Record Reviews

TATVAMASI ~ DYLIZANS SIEDMIU AUDIO CAVE ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2014 Released: 2016 This is the third album by Polish ensemble TatvamasiFind albums by this artist, led by guitarist / composer Grzegorz LesiakFind albums by this artist. On this album the quintet lineup, which also included trumpeter Jan MichalecFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Tomasz PiatekFind albums by this artist, bassist Lukasz DownarFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof RedasFind albums by this artist, was expended to a septet with the addition of Brazilian saxophonist Yedo GibsonFind albums by this artist and Spanish percussionist Vasco TrillaFind albums by this artist. The album presents just three expanded original compositions (two lasting over twelve minutes and one over sixteen minutes), all composed by Lesiak. The album was recorded shortly after the recording of their previous album a couple of years back and released only now. The music is as unexpected as one might expect from Tatvamasi, presenting a wonderful amalgam of Rock, Funk, Free Jazz, Psychedelia, World, Electronic and Ambient influences. The three tracks are extended jams, which basically provide a platform for all the participants to play extended solos over a steady beat. Most of the solos by brass instruments are pretty Free Jazz oriented, while the guitar playing is more Rocky and Ambient. Several musicians solo simultaneously, conversing between themselves and getting involved into group improvisation. The guitar solos take the music back on track and serve as a buffer between the multilayered Jazzy parts. As usual this music simply shuns classification. To listeners familiar with the work of Miles DavisFind albums by this artist, this music is conceptually similar to the Miles "electric period", which featured electric guitar as a centerpiece of his ensembles. It seems that this album is more of an experimental recording of a pre-planned jam session rather than a full-fledged new studio album by the ensemble, which is hopefully following soon. Nevertheless it is a superb piece of music, which has very few equals in its category in Poland or anywhere else for that matter. The music, being pretty esoteric, might not be easily accessible to a wide audience and is definitely way to open and Jazzy for the average Fusion fans, but on the other hand it offers so much more intellectual stimuli that an effort to listen to it open-headedly is definitely worthwhile. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 31/10/2016Posted: 31/10/2016

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TATVAMASI ~ HALDUR BILDUR AUDIO CAVE 2019/010 (Barcode: 5905669566827) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the fifth album by Polish quartet TatvamasiFind albums by this artist, led by guitarist / composer Grzegorz LesiakFind albums by this artist, which also includes saxophonist Tomasz PiatekFind albums by this artist, bassist Lukasz DownarFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof RedasFind albums by this artist. On this album the quartet is expanded to a septet with the addition of violinist Anna WitkowskaFind albums by this artist-Piatek, cellist Malgorzata PietronFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Jan MichalecFind albums by this artist (all three participated on earlier albums of the quartet). The album presents just four extended tracks, all composed by Lesiak. As usual with Tatvamasi´s music, it manages to stay beyond conventional categorization, which is obviously its strength and magic. These long expanded sonic vistas are explorations of melodic themes, riffs, groove, beat and World Music influences, completely intertwined within each other. The best strategy is simply to let go of any attempt of analyzing this music intellectually and let it take you wherever it goes by itself, trusting the musicians submissively. The music is considerably less Avant-Garde oriented this time (except for the last piece), with way more melodic contents, which obviously serves the group´s ability to communicate with the listener. Whereas the previous album by Tatvamasi ("Amor FatiFind albums with this title") left me somewhat cold / confused, they returned with vengeance this time producing a condensed, fully focused and better recorded piece of superb music, which takes no prisoners. The strings are this time completely integrated within the fabric of the group´s sound and add another important dimension. Michalec, who already appeared on two earlier albums by the group, seems to be an integral part of the improvising tour de force. Overall this is an excellent album, probably the group´s best offering to date, which finds the group in top form and takes the listener on a hypnotic and unstoppable ride through a kaleidoscope of sounds, rhythms and melodies, which are continuously changing and chasing one development after another and yet manage to stay focused and coherent for the entire duration. Regardless if you are into Rock, Prog, Jazz or Fusion, this album offers plenty of all of those and more. Hats off!

Updated: 26/10/2019Posted: 26/10/2019

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TATVAMASI ~ THE HOUSE OF WORDS REQUIEM 103 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock-World Fusion Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015 This is the second album by Polish ensemble TatvamasiFind albums by this artist, led by guitarist Grzegorz LesiakFind albums by this artist, which also includes saxophonist Tomasz PiatekFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Jan MichalecFind albums by this artist, bassist Lukasz DownarFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof RedasFind albums by this artist. The album consists of four lengthy compositions, all by Lesiak. Although not entirely unambiguous, it seems the music was recorded "live in the studio" as it includes applause, but the sound has all the characteristics of a studio recording, contrary to the statement that it was recorded during an open air concert. Following their sensational debut album released on the American CuneiformFind albums on this label label, Tatvamasi continue their tale of success and manage to produce another piece of music, which is fascinating and highly original. The lineup, extended to quintet with the addition of the trumpeter, has more instrumental possibilities and skillfully uses that advantage on this album. All members of the ensemble contribute superb solo parts and participate in the group interplay amicably and intelligently. The music, as usual with Tatvamasi, is quite beyond classification stylistically and merges many different cross-genre elements, mostly World Music melodic lines and repetitive chant-like progression, Rocky rhythmic patterns and Jazz improvisation. Lesiak´s guitar playing also uses electronic and ambient sound effects. The amalgamated sound produces a trance inducing environment, which allows the soloists to spread their wings and extrapolate into their personal dimensions. Hypnotic and absorbing, this music is simply irresistible. In contrast to the three soloists, the rhythm section shows a remarkable restrain, simply driving the music skillfully ahead, but not drawing the listener´s attention away from the centerpiece. Nevertheless their contribution is an absolutely essential piece of the music, which would have been impossible without it. Tatvamasi successfully pass the "second album" test with flying colors and hopefully will continue to produce more of their unique music in the future. As usual in such cases I can´t wait to hear their next album and in the meantime I invite every connoisseur of unusual, challenging music to get hold of a copy of this gem. Well done!

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