Record Reviews

BIPOLAR ORDER ~ DUALITY ALLEGRO 039 (Barcode: 5901157049391) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz quartet Bipolar OrderFind albums by this artist, which comprises of saxophonist Mateusz ChorazewiczFind albums by this artist, guitarist Jakub ZolubakFind albums by this artist, bassist Lukasz Ostrowski-KunertFind albums by this artist and drummer Maciej WojcieszukFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, four by Chorazewicz and three by Zolubak. The music floats between mainstream Jazz and Jazz-Rock Fusion, with solid melodic compositions, mostly melancholic and slowly developing, with some Folkloristic influences and even some Free Form moments. There is a significant difference between the more Jazz oriented compositions by Chorazewicz and the Fusion oriented compositions by Zolubak, which is also evident in the continuous conflict between saxophone parts / improvisations and those by the guitar, with the saxophone clinging to Jazz tradition and the guitar pushing towards Fusion. The bass guitar also influences the overall sound, adding to the Fusion feel, which eventually wins the competition. But to be fair, the music is well structured and often way more complex than the "usual" Fusion outings, and as such definitely worth listening to. It´s a pity that the guitarist is overwhelmingly influenced by Fusion heroes, rather than searching for a more individual approach to the instrument, but the future is surely still ahead of him. The saxophone parts are all quite original and beyond reproach, which saves the day. Perhaps the quartet needs to find a stylistic compromise, which will unify the music and focus the musical direction of the future recordings, perhaps something in the direction of the title track, which is by far the most interesting on the album. Having said all that, the album is still quite impressive considering it’s a debut and taking into account the excellent compositions it presents. It should be of interest to many listeners, especially those who still have not lost hope in the possibility that Fusion can produce interesting music today. All in all well done!

Updated: 16/11/2019Posted: 16/11/2019

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JAKUB ZOLUBAK TRIO ~ LIVE AT JAZZSTATE NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Ambient Fusion Recorded: 2021 Released: 2021 This is the debut album as a leader by Polish Jazz guitarist / composer Jakub ZolubakFind albums by this artist, recorded with his trio which includes bassist Radek LukaszewiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Patrycja WybranczykFind albums by this artist. The album was recorded live at the Warsaw SPATiF club during the weekly Jazzstate gig, run by Karolina SzewcFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight tracks, seven of which are original compositions by the leader and one is by Bill FrisellFind albums by this artist. The music is very subdued and delicate, with melancholic melodic themes, played by the guitar over solid bass and mostly hardly audible drum support, almost all within strict mainstream borders. After a few of these tunes everything starts to sound more or less the same and there is very little development as the time passes by. The guitar work is fine, but somewhat repetitive, and although one might appreciate the effort the album offers very little to get excited about. Stylistically the music fails to make a clear statement, as it is only marginally Jazz oriented, and I suppose most listeners would put it on the Fusion shelf, due to the spacy sound of the electric guitar. Overall, listeners who like romantic Jazzy guitar tunes, which flow gently sort of “in the background”, might enjoy this. Personally this music does nothing to me and it was an effort to listen to it till the very end. But it is only me…many other critics seem to love this music. Go figure…

Updated: 26/12/2021Posted: 25/12/2021

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