Record Reviews

BIG BAND WYDZIALU JAZZU PANS W NYSIE ~ SINGING AND SWINGING NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Big Band Jazz Recorded: 2023 Released: 2023 This is an album by a Big Band comprising of students and staff of the Jazz Department of the Nysa Academy, conducted by trumpeter Piotr SchmidtFind albums by this artist, featuring five young vocalists. The staff includes pianist Przemyslaw RaminiakFind albums by this artist, guitarist Jakub MizerackiFind albums by this artist and others. The album presents eight tracks, all standards, most from the repertoire of Frank SinatraFind albums by this artist and the Count Basie OrchestraFind albums by this artist. The playing time is just above half an hour, which makes this an EP rather than a full album. There is of course nothing new or surprising about the music, except the fact that is does sound perfectly professional and similar to any school Big Band around the globe, which testifies to the fertile ground for Jazz in Poland with such talented young players. Even the English accent and pronunciation by the vocalist is bearable. The staff of the Academy can be proud of their students, who stand up to the challenge without a hitch, producing a highly entertaining, nostalgic and pleasant vocal / Big Band album, which can be enjoyed by every Swing Big Band fan anywhere in the world. Overall, although “just” a school recording, this is a highly entertaining, perfectly played and excellently recorded Big Band album, making of which was surely a valuable lesson to all the students. Congrats to Piotr Schmidt for pulling this together!

Updated: 21/06/2023Posted: 21/06/2023

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ADAM JARZMIK ~ LIVE AT RADIO KATOWICE PRK 0135 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017 This is the second album by young Polish Jazz pianist / composer Adam JarzmikFind albums by this artist, recorded with the same quintet as his debut album released just a few months earlier, this time recorded "live in the studio". The quintet includes trumpeter Pawel PalcowskiFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Jakub LepaFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej KitajewskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Piotr BudniakFind albums by this artist. Guitarist Jakub MizerackiFind albums by this artist guests on one track. The album presents five original compositions, all by Jarzmik, all different from the compositions featured on the debut album, which proves that Jarzmik is a very prolific composer. Considering the rather short playing time of the album (about thirty five minutes) this is rather an EP than a full album. The music is kept within the contemporary mainstream Jazz, but the compositions on this album are more ambitious and focused than those on the debut, which means that the music flows flawlessly from one track to another, serving as a vehicle for the individual improvised parts. The ensemble sound is very well defined and kept in check, with the saxophone and trumpet stating the melodic themes unisono, before the music is "released" to the soloists to state their parts. The individual performances are all perfectly executed, considering the fact that this is a live recording and the young age of the musicians involved, and are a faithful testimony of the overall high level of the young Polish Jazz musicians. The track which features the guitar takes off in a slightly different direction, emphasizing the Fusion approach, which might be interesting for future ventures by Jarzmik. Overall a solid effort, with great music and excellent playing, which should keep most mainstream Jazz fans happy. The album offers nothing groundbreaking or extraordinary, but is definitely worth checking out.

Updated: 19/09/2017Posted: 19/09/2017

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JAZZ FORUM TALENTS ~ JAZZ.PL VOL.1 POLSKIE RADIO 2382 (Barcode: 5907812242411) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022 This is the debut album by a septet of young Polish Jazz musicians collected under the auspices of the veteran Polish Jazz magazine Jazz Forum and called appropriately Jazz Forum TalentsFind albums by this artist. It includes pianist Katarzyna PietrzkoFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Maciej KadzielaFind albums by this artist, guitarist Jakub MizerackiFind albums by this artist, violinist Tomasz ChylaFind albums by this artist, harmonica player Kacper SmolinskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Roman ChraniukFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam ZagorskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, one each by all the septet members. The album was recorded live by Polish Radio during a series of concerts entitled Jazz.pl, hence the title. Despite the relatively young age of the members of the septet, each of them has already gained significant experience on the local scene, as well as recording legacy as a leader and / or sideman. Therefore, the septet has more of a representative significance of the young Polish Jazz scene than an artistic collaboration. As a result, this CD is exactly that, a calling card presenting the individual talents of the septet members rather than a coherent artistic effort by the ensemble. The compositions vary significantly in quality and style, all deeply rooted in mainstream Jazz and / or Fusion, but sadly hardly representative of the typical Polish Jazz qualities of lyricism and profound introspection. Overall, this is a sort of a “sampler” meant to introduce listeners to explore the contemporary Polish Jazz scene, which presents the lighter / more conventional facet of the incredibly varied and gorgeous phenomenon called Polish Jazz, which encompasses everything from traditional Jazz to experimental Avant-Garde. The music is very well performed by able musicians and is certainly entertaining.

Updated: 08/12/2023Posted: 27/02/2023

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SZYMON KLIMA ~ FOLWARK HEVHETIA 0166 (Barcode: 8588005258395) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by a Polish Jazz quintet led by clarinetist / composer Szymon KlimaFind albums by this artist, which also includes saxophonist Dariusz RubinowskiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Jakub MizerackiFind albums by this artist, bassist Adam KowalewskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Jakub MiarczynskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents six pieces, which are all interpretations of Polish Folklore in the widest meaning of the idiom, including even Polish Hassidic music, and also include some improvised and inspired motifs created by the quintet members. In 2017 Klima, as a member of the Improvision QuartetFind albums by this artist, released one of the best Polish Jazz albums of that year, the fantastic "Free-Folk-JazzFind albums with this title", and this album is in many respects a continuation of the same approach, although the sound is somewhat different. Instead of the wonderful piano parts, which placed the music closer to the Free Jazz milieu, on this album the guitar takes the music more into Free Rock direction. But the basic characteristics of the previous album, which are above all about the intimate conversations between the musicians and the mutual development of ideas, are still here. The individual contributions by all the quintet members are all superb, and the virtuosic statements chase each other as the music moves forward. Solos, duos, trios and full quintet parts move in and out in a magical flow, which is unstoppable. There is accord and contrast, harmony and discord, all making perfect sense. The "sweet" mellow clarinet sound and the harsh distorted guitar din are able to coexist in perfect coherence and musical logic. The rhythm section is brought up to the level of the other instruments and becomes an integral part of the music, especially in the heat of the group improvisation parts. It seems that Polish Jazz manages time after time to create innovative and challenging statements when re-examining and re-approaching the Polish Folklore musical tradition, which is broad and rich, probably more successfully that similar attempts on other Jazz scenes around the world. This album is another example of the inspiration that Polish Folklore is able to arouse, stimulate and inspire, taking the amalgamated result into unpredicted and previously uncharted territory. Overall this is yet another highly successful and rewarding musical experiment by Klima and his cohorts, which delivers excellent music and challenging, but highly rewarding listening experience. For Polish / European Jazz connoisseurs this is a golden nugget and a must have in every serious / advanced Jazz-World Fusion collection. Hats off!

Updated: 30/04/2018Posted: 30/04/2018

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MICHAL MARTYNIUK ~ NOTHING TO PROVE SJ 031 (Barcode: 5912596066351) ~ POLAND ~ Smooth Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by Polish (resident in New Zealand) Jazz pianist / composer Michal MartyniukFind albums by this artist, recorded with a core quintet setting with saxophonist Jakub SkowronskiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Jakub MizerackiFind albums by this artist, bassist Bartek ChojnackiFind albums by this artist and drummer Kuba GudzFind albums by this artist. Three guest artists: drummer Sebastian SkrzypekFind albums by this artist, percussionist Miguel FuentesFind albums by this artist and vocalist Tama WaiparaFind albums by this artist appear on selected tracks. The album presents eight original compositions, all composed by Martyniuk. The music is very melodic mainstream Jazz that stays almost completely within the conventional Smooth Jazz idiom, which is relatively atypical of young Polish Jazz and resembles recordings from across the pond - lush saxophone, dreamy guitar (with very strong Fusion tendencies) and romantic piano are the dominant characteristics. Having said that, the tunes are very well crafted and the music is excellently performed, arranged and recorded, so the listening experience is definitely very pleasurable. Perhaps the idea of this album was indeed that the leader has nothing to prove and decided to record an album easy on the ear, which can be liked by a wide range of listeners mostly from outside the strict Jazz circles. I have already read several very flattering reviews of this album by some Polish "critics", which proves that Martyniuk achieved his goal in full.

Updated: 20/08/2018Posted: 20/08/2018

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MOW ~ HISTORIE ZEBRANE HEVHETIA 0169 (Barcode: 8588005258319) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by Polish ensemble MOWFind albums by this artist, which comprises of vocalist / songwriter Ania BratekFind albums by this artist, pianist Aga DerlakFind albums by this artist, bassist Mateusz SzewczykFind albums by this artist and drummer Patryk ZakrzewskiFind albums by this artist. Guitarist Jakub MizerackiFind albums by this artist guests on three tracks. The album presents eleven original songs, all featuring lyrics (in Polish language) written by Bratek and all but one were composed by Bratek and one co-composed by her. All songs were arranged by the ensemble members. The album was recorded at the Monochrom Studio and was engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, with the expected excellent sonic result. The music is a Jazzed-up Alternative Pop, but basically eschews clear genre classification. The focus is naturally on the lead vocals, accompanied by a piano trio, which collectively offers a constant stylistic duality between the vocal parts, which are more Soul / Pop oriented and the instrumental piano trio parts, which are clearly Jazz related. The mixture does work together well and the album is an interesting listening experience. For the Polish speaking audiences, the well crafted and intelligent lyrics offer an additional benefit. Bartek´s vocal delivery is somewhat theatrical, which emphasizes the messages delivered by the lyrics. She is able to express the emotions as well as the melodic / harmonic contents with ease and sincere involvement, and her compositions are exciting and diverse enough to make the music flow swiftly and keep the listener interested all the way through. The instrumental work is also excellent, which is hardly surprising as Derlak´s piano playing already earned her a lot of attention in spite of her young age and short mileage. The rhythm section sticks to the Jazzy formula with great bass lines and inventive drumming moving the music forward. Mizeracki´s guitar parts are also admirable and it´s a pity he wasn’t featured as a regular member of the band. Overall this is an excellent debut offering, which will hopefully be followed by new music soon. The two female Artists on this album are a sign of the growing role of the Women Power in Polish Jazz, which is wonderful of course. Kudos to the Slovak HevhetiaFind albums on this label label for supporting the Polish music scene since several years, and for offering new opportunities and exposure to creative Artists, which the local Polish record industry is unable to contain. Well done Milady and all the best in the years to come!

Updated: 22/12/2018Posted: 22/12/2018

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MARCIN PATER ~ NOTHING BUT TROUBLE EMME 1917 (Barcode: 850869006503) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz vibraphonist / composer Marcin PaterFind albums by this artist recorded in a trio format with bassist Mateusz SzewczykFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam WajdzikFind albums by this artist. Guitarist Jakub MizerackiFind albums by this artist guests on three tracks. The album presents nine original compositions, eight of which were composed by Pater and one co-composed by him with other musician. The album was released by the Italian label EmmeFind albums on this label Records, as the result of the trio winning the first prize at the 2018 Jazz Juniors competition in Krakow. The music is a wonderful amalgam of cross-genre explorations, moving between modern mainstream Jazz and Jazz-Rock Fusion, based on beautifully melodic themes. The level of all the compositions is truly excellent and very surprising considering the young age of the composer. The three tracks featuring Mizeracki are understandably much more Fusion oriented, due to the dominating sound of the electric guitar, whereas the trio tracks are much more airy and atmospheric. Pater emerges as a surprising vibraphone Master, playing with remarkable confidence and technical proficiency. Every strike of his mallets is precise and superbly expressive, using sustain and delicate variations of the pressure to produce a wonderful palette of sounds. It is truly heartwarming to see the much neglected instrument finally being treated with respect and virtuosity it deserves. The rest of the crew is also excellent of course. Szewczyk and Wajdzik support the leader with swinging fluidity and Mizeracki adds another layer to the music, stirring things up with his edgy approach, but also remarkable flexibility. Altogether the trio / quartet present a clockwork precision and a velvety sound, which work like a dream. The album brings on some fond nostalgic memories or early Gary BurtonFind albums by this artist quartet featuring Larry CoryellFind albums by this artist (or the birth of Fusion), which are still some of best examples of vibraphone virtuosity not related to Bebop. Overall a very impressive debut album, perhaps not very innovative musically, but very refreshing and focusing on a neglected and much loved instrument, which definitely put this album in the short list of best Polish Jazz debuts for 2019. Well done and definitely worth investigating!

Updated: 31/12/2019Posted: 31/12/2019

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SKICKI-SKIUK ~ CHRARUMIMIA BITTT 006 (Barcode: 5907632690140) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2016 - 2017 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz quartet called Skicki-SkiukFind albums by this artist, which consists of saxophonist Dariusz RubinowskiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Jakub MizerackiFind albums by this artist, drummer Jakub MiarczynskiFind albums by this artist and bassist Roman ChraniukFind albums by this artist (now you can guess the inspiration for the quartet´s name). The album presents eight original compositions, credited to all four participating musicians. It seems that almost all the young Polish Jazz ensembles, which feature a guitar player, tend to play some kind of Fusion, with varying degrees of Jazz elements present in their music. It is sad that guitar can not be treated as a Jazz instrument per se, the way it used to be in the Jazz tradition, especially in view of the fact that Fusion sadly proved to become a very restricted genre, which hardly moved an inch in decades. The music on this album fails to present anything beyond standard Jazz-Rock Fusion attempts, which have been tried already in the late 1960s. The combination of guitar and sax front is also a much tried out attempt by many early Fusion / Prog groups in the 1960s and 1970s. The sound quality of the recording leaves much to be desired, with a muddy ambience and lack of clarity, but perhaps this was done purposely to achieve a retro effect? Having said all that, these young musicians certainly are talented and play their hearts out. There are inspired solos and good ensemble playing throughout the album. The compositions have merit and if performed more ambitiously might have sounded much more impressive. Perhaps this album was recorded a tad too early before they managed to achieve a more personal musical statement. Hopefully the next effort will be much more impressive.

Updated: 06/08/2018Posted: 06/08/2018

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ALAN WYKPISZ PROJECT ~ CITY JUNGLE AFRO VIBE 005 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022 This is the debut album as a leader by prominent young generation Polish Jazz bassist / composer Alan WykpiszFind albums by this artist, recorded with an excellent team of musicians, which includes guitarist Jakub MizerackiFind albums by this artist, keyboardists Pawel KaczmarczykFind albums by this artist and Dawid LachFind albums by this artist and drummers Maksymilian OlaszewskiFind albums by this artist and Tymoteusz PapiorFind albums by this artist. DJ Wojciech DlugoszFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Mr. KrimeFind albums by this artist) performs turntablism on the title track. The album presents nine original compositions, all by the leader. The music is absolutely delightful, from start to finish, quite diverse and surprising, fresh and enchanting. The melodic content is lyrical and well put together and the performances by the leader and ensemble members are electrifying. Wykpisz is not shy and offers many brilliant solo parts, both acoustic and electric, and his firm pulsations dominate the music quite noticeably, but the open character of the compositions and the ensemble format allows all the members to solo extensively. The double drums create a dense and complex rhythmic support, which fits the music ideally. The album offers a unique atmosphere, highly electric and sonically charged. Despite the electric guitar, keyboards and bass, the music is distinctly non-Fusion oriented, and offers somewhat nostalgic sense of early electric Jazz. There is a strong dimension of freedom and space, which at some moments is close to Free Jazz, but then the music moves suddenly into a sweet Swing / Funky mode, only to become something completely different soon after. Despite this rapid changes of mood and tempo, the music makes perfect sense at all times, which is truly amazing. The modern, somewhat unusual ambience as far as Jazz recordings are concerned, with a lot of dark bottom layers and sparkling synthesizers, might keep back some of the more conservative listeners, and I hope serious Jazz lovers will be able to overcome prejudice and primal fears. This music is bold and distinctly different, but it is immensely intelligent and enthralling, so please make an effort to embrace it. After all the history of Jazz is full examples, where sublime albums were recognized only decades later. Hopefully this will not be the fate of this great piece of music. Overall, this is an amazing album, one of the most unique Polish Jazz recordings in 2022, and to be honest probably one of the best Jazz albums that landed on my desk worldwide that year. There is absolutely nothing obvious or trivial for the entire duration and the matchless amalgam of all the elements creates a magical piece of music, which left me awestruck. Great to see Wykpisz finally in full blown blossom of his talents after hiding for so long behind his massive instrument. Respect!

Updated: 16/01/2023Posted: 16/01/2023

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ZK COLLABORATION ~ SLOW FOOD (POLISH JAZZ VOL.86) WARNER MUSIC POLAND 190296508127 (Barcode: 190296508127) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2021 Released: 2021 This is the second album by Polish Jazz outfit ZK CollaborationFind albums by this artist co-led by drummer Adam ZagorskiFind albums by this artist and saxophonist Maciej KadzielaFind albums by this artist, this time expanded to a quintet with original pianist Mateusz GawedaFind albums by this artist and new members: guitarist Jakub MizerackiFind albums by this artist and bassist Roman ChraniukFind albums by this artist (the last two are members of the Skicki-SkiukFind albums by this artist quartet). The album was recorded at the Warsaw Jasmine Jazz Club, but not live, and presents eight original compositions, seven of which were co-composed by the two leaders and one by Marek KadzielaFind albums by this artist, Maciej’s brother. The music is deeply soaked in Fusion and the guitar is the most dominant instrument in the proceedings, which remind the humorous “Heavy Metal Be-Bop” moniker almost perfectly. The compositions are all solid, but contrary to the statement in the liner notes, are completely mainstream oriented and bring nothing new to the table. The recording suffers from a murky / muddy sound, which makes listening to the album an effort and requires the volume knob to be turned down. The balance between the instruments is also heavily influenced, with the saxophone and piano often disappearing in the mix. Of course one can assume all this was done purposely and was the choice of the musicians. The members of the group are all experienced and talented musicians of course and there are many potentially enjoyable moments on this album, like the baritone saxophone parts and the more relaxed guitar soli, but this album sounds like something recorded in the 1970s, which might have worked well than, but sound rather outdated today. Overall, this is a rather mundane effort, which does not exploit the tremendous potential these musicians have to offer, and which suffers from some bad decisions involving the recording process. A pity but not a tragedy ;) Side Note The iconic "Polish Jazz" series of recordings, originally released between 1965 and 1989 by the Polish state owned record company Polskie NagraniaFind albums on this label, which used the MuzaFind albums on this label label as its moniker, consists of seventy six LP albums. It presents the history of Polish Jazz recordings during that period, which includes some of the most important Polish / European modern Jazz milestones and reflects the extraordinary development of Jazz music behind the Iron Curtain. It is one of the most important historic documents of Polish Music and of course Polish Culture in general. The series had an eminent logo designed by Roslaw Szaybo and the albums were numbered sequentially from Vol.1 to Vol.76 accordingly. The album's artwork was wonderfully stylish and modernist, featuring the brilliant photographs and characteristic design by the legendary Polish Artist Marek Karewicz. Stylistically the series presented all Jazz genres, from Traditional Jazz to Avant-Garde / Free Jazz, which was extraordinarily liberal considering the cultural censorship imposed by the Socialist Regime. It suffered from some inconsistency, as far as the musical quality and aesthetics were concerned, as well as the internal "politics" of the Polish Jazz scene at the time, but in retrospect it achieved a spectacular overall result, unparalleled as far as consistently documenting a national Jazz scene is concerned. After the Polskie Nagrania catalogue was bought by Warner Music PolandFind albums on this label, the new owner started a reissue process of the Polish Jazz series, carefully remastered, repackaged and including extensive liner notes, which keeps the artwork as close to the original design as possible. So far forty four volumes of the original series were reissued. In 2016 Warner Music Poland decided to continue the original series by releasing new contemporary Polish Jazz recordings under the same format and even to continue the sequential numbering starting with Vol.77 – a decision I personally consider almost sacrilegious. Some things are simply untouchable, and the "Polish Jazz" series is surely one of those things. If Warner Music Poland wants to produce Jazz albums, which is always more than welcome, they could have started a new series, under a new title, rather than exploiting the reputation of the historic series. As a result, some artist whose albums are released as part of the new series might be led to expect instant gratification, fame and stardom, just for being an artificial part of a prestigious past, which of course is as bogus as it is sad.

Updated: 06/01/2022Posted: 06/01/2022

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