Record Reviews

LOVE ~ E BIK DANGAM LAN LOVE & BEAUTY 03 (Barcode: 5707471051313) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garge Pop Recorded: 2016 - 2017 Released: 2017 This is the debut album by the ensemble LOVEFind albums by this artist, led by Polish (resident in Denmark) saxophonist / composer Jedrzej LagodzinskiFind albums by this artist, who is also a member of the Love And Beauty SeekersFind albums by this artist trio. The ensemble includes two additional Polish musicians: bassist Tomo JacobsonFind albums by this artist and drummer Szymon GasiorekFind albums by this artist and three Scandinavian musicians: vocalist Lo ErsareFind albums by this artist, tuba player Rasmus Kjaergard LundFind albums by this artist and pianist Petter RylenFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions, all by the leader. The music is an amalgam of contemplative chants / songs and passages of Jazz improvisations based on the basic melodies. The unusual instrumentation and overall stylistic aesthetic creates a dreamlike continuity, which moves from one track to another, with long quiet passages which build up to a crescendo eruptions and then return again to more melodic and quiet moments. The music has some characteristic of a religious / spiritual ceremony and the poems used as part of the lyrics emphasize that atmosphere. The problem with albums like this one is that it might appeal to a very limited audience, as it falls between categories: it is not a Jazz album per se and it is not a meditation / relaxation album as well. In short, only open-minded listeners, who like surprises and adventure in the music they listen to, might love listening to it. Personally I´ve had a great fun listening to this album and recommend it to my fellow unconventional music lovers. Based on his recording activity Lagodzinski clearly emerges as a versatile composer / instrumentalist and is certainly worth being closely watched in the future, as his output so far is definitely very promising.

Updated: 26/05/2017Posted: 26/05/2017

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

LOVE AND BEAUTY SEEKERS ~ ZAR LOVE & BEAUTY 01 (Barcode: 5707471048733) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 This is the debut album by young Polish trio Love And Beauty SeekersFind albums by this artist, which consists of saxophonist Jedrzej LagodzinskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Franciszek PospieszalskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Szymon GasiorekFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven original compositions, five of which were composed by Lagodzinski, four by Pospieszalski and two by Gasiorek. I had the pleasure to hear the trio live a couple of times in 2015, first in a small club in Krakow and than as guests of my Singer Jazz Festival in Warsaw, and was very impressed by the music they create. This album captures this music very authentically and presents one of the most interesting new ensembles on the Polish scene, even though as of now they reside in Copenhagen, where they still attend the local Music Conservatory. The music of the trio is a unique amalgam of Free Jazz, Improvised Music, Punk and Romanticism, which results in an incredibly fascinating, vibrant and fresh sound and attitude. Although the music includes a lot of freedom and space, it also features beautiful melodic themes and coherent development of the compositions, in complete contrast to the chaos and mayhem that usually characterizes Avant-Garde music. The trio uses a plethora of effects, toys and other paraphernalia to create sounds that ornament their basic trio sound, which also broadens the overall result. The individual contributions by all the trio members are absolutely perfect within the framework of their music. They are all equal partners and the trio is not a saxophone player accompanied by a rhythm section, but three musicians who play different instruments and create music together. Lagodzinski elegantly moves between playing gentle melodic themes and blowing his horn wildly, Pospieszalski switches between clear bass lines to freely improvised multi-tempo passages and Gasiorek, as appropriate for a gifted drummer, plays anything but basic rhythmic patterns, simply moving all over the place and creating layers of percussive embellishments. Polish Jazz is a very fertile soil for Free Jazz / Improvised Music and the number of individual musicians and ensembles working within the framework of the Avant-Garde scene is stupefying. And yet this ensemble definitely stands out as a surprising contestant to the veterans of the genre with this mind blowing debut. I am already highly curious as to their next release, hoping it will be a worthy follow up to this debut effort, which won´t be easy to beat or even match easily. Respect!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 04/01/2017

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

PIMPONO ENSEMBLE ~ HOPE LOVE PEACE FAITH LOVE & BEAUTY 02 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016 This is a brilliant debut album by an international Jazz ensemble from Copenhagen, called Pimpono EnsembleFind albums by this artist, led by young Polish drummer / composer Szymon GasiorekFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Pimpon), who is also a member of the excellent Polish trio Love And Beauty SeekersFind albums by this artist. The other members of the ensemble, which is a nonet, includes also the two remaining members of Love And Beauty Seekers, saxophonist Jedrzej LagodzinskiFind albums by this artist and bassist Franciszek PospieszalskiFind albums by this artist, as well as another Polish bassist Tomo JacobsonFind albums by this artist and Scandinavian musicians: trumpeter Gustav BjerreFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Tobias PfeilFind albums by this artist, tuba player Rasmus Kjaergard LundFind albums by this artist, guitarist Emil PalmeFind albums by this artist, and a third bassist Lui Severin FalkentorpFind albums by this artist. Three guest musicians appear on selected tracks. The ensemble performs eight original compositions, all by Gasiorek. The music is a fascinating amalgam of modern influences, wildly diverse and ranging from Minimal Music to Free Jazz / Improvised Music, combined coherently and skillfully by the composer, who also makes a brilliant use of the large ensemble, which is sadly very rarely done these days. It is truly amazing to find such a mature piece of music conceived and executed by such young musicians. The music changes moods and atmospheres from one piece to another and also within each piece and the listener is unable to predict what might happen next, which of course turns this into a fascinating listening experience. This album demonstrates the power of expression and the sophistication of music written and executed by large ensembles, which enables a wide sonic spectrum, a stylistic diversity and of course the inclusion of many soloists playing often in parallel, improvising concurrently. There is of course place for beautiful melodic themes and harmonic arrangements, but these are not the core of the music, only a part of the palette the composer uses to build up his sonic world. Although this might sound a bit of an overstatement, this album could serve as a text book example of what modern Jazz composition for large ensembles is all about. Therefore my wholehearted recommendation for musicians involved in this area is to get a copy of the album ASAP. Connoisseurs of modern Jazz, who are open-minded and love adventurous music, should find this album a stunning listening experience. Kudos!

Updated: 13/01/2017Posted: 13/01/2017

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

FRANCISZEK POSPIESZALSKI ~ 1ST LEVEL FOR TUNE 0123 (Barcode: 5906395808250) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz bassist / composer Franciszek PospieszalskiFind albums by this artist, recorded in a sextet setting with his fellow Polish students at Copenhagen´s Rhythmic Music Conservatory, which is very popular among the young generation of Polish Jazz musicians in the last decade. The other members of the sextet are: saxophonists Kuba WiecekFind albums by this artist and Jedrzej LagodzinskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Grzegorz TarwidFind albums by this artist and drummers Szymon GasiorekFind albums by this artist (who also plays electronic vibraphone) and Albert KarchFind albums by this artist. Trumpeter Szczepan PospieszalskiFind albums by this artist plays on one tune. The album presents seven original compositions, all by Pospieszalski, and one arrangement of a Classical piece. The music, which is absolutely beyond any known systematic classification, moves constantly between modern Jazz, group improvisation, contemporary Classical and a myriad of other not yet invented labels, and is utterly stunning in its inventiveness and complete disregard of stylistic or mental limitations. It is an extension to what the Love And Beauty SeekersFind albums by this artist trio (Pospieszalski / Lagodzinski / Gasiorek) brilliantly started on their debut album a year earlier, with the additional power and possibilities intrinsic to the larger sextet lineup. In short this is perhaps a beginning of a new Jazz genre, which appears here for the first time, and which is new and separate from anything else known in the past. It is mindboggling to hear what these young people manage to achieve here, which is more revolutionary and prophetic that what most Jazz musicians achieved in their lifetimes. As hard as it is to believe, this music is a quintessential expression of the Jazz exploration and development, which is the genre´s most important quality, especially in view of the fact that most other musical forms are simply dying or exist in a state of deep lethargy. Listening to this music reveals perhaps the last threads of hope for human Culture, which is still alive and kicking. Although the album is extremely short (just over thirty six minutes in duration), it is so extremely condensed and full of intellectual charge, that its unadulterated contents means more that dozens of other albums put together. As a result it stays apart from most other albums released in Poland this year, and is by far the most interesting release so far in 2017. It will perhaps take time for the listeners to fully understand the meaning and significance of this music, but the musical prophecy conveyed herein is bound to create a major impact. My deepest thanks go to these young Lions for keeping my faith in humanity afloat.

Updated: 18/07/2017Posted: 18/07/2017

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

FRANCISZEK POSPIESZALSKI ~ SECOND STEP NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 5903771865210) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2021 Released: 2021 This is the third album as a leader by young Polish Jazz bassist / composer Franciszek PospieszalskiFind albums by this artist and his second recording with his sextet, which here includes saxophonists Marek PospieszalskiFind albums by this artist and Jedrzej LagodzinskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Grzegorz TarwidFind albums by this artist, multi-instrumentalist Wiktoria JakubowskaFind albums by this artist and drummer Szymon GasiorekFind albums by this artist. Barbara PospieszalskaFind albums by this artist plays piano on one track and a string quartet plays on two tracks. The album presents eight original compositions, all by the leader. The album was recorded at the Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist. As usual with Pospieszalski, his music eschews all attempts of straightforward classification and encompasses many different influences, from contemporary Classical Music, via the Jazz tradition, Folkloristic fragrances and Avant-Garde tendencies, which altogether produce a unique amalgam, which is first and foremost his own. It is fascinating to follow the development of Pospieszalski in the last five years since the recording of his debut album and the crystallization of his stylistic tendencies, influenced undoubtedly by the years he studied music in Denmark, which is a melting point of the young European Jazz scene. The bond he forged there with Lagodzinski and Gasiorek, which resulted in the formation of the Love And Beauty SeekersFind albums by this artist trio seems to hold on, as these young people obviously share common musical vibes. In the liner notes accompanying this album Pospieszalski reflects upon the blind worship of everything “American”, in music and life habits alike, which is tragically so omnipresent among young Europeans, rather than following and developing the rich and beautiful European tradition that has so much to offer. I wholeheartedly share that point of view of course and the fact that Pospieszalski is open enough to talk about it, in addition to creating music which is deeply European in its essence, is highly commendable. Overall, this is a wonderful piece of music; bold, interesting, beautifully put together and executed, which fully justifies the hopes and belief in the young generation of Polish / European Jazz, that some of us share. There are only a few albums recorded each year that have so much to offer, and this one surely deserves to be heard by as many music lovers around the world as possible. Well done!

Updated: 07/09/2021Posted: 07/09/2021

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend