Record Reviews

ROBERT CZECH / SOUND SMUGGLERS ~ ROBERT CZECH / SOUND SMUGGLERS NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 5096031407135) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2008 Released: 2008 This is an album by Polish Jazz keyboardist / composer Robert CzechFind albums by this artist and his ensemble Sound SmugglersFind albums by this artist, which includes on this album as core members saxophonist Jacek MielcarekFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej PaszekFind albums by this artist and drummer Marek SochackiFind albums by this artist. Many additional musicians participate as guest artists on some of the tracks, including Polish Jazz icons such as bassist Krzysztof ScieranskiFind albums by this artist or vibraphonist Bernard MaseliFind albums by this artist. Czech wrote all the ten compositions included here, one of which also features vocals by Karolina GlazerFind albums by this artist. Stylistically the music is mostly contemporary Fusion, with strong melodic statements and intervals of extended improvisations, all of which are done professionally and spotlessly. Most impressive solos are delivered by guitarist Marek RaduliFind albums by this artist and it´s a pity he is not featured on more tracks. Although there are no innovations or groundbreaking statements here, this is a very well done mainstream Fusion, which should be enjoyed by all Fusion enthusiasts anywhere in the world. This kind of music often very easily crosses over to clichés and pointless doodling, which fortunately is successfully avoided here. Therefore although on the lighter side of the Jazz spectrum, this is definitely music worthy of being listened to both for its quality and fun value.

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JACEK MIELCAREK ~ ZYCIODAJNA WODA NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2022 Released: 2022 This is an album by Polish Jazz clarinetist / saxophonist / composer Jacek MielcarekFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quartet setting with guitarist Marek KadzielaFind albums by this artist, bassist Jakub MielcarekFind albums by this artist and drummer Lukasz StworzewiczFind albums by this artist. The album presents five lengthy improvised pieces, inspired by the New Testament Gospel of John, fragments of which are recited by Waldemar KotasFind albums by this artist. The music is co-credited to all four musicians. Spiritual / religious beliefs have been inspiring music as far back as the human race exists, so the fact that such inspirations occur still today is nothing out of the ordinary. Jazz music offers plenty of such inspirations as well, those reaching the absolute peak with the late period John ColtraneFind albums by this artist’s divine and deeply spiritual musical Artistry. The music on this album is Freely Improvised by four excellent Polish Jazz musicians, all with impressive recording legacy. Together they are able to communicate and produce an interesting flow of Improvised Music, engaging mutual exchanges and sound variations between more ambient and electronics soaked vistas to acoustic planes dominated by the bass clarinet. The spoken word is a double edged sword here: on one hand the texts taken from the Biblical source are obviously highly dramatic and meaningful, and excellently performed by the lector, becoming part of the entire message, but on the other hand they are in Polish, which obviously limits the audience to Polish-speaking listeners and since they are quite extensive, lasting for long minutes, they stay in the way of the listener, who tries to concentrate on the music played in the background. This is obviously an Artistic decision by the creator of this project, which is perfectly valid as it is. Overall, this is highly interesting and ambitious musical project, with a profound spiritual message, to those who are ready to listen, but even without its religious implications it offers some excellent Improvising Music by superb instrumentalists, which is obviously heartfelt, original and aesthetically sound. A call for reflection of any kind is always a welcome initiative in this chaotic, Godless world we were destined to live in. Be with God, my Friends!

Updated: 15/02/2023Posted: 15/02/2023

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JACEK MIELCAREK KWARTET BASMYT ~ CORAZ AUDIO CAVE 2023/015 (Barcode: 5908298549766) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2023 Released: 2023 This is an album by Polish Jazz saxophonist / clarinetists / composer Jacek MielcarekFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quartet setting with guitarist Marek KadzielaFind albums by this artist, bassist Jakub MielcarekFind albums by this artist (Jacek’s son) and drummer Lukasz StworzewiczFind albums by this artist. Vocalist Emilia HamerlikFind albums by this artist guests on one track. The album presents eight tracks, two composed by Jacek Mielcarek, one each by Jakub Mielcarek, Marzena MielcarekFind albums by this artist (Jacek’s wife) and Kadziela, two co-composed by the quartet and one is a standard. The music floats between Freely Improvised and more conventional Jazz vistas, beautifully played by Jacek Mielcarek and his cohorts, displaying strong spiritual trends, mysticism and contemplative moods, similar to his earlier recordings. Despite the high degree of freedom, the music remains completely cohesive and coherent, which of course is remarkable in itself. The fact that the compositions are contributed by several musicians adds to the diversity and scope of the music. Kadziela’s dense guitar passages and his utilization of electronically generated sounds also expand the range of the sonority and the rhythm section is hardly keeping time in the traditional sense, adding active tempo / rhythmic improvisation on top or perhaps just under everything else. The arrangement of the classic standard is one of the highlights of the album, demonstrating a perfect merger of tradition and innovation, all with sympathy and respect to the past put looking forward for new forms of expression. Overall, this is a wonderful example of Improvised Music, which makes sense, is reasonably easy to listen to, offers a balanced portion of high energy and tranquility, in short being a highly absorbing and fascinating listening experience, which continues previous achievements by Jacek Mielcarek and his favorite team of musical Argonauts. As usual I had a wonderful time listening to this music as should all open-minded listeners the world over.

Updated: 07/03/2024Posted: 07/03/2024

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JACEK MIELCAREK / JAKUB MIELCAREK ~ I CO DALEJ? NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015 This is a debut album by Polish Jazz saxophonist / clarinetist Jacek MielcarekFind albums by this artist and his son bassist / pianist Jakub MielcarekFind albums by this artist, which presents ten original compositions / improvisations, all co-composed by the duo. The music was initially intended as a soundtrack for children´s stories, but the recorded music turned out to be solid enough to tell a story of its own. According to the PR material the music was recorded completely spontaneously and was all composed at a spur of the moment, unplanned and unrehearsed. It is difficult to believe that nothing was planned in advance, as this music is way to organized to be completely composed on the fly, but of course I might be mistaken. In any case the album presents, as said above, ten duets of improvised music, performed beautifully by both musicians, who are completely in synch both emotionally and musically. They both display a high level of technique, with Jacek especially impressive on clarinet, and Jakub, as already evident from his other recordings over time, is a superb virtuoso bassist. The music, in spite of its free spirited nature, manages to remain very melodic, even if the melody is mostly subconscious. It is quite an experience to listen to these duets for the first time, and the only reservation one might put forward is if this music is interesting enough to make listeners to return to it periodically. The problem with atmospheric music like this one is of course that it moves the listeners emotionally while it is playing, but leaves them rather baffled when it´s over. But of course this might be just my impression. There is still enough great musicianship on this album to grant it the opportunity to be heard by as many people as possible. It is gentle and "nice" enough to bring new listeners to improvised music, which is already a winner.

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JACEK MIELCAREK / MAREK WALAROWSKI ~ MELLOW LOOK PRO 014 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2004 Released: 2005 This is a nice album by a duo of Polish Jazz musicians: saxophonist / clarinetist Jacek MielcarekFind albums by this artist and pianist Marek WalarowskiFind albums by this artist, who are both graduates of the Jazz Department of the Music Academy in Katowice. Together they perform twelve pieces, three of which are originals by Walarowski and nine are standards. The music, as expected, is all melodic mainstream, with emphasis on the lyrical expression, which both musicians obviously tend to agree on. The original compositions fit very nicely into the overall atmosphere, offering solid melody and the same melancholic atmosphere as the standards selected for the recording. As a duo both musicians display the affinity and mutual respect needed to cooperate and produce a unified statement combining the abilities and talents of both participants. The resulting music is elegant and flows gently, providing the listener with an opportunity to enjoy the music in a relaxed and intimate atmosphere. This is one of those albums that are accessible to a wide audience due to their gentle character, but which keep an artistic integrity of the music intact, without compromising the essence of Jazz. As such it is definitely worth investigating, although it is probably very difficult to fine these days.

Updated: 27/06/2016Posted: 27/06/2016

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