Record Reviews

WLODEK PAWLIK ~ STRUNY NA ZIEMI POLSKIE RADIO 1395 (Barcode: 5907812243951) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2011 Released: 2011 This is a beautiful album by Polish pianist / composer Wlodek PawlikFind albums by this artist, which presents a Jazz & Poetry project dedicated to the poetry of Jaroslaw IwaszkiewiczFind albums by this artist, one of the most renowned 20th Century Polish literary figures, although quite controversial on the convoluted Polish political landscape. Pawlik created sixteen musical settings to poems by Iwaszkiewicz, which are executed by a fabulous cast which includes vocalists Lora SzafranFind albums by this artist and Marek BalataFind albums by this artist, actor Robert WieckiewiczFind albums by this artist, bassist Pawel PantaFind albums by this artist, drummer Cezary KonradFind albums by this artist and percussionist Mikolaj WieleckiFind albums by this artist. The Jazz & Poetry idiom has always been one of great fortes of Polish Jazz and the beautiful Polish poetry seems always to magically inspire musicians and makes them to come up with their best work. This album is another example of this phenomenon and it is absolutely wonderful from start to finish. Pawlik seems to be completely comfortable with the short "song" oriented environment and weaves a series of beautifully melodic, expressive and impressive pieces, which are certainly among his strongest manifestations as a composer. The vocals and recitation are also superbly executed, with Szafran demonstrating again that she has but a few equals. A pity she does not record more, as her singing is always a source of heavenly pleasure. The instrumental quartet performs spotlessly, with Pawlik sensitive and lyrical phrases amicably and masterfully accompanied by the excellent rhythm section. Overall this is a classic example of the Jazz & Poetry idiom, which glorifies the Polish Culture in the best possible way. The combination of words and music is probably the most powerful tool to bring the best out of the Artists and the listeners. Of course the lyrics in Polish seemingly limit the audience to the Polish speakers, but honestly this album can move the hearts of listeners who do not understand a word of Polish by the sheer magic of its intelligence and intellectual content. Strangely this album made very little impact on the Polish scene at the time of its release. Some people probably can´t bury political hatchets even when it comes to Culture…

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

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LILIANA URBANSKA ~ LILIANA URBANSKA GAD 101 (Barcode: 5903068120404) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 1971 - 1974 Released: 2019 This is a reissue of the debut album as a leader by Polish vocalist / flautist Liliana UrbanskaFind albums by this artist, best known as a member of the groups led by her husband, organist Krzysztof SadowskiFind albums by this artist. The ensemble that accompanies her on this album is the Krzysztof Sadowski Organ GroupFind albums by this artist and the background vocals are performed by the vocal ensemble PartitaFind albums by this artist (which is still active today). The original album presented eleven songs, nine of which were composed by Sadowski, one was a folk song and one was composed by Alina PiechowskaFind albums by this artist. This reissue adds four bonus tracks originating from an EP Urbanska recorded three years earlier. Contrary to her usual involvement with Jazz, this album is a collection of songs, which move between Pop, Soul, Folk and Rhythm And Blues. Considering the fact that almost all of the music and the instrumental parts involve Sadowski, the Jazzy feeling is quite dominant throughout the album. Urbanska plays a few flute solos as well. In retrospect this album sounds dated and even the nostalgia is not able to save it from a musty atmosphere. Except for a couple of poetic songs, especially the one based on a poem by Jaroslaw IwaszkiewiczFind albums by this artist and the a.m. song by Piechowska, which get close to the Jazz & Poetry idiom, the rest is quite forgettable. Overall for Polish Jazz completists this album is a nice nostalgic memorabilia, which certainly justifies having this album reissued, but probably won´t generate a lot of excitement in other circles.

Updated: 08/05/2023Posted: 09/03/2020

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AGA ZARYAN ~ WHAT XMAS MEANS TO ME WARNER MUSIC POLAND 190295535001 (Barcode: 190295535001) ~ POLAND ~ Xmas Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This Xmas Jazz album by Polish Jazz vocalist Diva Aga ZaryanFind albums by this artist was released a year ago (2018), but my personal health havoc at that time prevented me from writing about it then. Luckily Xmas has the habit of revisiting us at regular intervals, so here we are again nearing the White Holidays and I can return to this music and share my reflections about it with my readers, better late than never. The album was recorded in Warsaw, Prague & New York and features a marvelous ensemble of Polish Jazz veterans, headed by pianist Michal TokajFind albums by this artist, who was also in charge of the fabulous arrangements and co-produced the album with Zaryan: saxophonist Marcin KaletkaFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Robert MajewskiFind albums by this artist, trombonist Grzegorz NagorskiFind albums by this artist and a sublime rhythm section comprising of bassist Michal BaranskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Lukasz ZytaFind albums by this artist. American vocalist Freddy ColeFind albums by this artist shared the vocal duties with Zaryan on selected tracks and the Filharmonic Orchestra PragueFind albums by this artist supplied the orchestral accompaniments. The album presents ten Jazz Xmas standards and one Polish song by the eternal Czeslaw NiemenFind albums by this artist, which is the only track with lyrics in Polish language. The carefully selected songs present a mixture of classic Xmas evergreens and less obvious and often almost forgotten songs, which deserve to be revisited. As we all know, Xmas Jazz albums are often not more than a mixture of cynical opportunism and sappy sentimentalism, bordering on complete kitsch, if not worse. It makes me very happy to say that Zaryan and Tokaj managed to avoid all the commercial traps and temptations, creating first and foremost a bona fide Jazz album, which also focuses on the Xmas Spirit. The arrangements are sophisticated and unique to give all the songs a fresh perspective and Zaryan´s vocals are as sincere and heartfelt as always, treating each and every song with outmost care and personal interpretation. The instrumental parts are all, as expected, absolutely perfect. These musicians are all capable of playing anything, and they give their best every time, both on record and live. The ensemble is capable of producing an almost Big Band sound on one hand and delicate low key accompaniment on the other hand. There are of course plenty of superb soli spicing the proceedings. Tokaj´s piano playing is outstanding as always and he proves again to be a true Zaryan´s musical soul-brother all along, exemplified by their piano / vocals duo. Also Baranski performs a beautiful bass / vocals duo with Zaryan which brings on goose bumps. Zaryan´s vocal performances are brilliant of course, and she carefully avoids unnecessary theatrics and focuses on her expressions, which is a great Art in itself. Her voice is wonderfully steady and focused, and her emotions so genuine, that one can not resist to feel them entering straight into one´s heart. Although dedicated to her two young sons, the album is obviously intended to be shared with everybody who takes time to listen to this wonderful music. The inclusion of Niemen´s song (with lyrics by the poet Jaroslaw IwaszkiewiczFind albums by this artist) is the proverbial cherry on top (or perhaps the star on top of the Xmas tree); it is a tribute to Niemen´s genius as a songwriter but also a longing for the spring that follows after winter and the Xmas Holidays, with renewed life and hope, as the deeply lyrical text implies. It is also a relatively rare opportunity to hear Zaryan sing in Polish, something I personally always long for. Overall this is a delightful listening experience, which offers a coherent and wonderfully put together piece of music, which sounds as good in December, as it does in July and which is honestly Spiritual. A Merry Xmas to you all, even if you personally don´t celebrate it – the Xmas spirit is universal, as is great music!

Updated: 06/12/2019Posted: 06/12/2019

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