Record Reviews

TERCET KAMILI DRABEK ~ MUZYKA NAIWNA SOLITON 951 (Barcode: 5901571099514) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz trio led by bassist / composer Kamila DrabekFind albums by this artist, with saxophonist Marcin KonieczkowiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Kacper KazmierskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven tracks, ten of which are original compositions by Drabek and one is a standard arranged by her. The music was recorded at the Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist and offers a wonderful natural sound quality. The album´s title (Naïve Music in English) is a most appropriate description of its musical contents, which is a collection of seemingly simplistic and minimalist compositions, played without much panache or exhibitionism. All this is an obvious and fully conscious approach by the composer and the trio, trying to keep the music down to its bare components, without polluting it with unnecessary adornment, which is the modus operandi of Naïve Art. Naïve is sadly often confused with primitive or underdeveloped, but in Art it simply means natural / honest / direct rather than limited. The music presented here is by all means fully developed as are the technical skills of the trio members, and the minimalist approach is extremely effective as far as getting the message through, especially in today´s noise polluted musical environment. As a result the album offers a completely innovative path, which of course is commendable, especially in view of the young age of the musicians involved. It takes a few listening sessions to get to the bottom of these compositions and discover their full blossom, but the effect is definitely worth the effort. The recording quality of the music allows the listener to hear clearly every nuance of the instrumental work, which under these circumstances is even more important than usual, as every note played counts. As already stated, this kind of natural sound complements this music perfectly. Overall this is a splendid and very unique debut, which certainly deserves to be heard and rises high hope as to the future if its creators. Very well done!

Updated: 07/08/2019Posted: 07/08/2019

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TERCET KAMILI DRABEK ~ TAK BYM CHCIALA KOCHAC JUZ AUDIO CAVE 2024/003 (Barcode: 5908298549834) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2023 Released: 2024 This is the 2nd album by the Polish Jazz bassist / composer Kamila DrabekFind albums by this artist, recorded in a trio format with saxophonist Marcin KonieczkowiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Kacper KazmierskiFind albums by this artist, same lineup that recorded the debut album “Muzyka NaiwnaFind albums with this title”, released almost five years earlier. The album presents nine tracks, six composed by Drabek, two by Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Jerzy MatuszkiewiczFind albums by this artist and one is a standard by Sonny RollinsFind albums by this artist. The music, except for the two Matuszkiewicz pieces, which are kept close to their origin, i.e. mainstream Jazz, and which are a loving tribute to his music, is wonderful modern Jazz, elegantly minimalist, often romantic and lyrical, and at all times fascinating. The entire album is a great example of the “less is more” idiom, where every note counts and every little nuance is meaningful. The arrangement of the Rollins’ tune is delightful, and I am tempted to send it over to him, to hear what he thinks of it. Although the alto saxophone is naturally at the helm, playing fluently and affluently, this is very much a trio effort, with Drabek vividly present at all times and Kazmierski at her side, with a confident and intelligent rhythmic support. The entire ambience of the trio is very unique and the excellent sound quality of the album adds significantly to its imminent success. The album is a very delicate statement, completely non-aggressive and subdued, and yet striking by its obviously carefully preconceived modesty and aesthetic determination. Everything heard here makes perfect sense musically, and at the same time keeps surprising the listener time after time. Overall, this is an excellent sophomore effort, which was definitely worth the long wait, and establishes Drabek as a musician and composer worth pursuing in the future and a proud representative of the female Polish Jazz scene, which is constantly gaining its repute in the last decade. It is certainly an album many Jazz listeners the world over should enjoy immensely!

Updated: 13/05/2024Posted: 13/05/2024

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MICHAEL KORNAS ~ AFTER DARKNESS / COMES LIGHT SOLITON 1096 (Barcode: 5903684230969) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2020 Released: 2021 This is the debut album by young German (resident in Poland) pianist / composer Michael KornasFind albums by this artist, recorded in a classic piano trio setting with Polish rhythm section comprising of bassist Kamila DrabekFind albums by this artist and drummer Bartlomiej DybelFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, assumably by Kornas (no info on the artwork), lasting only slightly over half an hour, which is a bit short for a full album, especially a debut. The music is pretty straightforward mainstream Jazz, based on rather simple melodic themes, which serve as basis for the trio’s performances. The music is mostly lethargic and develops sluggishly, which can be trying for the listener. Obviously these are early days for Kornas as a composer and his ideas need polishing and stylistic diversity, which hopefully will come with time. The performances are fair, with Kornas concentrating on playing the chords rather than improvising extensively. The rhythm section supports the leader amicably, obviously being more experienced, trying not to disturb the flow of the music. Drabek takes a few bass soli, more than customary for a piano trio album, which are ornamenting the proceedings a bit. Overall this album is more of a “teaser” than a full-blown offering, and should be probably treated as such. Perhaps recorded a bit to early the music might have been polished with more live performances, but obviously the pandemic prevented that. All the best in the future!

Updated: 18/04/2021Posted: 18/04/2021

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O.N.E. ~ ENTOLOMA AUDIO CAVE 2022/003 (Barcode: 5908298549445) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022 This is the second album by the Polish all female Jazz ensemble O.N.E.Find albums by this artist reduced to a quartet with pianist Paulina AtmanskaFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Monika MucFind albums by this artist, bassist Kamila DrabekFind albums by this artist and drummer Patrycja WybranczykFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original compositions, three by Atmanska and two each by the other members of the ensemble. The music this time moves away from mainstream oriented solid melodic themes and comprises of more open and challenging compositions, which is a huge step forward in comparison to the debut. These young female improvisers definitely don’t intend to play it safe and take their music seriously, with the risks involved. As a result, the album is quite a challenging listening experience, which at times creates a longing for a piece of solid melody here and there, but alas that aspect of the ensemble’s character is gone once the opening track is over. A little more balanced approach might have worked somewhat more effectively, but that of course was obviously a conscious decision by the ensemble members. Perhaps a little less vamping and a bit more solid harmony might have turned this album into an extraordinary achievement, but it definitely is a move in the right direction. Overall, this is an interesting, at times challenging piece of modern European Jazz, which perhaps is a tad too undisciplined, but definitely very well played and showing a development path for this intriguing ensemble. Definitely worth investigating!

Updated: 31/03/2022Posted: 31/03/2022

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O.N.E. ~ ONE AUDIO CAVE 2020/007 (Barcode: 5908298549063) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz ensemble O.N.E.Find albums by this artist comprising of five female representatives of the young generation of the local scene: saxophonist Monika MucFind albums by this artist, violinist Dominika RusinowskaFind albums by this artist, pianist Paulina AtmanskaFind albums by this artist, bassist Kamila DrabekFind albums by this artist and drummer Patrycja WybranczykFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven pieces, three composed by Muc, two by Atamanska, one traditional tune and one composition by Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist. The music is quite characteristic of the young Polish Jazz scene; full of melancholy and folkloristic influences, strictly melody based but with open space for improvisation and soloing. The rather unusual instrumental lineup (see violin) creates a particular sound, which takes time to get used to. These Ladies have of course perfect schooling and a lot of playing experience behind them, which results in spotless execution, both by the front line and the rhythm section. The original compositions are well structured, albeit a bit hesitant in their nature, which results in a certain lack of focus, as far as the album as a whole is concerned. But considering the fact that this is a debut offering, this is a minor point and can be easily forgiven. This album offers a perfect opportunity to exam the timeless issue of "Women´s Jazz", which always annoys me. I´d rather leave gender out of music the same way we should avoid dealing with race or religion. We should concentrate on giving woman equal opportunity instead. As this album proves, women can be certainly as creative, adventurous and clever as men in every aspect of life. Overall this is an important debut, which hopefully will open a recording continuance for this gathering of Jazz Amazons (daughters of Harmonia), for the years to come. Definitely worth investigating!

Updated: 31/03/2022Posted: 18/05/2020

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