Record Reviews

ADAM BALDYCH / BALTIC GANG ~ IMAGINARY ROOM ACT 9532 (Barcode: 614427953223) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2012 Released: 2012 This is the first international release by Polish Jazz violinist / composer Adam BaldychFind albums by this artist. Recorded in Berlin, it features Baldych in a sextet / septet setting with some of the best Scandinavian musicians (hence the Baltic GangFind albums by this artist): trumpeter Verneri PohjolaFind albums by this artist (Finland), saxophonist Marius NesetFind albums by this artist (Norway), trombonist Nils LandgrenFind albums by this artist (Sweden) who plays on two tracks and co-produced the album, pianist Jacob KarlzonFind albums by this artist (Sweden), bassist Lars DanielssonFind albums by this artist (Sweden), and drummer Morten LundFind albums by this artist (Denmark). Baldych composed ten of the album´s twelve tunes and co-composed the remaining two (one with Karlzon and the other with Danielsson). The album was released on the German ACTFind albums on this label label, which already features several Polish Jazz artists on its recording artist roster. Baldych, just 26 years old at the time this music was recorded, has already a most impressive list of achievements behind him and is often referred to as the new hope of Polish Jazz violin, which has a remarkable tradition indeed, with such outstanding masters as Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist, Zbigniew SeifertFind albums by this artist and Krzesimir DebskiFind albums by this artist. With this album Baldych certainly earned his final seal of approval, joining the distinguished club of his predecessors. The music included on this album is a major step in the development of Baldych as a composer. There is a definite style and a personal signature on all the tunes, which share a remarkable tendency towards melancholy, romanticism and deep lyricism. Most of the music is delicate, low key and slow tempo, with long and winding melody lines, a manner quite typical to the great Polish composers, both Classical and Jazz. The presence of the Scandinavian musicians, who are also known for their specific tone, might have influenced the overall sound and atmosphere of the album, but that would be only marginal. Considering also the fact that the tracks are relatively short and the arrangements do not allow expanded improvisations, it is obvious that the focus of this album is the music (compositions) rather that the performances. The performances are, of course, stellar, which is not surprising considering the level of the musicians involved. Baldych plays superbly, as expected, but much less flashy and extrovert than on his earlier recordings. It is obvious that he reached a mental maturity, which turns him into a total musician, who does not need to prove his ability to the world, but to present a complete musical work of art, which includes composition, arrangement, performance and ambience as a whole. There are plenty of superb musical moments on this album, which of course will be revealed and discovered with repeated listening sessions. The album is definitely one of the finest recent Polish Jazz recordings and will become part of the Polish Jazz canon for years to come. Baldych, who is just making his first international steps, is destined for glory, which hopefully will be achieved gradually. In the meantime this music is his gift to us, to be enjoyed to the fullest. Chapeau!

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KARI SAL ~ BUTTERFLY IMAGINARY MUSIC 002 (Barcode: 5905817210008) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2022 Released: 2023 This is the second album by Polish vocalist / songwriter Kari SalFind albums by this artist, recorded with an excellent team of musicians, which includes her husband, violinist Adam BaldychFind albums by this artist, Swedish pianist Jacob KarlzonFind albums by this artist, guitarist Kacper BudziszewskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Roman ChraniukFind albums by this artist and drummer Dawid FortunaFind albums by this artist. The album presents twelve songs, all composed by her (three co-composed with her husband) and all (except one) with her lyrics, sung in English. Recorded at the fabulous Tokarnia 2.0 studio and engineered by Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist, the result offers the expected wonderful sound quality. It was released on the new Imaginary MusicFind albums on this label label, founded by Baldych. Sal kept us all in suspense since the release of her debut album in 2017, which I personally loved immediately. It seems the long break did not damage her creative flow and this album certainly delivers a refined and mature set of songs, beautifully performed by all the participants. Baldych’s superb violin (also Renaissance violin) parts provide the sophisticated ornamentation and settle the mood, while Karlzon’s piano add a Romantic as well as Jazzy accents. The music is a delicate amalgam of many diverse influences, from clear Polish folkloristic themes, improvised Jazzy parts, Folky melody lines and poetic atmosphere, all combined together to create a coherent flow of musical continuity and lyrical contents. Sal’s idiosyncratic vocal approach suits the aesthetics perfectly and her vocal abilities are impeccable. She stays completely focused when using a wide vocal range, always staying perfectly in tune, both musically and emotionally. It is commonly known that I am usually not supportive of Polish vocalist singing in English, for the obvious reasons. However, this album is a rare case when the language, accent and pronunciation barriers are minimized to such degree, that they are completely acceptable and hardly noticeable at all. Having said that, I’d love to hear her singing in Polish again. Also I miss a bit of her vocalese parts. But hey, this album was not made specifically for me of course. Overall, this is a remarkable sophomore effort, full of great songs, stylistic diversity, brilliant vocals and stunning instrumental parts, all exquisitely arranged, performed, recorded and finally packaged, to create a true bomboniere of an album, which sweetens the long waiting period we had to bear. Thank you again, my Dear, for this gift of music!

Updated: 05/03/2024Posted: 05/03/2024

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