Record Reviews

INGA LEWANDOWSKA ~ PRZEBUDZENIE SJ 051 (Barcode: 5902596066611) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2018 - 2019 Released: 2020 Although hardly a newcomer on the Polish Jazz scene, this is the bona fide debut album by vocalist / composer / lyricist Inga LewandowskaFind albums by this artist. Recorded in a quintet setting with trumpeter Piotr SchmidtFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Przemyslaw RaminiakFind albums by this artist, bassist Grzegorz PiaseckiFind albums by this artist and drummer / percussionist Slawomir BernyFind albums by this artist – a formidable team by all means. The music also features the Baron Chamber OrchestraFind albums by this artist, led and conducted by Piotr BaronFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven original songs, all composed by Lewandowska and featuring her lyrics, as well and ten poems and numerous paintings also by her, included in the lavish digibook packaging of the album. It is not surprising that the album firmly belongs to the Polish Jazz & Poetry idiom, since Lewandowska´s earlier recordings were also strongly connected to literary / poetry subject matter. She continues this heartfelt affiliation splendidly also herein. The songs are all absolutely wonderful, offering modern Jazz without compromise and shortcuts, melody based and precisely arranged, but in many respects also unconventional and innovating, still within the mainstream but obviously at the very edge of the idiom. Not surprisingly the Polish melancholy is omnipresent, but not overbearing. Surprisingly Lewandowska utilizes a significant amount of vocalese in addition to straightforward singing of the lyrics, which transports this album somewhat away from a traditional vocal Jazz album. Her highly theatrical delivery of the texts, full of wonderful mannerisms that seem to pop out of nowhere, but make perfect sense time after time, is really refreshing. As a result the vocals become as much an instrument performing side by side with the four instrumentalists, with the vocals standing "separately" on their own. Her vocal abilities and surprisingly "youthful" timbre, which creates a charming contrast to the content of the lyrics, ale absolutely delightful. The four instrumentalists are all Masters of the trade and they manage to utilize their experience and talents to suit this music ideally. Schmidt torches the air with his trumpet soloing, Raminiak lays out layers of delicate harmonic accompaniment and most of the time stays in the background. Soloing sparingly. Piasecki is a pillar of stability and precision, keeping the music chronometrically in time and swinging, whereas Berny brilliantly ornaments the proceedings with his percussive paraphernalia, rather than just keeping the time. The string arrangements are no less brilliant, very delicate and sophisticated, adding another layer of sound and harmony, which takes the music far and beyond. Overall this is a wonderful album, long expected and deserving a lot of praise in view of its qualities, which arrives late, but the awakening (pun intended) is never too late, and in these gloomy days of despair and desolation, is a true ray of sunshine. Well done Milady, Godspeed!

Updated: 29/10/2020Posted: 29/10/2020

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INGA LEWANDOWSKA / KUBA STANKIEWICZ ~ ULICE WIELKICH MIAST – BALLADY AGNIESZKI OSIECKIEJ INTRO 003 (Barcode: 5907592167027) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1999 Released: 1999 This is an absolutely brilliant album in the Jazz & Poetry vein, for which the Polish Jazz scene is so famous and in which it excels since its early days. Vocalist Inga LewandowskaFind albums by this artist performs eleven songs, all of which share the author of their lyrics, the Polish poetess Agnieszka OsieckaFind albums by this artist, an iconic figure of the post-WWII Polish Culture and author of over 2000 song lyrics. Lewandowska and pianist / composer Kuba StankiewiczFind albums by this artist, who also beautifully arranged all the songs on this album, chose mostly Jazz-related material, which features Osiecka´s lyrics and was written by some of the most prominent figures on the Polish Jazz scene, like Wlodzimierz NahornyFind albums by this artist, Jan Ptaszyn WroblewskiFind albums by this artist, Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist and others. Stankiewicz composed two of the songs presented here. The vocalist is accompanied by a quintet of excellent musicians, which include in addition to Stankiewicz also trumpeter Piotr WojtasikFind albums by this artist, trombonist Grzegorz NagorskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Darek OleszkiewiczFind albums by this artist and Austrian drummer Mario GonziFind albums by this artist. The quintet provides superb support to the vocalist but also plays extended instrumental passages, which are simply exquisite examples of European Jazz lyricism. Especially notable is the delicate and sympathetic work by the piano and the "singing" bass solos, for which Oleszkiewicz is world famous. One of the songs presents a vocals / bass duet, which is a true classic! Lewandowska does a splendid job, utilizing more of the Polish Jazz vocal tradition firmly established by legendary performers like Ewa Demarczyk and Wanda Warska, rather than trying to be more up to date, which altogether works in her favor. That time of expressive, melancholic singing, in which every breath matters and every syllable is clearly pronounced and is perfectly audible is a rarity and I wish the new generation of Polish Jazz vocalists would pay more respect to that "lost" Art form. The songs are mostly low key, as the title suggests and Lewandowska cleverly avoids any flashy exhibitionism, staying well within the established milieu, which is chick and elegant. In many respects listening to this album feels like an "end of an era". It was, after all, recorded at the very closing of the 20th Century and seems, in retrospect, to be the last of its kind, a tribute to the days when Polish Jazz experienced its first golden era, associated with intellectual, artistic and often revolutionary spring, which was soon over. I am glad I discovered this wonderful gem, although late, but nevertheless most enthusiastically. It is little known, as it managed to hide from me for so long, but should be studied, as already mentioned, by all upcoming vocalist, as it is a classic point of reference. It is also an absolute must for every Polish Jazz connoisseur, anywhere on this planet.

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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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