Record Reviews

HOTS ~ HARMONY OF THE SPHERES V 006 (Barcode: 5903111377083) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015 This is the debut eponymous album by the young Polish Jazz quartet HoTSFind albums by this artist, led by guitarist / composer Mikolaj PoncyljuszFind albums by this artist, which also includes trumpeter Radek NowakFind albums by this artist, bassist Adam ProkopowiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Jakub KinsnerFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions, all by the leader. There is no doubt that HoTS emerges as a fresh voice on the local melodic mainstream scene, which happens relatively rarely. Their minimalistic, reserved and very "cool" approach is instantly recognizable and bears a certain "retro" approach reminiscent of early European Jazz. The music is lyrical and melodic, with the melody lines clearly stated in the heads of all the tracks, using typically the trumpet as the leading melodic voice. The guitar serves mostly as the harmonic accompaniment behind the trumpet´s solo work, when not soloing of course. The rhythm section serves as the backbone of the music, keeping excellent time but staying mostly in a respectful background. The pulsating bass lines are kept well on the level with the soloists, but the drums are (it seems) kept down in the mix and are often barely audible in the overall sound, which creates a very spacey and open ambience, with lost of breathing air, which serves the music perfectly. The trumpet is definitely placed in the centre of the listener´s attention and gets most of the limelight. Nowak plays some very impressive passages for sure and his overall performance is formidable, especially in view of his age. Poncyljusz emerges mainly as a composer, although his guitar work is also without reproach. The sound of the guitar uses too much reverb, which can be unnerving at times, but obviously the band is still seeking its definitive sound and is doing quite well so far. This is definitely a formidable debut and HoTS will slowly gain a respected position on the European Jazz scene once they hit the clubs and festivals circuit and continue to release albums of such quality as this one. Wholeheartedly recommended of course!

Updated: 04/03/2017Posted:

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HOTS ~ NUMBERS MULTIKULTI MPJ 020 (Barcode: 5907796319871) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016 This is the second album by the Polish Jazz quintet HoTSFind albums by this artist, led by guitarist / composer Mikolaj PoncyljuszFind albums by this artist and including trumpeter Radek NowakFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Bartosz TkaczFind albums by this artist, bassist Adam ProkopowiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Jakub KinsnerFind albums by this artist. The album presents six original tunes, all composed by Poncyljusz, which are separated by five short interludes, which are improvised. All the music is presented continuously without the customary silence breaks between tracks. Musically the album continues the path set by their debut album, which focuses on melodic compositions, which serve as basis for solo improvisations by guitar, trumpet and saxophone. The interludes feature prominently each of the quintet members in turn, focusing on their respective abilities as instrumentalists and improvisers. The addition of Tkacz as the fifth member of the group radically expanded the ambience and the interplay possibilities, and presents a more balanced overall ensemble sound and enables sharing the load of the main soloist between him and Nowak, who was the focus of the debut album. Poncyljusz continues using the reverb soaked guitar sound, which personally I am not crazy about, but his playing is technically without reproach. The rhythm section supports the flow of the music perfectly, staying respectfully mostly in the background. Prokopowicz has a nice fat sound which fills the bottom range very well and Kinsner plays very softly (or is not prominent enough in the mix), which often seems as he´s not there much. The music is a bit too melancholy, flowing very slowly and within a very narrow emotional range. But the compositions are solid and the performances heartfelt, which adds up to a very nice atmospheric album, which deserves to be heard and enjoyed. The fact that HoTS manages to create their own stylistic signature as a group is the most significant achievement and the unusual concept of presenting the album as a continuous stream of music is also commendable. Overall this is a very interesting mainstream Jazz album, which beautifully presents the diversity and ingenuity of Polish and European Jazz and is definitely worth investigating.

Updated: 05/03/2017Posted: 04/03/2017

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