Record Reviews

JERZY MILIAN ~ FOUR HATS GAD 294 (Barcode: 5903068125348) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1965 - 1966 Released: 2024 This is the 12th installment of the archival series released by GADFind albums on this label Records, which presents the work of Polish Jazz vibraphonist / composer / bandleader Jerzy MilianFind albums by this artist. This chapter is dedicated to Milian´s early trio and quartet recordings. The first four tracks present the quartet with pianist Wojciech KarolakFind albums by this artist, bassist Juliusz SandeckiFind albums by this artist and drummer Andrzej DabrowskiFind albums by this artist, recorded in 1965 in Brussels at the BRT Studios. One composition is by Milian, one by Karolak, one is credited to all four musicians and finally one is an arrangement by Karolak of Frederic ChopinFind albums by this artist’s composition. The next four tracks present the trio with bassist Janusz MarianskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Grzegorz GierlowskiFind albums by this artist, recorded in 1966 in Poznan at the local Polish Radio studio. Saxophonist Jan Ptaszyn WroblewskiFind albums by this artist plays on two tracks. Three of the compositions are by Milian and one is by Wroblewski. The music is a classic mainstream Jazz, strongly influenced by the Cool stylistics, but also very much Milian’s own, full of his idiosyncrasies and Third Stream tendencies. Milian’s vibraphone playing is concise and precise, but filled of his intrinsic flare and unique sense of humor. The compositions are all excellent, as always, and reflect the incredibly high level of Jazz behind the Iron Curtain, which is on all levels as good as anything done in the “West” at the time. Despite the fact that the recordings originate from Milian’s private archive, the sound quality is absolutely perfect, which makes listening to this music a true pleasure. As usual one has to admire the dedication and consistency of the GAD Records label for bringing these treasures back to life. Overall, this is an incredible piece of Polish / European Jazz history, which absolutely deserves to be heard and studied. With Milian´s passing it is even more important to document his work and bring it to the public. For Polish Jazz enthusiasts this album is an absolute must!

Updated: 31/05/2024Posted: 31/05/2024

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POLISH JAZZ QUARTET ~ MEETS STUDIO M-2 GAD 054 (Barcode: 5901549197709) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1964 - 1966 Released: 2017 This is a sensational archival album presenting the recordings by one of the formative modern Polish Jazz ensembles, the Polish Jazz QuartetFind albums by this artist, which comprised of saxophonist / composer Jan Ptaszyn WroblewskiFind albums by this artist, pianist / composer Wojciech KarolakFind albums by this artist, bassist Juliusz SandeckiFind albums by this artist and drummer Andrzej DabrowskiFind albums by this artist. The music included herein was recorded at the Polish Radio Studio M-2 with the studio orchestra conducted by Boguslaw KlimczukFind albums by this artist. Twelve wonderful pieces of early modern Polish Jazz are included on this album, seven of which are original compositions by Wroblewski, two are original compositions by Karolak and the remaining three are by other Polish composers, arranged by Wroblewski or Karolak. This album is the only source of recorded material by the Polish Jazz Quartet other than their debut album released in 1965 as the third volume of the legendary "Polish Jazz" series. The fact that the album does not include any American standards is extremely significant and points the way towards the development of the newborn Polish Jazz scene, which from its early days tried to create music different from the Jazz tradition, breaking away from the limitations and exploring new avenues, combining Jazz with the European musical tradition, local folklore and other influences, which eventually were to produce the "Polish Jazz Sound", which became an integral part of the Polish Cultural heritage. Stylistically the music moves between Swing, Bebop and Orchestral Jazz, still very much rooted in the American Jazz tradition, but already clearly trying to break away from it, which can be heard especially in Wroblewski´s masterful arrangements, which are very different from the American Big Band convention. The melodies are also much more sophisticated and diverse that the standard Bebop tunes, which served as vehicles for improvisation, whereas in the tunes present here the melodic contents has a much larger presence and position. The performances by all the musicians involved in these sessions are brilliant and one would never guess that this music was recorded beyond the Iron Curtain, where Jazz was in its early stages of development (at least on the National scale) and the musicians involved had very limited access to recorded material or performing experience. Listening to this album feels like taking a time machine trip five decades back in time, in order to visit the early childhood of modern Polish Jazz and the experience is truly magical. As usual the fact that this music is available for us to enjoy is by no means trivial and only thanks to the efforts of Michal WilczynskiFind albums by this artist, owner of the GADFind albums on this label Records label, it became a reality. Polish Jazz connoisseurs should be ever so grateful to this man for his unprecedented work.

Updated: 15/04/2017Posted: 15/04/2017

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ANDRZEJ TRZASKOWSKI ~ POLISH RADIO JAZZ ARCHIVES VOL.05 POLSKIE RADIO 1609 (Barcode: 5907812246099) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1962 Released: 2013 This is the fifth installment in the new series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings. 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 additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland´s most important Jazz venue, the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well. The material presented here presents the iconic figure of the post WWII Polish Jazz pioneer, pianist / composer Andrzej TrzaskowskiFind albums by this artist. Of the twelve tracks on this album, first five are live recordings from the 1962 Jazz Jamboree Festival and the remaining seven are studio radio recordings from the same year. The material was recorded by three different lineups: The WreckersFind albums by this artist quintet (which alternated bass players), which included saxophonists Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist and Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist, bassists Roman DylagFind albums by this artist or Juliusz SandeckiFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam JedrzejowskiFind albums by this artist, the Andrzej Trzaskowski Quintet, which had the same lineup as The Wreckers, except for drummer Andrzej DabrowskiFind albums by this artist and the Andrzej Trzaskowski Trio, which included bassist Roman Dylag and drummer Adam Jedrzejowski. The material includes both original compositions by Trzaskowski (four of the five live tracks) and modern Jazz standards. Listeners familiar with the Polish Jazz history will of course notice immediately that the core of Trzaskowski´s group (Namyslowski and Urbaniak) was also the core of the soon to be formed revolutionary ensemble led by Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist, and Dylag already played with Komeda as a member of his trio at the very same Jazz Jamboree 1962 Festival. This brings on the issue of the buried controversy as to who was in fact the pivotal Godfather figure of the Polish Jazz, Andrzej Trzaskowski or Krzysztof Komeda. Komeda (born 1931), who was a couple of years older from Trzaskowski (born 1933) but they both definitely belonged to the same generation, both dominated the scene in the late 1950s and early to mid 1960s and both were breaking new ground with their music, as performers and composers. Of course Komeda will go down in history as the overall winner of this little debated contest, due to his enormous international success as composer of film music, which Trzaskowski also dealt with but with a much lesser success. Considering the fact that Trzaskowski´s recorded legacy is lamentably limited, this album is a superb addition to his heritage, especially in view of the top-form performances and fantastic remastering work, which makes the music herein sound fresh, clear and vibrant. Namyslowski and Urbaniak fans will also have a field day with this music, which documents the early days of their illustrious careers. This album is therefore a "must have" for any Polish Jazz fan, old and young alike, as this music is ageless and its historic significance is priceless.

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VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ POLISH RADIO JAZZ ARCHIVES VOL.14 POLSKIE RADIO 1664 (Barcode: 5907812246648) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1963 Released: 2014 This is the fourteenth installment in the new series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings. 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 material collected here presents the third volume of recordings made in 1963 during the sixth Jazz Jamboree festival in Warsaw. In contrast to the two earlier volumes, this one presents only Polish Jazz musicians, and therefore is by far the most interesting and enlightening of the three. In many respects this album is a comprehensive review of the Polish Jazz scene at the time and presents the early days of the modern Polish Jazz at its pivotal stage of forming its own identity, as far as sound, atmosphere, character and unique stylistic aesthetics are concerned. The album includes just six tracks, by four different ensembles, playing expanded compositions, three of which cross the fifteen minutes duration time, a clear signal of creativity and improvisational freedom typical of modern Jazz. The ensembles are: Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist (saxophone) quartet with pianist Wlodek GulgowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Tadeusz WojcikFind albums by this artist and drummer Czeslaw BartkowskiFind albums by this artist (one track), Andrzej TrzaskowskiFind albums by this artist (piano) quintet with saxophonists Zbigniew Namyslowski and Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist, bassist Juliusz SandeckiFind albums by this artist (here misspelled as Julian) and drummer Adam JedrzejowskiFind albums by this artist (two tracks), Alek MusialFind albums by this artist (trumpet) quintet with vibraphonist Ryszard KruzaFind albums by this artist, pianist Wlodzimierz NahornyFind albums by this artist, bassist Wieslaw DamieckiFind albums by this artist and drummer Bogdan JopekFind albums by this artist (one track) and finally Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist (piano) quintet with trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Michal Urbaniak, bassist Maciej SuzinFind albums by this artist and drummer Czeslaw Bartkowski (two tracks). Of the six compositions three are standards and three are originals, one by Trzaskowski and two by Komeda. Stylistically the music is quite similar, ranging from more traditionally based modern Jazz in case of the Namyslowski and Musial tracks to more advanced characteristic Polish Jazz material in case in of the music by Trzaskowski and finally most dramatically in the music by Komeda, which is already eons ahead of its time. The two Komeda tracks are the epitome of modern Polish / European Jazz, which clearly show a mature approach free of the restrictions imposed by the American Jazz tradition. These tracks are alone worth the price of the entire album, but of course the rest of the material is also quite excellent. 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: 02/12/2016Posted:

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VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ POLISH RADIO JAZZ ARCHIVES VOL.20 POLSKIE RADIO 1872 (Barcode: 5907812248727) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1964 Released: 2015 This is the twentieth installment in the new series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings. 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 ten tracks collected here were recorded during the seventh Jazz Jamboree Festival, which took place between October 24 and 26 1964 in Warsaw. The music was performed by four different ensembles, which are: a quartet led by the German brothers Rolf KuhnFind albums by this artist on clarinet and Joachim KuhnFind albums by this artist on piano with Polish rhythm section consisting of bassists Tadeusz WojcikFind albums by this artist or Juliusz SandeckiFind albums by this artist (here misspelled as Julian) and drummer Andrzej DabrowskiFind albums by this artist (four tracks), a trio led by Hungarian bass virtuoso Aladar PegeFind albums by this artist with Polish pianist Wojciech KarolakFind albums by this artist and drummer Andrzej Dabrowski (also four tracks), a quintet led by Polish pianist / composer Andrzej TrzaskowskiFind albums by this artist with trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Janusz MuniakFind albums by this artist, bassist Jacek OstaszewskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam JedrzejowskiFind albums by this artist (one track only) and finally a trio led by Dutch pianist Pim JacobsFind albums by this artist with his brother Ruud JacobsFind albums by this artist on bass and guitarist Wim OvergaauwFind albums by this artist (also one track only). Most of the music consists of standards and the only original material is one piece by Rolf Kuhn and the only track by the Trzaskowski quintet, which was composed by Stanko and which is absolutely the best and most interesting track on this album. 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: 02/12/2016Posted:

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VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ POLISH RADIO JAZZ ARCHIVES VOL.22 POLSKIE RADIO 1874 (Barcode: 5907812248741) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1964 Released: 2015 This is the twenty-second 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 ten tracks collected here were recorded during the seventh Jazz Jamboree Festival, which took place between October 24 and 26 1964 in Warsaw. This is the third part of the Jazz Jamboree 1964 recordings. The music was performed by four different ensembles, which are: the Italian Flavio Ambrosetti All StarsFind albums by this artist (five tracks), led by saxophonist Flavio AmbrosettiFind albums by this artist with trumpeter Franco AmbrosettiFind albums by this artist, Swiss pianist George GruntzFind albums by this artist, Polish bassist Tadeusz WojcikFind albums by this artist and Swiss drummer Pierre FavreFind albums by this artist and three Polish Jazz ensembles, Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist Quintet (one track) with trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist, bassist Janusz KozlowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Czeslaw BartkowskiFind albums by this artist, Polish Jazz QuartetFind albums by this artist (two tracks) led by saxophonist Jan Ptaszyn WroblewskiFind albums by this artist with pianist Wojciech KarolakFind albums by this artist, bassist Juliusz SandeckiFind albums by this artist and drummer Andrzej DabrowskiFind albums by this artist and Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist Quartet (two tracks) with pianist Wlodek GulgowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Tadeusz Wojcik and drummer Czeslaw Bartkowski. This is by far the most interesting of the three volumes of the Jazz Jamboree 1964 recordings, as it presents the modern Polish Jazz about to explode into modernism, which will shape its destiny for generations to come. Stanko, Urbaniak, Wroblewski, Bartkowski are still active on the Polish scene, fifty years latter, carrying the fire which was first sparkled around the time these recordings were made. The Ambrosetti set is also interesting, as it allows a glance at two legendary Jazz figures: Gruntz and Favre, at their early days. Most of the music performed on this album is original. 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: 08/07/2020Posted:

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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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