Record Reviews

ASCETIC ~ ASCETIC AUDIO CAVE 2023/008 (Barcode: 5908298549667) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2022 Released: 2023 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz quartet AsceticFind albums by this artist, led by clarinetist / saxophonist Mateusz RybickiFind albums by this artist, and also including pianist Tomasz KaczmarekFind albums by this artist, bassist Ju GhanFind albums by this artist and drummer Jan SlowinskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten tracks, which although based on ideas suggested by the leader, are all co-credited to the four members of the quartet. One of the tracks is based on a 15th Century traditional song. The music was excellently recorded at the Monochrom Studio. The music is an absolutely classic Jazz quartet recording, which offers an atmosphere and tonality of the Polish Jazz sometime in the late 1960s, when modern Polish Jazz was born. The delicate, almost hypnotic melodies, the relaxed, as if intentionally slowed down tempi, the wonderful clarinet / saxophone soli, which avoid unnecessary complexity and showing off, but push the melody to the very edge, the excellent harmonic support by the piano, the solid, stable bass pulsations and supportive but not overbearing drumming – it is all there to make the music just perfect from start to finish. I often complain that the young Polish Jazz musicians are not taking enough risks lately and seem somewhat out of steam, but perhaps reexamining the classics can be every bit as inventive, as breaking new ground, which is exactly what is happening here. The clarinet, which sadly has been pushed aside so often, proves that in the right hands it can be as innovative and daring as all the saxophone family, and with its specific tonality it is surely more heartwrenching. It would be trivial to compare this music to the music of John ColtraneFind albums by this artist or Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist (which I have already noticed in the scribblings by my colleagues), since naturally every Polish Jazz musician is inadvertently influenced by these Giants; it is important to see what these young musicians have to say beyond the tradition, even when they pay “in the tradition”. And they certainly have a very individual and personal statements to offer, all of which are present herein, for those willing to listen. Overall, this is a brilliant debut recording, by any standard, and a surprising attempt to re-construct / de-construct the classic Jazz quartet statement, on an unprecedented scale, even if the musicians are not aware consciously of what emerged as a result of their creative effort. When the dust settles, this album is certainly here to stay as one of the most significant statements on the Polish Jazz scene this year, if not beyond. Time will tell, but in the meantime my warmest thanks to you Gentlemen, for your talents and determination. Hats off!

Updated: 29/07/2023Posted: 28/07/2023

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JOANNA SLOWINSKA ~ ZIELNIK POLSKI ROZSTAJA 116 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016 This is an album which presents a live recording of a very grand musical undertaking, which brings together vocalist Joanna SlowinskaFind albums by this artist, a well known Polish World Music singer, with a Polish Classical orchestra Sinfonietta CracoviaFind albums by this artist and a Polish Jazz quartet led by young and upcoming violinist Stanislaw SlowinskiFind albums by this artist, which also includes pianist Katarzyna PietrzkoFind albums by this artist, bassist Justyn MalodobryFind albums by this artist and drummer Maksymilian OlszewskiFind albums by this artist. Together they perform twelve pieces, two of which are instrumentals and ten are songs featuring lyrics by Jan SlowinskiFind albums by this artist. In case you are wondering, Joanna and Jan are Stanislaw´s parents. Stanislaw Slowinski composed the music to eleven of these pieces and the last piece on the album was composed by Joanna Slowinska and arranged by Stanislaw. The album´s title ("Polish Herbarium"), the titles of the individual pieces and their subject matter clearly suggest that this is a concept album and the pieces are in fact a song cycle. The overall atmosphere, soaked in typical Polish melancholy, religious martyrology and solemn reflection is heavy and overbearing, and creates a piece of music that is definitely not easy to absorb or even listen to. The sound is mostly massive and daunting, often overdramatic and even cataclysmic, something which could easily be used as a horror movie soundtrack, rather than something listeners would chose to listen to voluntarily. The only piece, which is performed by just the vocalist and the Jazz quartet, is definitely the most coherent piece on the album. The music, although dominated by Classical influences, manages to amalgamate strong folkloristic themes and subtle Jazz sensitivity and shows talent and dedication by the composer and all the musicians involved. It seems Stanislaw Slowinski is trying to conquer the musical world a bit too aggressively and a bit prematurely, even for such talented young men as he is. It is worth to remember that less is often more, both in music and life in general. Having said all that, this is still definitely an unusual and ambitious album that deserves to be heard and appreciated. A little less intensity and drama next time should make everything just perfect.

Updated: 25/02/2017Posted: 25/02/2017

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