Record Reviews

ADAM BALDYCH QUINTET ~ PORTRAITS IMAGINARY MUSIC 003 (Barcode: 5905817210039) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2023 Released: 2024 This is the 2nd album by Polish Jazz violinist / composer / bandleader Adam BaldychFind albums by this artist, released on his Imaginary MusicFind albums on this label label. The album was recorded in a quintet setting with pianist Sebastian ZawadzkiFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Marek KonarskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Andrzej SwiesFind albums by this artist and drummer Dawid FortunaFind albums by this artist. Vocalists Kari SalFind albums by this artist and Piotr OdoszewskiFind albums by this artist guest on one track, which uses the lyrics written by poet Krzysztof Kamil BaczynskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents sixteen tracks, all but one composed by Baldych and one composed by Zawadzki. The album’s extended booklet features a liner note by Jacek SolkiewiczFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. MirrormanFind albums by this artist). In his liner note Baldych states his reflections about the meaning of music in human life, especially in face of brutal reality. He refers to the fate of the Polish Jewish violinist / composer / author Szymon LaksFind albums by this artist, who is known for his role as the head of the inmate’s orchestra in the Auschwitz concentration camp, which Laks described in his memoirs. The absurdity and inhuman cruelty of the orchestra performing twice a day in the midst of the Auschwitz inferno is definitely something to ponder about, especially as the Holocaust Remembrance Day is just four days away. The music is full of deep melancholy and reflection, gently intertwining Jazz and Classical (mostly Medieval) as well as World Music influences, with profoundly lyrical and even at times gloomy themes. Baldych’s renaissance violin fits perfectly to the tonal structures and his virtuosity of expression is able to project the entire aesthetic atmosphere clearly and vividly. I have followed the work of Baldych since his early steps on the music scene and I am happy so he that he matured extremely well, as his recent work, and this album in particular, takes him to the pedestal of exemplary musical personalities, well beyond just the Jazz scene. All the music on this album sounds like one coherent continuity, and the division into tracks is simply a technical matter, as I can’t imagine listening to any part of this music separately. Baldych’s team comprises of some of the best Polish Jazz musicians, so the ensemble performances are, not surprisingly, sublime. There is limited soloing herein, not because of lack of ability, but obviously since this music is an ensemble effort, not a showcase of individual abilities, other than those by the leader of course. But when solos do appear, they are truly brilliant, albeit being relatively short. Overall, this is a true Masterpiece of an album in every possible sense: the compositions, the performances, the team effort of the ensemble, the interplay, the dynamics, in short everything just fits perfectly in place. It is Baldych’s most mature work so far, which will be extremely hard to follow, but he has proven time and again that he can be full of surprises. Congratulations are in order!

Updated: 23/01/2025Posted: 23/01/2025

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DOROTA BAROVA ~ DOTYK ANIMAL MUSIC 100 (Barcode: 8594155997312) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2021 Released: 2021 This is the second album by Czech vocalist / cellist / songwriter Dorota BarovaFind albums by this artist, recorded with guitarist Miroslav ChyskaFind albums by this artist, bassist Milos KlapsteFind albums by this artist and vocalist Jan JakubecFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original songs, all composed by Barova, five of which have also lyrics written her and one each features lyrics by Polish poetess Teresa DrozdaFind albums by this artist and poet Krzysztof Kamil BaczynskiFind albums by this artist. All the lyrics are in Polish language, a language Barova inherited from her Mother. The album continues the unique aesthetic climate of the beautiful Barova’s debut album, presenting minimalist approach which puts the vocals and their lyrics in the center of attention, with the instrumental accompaniment being somewhat subordinate, but absolutely not of lesser importance. Although the music is not Jazz oriented per se, it has a strong Jazz undercurrent and therefore it does belong, as far as I am concerned, to the Jazz & Poetry idiom. The music is very melodic, albeit the melody lines are often quite complex and quirky, which of course requires dedicated, attentive listening in order to follow the twists and turns, those being further complicated by the instrumental accompaniment. However, despite all that complexity, the result is able to flow smoothly and often gently, letting the listener to absorb the lyrics as well. Barova clearly manages to create a consistent sonic environment, which suits her ideally. Preferring the “less is more” modus operandi, she is able to create music, which speaks strongly, even penetratingly, despite the low volume and subdued expressionist, which is masterly achieved by her and her companions. Overall, this is a beautiful album, which is a coherent follow up to her debut and establishes her as a musical figure worth being followed closely. As most Jazz & Poetry albums, this one can be enjoyed perfectly by audiences beyond the language barrier, with the lyrics serving as a bonus to native speakers of Slavic languages. This is an absolutely delightful piece of music, which seams as an island of sanity in this crazy world we live in. Thank you, Milady, for your talent and dedication!

Updated: 10/10/2022Posted: 10/10/2022

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DOROTA BAROVA ~ ILUZJA ANIMAL MUSIC 073 (Barcode: 8594155991365) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the debut album as a leader by Czech vocalist / cellist / songwriter Dorota BarovaFind albums by this artist, recorded with guitarist Jakub VejnarFind albums by this artist and bassist Miroslav ChyskaFind albums by this artist, who play on six of the album’s ten tracks. The album presents ten original songs, all composed by Barova except one composed by pianist Beata HlavenkovaFind albums by this artist, who also sings and plays on that track. The remaining three tracks are performed by Barova, using multitracked vocals and cello. Barova wrote the lyrics to four of the tracks, four other were written by Polish journalist and lyricist Teresa DrozdaFind albums by this artist and the last two by Polish poet Krzysztof Kamil BaczynskiFind albums by this artist. All the lyrics are in the Polish language and Barova sings them in Polish, crediting her love of that language to her Mother, who is Polish (although Polish and Czech languages have many similarities and both belong to the Slavic languages group, they are also quite distinct). The music is an obvious example of my beloved Jazz & Poetry idiom, and is definitely one of the finest examples of this Artistic genre that landed on my desk lately. Thy music is uniquely beautiful, full of intrinsic lyricism, but also quite complex, multilayered and intricate, despite the fact that it utilizes a limited instrumental range. The excellent sound recording (Milan CimfeFind albums by this artist again) enables listening to each and every little nuance, which this album is absolutely packed with. The album is full of ingenious trickery, using unconventional instrumentation and a complex multilayered combination of vocal and instrumental tracks, which turn the seemingly limited, almost minimalist range into a brilliant kaleidoscope of sounds, all fitting together brilliantly. Barova utilizes her vocal and instrumental abilities to the max, achieving an unprecedented harmoniously coherent result. Combined with the excellent lyrics, the overall result is simply irresistible. Overall this album is a wonderful example of intelligent, sensitive, inventive and highly aesthetic music making, which offers a distinctive statement, breaks new ground and challenges the listener both emotionally and cerebrally. Thank you, my Lady, for sharing your talent with us and Godspeed in future endeavors!

Updated: 06/03/2021Posted: 06/03/2021

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SLAWOMIR ZYGMUNT ~ Z WIATREM: SLAWOMIR ZYGMUNT SPIEWA WIERSZE KRZYSZTOFA KAMILA BACZYNSKIEGO POLSKIE RADIO 2012 (Barcode: 5907812241216) ~ POLAND ~ Sung Poetry Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 This is a phenomenal album and a wonderful example of the typical Polish Sung Poetry idiom, which presents the poetry by Polish poet Krzysztof Kamil BaczynskiFind albums by this artist transformed into songs by singer / songwriter Slawomir ZygmuntFind albums by this artist. The album includes seventeen songs based on the poems by Baczynski, all original compositions by Zygmunt, who sings and plays guitars and harmonica. He is assisted by Krzysztof DomanskiFind albums by this artist, who plays acoustic guitar and Aleksander NowackiFind albums by this artist, who plays keyboards and also served as the sound engineer of the recording sessions, which were recorded in his studio. It is pretty remarkable that the album´s rich instrumental sound was created by just three musicians. Baczynski, who was killed during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944 being just 23 years old at the time, left a remarkable body of revolutionary poetry and prose, some of it very universal and patriotic but also extremely personal and revealing. His Jewish origins and his brief heroic life as member of the Polish Resistance are just one of many tragic stories of the Polish People during WWII. His poetry was sadly kept mostly in hiding during the post WWII years for political reasons, which are too complicated to be explained here, but this album marks a vindication of his remarkable contribution to Polish Culture. The music fits the poems perfectly and the heartfelt and intelligent delivery by Zygmunt emphasizes their lyrical depth. The overall sound and feel of the album is very close to similar albums recorded during the golden decade (1965-1975), but is by no means outdated, only deeply nostalgic. Somewhere between Folk-Rock and cabaret, between acoustic and electric, always full of good taste and elegance this collection of songs is an absolute delight from start to finish. It is impossible to ignore the obvious similarities between this album and the work of the great Polish bard Marek Grechuta. This album has many parallels to Grechuta´s work: the same musical affinities, the sane style of delivery between singing and recitation, the same folksy instrumentation and above all the emphasis on the lyrics and their deepest meaning. Of course I don´t suggest imitation, or anything remotely similar, I simply immensely enjoy these parallels, which probably mean that Sung Poetry has an ideal musical setting, which is somewhere within these parameters. The enormous appeal of this album is obviously mostly limited to the audience who speaks the Polish language. But the quality of the music and the delivery often transcends the language barriers, like for example the work of Grechuta, who is quite popular even in such remote Cultures as Japan. I can only hope that this album will achieve a similar fate. For Polish poetry and Sung Poetry lovers, this is an absolute must!

Updated: 02/07/2016Posted: 02/07/2016

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend