. Jarmuzek and Wendt offer the most ambitious soloing spots, Rutkowski has a nice touch and the rhythm section keeps the music swinging, and all is well. As I have already stated many times before, Jazz is a wide phenomenon that is flexible enough to embrace more approachable and entertaining facets, including music like what this album offers, which has its following and should not be a priori rejected by condescending snobbery. To each his own…

Updated: 13/01/2020Posted: 13/01/2020

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KUBA WIECEK ~ MULTITASKING (POLISH JAZZ VOL.82) WARNER MUSIC POLAND 190295475918 (Barcode: 190295475918) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the second album by the young Polish Jazz saxophonist Kuba WiecekFind albums by this artist recorded with the same trio like the debut released two years earlier, which includes bassist Michal BaranskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Lukasz ZytaFind albums by this artist. Keyboardist Marcin MaseckiFind albums by this artist guests on one track. The album presents ten original compositions, all by Wiecek. Wiecek "exploded" on the local Jazz scene with the release of his debut album, which was released as part of the legendary "Polish Jazz" series, same as this one (see below). Immediately hailed as a wunderkind, youngest ever Jazz prodigy and the "darling" of the local scene and hyped by the media to ridiculous proportions, Wiecek never had a true chance to be seriously analyzed and evaluated as a player and composer. The debut album had its moments, but was recorded way too early before the material had a chance to be polished and mature during live performances and in retrospect was no more than a promise of better things to come in the future. This album is undoubtedly a much more accurate document of Wiecek´s many talents with the emphasis on his compositions, which are obviously unique and innovative. This album is in fact a collection of short ditties, ingenious and full of humor, masterly conceived and consistently fascinating. But the short duration of these ten pieces, lasting together under forty minutes, allows only to present the melodic / rhythmic ideas, but there is not enough time left to allow for any extended improvisations, which after all is expected from a Jazz album. Strangely, although this album was recorded at the best Polish recording studio (Monochrom Studio, with Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist presiding) it offers a muddy and thin sound, which does not help at all. Happily I have had the opportunity to hear the trio live many times in the last two years and can gladly testify that this material and the trio sound infinitely better on stage than on this album. Wiecek and his cohorts are stage animals and they put up a superb live show, taking this material places hardly imaginable, when listening to the studio album. I have also heard Wiecek play many times in jam sessions, where his adaptability and diversity was tested to the max, and which he always survived like a true knight in shining armor, without any hype miles around. Wiecek is undoubtedly one of the most ingenious, talented and promising upcoming young Polish Jazz musicians in addition to his charming personality. He is definitely destined to go places and the world is at his feet. I am happy to see that the hype around him did not manage to spoil and hurt him as much as it could have done and it was just an episode better left behind. He is still to record his defining album though. Side Note The iconic "Polish Jazz" series of recordings, originally released between 1965 and 1989 by the Polish state owned record company Polskie NagraniaFind albums on this label, which used the MuzaFind albums on this label label as its moniker, consists of seventy six LP albums. It presents the history of Polish Jazz recordings during that period, which includes some of the most important Polish / European modern Jazz milestones and reflects the extraordinary development of Jazz music behind the Iron Curtain. It is one of the most important historic documents of Polish Music and of course Polish Culture in general. The series had an eminent logo designed by Roslaw Szaybo and the albums were numbered sequentially from Vol.1 to Vol.76 accordingly. The album's artwork was wonderfully stylish and modernist, featuring the brilliant photographs and characteristic design by the legendary Polish Artist Marek Karewicz. Stylistically the series presented all Jazz genres, from Traditional Jazz to Avant-Garde / Free Jazz, which was extraordinarily liberal considering the cultural censorship imposed by the Socialist Regime. It suffered from some inconsistency, as far as the musical quality and aesthetics were concerned, as well as the internal "politics" of the Polish Jazz scene at the time, but in retrospect it achieved a spectacular overall result, unparalleled as far as consistently documenting a national Jazz scene is concerned. After the Polskie Nagrania catalogue was bought by Warner Music PolandFind albums on this label, the new owner started a reissue process of the Polish Jazz series, carefully remastered, repackaged and including extensive liner notes, which keeps the artwork as close to the original design as possible. So far forty four volumes of the original series were reissued. In 2016 Warner Music Poland decided to continue the original series by releasing new contemporary Polish Jazz recordings under the same format and even to continue the sequential numbering starting with Vol.77 – a decision I personally consider almost sacrilegious. Some things are simply untouchable, and the "Polish Jazz" series is surely one of those things. If Warner Music Poland wants to produce Jazz albums, which is always more than welcome, they could have started a new series, under a new title, rather than exploiting the reputation of the historic series. As a result, some artist whose albums are released as part of the new series might be led to expect instant gratification, fame and stardom, just for being an artificial part of a prestigious past, which of course is as bogus as it is sad.

Updated: 02/01/2020Posted: 02/01/2020

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IGNACY JAN WISNIEWSKI ~ KANTATA JAZZOWA WOOD AND MOOD 0011 (Barcode: 5907222681077) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the second album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Ignacy Jan WisniewskiFind albums by this artist, recorded with the same trio he used to record his debut, which includes bassist Adam ZuchowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Pawel OsickiFind albums by this artist. In addition the album features also vocalist Kamil DominiakFind albums by this artist. Together they present eight "songs", all composed by Wisniewski to the lyrics written specifically for this project by Polish Poet Michal RusinekFind albums by this artist. The entire song cycle is called a "Jazz Cantata" and of course firmly belongs to the marvelous Polish Jazz & Poetry tradition. The album was beautifully recorded at the now legendary Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist. The music presents an ambitious amalgam of cross-genre modern Jazz, with roots in contemporary Classical music, melodic mainstream Jazz and Avant-Garde improvisation, all tastefully put together with the lyrics, creating an impressive and powerful statement. Wisniewski, who concentrates mainly on composing music for theatre, has definitely a very strong theatrical "streak" as a composer, which comes to full bloom herein. The music is wonderfully executed, both on the instrumental and the vocal layers. Dominiak, who is not a Jazz singer, stands up to the challenge with flying colors, using his vocal abilities and more importantly theatrical expressionism to the max. The piano trio offers some excellent instrumental passages, shifting between melodic / rhythmic statements and Free Improvised moments with grace and elegance. The album offers a perfect balance between the instrumental and vocal contents, without one or the other being dominant, which is a rare quality in such projects. The poetry, which sadly is only accessible to native Polish speakers, is a wonderful example of the thriving contemporary Polish Poetry scene. Rusinek (well-known as the private secretary of the great Polish Poetess Wislawa SzymborskaFind albums by this artist) is an accomplished writer / translator / poet and his brilliant plays on words are a true delight. Overall this is another valuable addition to the Polish Jazz & Poetry legacy, which is being kept alive by the new generation of Polish Jazz composers / musicians, with the same passion and dedication as that of the pioneers of the genre six decades earlier. Definitely highly recommended!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 16/03/2019

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