Record Reviews

HIGH DEFINITION QUARTET ~ DZIADY ANAKLASIS 007 (Barcode: 5907795208732) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Ambient Fusion Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is the third album by Polish Jazz ensemble High Definition QuartetFind albums by this artist, which comprises of saxophonist Mateusz SliwaFind albums by this artist, pianist / composer Piotr OrzechowskiFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. PianohooliganFind albums by this artist), bassist Alan WykpiszFind albums by this artist and drummer Grzegorz PalkaFind albums by this artist (each of the three albums features a different drummer). On this album the ensemble collaborates with five electronic music composers: Polish veteran / pioneer of the idiom Krzysztof KnittelFind albums by this artist, Igor BoxxFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Igor PudloFind albums by this artist), Americans William BasinskiFind albums by this artist and Robert RichFind albums by this artist and Austrian Christian FenneszFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten original compositions, five of which are performed by the ensemble and were composed by Orzechowski and five shorter pieces, each composed and performed by one of the above listed electronic music composers (except for the Knittel piece which was co-composed with Orzechowski and co-executed with the ensemble), which are sandwiched between the ensemble pieces. The album´s title "Dziady" ("Forefathers´ Eve") refers of course to the epic poetic drama by the Polish national poet Adam MickiewiczFind albums by this artist, considered as one of the greatest works of European Romanticism and a source of controversial interpretations throughout the convoluted Polish political history, famous for its role in the 1968 Polish Political crisis, but retaining its prophetic actuality to this very day. The drama was staged many times over the years of course and one could speculate that this music could be considered as a possible soundtrack / stage music to an imaginary / future spectacle. Combining Jazz with electronic / ambient music is of course quite fashionable these days and this year´s (2019) Polish Jazz recording harvest offers several such outings. In most cases the electronic / ambient music is closely amalgamated with the Jazzy content, whereas on this album, with the exception of the opening Knittel / Orzechowski track, the rest of the electronic / ambient tracks stand on their own musically, which raises a basic speculation as to their integration within the album´s musical fabric and its continuity. Personally I feel that their absence would not have changed the album´s overall effect dramatically. The Jazz part of the album is however absolutely brilliant, as one might expect. Orzechowski´s dramatic music, rich in texture and full of imagination, is delightful from start to finish. The five seemingly separate themes constitute a coherent whole, which is perfectly executed by the quartet. Orzechowski´s piano playing is radiant as always, and he proves to be on top of the heap, in spite of the fact that his recording output is sadly way too infrequent for my liking. Sliwa manages to keep his unique personal style, which sets him apart from most contemporary young Polish Jazz saxophonists, and who sadly also does not record frequently enough. Big Bear Wykpisz is amazing as always, a monster bass player in every bone and muscle of his body – he does play constantly and is omnipresent on the local scene, being probably the most sought after bassist around these days. Palka integrated with the three founding members without a hitch, which is completely natural in view of his achievements lately. Together they are able to carry a tune as well as open up and improvise, supporting each other amicably and offer a superb listening experience. The album was released by a new record label on the Polish market called AnaklasisFind albums on this label Records. I must admit that I was quite taken aback by the primitive / simplistic cover design; perhaps this is some kind of new sophisticated graphic aesthetics, but it looks plain ugly to me. This music surely deserves a better packaging. The album includes an extensive booklet, which offers a bilingual version of an essay by Polish music journalist Jaroslaw SzubrychtFind albums by this artist. Overall this is a brilliant piece of music, ambitious and searching, which stands up to the highest echelon of contemporary European Jazz and which is consistent with the earlier work by High Definition. Hopefully the listeners won´t be discouraged by the cover and reach out to embrace this exquisite music, as it truly deserves it. Well done Gentlemen!

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

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MAZZ BOXX ~ MAZZ BOXX AUDIO CAVE 2021/009 (Barcode: 5908298549322) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Ambient Fusion Recorded: 2008 - 2011 Released: 2021 This is an archival album recorded live in 2008 by various ensembles led by Polish Avant-Garde clarinetist / composer Jerzy MazzollFind albums by this artist and including contributions by pianist Joanna DudaFind albums by this artist and Piotr RachonFind albums by this artist, bassist Ju GhanFind albums by this artist, drummers Piotr PodgorskiFind albums by this artist and Filip DanielakFind albums by this artist, percussionist Tomasz AntonowiczFind albums by this artist and others. In 2010 Mazzoll gave the recorded materials to producer Igor BoxxFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Igor PudloFind albums by this artist) to select an album’s worth of material, but Boxx took the job much further and deconstructed / manipulated the material in 2011 into a new shape and form, which resulted in ten tracks based on the original compositions by Mazzoll and which are presented herein. The material waited for ten years to be finally released by the excellent Audio CaveFind albums on this label label. Personally I’d love this album to be a double, with one album including the original recorded material, before it was electronically manipulated, and then the material presented here appearing on the second album, but alas this did not happen. Therefore, I can only imagine how the original material sounded. Mazzoll is a Free Jazz / Improvised Music icon on the Polish scene, and as a result the ambient music present on this album is a bit difficult to be directly associated with his image. Especially since it is much beautified / simplified in its current shape, sounding almost like New Age music at times. Mazzoll’s virtuosic clarinet performances are almost completely hidden and the looping effects and distorted sounds fit electronic Pop and Ambient music much more effectively than doing a service to Mazzoll’s music. Overall, this album is of interest to Ambient / Electronic music fans rather than Jazz / Improvised Music / Avant-Garde listeners, which of course does not mean the music has no merit, it is simply oriented for different audiences than Mazzoll’s output so far.

Updated: 15/09/2021Posted: 15/09/2021

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