Record Reviews

JAZZ FORUM TALENTS ~ JAZZ.PL VOL.1 POLSKIE RADIO 2382 (Barcode: 5907812242411) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022 This is the debut album by a septet of young Polish Jazz musicians collected under the auspices of the veteran Polish Jazz magazine Jazz Forum and called appropriately Jazz Forum TalentsFind albums by this artist. It includes pianist Katarzyna PietrzkoFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Maciej KadzielaFind albums by this artist, guitarist Jakub MizerackiFind albums by this artist, violinist Tomasz ChylaFind albums by this artist, harmonica player Kacper SmolinskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Roman ChraniukFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam ZagorskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, one each by all the septet members. The album was recorded live by Polish Radio during a series of concerts entitled Jazz.pl, hence the title. Despite the relatively young age of the members of the septet, each of them has already gained significant experience on the local scene, as well as recording legacy as a leader and / or sideman. Therefore, the septet has more of a representative significance of the young Polish Jazz scene than an artistic collaboration. As a result, this CD is exactly that, a calling card presenting the individual talents of the septet members rather than a coherent artistic effort by the ensemble. The compositions vary significantly in quality and style, all deeply rooted in mainstream Jazz and / or Fusion, but sadly hardly representative of the typical Polish Jazz qualities of lyricism and profound introspection. Overall, this is a sort of a “sampler” meant to introduce listeners to explore the contemporary Polish Jazz scene, which presents the lighter / more conventional facet of the incredibly varied and gorgeous phenomenon called Polish Jazz, which encompasses everything from traditional Jazz to experimental Avant-Garde. The music is very well performed by able musicians and is certainly entertaining.

Updated: 08/12/2023Posted: 27/02/2023

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KATARZYNA PIETRZKO ~ EPHEMERAL PLEASURES NOT ON LABEL 02 (Barcode: 5907779691222) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is the second album by Polish pianist / composer Katarzyna PietrzkoFind albums by this artist recorded again in a classic piano trio setting, this time with veteran bassist Andrzej SwiesFind albums by this artist and young drummer Piotr BudniakFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten pieces, four composed by Pietrzko, one by Swies and five are not credited and are assumably improvised by the trio. The music was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio. The names of the rhythm section musicians and the name of the recording engineer are not mentioned on the cover art, and the CD is a CD-R, which somewhat spoil the fun. Pietrzko debuted a couple of years earlier with an excellent album, which introduced her as a new player on the local scene and a promising composer and which was warmly received. The decisive strength of the debut was the strength of the compositions rather than the actual piano playing ability. This sophomore effort moves from the modern mainstream Jazz environment into a much more open territory. The five compositions are still melody based, but the melodic content is less emphasized and the improvisations take over. The five improvised "Episodes" are all naturally dedicated to free expression. As a result the album is overtly less melodic, and as such loses much of the charm of the debut, taking the pianist into a much more treacherous territory, undermining the pianist´s capabilities. Pietrzko piano playing did not develop significantly since the debut and is still somewhat limited, which results in the rhythm section de facto taking over the proceedings, especially Swies, who dominates the performances with his excellent, but very strong presence, emphasized by the bass being rather high up in the mix. Overall this is an interesting and ambitious effort, which shows the young pianist exploring new ground and growing, which is commendable. The result is somewhat uneven and less coherent, but Pietrzko is certainly an important new arrival worth being watched.

Updated: 15/08/2020Posted: 15/08/2020

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KATARZYNA PIETRZKO ~ FORTHRIGHT STORIES NOT ON LABEL 01 (Barcode: 5907779691123) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017 This is the debut album by the female Polish Jazz pianist / composer Katarzyna PietrzkoFind albums by this artist, recorded in a classic piano trio format with renowned American bassist Corcoran HoltFind albums by this artist and drummer Piotr BudniakFind albums by this artist. Cellist Julia KotarbaFind albums by this artist plays on one track. The album presents nine original compositions, eight by Pietrzko and one by Holt. Pietrzko is one of several young female piano players / composers, who have taken the Polish Jazz scene by a storm in the last few years, an unprecedented phenomenon in the male dominated Jazz world. The music is contemporary mainstream Jazz, based on melodic compositions beautifully crafted by Pietrzko, which present a coherent kaleidoscope of remarkably mature creations, in spite of her young age. The compositions are multi-layered and complex, often moving outside of the traditional Jazz idiom into contemporary Classical Music and other territories. The dynamic range and a developing musical continuity within each composition are certainly some of the most interesting Jazz pieces produced in Poland this year (2017), which considering the huge amount of sublime music produced in Poland every year, is a considerable distinction. Pietrzko is able to create her unique compositional environment, which is substantially different from the "typical" Polish Jazz tinge. It still includes plenty of melancholy and Eastern European lyricism, but is free from most of the mannerisms, which often characterize Polish Jazz, making it sometimes a bit too much of the same. The performances, although obviously excellent, are less unique than the compositions and stand shoulder to shoulder with the top Polish Jazz piano trios, but do not break any new ground. Pietrzko plays very proficiently and heartfelt, but her dynamics as a pianist and her technical capabilities have not reached the virtuosic level I´d love to hear. Surely she will progress on the fly and her piano playing will be as good as her compositions on her next album. Holt is a pro and plays by the book, like most Americans, with superb technique, but he does not contribute anything beyond what every professional player would have done in his place: play the right notes in the right places. I feel no passion in the bass parts. Budniak on the other hand is excellent throughout, adding some of the dynamics that the piano parts are unable to create, always perfectly amicable with the leader and choosing the perfect percussive tools for the job. Overall this is a stunning debut which should bring much joy to all Jazz connoisseurs, especially the piano trio enthusiasts. The music was sublimely recorded and the sound quality is simply perfect. This is definitely one of the best Polish Jazz debuts this year, wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 03/07/2019Posted: 24/10/2017

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MILOSZ SKWIRUT ~ ROAD MOVIES NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the debut EP album (under half an hour of music) by young Polish Jazz bassist / composer Milosz SkwirutFind albums by this artist, recorded with several other young Polish Jazz musicians like pianist Katarzyna PietrzkoFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Dominik BienczyckiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Marcin HilarowiczFind albums by this artist, drummer Maksymilian OlszewskiFind albums by this artist, percussionist Lukasz KurzydloFind albums by this artist, vocalist Susanna Jara-MaleckaFind albums by this artist and veteran vocalist Jorgos SkoliasFind albums by this artist, who appears on one track. The album presents five original compositions, all by Skwirut. The cinematic term "road movie" refers to the genre which tells a story of a person leaving home and venturing on a journey of discovery, which often changes the hero´s perspective of life and shapes his character. The strong World Music influences, which are reflected in Skwirut´s music, are the analogy to a virtual journey into different cultures, with the compositions serving as mini-soundtracks of that imaginary journey´s chapters. The music is based on strong melodic motifs, which are then ornamented by World Music rhythms and an atmosphere of mysticism and exoticism, crated by the vocalese and synthesizer parts and Skwirut´s use of arco. All the participants do a truly splendid job, which suits the intended atmosphere of the music ideally. As expected the vocals by Skolias are one of the highlights of this offering. The album is obviously just a glimpse at Skwirut´s abilities as a composer and a player, rather than a full-fledged musical offering, for which we have still to wait. But this glimpse is certainly fascinating and intriguing enough to create an anticipation of things to come. Considering the fact that Jazz-World Fusion is not a very popular and strongly present idiom on the contemporary Polish Jazz scene, especially that exploring World cultures beyond the Slavic sources, this music is a breath of fresh air. In short, this is a very nice introduction to the musical world of Milosz Skwirut, which offers great compositions and excellent playing by his cohorts, rising high hopes for his future ventures!

Updated: 03/07/2019Posted: 03/07/2019

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JOANNA SLOWINSKA ~ ZIELNIK POLSKI ROZSTAJA 116 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016 This is an album which presents a live recording of a very grand musical undertaking, which brings together vocalist Joanna SlowinskaFind albums by this artist, a well known Polish World Music singer, with a Polish Classical orchestra Sinfonietta CracoviaFind albums by this artist and a Polish Jazz quartet led by young and upcoming violinist Stanislaw SlowinskiFind albums by this artist, which also includes pianist Katarzyna PietrzkoFind albums by this artist, bassist Justyn MalodobryFind albums by this artist and drummer Maksymilian OlszewskiFind albums by this artist. Together they perform twelve pieces, two of which are instrumentals and ten are songs featuring lyrics by Jan SlowinskiFind albums by this artist. In case you are wondering, Joanna and Jan are Stanislaw´s parents. Stanislaw Slowinski composed the music to eleven of these pieces and the last piece on the album was composed by Joanna Slowinska and arranged by Stanislaw. The album´s title ("Polish Herbarium"), the titles of the individual pieces and their subject matter clearly suggest that this is a concept album and the pieces are in fact a song cycle. The overall atmosphere, soaked in typical Polish melancholy, religious martyrology and solemn reflection is heavy and overbearing, and creates a piece of music that is definitely not easy to absorb or even listen to. The sound is mostly massive and daunting, often overdramatic and even cataclysmic, something which could easily be used as a horror movie soundtrack, rather than something listeners would chose to listen to voluntarily. The only piece, which is performed by just the vocalist and the Jazz quartet, is definitely the most coherent piece on the album. The music, although dominated by Classical influences, manages to amalgamate strong folkloristic themes and subtle Jazz sensitivity and shows talent and dedication by the composer and all the musicians involved. It seems Stanislaw Slowinski is trying to conquer the musical world a bit too aggressively and a bit prematurely, even for such talented young men as he is. It is worth to remember that less is often more, both in music and life in general. Having said all that, this is still definitely an unusual and ambitious album that deserves to be heard and appreciated. A little less intensity and drama next time should make everything just perfect.

Updated: 25/02/2017Posted: 25/02/2017

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STANISLAW SLOWINSKI ~ LANDSCAPES TOO EASY TO EXPLAIN HEVHETIA 0139 (Barcode: 8588005257978) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016 This is the debut album by a quintet led by Polish Jazz violinist / composer Stanislaw SlowinskiFind albums by this artist, which also includes trumpeter Zbigniew SzwajdychFind albums by this artist, pianist Katarzyna PietrzkoFind albums by this artist, bassist Justyn MalodobryFind albums by this artist and drummer Maksymilian OlszewskiFind albums by this artist. Together they perform seven original compositions, all by the leader. The music is an excellent example of modern Polish Jazz, which although melody based and well within the mainstream convention, manages to maintain a very high level of compositions and performances. It is soaked with typical Polish melancholy and Slavic melodic motifs, and of course focuses on the violin as the leading instrument, and as a result one can hardly find a more spiritually "Polish Jazz" album than this one. The pairing of the violin and the trumpet as the two lead instruments proves to be extremely effective and harmonically attuned, in spite of its rarity. As usual with the new generation of the Polish Jazz musicians, Slowinski, despite his young age, has already an impressive list of accomplishments to his credit, which includes leading / membership in several projects, including as diverse directions as Improvised Music on one hand and Classical Music on the other. This album, which sits, as already mentioned, comfortably within the mainstream Jazz idiom, presents yet another facet of Slowinski´s versatility and is primarily dedicated to presenting his compositions. But of course his performances on the violin are full of beautiful sensitivity and technical excellence. It is worth mentioning that Slowinski is yet another representative of the Polish Jazz Violin School, which enjoys an incredible renaissance in the last decade, and places Poland in the leading position as far as violin artistry is concerned in the Jazz field. He joins the ranks of many of his colleagues, who proudly continue the traditional role of the violin as one of the most expressive instruments available to mankind. The rest of the quintet members are all of course excellent performers as well. Szwajdych delivers melodic accompaniment and excellent solo parts, Pietrzko lays out the harmonic layer upon which the tunes progress and fills the gaps with her delicate but solid statements, and hopefully will play more solo parts on future recordings. The rhythm sections provides admirable and flawless support to the soloists, and plays always at the right levels to make the music a whole bigger that the sum of its parts. This is definitely a very impressive debut, which comes with a firm recommendation to follow these wonderful young people in their future endeavors. Well done indeed!

Updated: 30/12/2016Posted: 30/12/2016

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