Record Reviews

WOJCIECH KAMINSKI ~ OPEN PIANO (POLISH JAZZ VOL.66) MUZA 1066 (Barcode: 5907783420665) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1981 Released: 2006 This album by veteran pianist / composer Wojciech KaminskiFind albums by this artist presents the versatility of the Polish Jazz scene, which at all times presented the entire scope of Jazz music, from Ragtime to Avant-Grade, all of them on a very high artistic level. Kaminski was active on the local scene mainly in the traditional Jazz circles, co-founding such splendid ensembles as Ragtime Jazz BandFind albums by this artist and Old TimersFind albums by this artist. He felt most comfortable playing Jazz, which ranges from Ragtime, through Dixieland and into Swing and selected some of the absolutely best local players at the time to accompany him on this album: trumpeter Henryk MajewskiFind albums by this artist, trombonist Zbigniew KonopczynskiFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Zbigniew JaremkoFind albums by this artist, Janusz ZabieglinskiFind albums by this artist and Wladyslaw HalikFind albums by this artist, guitarist Marek BlizinskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Janusz KozlowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Jerzy BartzFind albums by this artist. Kaminski composed five of the ten compositions on this album (the remaining five include four standards and one composition by Zabieglinski). The level of performance is absolutely excellent all the way through and every Jazz fan should be able to enjoy this music for what it stands for: quality and fun! Recommended!

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SLAWOMIR KULPOWICZ ~ THREE ETUDES / PRASAD IN MANGALORE POLJAZZ / ANEX 319 (Barcode: 5907513047742) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1982 Released: 2009 Following the demise of The QuartetFind albums by this artist, Polish Jazz pianist / composer Slawomir KulpowiczFind albums by this artist founded a new ensemble, which he called In-FormationFind albums by this artist. Over time several different versions of In-Formation existed, including a duo, a piano trio, quartet and even sextet. In-Formation recorded two albums and later took part in the recording of this album, which was eventually released as a Kulpowicz solo album. The album consists of three solo piano pieces recorded for the Polish Radio and three pieces recorded live by In-Formation during the Jazz Jamboree Festival with guitarist Jaroslaw SmietanaFind albums by this artist, bassist Witold SzczurekFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Vitold RekFind albums by this artist) and percussionists Krzysztof PrzybylowiczFind albums by this artist, Jerzy BartzFind albums by this artist and Jose TorresFind albums by this artist. All the music was composed by Kulpowicz and is a direct continuation of his John ColtraneFind albums by this artist / McCoy TynerFind albums by this artist influenced style presented earlier by The Quartet. But in time the music becomes more contemplative and also more personal, as evident mostly on the solo piano pieces. In parallel the Indian and other World Music influences are trickling in steadily and can be already clearly heard herein. The In-Formation pieces are truly superb and present the group as a great vehicle for the Kulpowicz compositions. They also expose Smietana as the first rate player he always was, regardless of the setting. In retrospect this is a great document of the Polish Jazz scene in the early 1980s and an important part of the legacy Kulpowicz left behind him, which should serve as an endless source of inspiration to new generations of Polish Jazz players. Definitely worth investigating! Side Note: The PoljazzFind albums by this artist 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 by this artist / MuzaFind albums by this artist and as such revolutionized the music industry at the time, being the only such enterprise in Eastern Europe. The Polish label AnexFind albums by this artist reissued many of the original Poljazz albums on CD, bringing this fabulous music back to life.

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ZBIGNIEW NAMYSLOWSKI ~ POLISH RADIO JAZZ ARCHIVES VOL.36 POLSKIE RADIO 2422-2423 (Barcode: 5907812247720) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1974 - 1995 Released: 2023 This is the thirty-sixth installment in the series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings from the radio vaults. Radio recordings are always a fabulous source of remarkable material, and as far as Polish Jazz history is concerned, the Polish Radio, which was a state monopoly for 45 years, recorded over time a plethora of invaluable material, which apart from the albums released by the Polskie Nagrania record company (also a state monopoly), is the only available additional source of Polish Jazz recordings of that period. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland´s most important Jazz venues, including the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well. The music on this album presents radio recordings of live performances by one of Godfathers of Polish Jazz, saxophonist / composer / bandleader Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist, who sadly departed recently (February 2022), paying tribute to his artistry. Namyslowski was active on the scene since the late 1950s and his music embraced diverse environments, playing Jazz in all its forms and idioms, between Traditional Jazz and Jazz-Rock Fusion. The 2CD album presents nineteen tracks recorded between 1974 and 1995 which are a wonderful collection spanning his various activities. Namyslowski composed all but one of these tracks. The first four tracks on CD1, recorded in 1974, feature a quintet with saxophonist / flautist Janusz MuniakFind albums by this artist, pianist Wojciech KarolakFind albums by this artist, bassist Pawel JarzebskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Czeslaw BartkowskiFind albums by this artist. The next four tracks on CD1, recorded in 1975, feature a sextet with saxophonist Tomasz SzukalskiFind albums by this artist, Karolak, Jarzebski, drummer Kazimierz JonkiszFind albums by this artist and percussionist Jerzy BartzFind albums by this artist. The first four tracks on CD2, recorded in 1992, feature a quartet with pianist Leszek MozdzerFind albums by this artist, bassist Zbigniew WegehauptFind albums by this artist and drummer Cezary KonradFind albums by this artist. The last seven tracks on CD2, recorded in 1995, feature a quintet with the same lineup as the quartet above, with the addition of trumpeter Piotr WojtasikFind albums by this artist. The fact that five of the musicians playing on this album (Namyslowski, Muniak, Karolak, Szukalski and Wegehaupt) are no longer with us is a sad reminder of the phenomenon of the first generation of the Polish Jazz scene disappearing. The series, which was brought back to life after three years of absence, offers an upgraded packaging, which finally offers bi-lingual liner notes, fitting the importance of this music. The beautifully restored sound quality is excellent and the warm ambience of the analog recording is a true joy. Overall this is an absolutely essential piece of Jazz history which every Jazz fan should consider as a must.

Updated: 25/03/2023Posted: 25/03/2023

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JAROSLAW SMIETANA ~ TALKING GUITAR (POLISH JAZZ VOL.93 DELUXE) MUZA 1093 (Barcode: 5907783420931) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1984 Released: 2007 This is an excellent debut album as a leader by Polish guitarist / composer Jaroslaw SmietanaFind albums by this artist, presenting a set of ten original compositions performed by a superb team of musicians, including his ex-cohorts from the Extra BallFind albums by this artist ensemble. The list of names reads like a who’s who of the local scene at the time and includes keyboardist Wojciech GroborzFind albums by this artist, bassist Antoni DebskiFind albums by this artist, drummer Jacek PelcFind albums by this artist, percussionist Jerzy BartzFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Henryk MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist and Zbigniew JaremkoFind albums by this artist, trumpeters Henryk MajewskiFind albums by this artist and Robert MajewskiFind albums by this artist (father and son), trombonist Roman SyrekFind albums by this artist and flautist Jan BaytelFind albums by this artist. The music is all Fusion oriented, with great melody lines. Smietana plays some excellent solos and is well supported by his partners. Overall this is mainstream Fusion, which ruled in the 1980s, so one must not expect complexity and innovation in what is supposed to be “good time” music, which it certainly is. The level of professionalism and talent expected from Polish Jazz are certainly there. Recommended to Fusion fans!

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VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ POLISH RADIO JAZZ ARCHIVES VOL.26 POLSKIE RADIO 2058 (Barcode: 5907812247119) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1965 Released: 2016 This is the twenty-sixth installment in the series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings from the radio vaults. Radio recordings are always a fabulous source of remarkable material, and as far as Polish Jazz history is concerned, the Polish Radio, which was a state monopoly for 45 years, recorded over time a plethora of invaluable material, which apart from the albums released by the Polskie Nagrania record company (also a state monopoly), is the only available additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland´s most important Jazz venues, including the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well. The tracks presented here were recorded live in December 1965 during the eighth Jazz Jamboree Festival in Warsaw and are the first volume of a collection of tracks from that event. The first five tracks present the great British vocalist Annie RossFind albums by this artist, who revolutionized the vocal Jazz idiom as a member of the legendary trio Lambert, Hendricks & RossFind albums by this artist, which she left in late 1962 to start her solo career. She is accompanied by a trio consisting of Polish pianist Wojciech KarolakFind albums by this artist, bassist Juliusz SandeckiFind albums by this artist and Swedish drummer Rune CarlssonFind albums by this artist. All the songs are Jazz standards. The next four tracks present the great Polish vocal ensemble NOVIFind albums by this artist in their earliest incarnation as a quintet, which includes in addition to their leader Bernard KawkaFind albums by this artist also Ewa WanatFind albums by this artist, Janusz MychFind albums by this artist, Waldemar ParzynskiFind albums by this artist and Aleksander GluchFind albums by this artist, who left the ensemble before they recorded their debut album Bossa NovaFind albums with this title in 1967. NOVI modeled their vocal style on earlier vocal Jazz ensembles like Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, and their tracks appearing immediately following the Ross´s tracks is symbolic. NOVI are accompanied by pianist Adam MatyszkowiczFind albums by this artist (Adam MakowiczFind albums by this artist), bassist Janusz KozlowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Czeslaw BartkowskiFind albums by this artist. All the tracks are vocal arrangements of Jazz standards. The next three tracks present a quartet led by legendary Polish Jazz pianist / trombonist / composer Andrzej KurylewiczFind albums by this artist with guitarist Janusz SidorenkoFind albums by this artist, bassist Edward DylagFind albums by this artist (older brother of Roman DylagFind albums by this artist, who is mistakenly listed here) and drummer Jerzy BartzFind albums by this artist. The rare appearance of Kurylewicz playing the trombone is one of the highlights of this album. They perform a couple of adaptations, one of a classical piece by Polish composer Stanislaw MoniuszkoFind albums by this artist and the other of a folk tune and finally one original composition by Kurylewicz. The last two tracks present a quartet led by legendary Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Jan Ptaszyn WroblewskiFind albums by this artist with pianist Wojciech Karolak, bassist Juliusz Sandecki (here misspelled as Janusz), and drummer Andrzej DabrowskiFind albums by this artist. They perform on original composition by Wroblewski and an extended version of a Miles DavisFind albums by this artist classic. The beautifully restored sound quality is excellent and the warm ambience of the analog recording is a true joy. As usual with this series, which is very reasonably priced, I miss the presence of "in depth" liner notes / booklet, which should convey the circumstances at which this music was recorded and its importance to the development of Jazz in Poland. Nevertheless this is an absolutely essential piece of Jazz history which every Jazz fan will surely consider an absolute must.

Updated: 03/12/2016Posted: 02/12/2016

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