Record Reviews

CRIMSON JAZZ TRIO ~ KING CRIMSON SONGBOOK VOL.1 VOICEPRINT 373 (Barcode: 604388321421) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 2005 Released: 2005 This is a perfect marriage of two of my favorite worlds: Jazz and Prog. The piano trio was always my jazz vehicle of choice, as it is ideal to provide both the improvisational and rhythmic jazz qualities. The music of the legendary Prog band King CrimsonFind albums by this artist was always right on top of my preferred music. The Crimson Jazz TrioFind albums by this artist combines both of these preferences perfectly. Jody NardoneFind albums by this artist (piano), Tim LandersFind albums by this artist (bass) and ex-KC Ian WallaceFind albums by this artist (drums) take the music of KC places, which were unimaginable so far – far into the land of swing (I wander if anybody could have imagined the music of KC in that setting before). The players shine and sweat from the onset to the very last note, full of imagination, brilliant technique and intelligent interplay. The sound is perfect as well, with clear definition of sound, which enables the entire range of the piano to sound balanced and the drum kit (from bass drum to hi-hat) to be perfectly audible. I can only join Robert FrippFind albums by this artist in his reaction to this masterpiece: “Can’t wait for Vol.2”!

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GREAT JAZZ TRIO ~ SOMEDAY MY PRINCE WILL COME COLUMBIA 92819 ~ USA ~ Jazz The Great Jazz Trio truly deserves its name. Brothers Hank (piano) and Elvin (drums) Jones and bass player extraordinare Richard Davis are all jazz Giants with a legacy that covers generations of the music. This beautiful trio recording from 2002 & 2003 is a stunning tribute to some of the most memorable jazz standards which get a loving and delicate treatment in the hands of the Masters. Breathtaking and deeply moving, this is timeless music. Unfortumately this was one of the last recordings by Elvin Jones, who died recently.

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JAZZ TRIO ~ FOR THE FUTURE POLJAZZ / ANEX 320 (Barcode: 5907513047759) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1985 Released: 2009 This album features the Polish Jazz trio called simply The Jazz TrioFind albums by this artist (probably the most unreasonable name one can adopt in such circumstances), which consisted of saxophonist Janusz BrychFind albums by this artist, pianist Marek PiatakFind albums by this artist and drummer Michal ZduniakFind albums by this artist. The pianist composed four of the five compositions present here and co-composed the fifth with the saxophonist. Although little know and mostly forgotten, this is, in retrospect, quite an excellent and unusual album, which Polish Jazz connoisseurs should definitely seek out. The music is a very strange amalgam of melodic, pre-composed intriguing music, mixed with excellent saxophone improvisations, which are very Free Jazz oriented and superbly executed. Sometimes the saxophone parts are overdubbed, which creates an even stronger "wall of sound" effect, common in Free Jazz. Also the absence of bass, which dramatically influences the sound of the music, contributes to the "strangeness" and of course transfers the responsibility of keeping time towards the piano player and the drummer, who is quite unusual as well. The overall result is definitely fresh and surprising, quite different from what was happening on the local scene at the time. Perhaps it was an early precursor of the Yass scene, which was about to explode in Poland shortly after this album was recorded. The overall level of individual virtuosity as well as the interplay between the three musicians makes this album a hidden gem, which simply begs to be discovered. It is a pity they never recorded together again (as far as I know) as the trio certainly had the potential of becoming one of the hottest groups on the Polish Jazz scene. But, alas, we´ll never know what might have happened. In the meantime let´s enjoy what we can hear! Side Note: The PoljazzFind albums on this label label, which originally released this album, was active for 20 years (between 1972 and 1991) and was owned by the Polish Jazz Society. Considering the fact that the music industry in the Socialist State was centralized and totally controlled, with just one State owned music company producing all the albums, the possibilities to record and release Jazz albums were extremely limited. Poljazz was conceived and founded in order to allow for many more Jazz (and other) albums to be released independently from the State owned Polskie NagraniaFind albums on this label / MuzaFind albums on this label and as such revolutionized the music industry at the time, being the only such enterprise in Eastern Europe. The Polish label AnexFind albums on this label reissued many of the original Poljazz albums on CD, bringing this fabulous music back to life.

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JACEK PELC CITY JAZZ TRIO ~ LIVE INTERACTIONS JACEK PELC RECORDS 007 (Barcode: 5904013793605) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2011 Released: 2022 This is an archival live album by Polish Jazz drummer / composer / bandleader Jacek PelcFind albums by this artist, recorded in a classic piano trio setting with pianist Krzysztof HerdzinFind albums by this artist and bassist Grzegorz NadolnyFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine tracks, eight of which are original compositions by Pelc and one is a standard. The music is all mainstream oriented modern Jazz, beautifully melodic and well structured, and as expected superbly executed by these highly experienced musicians. Pelc manages to prove again that being a drummer is not in any conflict with being able to compose beautiful lyrical themes, full of Polish melancholy, which are memorable and highly aesthetic. Herdzin, who appears relatively rarely within the Jazz idiom lately, shows that he was one of the most exciting Polish Jazz piano virtuosi, and his piano playing is truly refreshing herein. Hearing him on this album not only brings fond memories of his artistry, but raises hopes of his desire to return and take his rightful position on the Jazz scene, which he abducted in favor of other explorations. Nadolny plays wonderfully as well, showing great taste and technique both on the upright and electric bass, always perfectly in tune and right on the beat, he provides the background layer to the music, which couldn’t survive without it. And last but not least, Pelc with his Masterly drumming technique and endless trickery, which never ceases to amaze, which rightfully award him the position at the very top of the Polish Jazz rhythm magicians guild. Overall, this is a wonderful Jazz piano trio album, which should delight every fan of that particular niche, but to be honest it speaks to every Jazz lover on this planet, creating a lasting experience, which lingers in the back of the listener’s mind long after the music is over. Absolutely marvelous and well done, my Friend!

Updated: 18/05/2022Posted: 18/05/2022

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