Record Reviews

THOMAS KOLARCZYK ~ HALBTRAUME CHALLENGE 71194 (Barcode: 608917119428) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2018 This is the debut album as a leader by Polish, resident in Berlin, Jazz bassist / composer Thomas KolarczykFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quintet setting with clarinetist Viktor WolfFind albums by this artist, saxophonist / flautist Otto HirteFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Slawomir PezdaFind albums by this artist and drummer Kuba GudzFind albums by this artist. Kolarczyk and Gudz were members of the excellent Tone RawFind albums by this artist quartet, which recorded a superb single album back in 2012. The album presents nine compositions, seven of which are originals by Kolarczyk, one is by Gudz and one is an arrangement by Kolarczyk of a traditional tune. The music is a wonderful modern European Jazz, mostly based on melodic themes, but very open to improvised passages and folkloristic, mostly Middle Eastern and Balkan influences. The quintet´s lineup, which features three woodwind instruments and a rhythm section and no harmonic instrument, creates w beautifully transparent sound with each and every note perfectly audible. The music reflects perfectly the European Jazz esthetics, which has grown infinitely beyond the American Jazz tradition over time, preserving the basic convention of improvisation, but expanding the barriers of the musical possibilities and amalgamating European values and World traditions, revitalizing and constantly pushing the idiom further into the unknown. The individual performances are all stellar and the album is a constant source of amazement and discovery. The unique and daring music making presented herein is way beyond what one can find on "standard" Jazz recordings, and reflects the specifics of the new, Berlin based Jazz school, which managed in the last decade or so to build a Jazz sub-culture, which is reflected by numerous recordings made by Berlin based musicians, producing definitely some of the most interesting contemporary European Jazz. The sublime balance between melody and Free Form, straight time and no time, soloing and group improvisation are all present on this album, and add up to an irresistible sonic and intellectual experience, which has but a few equals. As such it is a must have for all modern European Jazz connoisseurs, who are open-minded and embracing enough to face and enjoy the challenge. Overall this is a tremendous debut album, which marks a giant step in the leaders career and hopefully will be followed by many more recordings, as music of such beauty and sophistication is always a revelation. Stunning stuff!

Updated: 27/06/2018Posted: 27/04/2018

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MAREK KONARSKI ~ KONARSKI & FOLKS NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 5904067067905) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2020 Released: 2021 This is the debut album as a leader by Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Marek KonarskiFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quartet setting with pianist Artur TuznikFind albums by this artist, bassist Damian KostkaFind albums by this artist and drummer Kuba GudzFind albums by this artist. Vocalist Ania RybackaFind albums by this artist guests on one track. The album presents nine tracks, seven of which are original compositions by Konarski and two are his arrangements of Polish Folk songs. Konarski spent several years studying and playing in Denmark and Finland and upon his return to Poland he formed this quartet with musicians he met over the years, all of which are by now experienced representatives of the young Polish Jazz scene. The music is all well within the strict Jazz mainstream idiom, with some Folkloristic influences. As expected, it is highly melodic and offers beautiful themes, which ideally suit Konarski’s saxophone performances, which feature a wonderful sweet, soulful tone. The rhythm section supports the leader superbly, with Tuznik excellent piano playing supplying the continuity and flow that keeps the music tightly together. I find Konarski’s treatment of the Polish Folklore motives rather dated, to be honest, somewhat similar to what Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist already perfected over five decades earlier, and many other Polish Jazz musicians handled way more successfully and innovatively over the, but of course it still has a lot of charm. Overall this is a very pleasant and wonderfully performed Jazz album, with excellent playing by all the participants and a wide appeal to Jazz listeners across the entire range of the genre. It firmly proves the strength of the local scene and is definitely worth to be explored.

Updated: 14/05/2021Posted: 14/05/2021

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MICHAL MARTYNIUK ~ NOTHING TO PROVE SJ 031 (Barcode: 5912596066351) ~ POLAND ~ Smooth Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by Polish (resident in New Zealand) Jazz pianist / composer Michal MartyniukFind albums by this artist, recorded with a core quintet setting with saxophonist Jakub SkowronskiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Jakub MizerackiFind albums by this artist, bassist Bartek ChojnackiFind albums by this artist and drummer Kuba GudzFind albums by this artist. Three guest artists: drummer Sebastian SkrzypekFind albums by this artist, percussionist Miguel FuentesFind albums by this artist and vocalist Tama WaiparaFind albums by this artist appear on selected tracks. The album presents eight original compositions, all composed by Martyniuk. The music is very melodic mainstream Jazz that stays almost completely within the conventional Smooth Jazz idiom, which is relatively atypical of young Polish Jazz and resembles recordings from across the pond - lush saxophone, dreamy guitar (with very strong Fusion tendencies) and romantic piano are the dominant characteristics. Having said that, the tunes are very well crafted and the music is excellently performed, arranged and recorded, so the listening experience is definitely very pleasurable. Perhaps the idea of this album was indeed that the leader has nothing to prove and decided to record an album easy on the ear, which can be liked by a wide range of listeners mostly from outside the strict Jazz circles. I have already read several very flattering reviews of this album by some Polish "critics", which proves that Martyniuk achieved his goal in full.

Updated: 20/08/2018Posted: 20/08/2018

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IGOR OSYPOV ~ I UNIT 4582 (Barcode: 7640114795824) ~ UKRAINE ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015 This is the debut album by Ukrainian (resident in Berlin) guitarist / composer Igor OsypovFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quintet setting with American saxophonist Logan RichardsonFind albums by this artist, Austrian pianist Elias StemesederFind albums by this artist, Danish bassist Martin BuhlFind albums by this artist and alternating drummers: American Jesus VegaFind albums by this artist and Polish Kuba GudzFind albums by this artist. All these musicians, except for Richardson, are students at the Jazz Institute Berlin. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Osypov. The music is typical modern Jazz, basically pretty mainstream, with some unusual rhythmic patterns, but other than that quite straightforward. The melodies are a bit thin and forgettable, but the idea here is to play as many notes as possible by everybody on board, so the improvisation and soloing are at the centre. These are very talented, but also very young players, which becomes immediately apparent. The quintet has some sync / timing problems and everything starts to sound a bit alike after the third tune or so. The guitar sound is a bit to sharp and Pat MethenyFind albums by this artist like, the pianist seems to live in a separate universe and the only thing that sounds truly coherent is the bass. In short parts of this album are really difficult to listen to. Overall this album was perhaps recorded a bit too early, before the music and the quintet matured enough, to be able to achieve the effect they deserve. Better luck next time!

Updated: 27/04/2018Posted:

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TONE RAW ~ TONE RAW SOS 12012 (Barcode: 5901694110127) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2012 Released: 2012 This is a phenomenal debut album by a young (very young) Polish Jazz quartet Tone RawFind albums by this artist, which consists of saxophonist Marek KonarskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Sebastian ZawadzkiFind albums by this artist, bassist Thomas KolarczykFind albums by this artist and drummer Kuba GudzFind albums by this artist. All four are music students, two of them in Berlin and two others in Odense, Denmark (where many Polish young musicians set out to study Jazz at the local Academy of Music). The album consists of nine tracks, five of which were composed by the pianist, one each by the saxophonist and the drummer, one by a fellow Danish student and one by the godfather of Polish Jazz Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist, which is performed solo by the pianist. The album was recorded at the Studio Tokarnia and engineered by Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist, with the usual spectacular sonic result. It is truly impossible to guess the age of these musicians just from listening to the album, as they project incredible maturity both as performers and composers. The music, which although is based on solid melodic themes, is full of space and freedom, allowing the players and the listener to float willingly somewhere in the vicinity without being constrained in any way. The melodies have a subtle, but recognizable ethnic influence, which encompasses such diverse (culturally) areas as Eastern Europe, Middle East or Scandinavia. But in spite the different influences, the music presents quite a recognizable stylistic unity, which is extremely rare among young ensembles. Zawadzki, who is the most prominent composer on this album, and who also plays the solo piano piece, is perhaps at the focal point herein, but it seems that the teamwork and mutual respect shift the focal point towards the cooperative effort rather than individual statements. The overall effect of the album is typical European Jazz aesthetics, which not only refuses to be forgotten, but keeps pushing the envelope of the genre further and further away from its 20th Century sources, traditions and limitations. These youngsters understand subconsciously that Jazz, Classical Music and Folklore are simply different manifestations of the same Cultural asset, a resource, which one can explore at will, guided only by one´s intrinsic sense of beauty, intelligence and above all talent. And there is certainly a lot of talent on this album. These players and their music deserve the attention of Polish Jazz enthusiasts, as they certainly have a lot of potential, which they have just started to explore. If this is their starting point, one might only wonder what they are capable of creating in the not too distant future. Definitely a striking debut effort!

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