Record Reviews

INTUITION ORCHESTRA ~ CASE OF SURPRISE FOR TUNE 0071 (Barcode: 5902768701753) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015 This is the second album released on For TuneFind albums on this label Records and their fourth consecutive release by the Polish Improvised Music ensemble The Intuition OrchestraFind albums by this artist. On the previous album, entitled "To The InsideFind albums with this title", they created a bridge between the origins of their activities by including archival material of early recordings going back as far as 1993, and their (then, 2011) current material. Listeners interested in the genesis of the ensemble (and the fascinating Polish Avant-Garde in general) should check out the fabulous Legendarne ZabkiFind albums with this title album as well as the Grupa W SkladzieFind albums with this title album, which are both related to Intuition Orchestra. On this album the ensemble is down to a trio lineup with saxophonist / clarinetist Ryszard WojciulFind albums by this artist, keyboardist / cellist Boleslaw BlaszczykFind albums by this artist and drummer Jacek AlkaFind albums by this artist. They are joined by three guests: vocalists Marta GrzywaczFind albums by this artist and Basia BlaszczykFind albums by this artist and recorders player Dominik StrycharskiFind albums by this artist. Together they perform twenty one short (averaging around two minutes) collectively improvised pieces. The titles of all the pieces are in fact lines from a poem by Grzywacz. The music on this album can be treated as a continuous flow from start to finish, since the separation into the individual pieces is pretty arbitrary. It includes a wide variety of sounds produced by the instruments, voices and electronics, all combined into an unusual, bubbling amalgam, which is unpredictable and keeps the listener at his toes at all times. There is very limited melodic content here, and when present it lasts just for a brief moment, before it is picked up by the improvisers and taken into another dimension. As such, this music is obviously much more difficult and challenging, but of course provides a much stronger emotional as well as intellectual interaction. Avant garde music is not supposed to be measured by its likeability, but rather by its ability to absorb the listener´s attention and take him unconditionally on a timeless, completely subconscious journey into sound aesthetics. To an untrained ear this music can sound chaotic and even cacophonic, and yet it does make perfect "sense" and "intelligibility" to the cognoscenti. The trick is simply to let the flow of the sound engulf you and carry you on. This music seems to be able to serve as a vehicle to reach "higher planes", a rare and precious quality, which should be cherished. Overall this is superb contemporary music, which still tries to expand the realm of what we consider as being sonic Art. Regardless of the current trend of music imploding into itself, people who are pushing outward at least try to slow the process. This album is warmly recommended to open minded listeners, who have no Avant-Garde phobias!

Updated: 17/12/2021Posted:

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

INTUITION ORCHESTRA ~ SUMMA INTUITIVA AUDIO CAVE 2021/010 (Barcode: 5908298549438) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2020 Released: 2021 This is the fifth album by Polish Improvised Music ensemble called Intuition OrchestraFind albums by this artist, which comprises of a core trio: saxophonist Ryszard WojciulFind albums by this artist, keyboardist / cellist Boleslaw BlaszczykFind albums by this artist and drummer Jacek AlkaFind albums by this artist. They are joined by no less than seven distinguished guest musicians from different musical idioms, including legendary bassist Krzysztof MajchrzakFind albums by this artist, World Music tsarina Maria PomianowskaFind albums by this artist, guitarist Wojciech BlazejczykFind albums by this artist, electronics wizard Krzysztof KnittelFind albums by this artist, drummer Krzysztof SzmandaFind albums by this artist and others. The album presents nine tracks, which as usual in such circumstances, are rather arbitrary parts of the continuum, all being collective improvisations. The music offers a distinctly “younger” (unrelated to the musicians’ age) feel and groove, with Fusiony touches created by Majchrzak and Blazejczyk and contemporary electronics, in addition to the traditional acoustic instruments. As a result, the music is also a touch more approachable to wider audiences this time, perhaps not intentionally, but definitely de facto. All the instrumental and vocal performances, especially those by Wojciul, are exceptional. As I have already stated previously, Intuition Orchestra is able to create genuinely Improvised Music, without sounding completely senseless, self-indulgent and artistically empty. This music has a wonderful natural flow, a feel of continuity and coherent direction, which makes listening to it an uplifting experience. Overall, it is great to witness a continuous growth and development of this ensemble, which is able to rejuvenate its sound and retain its creative powers for many years, without giving up an iota of their conceptual freedom of expression. As far as Improvised Music is concerned, this is one of the relatively few examples where it is able to create a lasting aesthetic experience, which continues to satisfy beyond the moment of its creation. Hats off my friends!

Updated: 17/12/2021Posted: 17/12/2021

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

LEGENDARNE ZABKI ~ LEGENDARNE ZABKI REQUIEM 044 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1984 - 1986 Released: 2011 This is a fascinating archival glimpse at the music created in the mid-1980s by the Polish ensemble Legendarne ZabkiFind albums by this artist (Legendary Teeth), which was one of the very few acts playing improvised music and creating Avant-Garde sound collages at the time. The ensemble comprised of saxophonist Ryszard WojciulFind albums by this artist, pianist Robert WyszynskiFind albums by this artist, bassist / cellist Boleslaw BlaszczykFind albums by this artist and drummer Jacek AlkaFind albums by this artist. Several other musicians also participate in these recordings, which were made during a two years period, after which the ensemble disbanded. The album includes twenty one tracks, recorded privately by Alka on amateur equipment at various locations. At the time Legendarne Zabki were active Poland went through the roughest period in its post-WWII history, with the Martial Law imposed upon its population between 1981 and 1983 and a deep economic crisis lasting throughout the decade. Music was one of the escape routes for the young Poles, with the vast majority choosing Rock as their preferential genre, which resulted in the explosion of Rock music in the country. Young musicians, who selected Jazz and Free Jazz in particular, were a tiny minority. Therefore these historic recordings bring to light an almost completely lost chapter of the country´s musical history. The music, presented chronologically, shows a steady development of the ensemble from Free Jazz towards experimental Improvised Music, which also incorporates literary works of philosophy, prose and poetry and Avant-Garde influences. The importance of such music is mostly in the fact that it was done at all at the time. Listening to it today exposes the lack of experience of the young participants and their detachment from other Improvised Music activities in Poland and abroad. Although the ensemble lasted only a couple of years, these musicians continued to make music together from time to time and are still a part of the Polish Improvised Music scene today. The album is released in a beautiful unique packaging and is a Limited Edition of 300 copies only. It is a collectors´ item and enthusiasts of Polish music should find this an intriguing addition to their collection. Check it out!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend