Record Reviews

SWITCH ON QUINTET ~ OUR CAR WILL NEVER STOP FM 003 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2009 Released: 2010 This is an excellent debut album by Polish Jazz-Rock Fusion Switch On QuintetFind albums by this artist which comprises of young musicians making their early stepson the local scene: trumpeter Maciej FortunaFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Marcin KajperFind albums by this artist, guitarist Jakub KujawaFind albums by this artist, bassist Michal RybkaFind albums by this artist and drummer Bogumil RomanowskiFind albums by this artist. They perform eleven original compositions, four by Romanowski, three by Fortuna, three by Kajper / Kujawa and the remaining one by Kajper. Keyboardist Michal SzlempoFind albums by this artist guests on selected tracks. The music is a superb fresh approach to Fusion, which balances the Jazzy sound and feel of the brass with the Rocky sound and feel of the electric guitar, which although reminiscent of the legendary ChicagoFind albums by this artist, is completely up to date and kicks ass like mad. To be perfectly honest I haven´t heard such great Fusion in a very long time and this album is real treat. What a pity it remains almost completely obscure. These young Polish cats could teach a thing or two to all those wannabe American Fusion players, who constantly flood the marked with Fusion garbage. As usual on the Polish scene the level of virtuosity displayed by the musicians is astounding, especially in view of their age. Fortuna´s fiery solos soar through the air with incredible intensity, Kujawa´s distorted guitar rips the air and its Bluesy undertones break your heart and Kajper´s saxophone (especially the soprano) twist and turn like a snake on acid. The rhythm section kicks exactly when and where needed, keeping the ride right on time and your feet tapping uncontrollably. Honestly this is one of the best Fusion albums I´ve heard in a long time and an absolute joyous musical ride, highly recommended to all Fusion heads out there. Fortuna, who since recording this album produces already a plethora of superb Jazz and other music, shows here his incredible versatility and I hope he´ll return to play his chops in a Fusion environment again. Not to be missed!

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VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ TRIBUTE TO ANDRZEJ PRZYBIELSKI VOL.1 SJP 001 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016 This is a criminally overdue tribute album to the Polish Jazz trumpeter / composer Andrzej PrzybielskiFind albums by this artist (born 1944), who died in 2011, recorded by an ensemble which features six Polish Jazz trumpeters: Maciej FortunaFind albums by this artist (born 1982), Marcin GawdzisFind albums by this artist (1972), Wojciech JachnaFind albums by this artist (1976), Tomasz KudykFind albums by this artist (1976), Piotr SchmidtFind albums by this artist (1985) and Maurycy WojcinskiFind albums by this artist (1988), i.e. mostly members of the middle aged and young generation of the Polish Jazz scene. The ensemble also features a rhythm section which comprises of guitarist Jakub KujawaFind albums by this artist, bassist Grzegorz NadolnyFind albums by this artist and drummer Grzegorz DaronFind albums by this artist. Together they perform four compositions by Przybielski and three collectively improvised pieces. The album also includes a conversation with Przybielski recorded in 2007 at the legendary Mozg club in Bydgoszcz, Przybielski´s home town, which also includes fragments of his performances. The recording and the release of this album was the initiative of Fortuna, who felt an obligation to document and commemorate Przybielski´s contribution to Polish Jazz, which is of course highly praiseworthy. However it is difficult to ignore the fact that Przybielski died a dissolute, lonely, sick, neglected and forgotten man, which left a huge black stain on the Polish Jazz scene. Not less significant is the absence on this album of the top Polish Jazz trumpeters of his generation, which painfully emphasizes the fact that Przybielski never received the recognition he so much deserved from his contemporaries and was mostly adored and respected by musician much younger than himself. His life´s story is a classic epos of Avant-Garde being denied recognition at its peak only to be recognized in the aftermath. Personally I had the pleasure of knowing Przybielski and working with him on several projects in the 1980s, being immediately convinced that he is the most interesting Polish Jazz trumpeter on the local scene at that time. My admiration for his work never ceased, being only rekindled following the tragic news of his death. With all respect to the actual music present on this album, which is very good, it is only secondary to the very existence of this project. Thanks and salutations are of course due to Fortuna and the many people who made this project possible and which, as the Vol.1 suggests, will be continued in the future. There are many fascinating moments on this album, some superb trumpet passages and solos, great group improvisations and so on. The musical concept is however a bit unclear, as far as I am concerned. Also the idea of six trumpeters playing together, as potentially interesting as it might appear is less effective in reality in my opinion. Perhaps a collection of pieces featuring prominently just one trumpeter or at most two, playing in turn might have been more effective? But these are just matters of personal taste. Of course all these trumpeters can play and they do play well, but as far as a tribute is concerned, the music is supposed to be spiritually convergent to the music of the subject to whom the tribute is dedicated, which, as already mentioned above, is not really apparent herein. But all things considered, this is a very important album, not only for its music but primarily for what it symbolizes, for its historical importance and for the example it sets. As such it is undoubtedly a major event and a great success!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 15/11/2016

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VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ TRIBUTE TO ANDRZEJ PRZYBIELSKI VOL.2 SJP 004 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 This is second volume of the wonderful project which pays tribute to the great Polish Jazz trumpeter Andrzej PrzybielskiFind albums by this artist, who died in 2011. Six relatively young but already established Polish Jazz trumpeters: Maciej FortunaFind albums by this artist, Marcin GawdzisFind albums by this artist, Wojciech JachnaFind albums by this artist, Tomasz KudykFind albums by this artist, Piotr SchmidtFind albums by this artist and Maurycy WojcinskiFind albums by this artist and a rhythm section comprising of guitarist Jakub KujawaFind albums by this artist, bassist Grzegorz NadolnyFind albums by this artist and drummer Grzegorz DaronFind albums by this artist perform five pieces, three of which are original compositions by Przybielski, one is a long improvised piece (over half an hour in duration) and the last is the bugle call of Bydgoszcz, the home town of Przybielski. A DVD filmed during the premiere of the first volume of this album is also included. The music is of course a continuation of the content of the first album and readers wishing to read more about the historical background and Przybielski´s contribution to Polish Jazz are invited to read my review of that album and other albums by Przybielski. By a weird coincidence I am writing these words just a few days following the death of Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, the Polish Jazz Colossus. The many parallels, stylistically and otherwise, and of course great differences between these two trumpeters is one of the most fascinating stories of Polish Jazz, definitely worth a book on the subject. Beyond the music per se, these two albums are an important glimpse into Polish Jazz history and an effort to bring Przybielski into the awareness of the Polish Jazz fans, which he sadly almost completely missed during his lifetime. They also show the will of the young generation of Polish Jazz players to continue the tradition and remember the idiom´s heroes. For Polish Jazz fans this is definitely something they should have in their collections. Hats off to all the people who contributed to this project and made it happen.

Updated: 01/08/2018Posted: 01/08/2018

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