Record Reviews

STANISLAW ALEKSANDROWICZ ~ RELATIVITY THEORY AKADEMIA MUZYCZNA POZNAN 1-04 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022 This is the debut album as a leader by young Polish Jazz drummer / composer Stanislaw AleksandrowiczFind albums by this artist, recorded with his quintet which also includes saxophonists Maciej KocinskiFind albums by this artist and Wojciech BraszakFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Patryk RynkiewiczFind albums by this artist and Italian bassist Flavio GullottaFind albums by this artist. Before releasing this album Aleksandrowicz took part in several recordings featuring musicians from the Poznan Jazz scene, by ensembles like Kwasny DeszczFind albums by this artist, AnomaliaFind albums by this artist and Unleashed CooperationFind albums by this artist, all of which are excellent achievements on their own. The album presents a six-part suite composed by the leader. The music is somewhat resembling the modern Jazz movement that characterized the revolutionary Polish Jazz development in the 1960s, spearheaded by the Godfathers of the movement like Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist and Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist. The long tracks, based on sketchy melodic themes and dedicated mostly to both individual and group improvisation, almost but not quite Free, driven by strong pulsations by the rhythm section, all these create a déjà vu sensation of some early Polish Jazz albums of the period. Of course this does not mean that Aleksandrowicz is trying to copy that music, but rather refer to it respectfully, with his own personal flavors. The pianoless quintet, with three horns at the helm and a highly dynamic rhythm section behind them creates a unique sound on the contemporary Polish Jazz scene, managing splendidly to overcome the lack of a harmonic instrument. Much credit goes to Gullotta, who succeeds to create a perfect background on which the horns can weave their improvisations and allows Aleksandrowicz to ornament the music with his percussive inventions, rather than keep time. The music keeps the listener at a constant state of hypnotic attention, moving from one part of the suite to another smoothly and coherently. The concept of the quintet as an ensemble, rather than a collection of individuals, is achieved in full and the result sounds as organic as one might expect from any ensemble performing music together. As it often happens, drummers can be surprisingly interesting composers, way beyond the “bloke with sticks” image, which this album proves beyond any doubt. Overall, this is a splendid debut effort, consolidating the position of Aleksandrowicz as one of the young Polish Jazz musicians, who deserve to be watched and followed. So far everything associated with his name proved to be highly deserving, and one can only wish him many further successes.

Updated: 25/09/2022Posted: 25/09/2022

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ANOMALIA ~ ANOMALIA MULTIKUKTI MPPA 001 (Barcode: 5903068683305) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is the debut album by the Polish Jazz septet AnomaliaFind albums by this artist comprising of saxophonists Krzysztof KusmierekFind albums by this artist and Kacper KrupaFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Patryk RynkiewiczFind albums by this artist, trombonist Adam KurekFind albums by this artist, guitarist Fryderyk SzulgitFind albums by this artist, bassist Piotr CienkowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Stanislaw AleksandrowiczFind albums by this artist hailing from the Poznan music scene. Krupa, Cienkowski and Aleksandrowicz are members of the Kwasny DeszczFind albums by this artist trio. The album presents six original compositions, two by Krupa and one each by Rynkiewicz, Szulgit, Kurek and Kusmierek, although the album´s artwork also credits the entire group as co-composers. The music is based on rough melody themes and then improvised at length featuring individual extended soloing by the septet members. The approach moves between heavy septet sound, with powerful horn section playing riffs and more delicate fragments where the soloists are accompanied more sparsely by the rhythm section. It includes many diverse approaches, which include hypnotic repetition, almost Rocky riffing, group improvisation, unisono brass parts, and other tricks of the trade. If not for the Free Form improvisation the album often sounds like Brass Rock, which is one of my favorite idioms. As a result the music, which is naturally quite complex, loses some of its compositional focus, which might have enhanced the overall result. It is worth to remember the "less is more" formula, especially in larger ensembles, where the co-existence of many instruments needs extra careful attention to detail in order to avoid confusion. Having said that, the music is certainly very interesting and unique enough to raise eyebrows, offering very individual approach to multi-layered "big Sound", which at its best is nothing short of being spectacular. It is a joyful event to see or rather hear these young musicians exploring uncharted territory and threading through their individual ideas, rather than copying and recycling familiar messages ad nauseam. Obviously they are just starting a long journey of creativity, but judging by these early steps, they are on the right path. There is a lot of honesty, searching and adventure in this music, which deserves to be praised. This album is a proud representation of the young Polish Jazz Avant-Garde scene, which keeps surprising by its resourcefulness and ambition, and although a bit soft around the edges, it is a most enjoyable listening experience, showcasing a lot of potential. It is definitely an excellent debut effort – well done Gentlemen!

Updated: 19/07/2020Posted: 19/07/2020

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KWASNY DESZCZ ~ KWASNY DESZCZ MULTIKULTI MPPA 002 (Barcode: 5903068683312) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is the debut album by the Polish Jazz trio Kwasny DeszczFind albums by this artist comprising of saxophonist Kacper KrupaFind albums by this artist, bassist Piotr CienkowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Stanislaw AleksandrowiczFind albums by this artist. These musicians are also members of the AnomaliaFind albums by this artist septet, hailing from the Poznan music scene. The album presents eleven original compositions, all co-composed by the trio members. The music, which although based on some sketchy melody lines, is mostly improvised, at times more Free Form oriented and in other instances quite well organized. It is clearly a part of the young Polish Jazz Avant-Garde movement, that is overflowing the local scene in the last decade and seems to be evolving and attracting new young arrivals in its ranks on a steady basis. In contrast to most Avant-Garde Jazz, which often is loud and aggressive, this music is remarkably minimalist and mostly very subdued, making each sound and note count. The spaces of silence between the sounds are as much important as the sounds themselves. The decision to offer many relatively short pieces rather that extended (and often repetitious and consequently boring) pieces works wonderfully and turns this album into a roller coaster ride, constantly changing intensity, tempi and sonorities. Although a saxophone trio format usually puts the horn in the center of attention, this trio manages to keep a wonderful balance between the instruments and gives plenty of opportunities to the bass and the drums to show off their, one must admit, remarkable skills, which compliment the superb saxophone parts on an equal footing. Overall this is an outstanding debut effort, which makes Polish Jazz Avant-Garde proud and proves than the idiom can be not only adventurous but also wonderfully beautiful, emotional and cerebral at the same time. Hats off!

Updated: 18/07/2020Posted: 18/07/2020

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