Record Reviews

GREEN REVOLUTION ~ REWOLUCJA ZIELONA GAD 203 (Barcode: 5903068123030) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1987 - 1988 Released: 2022 This is an archival album by the Polish Fusion / Funk / Brass Rock ensemble Green RevolutionFind albums by this artist, led by keyboardist / composer Wojciech KonikiewiczFind albums by this artist and including vocalist Jorgos SkoliasFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Andrzej PrzybielskiFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Marek KazanaFind albums by this artist and Michal KulentyFind albums by this artist, guitarist Krzysztof SzmigieroFind albums by this artist, bassist Marcin PospieszalskiFind albums by this artist and Zbigniew HeflichFind albums by this artist. The album presents five compositions, all by Konikiewicz, who also wrote the lyrics to four of the tracks and programmed the drum machines. One track uses lyrics written by Polish poet Miron BialoszewskiFind albums by this artist. The album was previously unreleased and was the second album recorded by the ensemble, which was active between mid-1980s and mid-1990s. The album symbolizes the musical philosophy of Konikiewicz, which completely disregards fads and fashions, ready to incorporate every possible genre and style, as long as it is honest and bullshit free, which of course ostracized him from the Polish Jazz mainstream / establishment, a fact which never seemed to worry him too much or influence his modus operandi. The list of musicians participating in the album’s creation is a wonderful collection of “strange birds”, mostly from the Polish Avant-Garde underground, which flourished at the time, all of which were brilliant musicians destined to remain in the shadows. It took many years to earn them the proper recognition, which in some case is still much belated. The music, despite its complexity and multilayered density, is remarkably accessible and enjoyable to a wide audience, incorporating Funk, Fusion, Reggae and even some early Rap with Jazz, sometimes as advanced as Free Jazz. Fused together it all makes perfect sense and offers a great listening experience, and must have been a blast when performed live on stage. All the players offer some great soli, and the Brass players are of course legendary, which makes every note they recorded a valuable addition to their rather limited recorded legacy. Konikiewicz, who at any given time was involved in several musical projects in parallel, continued his activity over the years to come, often against the stream, but always true to himself, creating a lot of remarkable music over time, which in the last years is finally being given the attention it deserves. This unknown gem of Polish Jazz history is long overdue to see the light of day, but completely relevant and fresh today – highly recommended!

Updated: 27/04/2022Posted: 27/04/2022

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend