Record Reviews

KUBA STANKIEWICZ ~ FILM STORY KSQ 003 (Barcode: 5903796604016) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is an album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Kuba StankiewiczFind albums by this artist recorded with his “regular” American trio: Polish (resident in US) bassist Darek OleszkiewiczFind albums by this artist and American drummer Tina RaymondFind albums by this artist. American guitarist Jordan BerliantFind albums by this artist and saxophonist Bob SheppardFind albums by this artist guest, each on one track each. The album presents eight original compositions, all by Stankiewicz. It is hardly surprising to see Stankiewicz returning to cinematic music, even if this is only hinted by the album’s title, considering the fact that he dedicated a very significant part of his career in the last decade or so to interpretations of cinematic music written by composers of Polish / Jewish origin, who achieved fame in America, such as Victor YoungFind albums by this artist, Bronislaw KaperFind albums by this artist and Henryk WarsFind albums by this artist, a process to which I had the privy of watching closely and even contribute to some extent. The music on this album, although completely original, bears the same characteristics of the cinematic music, that gave the world a huge part of what is now considered as the Jazz standards. Stankiewicz has the same magic ability to write heartfelt, often heartbreakingly romantic melodies, which become immediate classics, or standards so to say. There must be something Polish, if not genetically at least culturally, in the ability to create such music, time after time, without being corny, trivial and repetitious, and Stankiewicz manages to do it repeatedly. The same applies to his playing, which combines brilliantly delicate touch of the keyboards and precise minimalism, which create optimal expression. Watching Stankiewicz perform is almost artistically sensuous, as he makes love with the instrument every time he touches it and sometimes even when he doesn’t. Supported by Oleszkiewicz, who is undoubtedly on the greatest bass players around, and Raymond, who is extremely supportive and considerate, the trio flies through the material with grace and elegance, which is rarely encountered these days. Overall, this is a Masterly piece of music, which combines deeply moving compositions with brilliant performances, creating together an immediate classic Jazz piano trio recording, which is irresistible to any true Jazz lover on this spinning globe of ours. This is true Polish / European Jazz at its very best, which eschews pose and gimmickry and astounds with its musical truth. This is simply beyond recommendation…

Updated: 27/11/2021Posted: 27/11/2021

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KUBA STANKIEWICZ ~ IT`S CHRISTMAS TIME AGAIN WARNER MUSIC POLAND 190295533755 (Barcode: 190295533755) ~ POLAND ~ Xmas Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018 This Xmas Jazz album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Kuba StankiewiczFind 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 excellently recorded in LA and features a marvelous Jazz piano trio, which also includes veteran Polish (resident in US) bassist Darek OleszkiewiczFind albums by this artist and American drummer Tina RaymondFind albums by this artist. American guitarist Jordan BerliantFind albums by this artist guests on two tracks. The album presents eleven tracks, which are a mixture Xmas Jazz standards, Classical Xmas songs and traditional Polish Xmas carols, all arranged by Stankiewicz. Stankiewicz is a beautifully sensitive pianist and his albums, especially those recorded in the last decade, on which he interprets Polish Classical Music composers (Wojciech KilarFind albums by this artist and Roman StatkowskiFind albums by this artist) or Jazz standards by composers of Polish descent (Victor YoungFind albums by this artist, Bronislaw KaperFind albums by this artist and Henryk WarsFind albums by this artist) are some of the finest recordings on the Polish Jazz scene. Over the years I have had the immense pleasure to present his projects during the Singer Jazz Festival in Warsaw, of which I am the Artistic Director, and we have become friends, for which I am of course grateful. The same approach of seriousness, sensibility and immense talent are also part of this project. 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 that Stankiewicz managed to avoid all the traps and produce a bona fide Jazz album, which stands on its own independently of the subject matter. In most cases the arrangements are so sophisticated that the original music is not necessarily associated with Xmas per se and achieves a universal appeal. The trio´s performances are stellar, as expected, characterized by a sublime interplay between the trio members and obvious mutual respect. Oleszkiewicz has a reputation of one of the finest bassist worldwide and fully justifies it every time he touches his instrument. Raymond plays very delicately and subtly, as appropriately for this occasion, but always right on the money. Overall this is an excellent world class quality Jazz piano trio album, which should keep every connoisseur of the idiom happy, full of delightful lyricism and virtuosic performances rarely found on record these days. 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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