Record Reviews

SAMADHI QUINTET ~ THE DANCE OF VENUS F-IRE 81 (Barcode: 5060092198103) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015 This is the debut album by the British Jazz ensemble called Samadhi QuintetFind albums by this artist, led by drummer / composer Sam GardnerFind albums by this artist, which also includes Polish (resident in UK) saxophonist Krzysztof UrbanskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Dominic J. MarshallFind albums by this artist, bassist Sam VicaryFind albums by this artist and percussionist Sam BellFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight compositions, seven of which are originals composed by the leader and one is a contemporary Pop song. From the very start of this album it is immediately noticeable that although this is a modern mainstream Jazz, there is something very different here, which of course turns out to be the rhythmic approach used herein, which completely deserts the regular Jazz meters and dances around a utterly insane mixture of odd meters, originating in Latin and Indian patterns, which can be very confusing to a novice listener. The fact that the entire quintet is able to work within this unusual rhythmic environment is simply amazing, as listening to it is hard enough, not to mention playing it, which surely is challenging enough. But once the listener gets into the unusual rhythms and flows with them, he is about to discover a world of beautiful melodic themes, which are enchanting and lyrical. The superbly created tension between the melodic layer and the rhythmic layer on this album is truly marvelous and qualifies as some of the most interesting approaches and explorations I came across since quite a while. Both Urbanski and Marshall perform splendidly throughout, the saxophonist weaving his seductive sweetness and the pianist sending waves of tonal streams floating, both of them managing to keep perfectly in synch with the rhythm section banging its outlandish punctuations. The bassist, who serves as the mediator between the melodic parts and the rhythmic barrage, is the "responsible grownup", keeping the whole fête swinging. In short this is one hell of a debut album, which not only presents some great music but also manages to surprise, innovate and make your body do some mighty strange moves, which surely does not happen every day. Play it again, Sam!

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KRZYSZTOF URBANSKI ~ HISTORY OF TOMORROW NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 5908254159497) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2014 This is the second album by Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Krzysztof UrbanskiFind albums by this artist. Following the release of his excellent debut album in 2000, Urbanski moved to UK, where he now resides, and where this album was recorded with his current quintet called Urban Jazz SocietyFind albums by this artist, which includes guitarist Stuart McCallumFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Martin LonghawnFind albums by this artist, bassist Sam VicaryFind albums by this artist and drummer Sam GardnerFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions (one of which is a three part suite), seven of which were composed by Urbanski and one was co-composed by Urbanski and Longhawn. The music is an excellent example of contemporary mainstream Jazz, which is based on clearly defined melodic themes and harmonic structures, but brings the mainstream idiom up to date with interesting arrangements and splendid execution. Urbanski lost some of his smoothness and melancholy, which were very evident on the debut album, and moved more into proficiency and versatility as a saxophonist. His solos on this album emphasize his development as an instrumentalist and his acquired skills. The rest of his crew on this album are all highly professional players, working together to achieve a group sound and support the leader / composer in his quest to present his music at the best possible way. Both McCallum and Longhawn play several lengthy solos, which are all quite impressive and exciting. The rhythm section skillfully carries the music forward with Vicary being the anchor and time keeper and Gardner ornamenting the grooves. The resulting group effort is overall successful and the resulting music is a solid mainstream Jazz pleasant on the ear and accessible to most Jazz fans.

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KRZYSZTOF URBANSKI ~ URBANSKI NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2009 Released: 2010 This is a brilliant debut album by the young Polish Saxophonist / composer Krzysztof UrbanskiFind albums by this artist and his quartet, with pianist Pawel TomaszewskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Michal BaranskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Tomasz TorresFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven compositions, five of which are his originals and two are standards. From the fist note it is quite apparent that Urbanski is not just one more upcoming saxophonist on a scene overflowing with young talent; he has star quality which is unmistakable. Although the music on this album fits well within the classical Jazz convention (and I´m purposely avoiding the term "mainstream", which unfortunately over the years becomes more often than not associated with mediocrity), Urbanski manages to find very early in his career a very individual tone and approach, which happens very rarely with young players. It is obvious he is capable of reaching beyond the obvious and daring without apprehension, as evident herein for example on his treatment of the two standards, especially the John ColtraneFind albums by this artist´s "Giant Steps", which he in a transfixing way manages to turn upside down rhythmically. Urbanski the saxophonist is truly something else; his beautiful tone, which in its gentle and sweet manifestation is somewhat similar to Stan GetzFind albums by this artist and on the more energetic side to the young Wayne ShorterFind albums by this artist. Anybody in doubt should simply listen to the solo saxophone track on this album to comprehend Urbanski´s qualities. The five original compositions also prove a maturity one hardly expects to find in young Jazz composers. His melodic, harmonic and rhythmic vocabulary spans the Jazz tradition and presents elegant, intelligent and highly aesthetic listening experience, which simply grows with each listening session. Very worm words of praise also go to the superb rhythm section, which enables his to spread his wings but also contributes some excellent moments on its own right, with interesting solos and fabulous team work throughout this album. Tomasz Torres, the son of the legendary Polish (of Cuban origin) percussionist Jose TorresFind albums by this artist, pushes the quartet with beautiful polyrhythmic and Afro-Cuban influenced drive. Michal Baranski is already a household name on the Polish scene, known as one of the best new generation bassist in the country and his beautiful work on this album reflects his amazing talent. Pawel Tomaszewski also managed to establish quite a reputation despite his young age, with numerous recordings behind him. His solos on this album are simply top class, and his support of the leader is simply perfect. This is definitely one of the strongest debut albums released on the Polish Jazz scene in recent years, deserving a much stronger applause then it received in actuality. Urbanski is definitely someone to keep an eye on. Wholeheartedly recommended! Visitors' Comments Krzysztof Urbanski I have never before read such a constructive review of my music. I´m happy and wish to thank you again, Adam!

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