Record Reviews

DWA PLUS JEDEN ~ AKTOR MUZA 1452 (Barcode: 5907783424526) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1977 Released: 2012 Polish group Dwa Plus JedenFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. 2 Plus 1Find albums by this artist) was one of the most popular Polish Pop groups in the 1970s and 1980s. Formed in 1971 by guitarist / vocalist / composer Janusz KrukFind albums by this artist and his future wife flautist / vocalist Elzbieta DmochFind albums by this artist the basic trio also included initially guitarist Andrzej RybinskiFind albums by this artist, who was later replaced by Andrzej KrzysztofikFind albums by this artist and in 1976 by saxophonist / vocalist Cezary SzlazakFind albums by this artist. This album, recorded in 1977, was created by an expanded ensemble that included in addition to Kruk, Dmoch and Szlazak also bassist Andrzej PawlikFind albums by this artist, drummers Andrzej WojcikFind albums by this artist and Jozef GawrychFind albums by this artist, pianist Janusz KomanFind albums by this artist and keyboardist / violinist Adam PilawaFind albums by this artist. The album, dedicated to the memory of the great Polish actor Zbigniew CybulskiFind albums by this artist, who died tragically at a ridiculously young age in a train accident, is a musical suite comprising of eight tracks. All the music was composed by Kruk and the lyrics are by Marek DutkiewiczFind albums by this artist. The group (or rather Kruk, who composed their music) recorded this album to prove it is not just a simplistic mindless Pop act and is capable of making "serious" and much more advanced music. The suite is a mixture or Pop, Jazz-Rock and Progressive Rock and includes extended instrumental passages with excellent improvisations, especially by the violinist. In retrospect it is a great pity the group did not continue in that direction. Although little known to the Prog enthusiasts both in Poland and abroad, this is, in retrospect, a classic Prog concept album, full of good music, great vocal harmonies and excellent instrumental work. Although this album remains as the only Prog album the group recorded, it is still an important piece of Polish Progressive Rock history. The new edition adds one bonus track and excellent remastered sound quality. Definitely worth investigation!

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MAREK GRECHUTA ~ DROGA ZA WIDNOKRES POMATON 724352574322 (Barcode: 724352574322) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1972 Released: 2000 This is the third album by Polish singer / songwriter / poet Marek GrechutaFind albums by this artist, one of the most iconic figures on the Polish popular music scene and the most important representative of the Music & Poetry movement in Poland. This is also his first album with the group WIEMFind albums by this artist (an acronym of the Polish phrase "W Innej Epoce Muzycznej"), which Grechuta formed after he left his previous group AnawaFind albums by this artist. The new group comprised initially of guitarist Pawel ScieranskiFind albums by this artist, brilliant bassist Pawel JarzebskiFind albums by this artist and three drummers / percussionists Jozef GawrychFind albums by this artist, Bogdan KulikFind albums by this artist and Tadeusz KalinowskiFind albums by this artist. Later on the group was expanded with some personnel changes and included among others violinist Piotr MicheraFind albums by this artist, guitarist Antoni KrupaFind albums by this artist and drummer Kazimierz JonkiszFind albums by this artist. The album includes eight tracks, all composed by Grechuta, who wrote lyrics to only one of the songs and the remaining lyrics are by some of the Polish poets Grechuta admired: Jan ZychFind albums by this artist, Tadeusz NowakFind albums by this artist, Tadeusz SliwiakFind albums by this artist and others. Musically the album marks a dramatic change in comparison to the acoustic World Music / Psychedelic atmosphere of his previous albums and moves into Jazz-Rock Fusion / Progressive Rock, which is quite understandable considering that all the new band members were previously active in these areas. But the music also amalgamates the lyrical elements dominating Grechuta´s music and the intrinsic melancholy of the poetic lyrics. The instrumental work is rather intimate, with the guitar being the only soloing instrument, playing sweet Bluesy / Jazzy riffs. The absolutely sublime performances on the (acoustic) bass are the album´s backbone, upon which the entire musical contents is completely dependent. The later, expanded version of the group, included much more developed instrumental support to Grechuta´s lyrics, as can be heard on the bonus tracks. Grechuta is a master of his trade and his vocal delivery is simply sublime. Always somewhere in between singing and reciting, his interpretation of the lyrics is exquisitely intelligent and insightful. The band performs also divinely, displaying obvious talents and sensitivity. Such combination of beautiful music performed as perfectly as here is indeed extraordinary. Therefore in retrospect this is one of the best Rock / Prog albums ever recorded in Poland, although less innovative and shocking musically that its predecessor. It stands the test of time beautifully and is an absolute must have for every lover of Polish music. This expanded and remastered edition includes seven bonus tracks recorded by the Polish Radio, all of excellent quality, both sonically and musically. One of the tracks is an extended almost all instrumental version of the epic title track of the previous album, which is truly brilliant. A gem worth having!

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KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA ~ KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA W POLSKIM RADIU VOL.02 – MUZYKA BALETOWA I FILMOWA – CZESC PIERWSZA POLSKIE RADIO 1862 (Barcode: 5907812248628) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1959 - 1963 Released: 2014 This is the second installment in a new series of albums launched by the Polish Radio, which presents radio recordings by the Godfather of Polish Jazz, pianist / composer / bandleader Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist. Komeda is of course the most familiar name associated with Polish Jazz and his legacy is of crucial importance to Polish and European Jazz. Considering the fact that Komeda´s studio recordings are relatively scarce, the radio recordings are in fact the main source of his recorded legacy, as they include among others the Jazz Jamboree festival appearances by Komeda and his various ensembles over the years. Recorded between 1959 and 1963 this volume collects only original music that Komeda composed for ballet and cinema and performed with his groups during the 1961 edition of the Jazz Jamboree festival in Warsaw (one track), the 1962 edition (four tracks) and 1963 edition (one track). The remaining two tracks are radio studio recordings. The music includes the following compositions: "Ballet Etudes", written by Komeda to be performed by a Jazz ensemble accompanying ballet dancers, which had its premiere during the 1962 Jazz Jamboree with dancers from the Warsaw Opera, theme from the film "Innocent Sorcerers" directed by Andrzej WajdaFind albums by this artist and the monumental music from the debut full length film "Knife In The Water" directed by Roman PolanskiFind albums by this artist. As any Polish Jazz enthusiast knows, this is the cradle of modern Polish Jazz and includes some of its most defining moments, as well as the essence of Komeda, the composer. The list of the musicians participating in these recordings reads like the who´s who of early modern Polish Jazz: vocalist Wanda WarskaFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist and Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, bassists Roman DylagFind albums by this artist, Adam SkorupkaFind albums by this artist, Jan ByrczekFind albums by this artist and Maciej SuzinFind albums by this artist, drummers Leszek DudziakFind albums by this artist, Czeslaw BartkowskiFind albums by this artist and Tadeusz FederowskiFind albums by this artist and percussionist Jozef GawrychFind albums by this artist. Three Swedish musicians also participate: saxophonist Bernt RosengrenFind albums by this artist, trombonist Eje ThelinFind albums by this artist and drummer Rune CarlssonFind albums by this artist. Overall this is a collection of brilliant music, superbly performed, which is an absolute revelation to anybody who loves Jazz. It is a fundamental piece of every decent Jazz record collection. The recordings are splendidly restored and remastered and nicely packaged in an elegant digipak / slipcase. Dates, places and lineups are faithfully included and even personal liner notes by young Polish Jazz critics are present, but there is no in-depth background material about Komeda and his music, however considering the plentitude of published material and several excellent books on the subject, an intelligent listener can easily bridge the knowledge gap. The only small reservation one might have is the fact that these recordings have been already released many times, more or less legally on the somewhat untamed Polish music market, which means they is already owned by the serious Polish Jazz collectors, probably more than once.

CD 1 Digipak Slipcase Remastered Recommend To A Friend

KRZYSZTOF SADOWSKI ~ NA KOSMODROMIE GAD 030 (Barcode: 5901549197389) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1972 Released: 2015 This is a reissue (first time on CD) of the second album by Polish Jazz keyboardist / composer Krzysztof SadowskiFind albums by this artist recorded with an ensemble called Organ GroupFind albums by this artist, which also included flautist / vocalist Liliana UrbanskaFind albums by this artist, Dutch trumpeter Eddie EngelsFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Wlodzimierz NahornyFind albums by this artist, bass guitarist Pawel DabrowskiFind albums by this artist, drummer Tomasz ButowttFind albums by this artist and congas player Jozef GawrychFind albums by this artist. This album was not released at the time as part of the legendary "Polish Jazz" series, for reasons that are way beyond the scope of this text. The original album included only six tracks, the first of which gave the album its title and was a twenty minutes long six parts suite originally found on side A of the LP. The five tracks on side B were all much shorter. All the compositions were originals, four composed by Sadowski and one each by Nahorny and Engels. This remastered reissue adds three bonus tracks recorded at the Polish Radio. By the time this album was released the Polish Jazz scene was in a state of upheaval, torn between two extremes: Free Jazz on one side and Jazz-Rock Fusion on the other. Strangely this album presents a bit of both, since although conceptually belonging to the Jazz-Rock Fusion genre it features a few Free Form solos. Obviously Sadowski was shifting his organ playing stylistics from the traditional influences (Jimmy SmithFind albums by this artist) towards (then) contemporary keyboard approach represented by Herbie HancockFind albums by this artist or Weather ReportFind albums by this artist´s Joe ZawinulFind albums by this artist. The use of vocalese, which was one of the trademarks of Polish Jazz at the time, utilized extensively by Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist in Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist´s ensemble, is only one of the parallels between these two pioneering Fusion bands active at the time. The space exploration, which seems a bit strange as a subject matter of a Jazz album, was at the time one of the main pillars of the Socialist propaganda, which excitedly participated in the space race between USSR and USA, with an obvious winning side. Picking such a subject increased of course significantly the possibility to have one´s music released by the State controlled solitary record company in existence at the time in Poland (Polskie Nagrania). In retrospect the albums is a great document of the time at which it was recorded, proving that in spite of the relative separation from what was happing beyond the Iron Curtain, Polish Jazz was responding rapidly to the changes in the Jazz idiom, often with ferocity and ingenuity, which were impossible to hold back by the political regime. As usual it is my duty to thank GADFind albums on this label Records for taking care of the Polish Jazz heritage, who is sadly a lonely rider on that trail. This superb music definitely needs to be fondly remembered and discovered by new generations!

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SKALDOWIE ~ KRYWAN, KRYWAN (EXPANDED EDITION) KAMELEON 07 ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1972 Released: 2011 This is the seventh album by the legendary Polish group SkaldowieFind albums by this artist, one of the most influential East European ensembles, founded by brothers: Andrzej ZielinskiFind albums by this artist (vocalist, keyboardist, composer, arranger and leader) and Jacek ZielinskiFind albums by this artist (vocalist, multi-instrumentalist). The other group members on this album are: guitarist Jerzy TarsinskiFind albums by this artist, bassist / vocalist Konrad RatynskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Jan BudziaszekFind albums by this artist. Congas player Jozef GawrychFind albums by this artist guests on two tracks. The album was recorded practically live in the studio during one all-night session with only a few overdubs recorded later. This album is the first full-fledged Prog album by the group and features mostly instrumental music, with the vocal parts being kept in the background. It introduces the group members as improvisers, who use the basic musical themes as a vehicle to present extended improvisations, which made each live performance of this music different every time it was played. This was a completely new direction for the group, which up to this point excelled in meticulous arrangements, which were superbly musical but severely limited the abilities of the group members to express their own statements. The original LP consisted of just five tracks, with the title track being a fully developed suite, which occupied the entire A-side of the LP and lasted for almost 18 minutes. Although the entire album was not a concept album per se, the folkloristic themes and Classical music quotation constitute a unifying factor, which in retrospect turns the album into a concept album of sorts. The group uses the music of the Polish Highlanders (Gorals) as influence to most of the themes presented on this album. The musical approach is sometimes similar to what Emerson, Lake and Palmer presented on their early albums, but Skaldowie were unaware of these developments occurring behind the Iron Curtain. Soon after it was released this album turned into East European Rock icon and was sought after by Rock / Prog fans in all the ex-Socialist countries, influencing countless musicians who lived in these countries and propagated the idea of Progressive Rock to new territories. It is also the most popular Polish Prog (original Prog, not Neo-Prog) album among the genre´s fans around the world. This edition adds eleven bonus tracks, seven of which are instrumentals recorded by West German Radio and the other four are the original LP´s B-side songs recorded by Polish Radio. The sound and musical quality of the bonuses is perfect and the overall product value of this expanded edition is truly commendable. This is an essential piece of Polish Rock / Prog history and a must have for every Polish music fan. The music stands the test of time beautifully and one wishes music like this was done by some of the contemporary Prog outfits, rather than repeating the obsessive doodling that seems to occupy their space-time continuum. A true gem!

Updated: 21/09/2021Posted:

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend

SKALDOWIE ~ STWORZENIA SWIATA CZESC DRUGA (EXPANDED EDITION) KAMELEON 09 ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1976 Released: 2011 This is the ninth album by the legendary Polish group SkaldowieFind albums by this artist, one of the most influential East European ensembles, founded by brothers: Andrzej ZielinskiFind albums by this artist (vocalist, keyboardist, composer, arranger and leader) and Jacek ZielinskiFind albums by this artist (vocalist, multi-instrumentalist). The other group members on this album are: guitarist Jerzy TarsinskiFind albums by this artist, bassist / vocalist Konrad RatynskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Jan BudziaszekFind albums by this artist. Percussionist Jozef GawrychFind albums by this artist guests on three tracks and a string orchestra is also utilized in the recordings. This album is the second full-fledged Prog album by the group and follows up in the steps of the "Krywan, KrywanFind albums with this title" magnum opus. The original LP consisted of just five tracks, with the title track being a fully developed suite, which occupied the entire A-side of the LP and lasted for almost 20 minutes. The group uses again the music of the Polish Highlanders (Gorals) as influence to some of the themes presented on this album. The musical approach is similar to what other Prog groups were doing at the time in Western Europe, but is years ahead of the East European scene, where Skaldowie were definitely one of the top acts at the time. Similar to the release of "Krywan, Krywan", which was accompanied by the release of the "Wszystkim ZakochanymFind albums with this title" album containing Pop oriented but still excellent material, also in this case Skaldowie released a second album almost simultaneously called "Szanujmy WspomnieniaFind albums with this title", which also presented the less complex side of the group´s music. This edition adds six bonus tracks, four of which are Polish Radio recordings and the remaining two are studio recordings, one previously unreleased and the other released as a single in Czechoslovakia. The sound and musical quality of the bonuses is perfect and the overall product value of this expanded edition is truly commendable. This is an essential piece of Polish Rock / Prog history and a must have for every Polish music fan. The music stands the test of time beautifully and one wishes music like this was done by some of the contemporary Prog outfits, rather than repeating the obsessive doodling that seems to occupy their space-time continuum. A true gem!

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend

JAN PTASZYN WROBLEWSKI ~ SWEET BEAT GAD 004 (Barcode: 5901549197037) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1972 Released: 2012 A couple of years after they collaborated on the first Polish Easy Jazz album ("Jej PortretFind albums with this title"), saxophonist / composer / arranger / bandleader Jan Ptaszyn WroblewskiFind albums by this artist and saxophonist / keyboardist / composer Wlodzimierz NahornyFind albums by this artist meet again on this, another Easy Jazz recording, this time of the Jazz & Strings variety. This time however, Wroblewski is the primary soloist, fronting a wonderful quintet which includes Nahorny on keyboards, bassist Bronislaw SuchanekFind albums by this artist, drummer Janusz StefanskiFind albums by this artist and percussionist Jozef GawrychFind albums by this artist. The quintet is accompanied by an expanded string section, conducted by Zygmunt MahlikFind albums by this artist. The album includes eleven original compositions, eight by Wroblewski and three by Jerzy WasowskiFind albums by this artist (a wonderful composer of cabaret songs). Wroblewski also wrote all the elaborate arrangements. Although, as intended, the orchestral arrangements are indeed Easy Jazz, the wonderful saxophone solos are anything, but easy, often being quite complex and even slightly Free Form, sometimes in complete contrast to the melodic background. However the overall atmosphere of this album is relaxed and focuses on delivering a musical experience, which can be enjoyed by a variety of listeners, including those who don´t listen to Jazz on a regular basis. Regardless of the concept behind this music, it is very apparent that neither Wroblewski nor any of his colleagues take this project lightly and the level of execution is simply perfect, as are the compositions. Wonderfully melodic, yet far from being banal, these melodies stand the test of time marvelously and sound completely relevant also today. The overall project might sound a bit dated, but that is also its charm, rising waves of nostalgia for times long gone. This superb reissue presents exceptional remastered sound quality and fourteen bonus tracks, previously unreleased, which demonstrate other collaborations between Wroblewski and the Polish Radio string ensemble between 1967 and 1971. Wroblewski composed all of these tracks, with the exception of one standard. These recordings are a wonderful window into the "behind the scenes" of the Polish Jazz scene at the time, where experimentation and individualism might have bees suppressed by State censorship, but never stopped the protagonist from trying. Sadly neglected and almost forgotten over the years, this album truly deserves a second life and GAD Records, as usual, made the right decision to reissue it, making a splendid job as always. I love this stuff!

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend