Record Reviews

QUESTION MARK ~ EXSESSIONS RG 105 (Barcode: 002018111112) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is an album by Polish Progressive Rock / Jazz-Rock Fusion group Question MarkFind albums by this artist, led by guitarist / composer Boguslaw RaatzFind albums by this artist, which also includes violinist Robert BielakFind albums by this artist, bassist Jacek DolegaFind albums by this artist and drummer Marek MatuszewskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents thirteen compositions, six of which are main extended pieces and the other seven are shorter connecting pieces, which are intertwined around the main pieces and together they all present a musical continuum. The music was co-composed by the group members (five of the main pieces), or co-composed by Raatz and Bielak (six of the connecting pieces) and the remaining two pieces were composed by Raatz. The album is beautifully packaged in an elegant metal case. The music is different from the earlier material recorded by the group and has a distinct industrial / minimalist / ambient sound and feel, where the extended improvisations are developing over a steady drone like rhythmic pattern and the guitar and violin sound more like a synthesizers. The metamorphosis is quite dramatic and if not for the name on the packaging, the connection to the earlier recordings would have been difficult to recognize. Regardless of the change of direction, the music is again very impressive and fascinating. The improvisations are well structured and enable the listener to enter a trance like state of intensive listening. It is rare to see a group to undertake such a bold direction change and keep the level of musicianship unchanged, achieving such a thrilling result. With this new direction the music might find a new audience, perhaps a bit younger, than the traditional Prog / Fusion fans, which are sadly mostly quite advanced in their years. But all open-minded music connoisseurs should be able to develop an affinity to this music, as it as much challenging as it is rewarding. Warmly recommended!

Updated: 17/02/2019Posted: 17/02/2019

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

QUESTION MARK ~ LA TERRA ROSA QM 003 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock-World Fusion Recorded: 2012 Released: 2013 This is an album by Polish Progressive Rock / Jazz-Rock Fusion group Question MarkFind albums by this artist, led by guitarist / composer Boguslaw RaatzFind albums by this artist, which also includes violinist Robert BielakFind albums by this artist, Russian keyboardist Michael OgorodovFind albums by this artist, bassist Jacek DolegaFind albums by this artist and drummer Marek MatuszewskiFind albums by this artist. Flautist Timothy SanfordFind albums by this artist guests on a couple of tracks and vocalist Jaroslaw PijarowskiFind albums by this artist guests on one track. The album presents a fourteen-part suite, composed by the participating musicians. The music is beautifully put together, combining superb melodic themes with Funk, Groove and World Music, which overwhelms the listener with its passionate execution. The consecutive parts of the suite are intertwined by solo violin parts called "impressions", creating a wonderful flow of the entire piece, which has no dull moments whatsoever. The group uses a rich palette of sounds and instruments to create an ever-changing tapestry of sound, which is coherent and perfectly balanced. All the musicians involved are first rate instrumentalist of superb technical skills, but Raatz manages to create a barrage of guitar virtuosity which should leave the listeners completely stunned. His proficiency and technique are truly extraordinary and his musicality is profound. He manages to shun all gimmickry and show off, simply playing his heart out. The rhythm section kicks ass and has a great feel of pulse. The violinist pulls some virtuosic stunts of his own. Together they simply fly! Overall this is an amazing album, which was sadly overlooked at the time of its release. With contemporary Prog and Fusion being almost completely lifeless, this album shows that not everything is lost yet. Both Prog and Fusion connoisseurs should be able to enjoy this album to the max and hopefully it will be discovered worldwide, as the group honestly deserves to be heard. Guitar freaks – prepare to weep!

Updated: 17/02/2019Posted: 17/02/2019

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

QUESTION MARK ~ LABORATORY QM 002 (Barcode: 5901448276925) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2010 Released: 2010 This is an album by Polish Progressive Rock / Jazz-Rock Fusion trio Question MarkFind albums by this artist, led by guitarist Boguslaw RaatzFind albums by this artist and including also bassist Jacek DolegaFind albums by this artist and drummer Marek MatuszewskiFind albums by this artist. Violinist / guitarist Robert BielakFind albums by this artist guests on most of the tracks and the legendary trumpeter Andrzej PrzybielskiFind albums by this artist guests on one track. The album presents twelve original instrumental compositions by the trio members, three of which are three-part mini suites. The music introduces some basic themes, which are then used as basis for extended instrumental improvisations, mostly by guitar and violin. The violin improvisations are more Jazz / Fusion oriented and the guitar improvisations are more Prog oriented, so the album is overall quite diverse and multifaceted. The rhythm section is very Rock oriented, which sets the rhythmic patters somewhat towards Heavy Rock, but not overwhelmingly so, which still leaves the instrumental improvisation to be the center of this music. The track with Przybielski is of course outstanding and one can only regret that the entire album was not recorder with him, which would have turned it into a remarkable album. But at least we can hear the amazing trumpet work on one track, which of course is good enough reason to have this album. Przybielski had the chameleonic ability to feel completely at ease in any musical environment, from extreme Avant-Garde to commercial Pop, and Fusion / Rock suited him as well as anything else, which is evident here. The violin work is also quite impressive and people interested in Fusion violin sound should find this album fascinating as well. This album is pretty obscure even on the Polish scene, so perhaps people reading these lines will make an effort to look it up now, as it is definitely worth investigating!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 07/11/2016

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend