Record Reviews

OLGA BOCZAR MUSIC ESSENCE ~ LITTLE INSPIRATIONS NOT ON LABEL 001 (Barcode: 5905279086005) ~ POLAND ~ Pop & Rock Recorded: 2013 - 2014 Released: 2014 This is the debut album as a leader by Polish vocalist / flautist / songwriter Olga BoczarFind albums by this artist, recorded with her ensemble called Music EssenceFind albums by this artist, with core members: keyboardist Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Andrzej GondekFind albums by this artist, bassist Wojciech PulcynFind albums by this artist and drummer Pawel DobrowolskiFind albums by this artist. In addition several other musicians also participate on selected tracks, including bassist Krzysztof PacanFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Radek NowickiFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Dominik GawronskiFind albums by this artist, trombonist Michal TomaszczykFind albums by this artist and several background vocalists; altogether quite a formidable team. The album presents ten original songs all composed by Boczar and with lyrics mostly written by her as well. Only two of the songs feature lyrics in Polish and eight have English lyrics. The music was recorded in three different studios, including the Studio Tokarnia where Smoczynski also served as the sound engineer recording the rhythms section tracks. In spite of the fact that the album features some very prominent Polish Jazz musicians, it is by no means a Jazz album. Except for a few piano solos, the album presents a singer / songwriter Pop / Rock effort with slight Jazzy accents mostly present in some of the arrangements. There is of course nothing wrong with that, but promoting and marketing this album under a Jazz moniker is a conceptual mistake. The music is a collection of mostly low key melancholic melodies, which all sound a bit similar and leave no lasting impression. Everything is "nice" and "smooth", but there is no excitement, zest or attempt hit the listener between his eyes. Boczar´s voice and delivery don´t help much either, as she has a limited range and sings in the same narrow spectrum using repeatedly the same mannerisms, regardless of the text she is singing. Except for a few vocalese attempts, the rest is rather unexciting. And on top of this all these there is the problem with lyrics in English, which sound pretty inappropriate. In contrast, plainly audible, the two songs sung in Polish sound infinitely better. The instrumental work is all quite all right, but again lacks any spark. The arrangements are all rather trivial, and the potential of such mighty team of musicians seems completely wasted. Except for the already mentioned piano solos, there is no attempt to put some excitement into this music. Overall this is all professionally done, but sadly completely uninspired. This album has a potential on the Polish Pop market, if promoted properly. It might even win a Fryderyk award next year, as anything can happen there, but hopefully not in the Jazz category. And before an outcry of angry responses accusing me of ruining young people´s careers erupts again, let me emphasize that this is just my private, subjective opinion, which has absolutely no bearing on anybody´s fate.

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SLAWOMIR JASKULKE ~ SUGARFREE BCD 03 (Barcode: 5906881885024) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2003 Released: 2003 This is the second album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Slawomir JaskulkeFind albums by this artist, which was recorded in the classic piano trio format with bassist Krzysztof PacanFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof DziedzicFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, all by Jaskulke. By the time this album was recorded, Jaskulke was already a member of the quartet led by the Polish Jazz legend Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist, which is the most desirable position for any Polish Jazz musician and which means that his talent was recognized as extraordinary on the local scene. Anybody listening to this album must admit that Jaskulke is indeed one of the most extraordinary musicians to arrive on the Polish Jazz scene in the 21st Century. This album confirms not only his superb qualities as a player, but even more interestingly and dramatically his talent as a composer. Jaskulke has an easily recognizably personal style, which is quite extraordinary for such a young musician. His approach to the piano is percussive, almost "aggressive" at times, and at the same time he can stroke the keys delicately as a summer breeze. His compositions are also quite distinct and remarkable and regardless of their tempi, they convey a punctuated, but clearly stated melody, irregular meters and ultra-modern rhythmic devices, which can be found in contemporary electronic music. All these, combined with the obvious Jazz legacy create an amalgam, which is highly innovative and surprising. This music is perhaps one of the most contemporary approaches to Jazz, taking the music from the 20th Century, where it was born and raised, into the 21st Century, where it now develop into a plethora of new directions. It proves that Jazz does not need to be stagnant and can be innovated in many ways, not only in the Avant-Garde / Free / Improvised Music idiom, but also in new and unexpected directions. The performances on this album are truly stellar, not only those by the leader but also those by the rhythm section. Pacan, who was also a member of the Namyslowski quartet at the time, is a brilliant bassist, capable of a wide range of styles, from classic Jazz to modern, almost Pop / Rock pulsations. Dziedzic is an ideal drummer in this setting, perfectly in sync with Jaskulke in the percussive beat parts and his by and large more Rock than Jazz sound. Overall this is a brilliant album in every aspect, sadly largely overlooked at the time of its release but certainly deserving an honorable position among the great Polish Jazz piano trio recordings. This is highly recommended to all Polish Jazz fans and Jazz aficionados in general. It´s never too late to discover this priceless gem!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

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ZBIGNIEW NAMYSLOWSKI ~ STANDARDS NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2003 Released: 2003 This is a very unusual album by veteran Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist, which finds him performing standards, whereas he usually performs only his own compositions. Of the eleven tracks present on this album, ten are standards and one is a composition by Namyslowski, based on the harmonic structure of a well known standard, with a different meter. All the ten standards have been elaborately arranged by Namyslowski, taking them in some cases quite far away from the origin. The music is performed by a superb quartet, which finds the leader in the company of pianist Slawomir JaskulkeFind albums by this artist, bassist Krzysztof PacanFind albums by this artist and drummer Grzegorz GrzybFind albums by this artist. Namyslowski´s son Jacek NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist guests on three tracks and trumpeter Piotr WojtasikFind albums by this artist guests on one. The album is an absolute masterpiece from start to finish: the arrangements are innovative and intelligent, the performances are perfect and the overall level of artistry is simply overwhelming. Namyslowski again proves that time means absolutely nothing as far as he´s concerned and he is still the Grand Master of Polish Jazz, at least as far as modern mainstream Jazz is concerned. The album shows yet again his role as a Godfather, with his group over and over again featuring young and upcoming musicians, who play with him for a period of time before going their own way and becoming leaders on their own right. Namyslowski´s playing never ceases to amaze me; for the last half a century (and more) he sounds confident, stable and beautifully creative. I only wish he´ll continue to be this way forever. The pianist Slawomir Jaskulke is the great surprise of this album, as his very modernist and forceful style, which he displayed on his early recordings, has been "tamed" by the leader and his ability to change styles from early Jazz to modern compositions and perform all of them equally fluently with virtuosic ability is very impressive. Overall this is a wonderful album, which should put a smile on the face of every Jazz connoisseur in this planet. There is no way one could not enjoy this music, both intellectually and emotionally. These standards never sounded better that here, dressed up, invigorated and revitalized, thank to the genius of Namyslowski, which rejects the tides of time and keeps alive and kicking. This is an absolute delight. Respect!

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TED NOVAK ~ RUNIT NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the third album by Polish guitarist / composer Ted NovakFind albums by this artist, this time recorded in a quartet setting with organist Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Krzysztof PacanFind albums by this artist and drummer Pawel DobrowolskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions, all by Novak. The music was recorded at the excellent Studio Tokarnia and engineered by Smoczynski, with the usual superb sound quality. The music is a mixture floating between Jazz, Jazz-Rock Fusion, Blues-Rock, and even Progressive Rock, featuring extensive improvisations by Novak and Smoczynski wonderfully supported by the rhythm section. The retro sound and overall sonic ambience of the recording create an impression that the music might have been recorded decades ago, when guitar / organ based ensembles ruled the world of Rock and Prog and even Jazz to some extent. Novak is able to weave superb tunes, which are unique both in their harmonic approach and rhythmic complexity and as such are ideal vehicle for improvisations without loosing their melodic contents. The stylistic diversity of the tunes on the album turns it into a fascinating listening experience which is over in a blink of an eye. All four musicians are veterans with attested achievements, which are fully illustrated by the performances on this album. Smoczynski´s organ playing is absolutely brilliant and one can only lament that he makes relatively few recordings featuring his organ "shenanigans". Novak is more reserved on this album in comparison to the predecessors, which enables the listener to be exposed to his more lyrical side. Pacan and Dobrowolski are a perfectly oiled swing machine, which keeps the music afloat and sparkling at all times. Overall this is a very unique, in today´s standards, album, which offers an adventurous cross-genre journey through guitar / organ dominated music, which is a most pleasing listening experience, especially for people with affiliation with Jazz / Fusion / Rock originating on the 1960s. Well done again!

Updated: 01/01/2020Posted: 01/01/2020

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TED NOVAK ~ RURAL CRISIS NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2014 Released: 2014 This is the debut album by Polish guitarist Ted NovakFind albums by this artist, recorded with a trio which also includes Polish Jazz veterans: bassist Krzysztof PacanFind albums by this artist and drummer Pawel DobrowolskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight compositions, seven of which are Novak originals and the remaining one is a Miles DavisFind albums by this artist tune. The music was recorded at the excellent Studio Tokarnia with Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist presiding, as usual, at the console. This is the first heavily electric production that comes to my attention recorded at Studio Tokarnia, which usually excels at acoustic music, and once again I must raise my hat to Mr. Smoczynski for his incredible skills as a sound magician. From the first note heard on this album the listener is exposed to an unfamiliar electric guitar sound, which is pretty original and surprising. After many decades, where the music scene was under complete guitar domination, one is sure that everything that is possible to do with a guitar was already done, but apparently the surprises never cease to pop up. However after a couple of tunes the guitar tone and sound effects get absorbed by our brain and we get back to a quite familiar world of heavy Fusion, which although has some improvisational elements, is much closer to Rock than to Jazz, especially rhythmically. Guitar pyrotechnics are unfortunately a very perilous and slippery ground; how much of it is sheer genius and how much is just a show off and boring repetitious doodling? It´s for the listener to decide in every specific case, and those opinions will probably vary quite a bit. Personally I must say that I have heard all of this before, after all I was lucky to hear Jimmy HendrixFind albums by this artist, Mahavishnu OrchestraFind albums by this artist and all other significant guitar players in person and at their prime. But does it mean that this album has no merit at all? Not at all, I´m quite sure that many guitar aficionados will absolutely love the distorted, echoing guitar screams to bits. Combined with the unusual sound, superb rhythm section and excellent sound quality, this album is actually a lot of fun. But the album has its drawbacks: with just slightly over half an hour of music it is hardly a full CD and should really be treated as an EP, especially if someone is going to buy it (if that happens at all any more). The Fusion listeners might find it too Rocky and the Rock listeners might find it too complicated. Life is a bitch…I´m already waiting for the next adventure!

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KRZYSZTOF PACAN ~ STORY OF 82 AUDIO CAVE 2020/012 (Barcode: 5908298549124) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is the second album as a leader by Polish Jazz bassist / composer Krzysztof PacanFind albums by this artist recorded in a quartet setting with saxophonist Radek NowickiFind albums by this artist, pianist Piotr WylezolFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof DziedzicFind albums by this artist. Violist Marta ZalewskaFind albums by this artist guests on one track. The album presents seven original compositions, all by Pacan, who plays bass guitar exclusively on this album. The album, recorded at the Studio Tokarnia, offers an excellent sound quality, as expected. The music is all melody based mainstream modern Jazz, often typically melancholic and lyrical in accordance with the Polish Jazz characteristics, but offering diverse stylistic variations. Personally the ballads seem to work best for me, but the level of the compositions is excellent throughout. The level of performances is also excellent from start to finish, which is hardly surprising with these highly experienced professionals. Again, personally, Wylezol is the most creative contributor on this album, but Nowicki carries the tunes and solos without a hitch and Dziedzic offers a solid rhythmic support by the book. The leader stays somewhat behind, soloing sparingly and supplying steady bass pulsations that carry the music. Overall this is a pleasant and excellently performed Jazz music, which should keep most Polish Jazz enthusiasts happy, emphasizing the incredibly high level of the local Jazz scene.

Updated: 28/02/2023Posted: 20/12/2020

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