Record Reviews

MALERAI / UCHIHASHI / MAYA R ~ UTSUROI FOR TUNE 0055 (Barcode: 5902768701586) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015 This album presents a wonderful project created by Polish trio MaleraiFind albums by this artist, formed and led by clarinetists / composer Michal GorczynskiFind albums by this artist with violinist Dagna SadkowskaFind albums by this artist and cellist Mikolaj PaloszFind albums by this artist, and two Japanese musicians: vocalist Maya RFind albums by this artist and guitarist Kazuhisa UchihashiFind albums by this artist. The album presents thirteen songs, which are sung in Japanese. Eleven of these songs were composed by Gorczynski and two by Uchihashi. The lyrics of these songs were written by Japanese poets: Hekigoto KawahigashiFind albums by this artist (the pioneer of modern haiku) and Yoshihiro HaradaFind albums by this artist and by Friedrich NietzscheFind albums by this artist (translated into Japanese). The music is all about the sound and ambience of the Japanese language and reflects its many subtleties. Completely cross-genre, it moves freely between Pop, Rock, Jazz and contemporary Classical, with ease and elegance, always keeping the listener in suspense. Gorczynski emerges here, similarly to his work on earlier Malerai projects, as one of the most interesting Polish contemporary composers and his ability to diversify his palette to suit different environments is quite remarkable. Since this album is about the sound and feel of the Japanese language, it is not necessary for the listener to understand the language as such in order to enjoy this album. The vocals can be easily considered as one of the instruments of the entire ensemble and be accepted as such. The Polish and English translations of the lyrics are present in the album´s booklet, for those who are interested in the actual meaning of the lyrics. Overall this is a beautiful piece of contemporary music, which by its aesthetic potency easily bridges genres and cultures, creating a completely new universe. Superb music, great performances and a true gift for innovation and farsightedness turn this into a first class musical experience, which of course is wholeheartedly recommended!

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SCHUBERT / UCHIHASHI / KUGEL ~ BLACK HOLES ARE HARD TO FIND NEMU 028 (Barcode: 4041806052721) ~ GERMANY ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022 This is an album by a trio comprising of German saxophonist Frank Paul SchubertFind albums by this artist, Japanese (resident in Berlin) guitarist Kazuhisa UchihashiFind albums by this artist and German drummer Klaus KugelFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven lengthy pieces of Improvised Music, credited to all three members of the trio. As usual in Improvised Music, the essence of the music is highly dependent on the level of communication between the musicians, which is more important than their individual abilities and statements. In this case we are talking about three highly experiences improvisers, all with impressive portfolio of recordings to their credit, which is immediately apparent when the music starts to develop. The music offers an interesting balance between more Jazz infused tendencies, represented by the saxophone, and strong Rock influenced performances by the guitar, with the drums supporting both directions simultaneously. At all times the music stays within clear boundaries of non-aggressiveness and mutual respect, which makes all individual contributions perfectly audible. The resulting music often tends to be quite Ambient oriented, which is quite unexpected. The usual, the question concerning Improvising Music, which ponders if the music manages to remain interesting and valuable beyond the moment of its creation, is relevant here as well, and the answer is truly individual as far as the listeners are concerned. Personally I enjoyed this gathering of talents and their communal output, but I might understand people who would be completely lost between these sounds. Overall, this a meeting of highly skilled and talented Free Jazz / Improvised Music activists and their work together is impressive and coherent in the ears of listeners skilled in that idiom. Highly recommended to the followers of that particular manifestation of sound manipulation.

Updated: 08/03/2023Posted: 08/03/2023

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