Record Reviews

AGNIESZKA HEKIERT ~ STORIES UNIVERSAL 028947651475 (Barcode: 028947651475) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2012 Released: 2012 Polish Jazz vocalist / composer Agnieszka HekiertFind albums by this artist, who combines the careers of a vocalist and a successful vocal coach for TV reality shows, released this album eight years after her last release called "Night And Day SwingFind albums with this title", which she recorded with the pianist / composer Krzysztof HerdzinFind albums by this artist and his trio. In the meantime she also recorded the "European ImpressionsFind albums with this title" album with my dear friend, the great Polish saxophonist / composer Leszek ZadloFind albums by this artist, which unfortunately remains unreleased so far. From that session she carried over the Bulgarian pianist / composer Konstantin KostovFind albums by this artist (who studied with another friend of mine, the Russian pianist / composer Leonid TschischikFind albums by this artist, now living and teaching in Germany), who is her closest collaborator on this album. The other musicians, who constitute the piano trio on this album, are bassist Robert KubiszynFind albums by this artist and drummer Cezary KonradFind albums by this artist. Guest appearances also include Herdzin on flute (yes I smiled too), vocalist Kuba BadachFind albums by this artist and the superb Atom String QuartetFind albums by this artist. The album includes twelve songs, four of which are Kostov / Hekiert originals, another four are by Hekiert or feature her lyrics, one is a standard, one is a song by StingFind albums by this artist, another one by Polish vocalist KayahFind albums by this artist and the last of mysterious Far East source (sic!); overall quite a mishmash of styles and influences, which are unified by the arrangements (the arranger is not listed) and excellent performances by the piano trio. Kostov is a brilliant player, which is evident both on his solo spots and his skillful accompaniment, and so are of course veterans Kubiszyn and Konrad. Hekiert is a talented vocalist, singing lyrics and vocalese with obvious ease and technical proficiency. Most of the vocals are in Polish, which of course is highly commendable, with few exceptions, which are unfortunately less impressive. Overall the vocal parts are kept within very safe limits of mainstream Jazz, which is somewhat lacking, as she obviously could have taken a few more risks and less obvious choices. Perhaps the fact that the album was released by Universal signifies an attempt to produce a much wider accessible music? In any case compared to some truly exciting vocal albums released in 2012 in Poland, this one sadly does not challenge any of them. Connoisseurs of vocal Jazz will find this a pleasant listening experience, with excellent instrumental parts and professional vocal performances, no less and no more.

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

MILO ENSEMBLE ~ D`EN DIA EN DIA MILO 306 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2022 Released: 2022 Poland’s almost one thousand years of Jewish Culture, severed and annihilated by the Holocaust, enjoys a miraculous revival in the last two decades or so on the Polish Cultural scene, with music being just one of its many facets. Jewish Culture festivals and concerts of Jewish music are a pretty common phenomenon in Poland these days, but sadly all those reflect primarily just a part of the Jewish Cultural tradition, namely the Ashkenazi Jewry heritage. Its counterpart, the Sephardic Jewish Culture, is consistently absent on the Polish scene, sadly almost always intentionally. Polish Jews were of course predominantly Ashkenazi, and Sephardic Jews (like myself) were a tiny minority, with their Cultural heritage regarded as inferior and systematically ignored by the Polish Jewish establishment in the past, as well as today. Of course Sephardic music has its roots in the Mediterranean Cultures, which often sound strange to East European Ashkenazi ears, and therefore it is hardly surprising that it took someone like Milo KurtisFind albums by this artist, a Polish Greek, to undertake the ambitious project of presenting a collection of Sephardic songs by his Milo EnsembleFind albums by this artist, one of the most colorful music gatherings on the Polish scene. This album, which is a live recording, presents eight Sephardic Jewish songs, sung in the Ladino language, and two versions of an original composition, which open and close the performance. The ensemble consists of Kurtis, who plays clarinet and other instruments, vocalist Masha NatansonFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Misza KinsnerFind albums by this artist and Bartosz SmoragiewiczFind albums by this artist, oud player Mateusz SzemrajFind albums by this artist and percussionist Adeb ChamounFind albums by this artist, as well as guest artist, American trumpeter Dave DouglasFind albums by this artist. Several other guests take part on selected tracks, like vocalist KayahFind albums by this artist, electronics wizard Tadeusz SudnikFind albums by this artist and others. The music follows the Jazz-World Fusion pattern, with each of the songs presented in its basic form and followed by extensive instrumental improvisations. The rhythmic background is predominantly close to Arabic / Greek patterns and the Sephardic originality is often stretched beyond recognition, but the concept holds water and offers an exciting glimpse of Jewish Music, which is rarely heard on the Polish stages. Listeners, who enjoy virtuosic instrumental improvisations and exotic atmosphere, full of Middle Eastern spirit, should enjoy this wonderful music to the max. Overall, this is an ambitious, original and exciting musical adventure, which adds some new color to the Jewish Culture and its presence in the Polish soil. Kurtis stays, as always, true to his roots and his capacity as a leader, who knows what he wants, is what keeps him afloat for all these years on this ever-changing seesaw ride of playing ambitious music. Thank you, my fellow Mediterranean soul Brother, for being what you are.

Updated: 23/11/2022Posted: 23/11/2022

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend