Record Reviews

VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ POLISH RADIO JAZZ ARCHIVES VOL.33 POLSKIE RADIO 2182 (Barcode: 5907812241223) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1967 Released: 2021 This is the thirty-third 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 October 1967 during the tenth Jazz Jamboree Festival in Warsaw and are the first volume of a collection of tracks from that event. The first five tracks present the American multi-reed player Roland KirkFind albums by this artist and his quartet, which included pianist Ron BurtonFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Rahn BurtonFind albums by this artist), bassist Steve NovoselFind albums by this artist and drummer Jimmy HoppsFind albums by this artist. The quartet performs two original compositions by Kirk and three standards, all pretty standard American Bebop, which at the time was already considered somewhat passé in comparison to the work done by the great American Jazz innovators headed by John ColtraneFind albums by this artist, who died just a few months before these tracks were recorded. The next track presents the quintet led by great Polish pianist / composer Andrzej TrzaskowskiFind albums by this artist with saxophonists Janusz MuniakFind albums by this artist and Wlodzimierz NahornyFind albums by this artist, bassist Jacek OstaszewskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Sergiusz PerkowskiFind albums by this artist (mistakenly listed as Sergiusz Piotrowski). The quintet performs one lengthy version of an original composition by Trzaskowski, clearly showing that already at that time Polish Jazz was as good as anything originating across the pond and frankly the composition is light-years ahead of Bebop, somewhat on the thin line between composed and improvised music. The next two tracks present the German quintet led by trumpeter Manfred SchoofFind albums by this artist with saxophonist Gerd DudekFind albums by this artist, pianist Alexander von SchlippenbachFind albums by this artist, bassist Buschi NiebergallFind albums by this artist and drummer Jaki LiebezeitFind albums by this artist (mistakenly listed as Liebezeit Jaki). The quintet performs two lengthy medleys, each of two compositions, all original by the members of the quintet. The music is a superb example of early European Free Jazz, which was exploding at the time across Europe, with Germany being one of the epicenters of the new direction. The music is absolutely sensational and sounds today as fresh as it was at the time of the recording, perfectly illustrating the notion that Free Jazz can make sense and be aesthetically viable. It also sadly proves that the genre did not move an inch ahead in the fifty-four years that passed since. The series, which was brought back to life after three years of absence, offers an upgraded packaging, which finally offers liner notes, albeit those could have been better, considering 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: 23/07/2021Posted: 23/07/2021

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