Record Reviews

ANGELA GABER ~ OPOWIESCI Z ZIEMI AURA ART 03 ~ POLAND ~ World Music & Folklore Recorded: 2012 Released: 2013 This is the debut album by Polish World Music / Folk vocalist Angela GaberFind albums by this artist, recorded in a trio setting with multi-instrumentalist Lukasz SabatFind albums by this artist and Kazakhstani guitarist Aleksander CzikmakowFind albums by this artist. Of the eleven songs included on the album, nine are traditional folklore songs and two are composed by Czikmakow, one of which has lyrics written by Gaber. Although seemingly just another World Music gathering, this album is full of beautiful moments and surprising arrangements, which turn it into a splendid debut effort. The origins of these songs include Poland, Ukraine, Serbia, Russia and Gypsy Music, which are sung in their native tongues, but the instrumental arrangements often transport them to different parts of the World, sometimes quite far away from their origin. Sabat´s wonderful duduk parts have a distinctive Caucasian / Middle Eastern feel which immediately takes the Slavic songs on a carpet ride way to the east. Gaber´s voice has a nice, worm tonality and sounds perfect in this folksy environment, but really explodes to its full capacity when she starts to improvise and sing vocalese and produces unconventional sounds, which are truly amazing. Sadly these advanced vocal techniques are an exception rather than the rule on this album and hopefully will be explored to a much grater extent on her future endeavors. The last five tracks on the album are all much less constrained and spacey, with a greater freedom of expression and embrace both vocal and instrumental improvisation, and as a result prove to be much more interesting than the preceding tracks. If the whole album was kept in similar atmosphere and artistic direction, it would have turned into an exceptional one. The album has a beautifully designed cover art and an interesting sound quality, which is really down to earth in its authenticity, without being overproduced. The album was (at least partially) financed by the Polish crowdfunding portal "Polak Potrafi", which of course is a great idea, which I always recommend during mu Music Business lectures. Overall this is a most impressive debut effort, which promises great things to come, as well as placing Gaber on the list of Polish vocalists to watch and support. Well done lass!

Updated: 03/01/2016Posted: 03/01/2016

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INSZA ~ ...DLA NN... NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock-World Fusion Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 This is the debut album by Polish duo InszaFind albums by this artist, which comprises of vocalist / multi-instrumentalist Lukasz SabatFind albums by this artist and keyboardist / saxophonist Wojciech InglotFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original compositions by the duo, one of which is repeated twice, the second time as a bonus track. The lyrics, in Polish and English, include self-penned material and four poems by contemporary Polish poets. The music is an original amalgam of Alternative Pop, World Music and strong Jazzy influences. Although melody based, it allows for vocalese and instrumental improvisation, which are intelligent and very original. There is a huge stylistic diversity, which might be perceived as incoherent, but to say the truth it is completely coherent in the large picture. The duo manages to create a unique "style", which is idiosyncratic and open-minded at the same time. The music is also completely contemporary, using electronics and sound effects, drum machines and studio effects with utmost delicacy and aesthetic care, avoiding overusing these devices to completely eclipse whatever musical contents that might be there, as is done in most contemporary productions. The use of the wonderful duduk, one of my personally preferred musical instruments, is as effective on this album as previously displayed by Sabat on the Angela GaberFind albums by this artist´s "Opowiesci Z ZiemiFind albums with this title" album, which is also warmly recommended! Sabat´s vocal performances are also very impressive and he is surely a vocalist / musician worth following in the future. Overall this is a strong debut album, which shows great potential and is a most pleasurable listening experience. I am already waiting impatiently for their next effort!

Updated: 01/11/2019Posted: 24/02/2017

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KORJEN ~ SABUR NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 8595026641853) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz-Rock-World Fusion Recorded: 2014 - 2018 Released: 2019 This is the delightful debut album by the international (based in the Czech Republic) ensemble KorjenFind albums by this artist (root in English, what else), which is a sextet comprised of three female vocalist: Aida MujacicFind albums by this artist from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ewa ZurakowskaFind albums by this artist from Poland and Svetlana SarkisjanFind albums by this artist from Slovakia (they also play keyboards and Jew´s harp), who are accompanied by a Czech instrumental trio: guitarist Marek NovotnyFind albums by this artist, bassist Milan MiksicekFind albums by this artist and drummer Jan SiklFind albums by this artist. Polish multi-instrumentalist Lukasz SabatFind albums by this artist guests on the record adding his ornamentations. The album presents highly unique and innovative arrangements of fifteen Folk songs originating from many different countries / regions, such as Poland, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Armenia, Kosovo and many others, which are sung in many languages. The original Folklore roots of these songs are preserved in the vocal parts but the instrumental accompaniment transforms them into completely contemporary environment mixing the Folk with highly energetic Rock and Jazz, which results in a wonderful musical tapestry. The delicate and tricky balance between the two seemingly separate worlds is perfectly achieved here, creating a piece of acoustic Art of rare quality. The three vocalists use their individual voices and complex vocal harmonies to create a "wall of sound" effect, which stand shoulder to shoulder with the heavier Rocky instrumental parts, but sound as effective when delicate balladry and melancholic misery of wounded hearts is in the epicenter of the subject matter. The instrumentalists act in perfect harmony with the vocal parts, challenging but not dominating the proceedings. This album is a superb example of how music can cross language barriers and cultural roots differences, forming a perfect unity. It shows that love´s heartbreaks are wrenching regardless of what language or rhythmic pattern they are expressed in. Happiness and suffering are universal human expressions, and they find their way into music ignoring geography and nationality. It also offers a treasure chest of cultural / musical delights, exquisitely put together, and perfectly performed, which should delight every true music connoisseur. One can only hope that the next album will take less time to put together, and not keep us in suspense. This album is surely just a taste what these wonderfully talented musicians are capable of, so please give us more! Well done Ladies and Gentlemen – way beyond the call of duty and right into the heart!

Updated: 17/11/2019Posted: 17/11/2019

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JANUSZ SZUBER ~ W CENTRUM ZRENICY NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is an absolutely delightful album presenting the poetry by Polish poet Janusz SzuberFind albums by this artist, accompanied by three musicians: cellist Julia KotarbaFind albums by this artist, vocalist / multi-instrumentalist Lukasz SabatFind albums by this artist and keyboardist / saxophonist Wojciech InglotFind albums by this artist – the last two known together as the InszaFind albums by this artist duo. Szuber selected eighteen poems form his wide-ranging poetic legacy, which he recites, and the three musicians composed the music, which they perform accompanying his recitation. Although the music encompasses a wide stylistic range, I warmly embrace this album as part of the Polish Jazz & Poetry realm, as it has a distinctive Jazzy feel about it, if not stylistically surely conceptually. This amalgamation of words and music turns out to be especially effective primarily due to the fact that the music was carefully constructed to fit to the intrinsic rhythm of the poems and their natural "musicality", as well as the careful balance between the recitation, which is distinctly forefront, and the music which respectfully stays in the background, although being perfectly well audible. Of course, as usual with Jazz & Poetry projects, the final result is way more than just the sum of its ingredients. The poetry of Szuber is a multilayered and highly emotional affair. His usage of vocabulary, mostly based on everyday, seemingly simple language, conceals deeply philosophical, often harsh reflections about life´s truths, and yet always points towards the light at the end of the tunnel. The fact that he spent most of his lifetime in a wheelchair did not manage to let him become dominated by bitterness, which is of course commendable. Sadly the language layer of this project is limited to Polish speaking public, although personally I love Jazz & Poetry recordings which include languages completely unfamiliar to me – the power of this idiom often transcend language barriers. I can only hope that this little gem of an album gets to as many listeners as possible, as it truly deserves an audience. Most warmly recommended!

Updated: 01/11/2019Posted: 01/11/2019

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