Record Reviews

LAWAAI ~ DENSITIES, FORCES, INTENSITIES HOWARD 2 ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the second album by the Copenhagen based trio LawaaiFind albums by this artist, which comprises of Polish Pianist / composer Kamil PiotrowiczFind albums by this artist, Belgian bassist Stan CallewaertFind albums by this artist and Danish drummer Jeppe Hoi JustesenFind albums by this artist. The album presents just three tracks, with the names forming the album´s title and varying in duration from four to almost twenty minutes. Since the compositions are not credited, one can assume they were co-composed / improvised by the trio members. The music is an intense exercise in self-control and patience from the listener´s perspective. The opening track, for example, offers about ten minutes of delicate drum touches followed by ten minutes of single piano notes, both varying in density, i.e. number of singular sounds per minute. The other two tracks are only slightly more conventional, but basically offer the same kind of minimalist approach. I have no idea how many non Avant-Garde listeners would even call this music at all. Me? I like this intellectual game a lot. It is original, challenging, daring and offers an extreme example of "less is more", which in this crazy time we live in, with our ears crowded by intensive constant attack of excessive noise, is quite refreshing. Overall this is definitely suitable for true Avant-Garde connoisseurs, who are able to treat music with respect and open-mindedness, regardless of how difficult or uninviting it might sound at first, patiently waiting for the moment when it all starts to make sense. Piotrowicz is obviously gong places and his astounding stylistic diversity seems to have no limits. What else will he come up with next?

Updated: 25/12/2019Posted: 25/12/2019

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MINIM ~ EARTH KOLD (Barcode: 7427137119598) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is the second album by Polish Jazz quartet MinimFind albums by this artist (previously named Minim ExperimentFind albums by this artist) comprising of guitarist / composer Kuba WojcikFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Kamil PiotrowiczFind albums by this artist, bassist Andrzej SwiesFind albums by this artist and drummer Albert KarchFind albums by this artist and featuring the renowned experimental Tuvan singer Sainkho NamtchylakFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original compositions, five of which were composed by Wojcik, two were improvised, one was co-composed by Wojcik and Piotrowicz and one was composed by Karch. Namtchylak added some improvised lyrics. The music is absolutely unique, to some extent continuing the ideas put forth on the debut, but exploring many new dimensions obviously inspired by the strong personality of Namtchylak and her vast experience. The result is an absolutely innovative amalgam of cross-genre music making, encompassing such diverse explorations as electronics, World Music, Avant-Garde, Jazz, Rock and a pleiad of other named and unnamed genres and sub-genres, all intermixed into a kaleidoscope of sounds, which is irresistibly beautiful. There is no doubt that the meeting between Minim and Namtchylak creates a result that is greater than just a sum of its ingredients. Namtchylak´s extended discography created in the last thirty years includes dozens of albums, but this recording definitely belongs to the very best of her outings. The wonderful fact is that she is carefully avoiding dominating the proceedings here despite her repute, allowing full freedom to the "youngsters" to state their ideas and by herself contributing only when appropriate. Minim present the individual talents of its members on this album, with beautifully lyrical piano parts by Piotrowicz, brilliant bass parts by Swies who turns out to be ready to step beyond the mainstream with Mastery and incredible feel, unusual and innovating guitar parts and superb compositional skills by Wojcik and highly imaginative drumming by Karch, who turns out to be one of the leading Polish young generation stick men; in short these guys are definitely worth being followed. This album is certainly one of the most interesting recordings released on the Polish scene in 2020, which suffered, as did the entire world, from the pandemic, which resulted in almost completely silencing many of the creative forces this year. As such, it offers hope and anticipation for great things to come in the future for all uncompromising, searching and open-minded Artistic minds. Music knows no borders and this album attest to this fact more convincingly that most other efforts, fully deserving our praise and gratitude. Hats off Lady and Gentlemen!

Updated: 01/01/2021Posted: 01/01/2021

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MINIM ~ MANIFESTO KOLD 0006 (Barcode: 606707738859) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2021 This is the third album by Polish Jazz ensemble MinimFind albums by this artist led by guitarist / composer Kuba WojcikFind albums by this artist and the second release featuring renown Tuvan vocalist Sainkho NamtchylakFind albums by this artist. Minim on this recording includes keyboardist Grzegorz TarwidFind albums by this artist, bassist Andrzej SwiesFind albums by this artist and drummer Albert KarchFind albums by this artist. The album was recorded live at the Warsaw club SPATIF and presents seven original compositions, five by Wojcik, one by Namtchylak and one co-composed by the two. The album is in fact a companion to the previously released studio album “EarthFind albums with this title”, both recorded in 2019, based on the same material. As already stated in my review of the a.m. studio album, this music is absolutely original and incomparable with anything created on the Polish Jazz scene or even worldwide scene for that matter. Obviously strongly under the spell of the Tuvan throat singing, which here appears as virtuosic improvised vocalese, the entire atmosphere of Avant-Garde Jazz-World Fusion manages to spellbind the listener from the very first note and maintain the suspenseful tension to the very last. Of course these are some of the best Polish Jazz musicians out there, so their individual performances come as no surprise, but the obvious bond they manage to create with the vocalist, who comes from a very different cultural background, speaks volumes about the open-mindedness they are blessed with and no less importantly the deep respect of dissimilar Cultures. As usual in such circumstances, it is fascinating to compare the studio and live versions of the same material as well as the interaction between the musicians in these two environments. Of course in this case one can be hardly surprised how different the two results can be, both able perfectly to preserve the esthetic validity of the music. Kamil PiotrowiczFind albums by this artist, who played on the studio album, and Tarwid, are two very different keyboardists, which of course has an impact on the differences found between these two recordings, which again emphasizes the amazing amount of talent among the new generation of Polish Jazz musicians. Overall, this is a perfect companion to the studio album and the two complete each other splendidly. The music is fascinating and often mindboggling, but despite the artistic freedom remain perfectly coherent. I can only repeat my recommendation to grab a copy of this album ASAP, and as usual thank the musicians for sharing their talents with us.

Updated: 09/11/2021Posted: 09/11/2021

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MINIM EXPERIMENT ~ DARK MATTER FOR TUNE 0107 (Barcode: 5906395808090) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016 This is the debut album by a young Polish Jazz quartet Minim ExperimentFind albums by this artist, led by guitarist / composer Kuba WojcikFind albums by this artist, which also includes pianist Kamil PiotrowiczFind albums by this artist, Italian bassist Luca CurcioFind albums by this artist and drummer Albert KarchFind albums by this artist. The album presents five pieces, all original compositions by Wojcik. The music is a wonderful open format amalgam of melodic themes and free improvisations, full of energy, inspiration and surprisingly fresh ideas, which are even more amazing considering the young age of the musicians involved. There is a wonderful balance between the melodic content and the freedom of expression, which keeps this music coherent and focused on one hand and opened and unexpected on the other hand, an ideal all modern Jazz musicians are striving to reach, but only very few actually succeed. There is of course a certain minimalism involved, as the name of the quartet suggests, but it is that wonderful kind of minimalism which manages to emphasize the "less is more" effect, which again is very rarely achieved. The individual contributions by all for musicians are outstanding. The leader plays with a very clean, almost sterile sound, eschewing electronic effects and other cornucopia, which is remarkably fresh and effective. Piotrowicz, who already has a couple of solo albums under his belt, sounds outstandingly open minded here, very far from the pretty conventional approach he used on his own albums, almost as if he wasn´t himself. Curcio does a great job on the bass, playing sparingly but always right on the money, with his individual punches standing like pillars upon which the rest of the music rests comfortably or arco work creating additional layers of the overall soundscape. Karch, who already made his impressive statements on other Polish Jazz albums, is the ideal drummer, who does not play rhythm but is there alongside his partners exactly when needed. Overall this is a brilliant debut album, one of the best Polish Jazz debuts of 2016 and perhaps even one of the best albums of this year. It is with great pleasure that I am able to write these words on New Year´s Eve, rounding up my work as a reviewer for 2016. A beautiful finishing accord of a very intense year for Polish Jazz, hopefully to be followed starting tomorrow! Hats off!

Updated: 31/12/2016Posted: 31/12/2016

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KAMIL PIOTROWICZ ~ BIRTH HEVHETIA 0105 (Barcode: 8588005257572) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2015 Released: 2015 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Kamil PiotrowiczFind albums by this artist recorded in a quintet setting with trumpeter Emil MiszkFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Piotr CheckiFind albums by this artist, bassist Michal BakFind albums by this artist and drummer Slawomir KoryznoFind albums by this artist. It presents nine original compositions (one appearing twice and another based on a Folk tune) by Piotrowicz and one standard. The music is mostly quite conventional, well within the mainstream Jazz format, with occasional less constrained and more open moments. The compositions are however quite sophisticated and often feature several subsections with different rhythmic patterns and melodic themes, turning them into mini-suites. The overall level of these compositions is certainly well advanced, especially in view of the young age of the composer. The arrangements feature the entire ensemble extensively, with the brass section up front, in charge of most of the solos, and the leader staying relatively in the background. It is pretty obvious that the emphasis of this album is in the following order of importance: compositions, arrangements, ensemble performance and only then individual solos. All the young members of the quintet have already some experience and appear on earlier recordings and they are the new generation that will dominate the Polish Jazz scene in the years to come. Judging by what they are able to do herein, things look pretty promising. This is definitely a most impressive debut effort, which although does not break any new ground, certainly proves that there are still infinite opportunities within the established borders of Jazz. Congratulations are in order and of course I´m already waiting for the next endeavor.

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KAMIL PIOTROWICZ ~ POPULAR MUSIC HEVHETIA 0134 (Barcode: 8588005257916) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016 This is the second album by young Polish Jazz pianist / composer Kamil PiotrowiczFind albums by this artist, this time recorded in a sextet setting with trumpeter Emil MiszkFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Kuba WiecekFind albums by this artist and Piotr CheckiFind albums by this artist, bassist Andrzej SwiesFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof SzmandaFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Piotrowicz. The music is a superb collection of modern Jazz compositions, brilliantly arranged for the sextet, using all the power and interplay possibilities of the relatively large ensemble. The compositions are diverse and quite complex, changing styles and tempi rapidly and displaying an incredible maturity relative to the age of the composer. In spite of the complexity and multilayered structure the compositions are completely coherent and deeply moving emotionally. Stylistically the music moves between contemporary Classical oriented pieces and large ensemble compositions, firmly based on the tradition developed in the late 1950s and 1960s by such Jazz mavericks like George RussellFind albums by this artist and Charles MingusFind albums by this artist. Adorned with typical European harmonies this music reaches peaks rarely heard before. The level of execution of this difficult music is also exceptional. All the participants play amazing solo parts and cooperate brilliantly in the ensemble parts, with the rhythm section firmly holding the intricate musical construction in place. Nothing is taken for granted here and these wonderful musicians keep surprising the listener again and again, with a bag of virtuosic tricks that never ceases to amaze. Most of the individual statements are concise and perfectly suited to the musical setting at the moment of their execution, This album is a giant step forward for Piotrowicz and although his debut album, released a year earlier, showed a lot of potential, nothing prepared the listeners for this masterpiece following up so soon. This is definitely one of the best Polish Jazz albums released in 2016 and a very strong contender for the top of the heap. If Piotrowicz is able to create music of such profound impact today, what will happen next? This is an absolute must for all Polish Jazz connoisseurs around the world and an exquisite example of the fact that Jazz is alive and kicking and progressing and exciting and intensely beautiful! Hats off!

Updated: 28/10/2016Posted: 28/10/2016

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KAMIL PIOTROWICZ ~ PRODUCT PLACEMENT HOWARD 1 (Barcode: 5903420785937) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the third album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer / bandleader Kamil PiotrowiczFind albums by this artist recorded with the same sextet lineup which recorded the previous album a couple of years earlier. Besides Piotrowicz the sextet also includes trumpeter Emil MiszkFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Kuba WiecekFind albums by this artist and Piotr CheckiFind albums by this artist, bassist Andrzej SwiesFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof SzmandaFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions, all by Piotrowicz, one of which is an epic multipart eighteen and a half minutes long piece and another is a short bonus track closing the album. The music on this album makes a bold step towards Free Jazz and other less constrained musical forms in comparison to the two earlier albums, with the traditional sense of composition almost completely lost in the process. Of course the music has a coherent continuum and sense of direction, but there are almost no melody lines or steady rhythmic passages. As a result the music simply flows propelled by its intrinsic drive and allows the instrumentalists to create the sound on the fly. It is often very difficult to distinguish between the "composed" and the improvised ingredients of this music, not that it really matters, as the end result is what counts, similarly to an attempt to analyze an abstract painting and try to find in it the pre-designed and the spontaneous smears of paint. The album is a stupendous exhibit of ensemble work, without which the entire creation would have simply collapsed on itself. The level of conversation and mutual influence, as displayed by the sextet members, is simply phenomenal. Obviously they are all superb instrumentalists, as is clearly heard all along the way, but this music is all about fusion of individual statements into an amalgam, which is way grander than just a sum of its ingredients. Piotrowicz obviously plays a central role in the entire process and his piano lines and synthesizer parts serve both as the glue and the backbone of the entire musical structure, strangely playing more a role of a conductor rather than a soloist. In spite of the devilish complexity, multi-layered and multi-directional structure, unusual approach and even eerie sound at times, this music is remarkably lucid and comprehensible and as a result accessible. In complete contrast to most Avant-gardish statements of such scope, this album is a true pleasure to listen to, which hopefully will help this music to reach as wide an audience as possible. Overall this is another brilliant album made by young Polish Jazz musicians and another pretender to the title of one of the best albums of 2018. It is also another statement of quality, which puts the Polish Jazz right at the very top of the European level. By now Piotrowicz has entered the "serious" league of contemporary European Jazz Artists, well earned and praiseworthy by any standards. Personally I already can´t wait for the next album. Well done messieurs and hats off high!

Updated: 08/11/2018Posted: 08/11/2018

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KAMIL PIOTROWICZ ~ WEIRD HEAVEN HOWARD 6 (Barcode: 5903689818278) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022 This is the fourth album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer / bandleader Kamil PiotrowiczFind albums by this artist, recorded in a sextet setting, almost identical to the sextet which recorded the previous album except for the trumpeter, with trumpeter Tomasz DabrowskiFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Kuba WiecekFind albums by this artist and Piotr CheckiFind albums by this artist, bassist Andrzej SwiesFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof SzmandaFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten tracks, all original compositions by the leader. The music continues faithfully the direction set by the previous album “Product PlacementFind albums with this title”, released four years earlier, moving even further into experimental music, which although composed, includes many elements of Free Improvisation. Piotrowicz manages, despite the obvious complexity, multi-layered structures and weird time signatures, to create music which is listenable and even enjoyable to a relatively wide spectrum of Jazz connoisseurs. The album is an incredible example of ensemble playing, with individual statements, however significant, which are completely lost in the general scale of things, being simply building blocks of the “bigger picture”. It takes musicians of the highest echelon to perform this music and of course the team Piotrowicz assembled is able to escape the challenges without a hitch. It is quite obvious that Piotrowicz consistently emerges as one of young Lions od the Polish Jazz scene, and my enthusiasm about his earlier recordings, both those as a leader and his other projects, was fully justified. Overall, this is a brilliant example of contemporary Polish Jazz at its best, which proves the vibrancy and incredible creative power of the scene, which sadly often remains unrecognized outside the country’s border. This music doesn’t try to be nice or pretty, but takes no prisoners in its power of expression, deserving the attention of those looking for something truly remarkable and challenging.

Updated: 13/09/2023Posted: 11/09/2023

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WOJTCZAK / PIOTROWICZ ~ PLASTIC POETRY HOWARD 3 (Barcode: 5903420816266) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by the Polish Jazz duo comprising of the veteran saxophonist Irek WojtczakFind albums by this artist (aged fifty) and young pianist Kamil PiotrowiczFind albums by this artist (aged twenty seven). The album presents ten tracks, which are connected into an improvised suite. Wojtczak is credited as a composer of one of the pieces and Piotrowicz of two, with the rest being co-composed / spontaneously improvised. The duet setting is one of the most difficult and demanding Jazz environments, but at the same time one of the most rewarding, and which has earned a status of a sub-idiom called "Art of the Duo" over time. I am happy to say that this wonderful album certainly deserves an honorable place within that idiom. Wojtczak, who already earned a respected position on the Polish Jazz scene over the years, is no surprise as his consistent excellence is part of his persona. Piotrowicz, on the other hand, recorded his debut album as a leader just three years earlier (2015) and travelled a marvelous journey at the speed of light between his early days characterized by mainstream Jazz to his current position at the spearhead of Improvised Music / Avant-Garde explorations. Therefore this particular get-together reflects the meeting between two consecutive generations of the Polish Jazz scene, where the representatives of both generations have absolutely no problem creating shoulder to shoulder in perfect tandem and without any inferiority complex involved. Duo is all about conversation and mutual respect and this music is a wonderful example of such human / Artistic relationship. The music, although obviously improvised, sounds often as if it was completely composed and rehearsed for ages, reflecting the perfect understanding and almost telepathic communication between the two musicians. It is also perfectly harmonically structured and offers a continuous line of coherent musical development. Overall this is a wonderful piece of music which although highly improvised offers a serene, richly textured musical journey, that can be enjoyed by a relatively wide circle of open-minded listeners. The inventiveness and virtuosity of these two superb musicians is a gift we can now share. This is definitely one of the strongest Polish Jazz releases in 2019 and is obviously wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 15/12/2019Posted: 15/12/2019

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