Record Reviews

PIOTR BARON ~ JAZZ AT PRAGUE CASTLE MULTISONIC 310839 (Barcode: 741941083928) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2012 Released: 2012 This album presents a live recording by the great Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Piotr BaronFind albums by this artist and his quintet, which also includes trumpeter Adam Milwiw-BaronFind albums by this artist (his son), pianist Dominik WaniaFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej AdamczakFind albums by this artist and drummer Przemyslaw JaroszFind albums by this artist. The music was recorded at the beautiful Prague Castle, which holds Jazz concerts of the highest standard, which are also recorded and released on CD by the Czech MultisonicFind albums on this label label. The album includes only three expanded performances, two composed by Baron (both appeared on his superb last album "KaddishFind albums with this title") and one is an arrangement of a 14th century Polish Easter song. Two of the tracks are almost 30 minutes long and the third is almost 20 minutes long. The concert in introduced by the Czech President Vaclav KlausFind albums by this artist, who personally opens all the Jazz venues at the Castle – a lesson to be studied by all Presidents - in which he talks about the meeting between him and Piotr Baron, which led to the invitation to play at the Castle, and the special relationship between the Czech and Polish Jazz scenes over the years – a subject worthy of a book by itself. The music is deeply spiritual, as is all music made by Baron, reflecting his profoundly personal relation with belief (and not religion, as Baron surely demonstrates a cross-religion / one God approach). Accepting the model (spiritually and musically) of the great Godfather of spiritual Jazz, John Coltrane, Baron develops his music very much in the same direction, but uses his very own language and cultural affiliations, with his Polish roots being openly noticeable. This is Jazz with a true capital J, music of the highest caliber, which penetrates the listener´s heart and shakes his soul. It is absorbing and captivating, breathtakingly beautiful and intellectually intriguing, all at once. There is very little music of such quality being made these days, so this is even more impressive. Pianist Dominik Wania, who is definitely one of the best Polish Jazz pianists of the young generation, plays some amazing music here and I´m glad that Baron recognized his qualities and allowed him so much space and opportunity to express his amazing talent. But of course all these musicians play divinely, with the leader magically applying his charm, even when not playing. This music is way beyond recommendation – it is simply a crying shame that every true Jazz lover will probably not have an opportunity to immerse in its magic. If you can, count yourself lucky and blessed! Side Note This album is a part of the “Jazz Na Hrade (Jazz At Prague Castle)” series, released by the Czech MultisonicFind albums on this label label, which presents live recordings performed at various locations inside the charming Prague Castle, now the residence of the President of the Czech Republic. The series was initiated in 2004 by President Vaclav KlausFind albums by this artist, who often introduces the players himself on these albums, and symbolizes the respect and love of all things Cultural by the Czech People, including Jazz of course.

Updated: 16/03/2022Posted:

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PIOTR BARON ~ MONIUSZKO JAZZ POLSKIE RADIO 2372 (Barcode: 5907812241889) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2021 This is an album by veteran Polish Jazz saxophonist Piotr BaronFind albums by this artist recorded in a classic quintet setting with top Polish Jazz musicians: trumpeter Robert MajewskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Michal TokajFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej AdamczakFind albums by this artist and drummer Lukasz ZytaFind albums by this artist. As the title suggests, the album plays a Jazz tribute to the music of Polish National composer Stanislaw MoniuszkoFind albums by this artist, and features four of his compositions in a Jazz arrangement. The fifth track on the album is an arrangement of a composition by Feliks NowowiejskiFind albums by this artist, another Polish Classical composer. The year 2019 was declared as Moniuszko year in Poland, which not surprisingly produced a plethora of recordings of his music, including several within the Jazz idiom, some already reviewed by me earlier. Personally I am not convinced that the music of Moniuszko and Jazz go ideally hand in hand, but since the Moniuszko year offered a possibility to get a grant for playing his music, many musicians took advantage of such an offer – not a bad thing per se of course. The music on this album has very little to do with Moniuszko, except for the fact that the melodic themes from his compositions are quoted subtly. This does not mean of course that the music suffers from that fact, since anything played by these excellent musicians must sound great thanks to their talents. The arrangements call for a gentle, melodic, mainstream approach, which is taken here to the max. Following the intros, where the source is quoted, the five tracks present lengthy solos by all five musicians, all brilliantly executed, as expected. Overall, this is a wonderful Polish Jazz mainstream album, performed by top musicians, which is a joy to listen to, although does not try to be innovative or surprising in any way. Works for me! And please leave Moniuszko out of Jazz in the future.

Updated: 31/12/2021Posted: 31/12/2021

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PIOTR BARON ~ WODECKI JAZZ POLSKIE RADIO 2213 (Barcode: 5907812244460) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is an album by veteran Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Piotr BaronFind albums by this artist, which pays homage to the music composed by much respected and loved Polish singer / songwriter / musician Zbigniew WodeckiFind albums by this artist, who died in 2017. Baron, who plays saxophones and bass clarinet, is accompanied by trumpeter Robert MajewskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Michal TokajFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej AdamczakFind albums by this artist and drummer Lukasz ZytaFind albums by this artist and several guests. The album presents six songs composed by Wodecki (one is repeated twice in vocal and instrumental versions). One of the songs features vocals, one features a short rap part and another one includes spoken word, but most of the material is entirely instrumental. The music is a usual mainstream Jazz treatment of Pop material, definitely on the lighter side of the spectrum, but very professionally executed by the participating musicians, which is obviously intended for a wide audience of Wodecki´s fan base. Contrary to the opinion voiced by Polish Jazz "critics" this album does not cross over to kitsch and as far as the playing by the quintet is concerned it is a perfectly legit mainstream outing. Baron, Majewski and Tokaj are seasoned veterans and their performances are excellent as always, as is the job done by the rhythm section. Of course personally I´d prefer to hear Baron and his cohorts to play a way more ambitious material, as they did many times in the past, but there is nothing wrong with playing a bit of relaxing mainstream, based on the excellent melodies composed by Wodecki. At least they are not playing standards. Of course the circumstances sound a bit opportunistic, but the album´s liner notes explain that Baron and Wodecki, who loved Jazz and even had a Jazz period in his career, intended to record an album together since a long time but Wodecki´s untimely death sadly put an end to these plans. So this album is a sort of fulfillment of a promise rather than a less noble intent. Overall this is a very well rounded mainstream Jazz album, which does justice to Wodecki´s compositions and offers highly professional performances, with excellent soloing by Baron and Majewski and superb piano parts by Tokaj. Even the use of rap is tasteful and the arrangements of all the songs are elegant and even sort of cool. I wish the listeners were spared the one vocal part, but otherwise this is a nice, accessible but still very well done album, which will make many listeners very happy.

Updated: 06/07/2019Posted: 06/07/2019

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BESTER QUARTET ~ BAJGELMAN. GET TO TANGO ANAKLASIS 013 (Barcode: 5907795209739) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is an album by Polish Jazz ensemble Bester QuartetFind albums by this artist, led by accordionist / composer / bandleader Jaroslaw BesterFind albums by this artist, with violinist Dawid LubowiczFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej AdamczakFind albums by this artist and drummer Ryszard PalkaFind albums by this artist. The ensemble was expanded for this album to include three top Polish Jazz vocalists: Grazyna AuguscikFind albums by this artist, Dorota MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist and Jorgos SkoliasFind albums by this artist. Trumpeter Michal BylicaFind albums by this artist and cellist Krzysztof LenczowskiFind albums by this artist guest on most of the tracks. The album presents ten tracks, one instrumental and nine songs, all composed by the Jewish / Polish violinist / composer / songwriter / bandleader Dawid BajgelmanFind albums by this artist, with words (originally in Yiddish, except for one in Polish) by himself and other lyricists. This studio recording is a documentation of a special concert originally performed in 2018 as part of the anniversary commemorating the liquidation of the Lodz Ghetto in 1944, with was devised and produced by Miron ZajfertFind albums by this artist. The album was released by the prestigious Polish AnaklasisFind albums on this label label as part of its “Revisions” series. Jaroslaw Bester was one of the first Polish musicians to accept the challenge of treating seriously the Jewish Music created in Poland during the centuries of Jewish presence on the Polish soil. Sadly, most of the attempts to deal with Jewish Music border between kitsch and chaltura, but Bester managed consistently to avoid falling into this trap over the years. He founded the Cracow Klezmer BandFind albums by this artist in 1997, which later morphed into the Bester Quartet, with a long series of successful recordings to his credit. Following the initial period of focus on the Klezmer tradition, he expanded his vision to include other musical traditions, especially the tango, which became his passion in more recent years. Jewish Music and tango come together hand in hand on this album, since the secular Jewish Music in Poland, during the period between the two great wars, was fascinated with the tango as well. The life’s story of Dawid Bajgelman is easily divided between his meteoric career before WWII, which found him as a highly successful composer and songwriter, with his songs performed by the most popular Polish singers at the time, but in parallel his massive composing legacy for local Jewish cultural life in Lodz, at the time the second biggest urban Jewish community after Warsaw, and of course his activity in the Lodz Ghetto during the Holocaust period, which came to the end with his tragic death in Auschwitz, cynical and absurd, just a few days after the camp’s liberation. His songs, written in the ghetto, are some of the most expressive manifestations of the horror and misery of that time. Although Bester’s role on this album seems somewhat less illustrious than on his other recordings, limited to arrangements and leadership of the project, he does an absolutely splendid job herein. The music is brilliantly executed by all the participants, the recording offers a high quality sound and the entire project offers a deeply moving aesthetic experience. The vocalists are amongst the finest Polish Jazz Artists, quite different from each other in every possible sense, and yet they manage to cooperate perfectly when singing duets or trios, in addition to their solo parts. They also manage to handle the Yiddish lyrics reasonably well, but the four texts translated into Polish and the original Polish lyrics are of course as perfect as one might expect from such pros. The vocalese, although used sparingly, is also just right. The instrumental parts are all superbly done, with the new lineup of the Bester Quartet reaching a level of coherence higher than ever before. The trumpet is a nice touch, building an imaginary bridge to the original sound of these songs. Overall, this is a beautiful album, full of heartbreaking nostalgia and a proper, wonderfully conceived and executed tribute to the great contribution of the Polish / Jewish composer Dawid Bajgelman to the Polish Culture, one of so many so often forgotten Polish Jews, who shaped contemporary Polish identity, whether one likes it or not. My personal thanks to Miron Zajfert, who shares my passion of exposing our proud legacy, and of course to all the participants, who are amongst my favorite Polish musicians. May the Force be with you!

Updated: 17/02/2023Posted: 17/02/2023

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BESTER QUARTET ~ HUSTLE AND BUSTLE FOR TUNE 0161 (Barcode: 5906395808762) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2022 Released: 2022 The release of this album marks the 25th Anniversary of the Polish Bester QuartetFind albums by this artist, founded in 1997 by accordionist / composer Jaroslaw BesterFind albums by this artist and initially called The Cracow Klezmer BandFind albums by this artist. The current lineup of the quartet includes also violinist Dawid LubowiczFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej AdamczakFind albums by this artist and drummer Ryszard PalkaFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions, all by the leader. On this album Bester takes the listeners on a musical World Tour, which spans between Western and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and eventually reaches the shores of NY. Rather that concentrating on one musical milieu, like Jewish Music or the Tango, which were his earlier fascinations, this time Bester summarizes his experiences over a quarter of a Century, and explores diverse influences, which results in an album offing a much more varied aural experience. The new compositions are blessed with wonderful musicality and melodic depth, and the expanded horizons suit the total result in full. Another aspect of this album is the increased soloing duty taken over by Lubowicz, who obviously became an “equal partner”, richly deserved by his virtuosic ability and musical sensibility. As a result, the music on the last three albums since the new lineup of the quartet crystalized, offers gradually more improvising depth and tension than the earlier releases. The new rhythm section is also more spirited and supportive, pushing the two soloists even further in their explorations. Together the four members of the quartet are able to create a unison rarely achieved by other ensembles of this kind. Overall, this is a beautiful, deeply rewarding musical experience, elegantly performed by the quartet members, full of heartfelt dedication and aesthetic involvement. Older and mature and then ever, Bester Quartet is a synthesis of years of experience, education, talent and most of all passion. This is music that heals broken hearts and charges weakened souls, for which we can only be grateful. Thank you Gentlemen and hats off!

Updated: 09/01/2023Posted: 09/01/2023

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BESTER QUARTET ~ PIAZZOLLA ANGELS FOR TUNE 0153 (Barcode: 5906395808687) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2021 Released: 2021 This is the twelfth album (second on For TuneFind albums on this label Records) by Polish ensemble Bester QuartetFind albums by this artist, formed in 1997 by accordionist / composer Jaroslaw BesterFind albums by this artist as Cracow Klezmer BandFind albums by this artist. The current lineup also includes violinist Dawid LubowiczFind albums by this artist (see Atom String QuartetFind albums by this artist), bassist Maciej AdamczakFind albums by this artist and drummer Ryszard PalkaFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine tracks, eight of which are compositions by Astor PiazzollaFind albums by this artist and one by Carlos GardelFind albums by this artist, the most famous Tango singer of all time and composer of several famous Tangos. All the music is arranged by Bester. Considering the fact that all eleven albums recorded by Bester before this one were one way another connected to the Polish “Jewish” / “Klezmer” tradition, the sudden move towards the Argentinean Tango is quite a surprising one. In the liner notes of the album Bester describes his long fascination with the music of Astor Piazzolla and, as far as I understand, it was the influence of the Covid-19 pandemic, which made him realize it is now or never to turn his dream into reality. Since I am pretty familiar with many interpretations of Piazzolla’s music, especially those by musicians connected with Jazz, I am happy to say that Bester manages to avoid the worse possible traps connected with such projects. First and foremost, the refuses to mimic or copy Piazzolla’s music and try to sound like a genuine Tango musician, which of course is simply impossible. He takes a lot of liberties with the original music, admittedly all in in good taste, transporting it into much more European Jazz flavored environment and even a modest smile. The resulting music is obviously clearly infused with Piazzolla’s spirit but has its own aesthetics. Although Bester’s accordion sounds still similar to the sound of the bandoneon, the violin parts are full of European lyricism deeply rooted in Classical music, and the rhythm section adds the Jazzy spice to the proceedings, which is completely absent in the Tango idiom, which uses guitar and piano all absent here. Even the “Funky” mandolin works fine ;) Of course one might question these liberties, but as long as Bester is not claiming to play like Piazzolla, but only submit to his magic and insert his own interpretation, for me these liberties work well and are not offending or sacrilegious. Combined with the superb musicianship this album boasts with, I’d say that there is very little of “not to like” here. Piazzolla’s genius is so overwhelming, that it manages to withstand much more abusive treatment than what was applied here. Overall, this is a pleasant, beautifully played and recorded tribute to one of the greatest geniuses of 20th Century music, which comes here with a Polish “twist”, which I find quite entertaining and tasteful, and which is surely one of Bester’s best achievements so far.

Updated: 15/12/2021Posted: 10/12/2021

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GRZEGORSKI / SLUSARCZYK ~ TO MUNIAK WITH LOVE BLUES&JAZZ 002 (Barcode: 5908254159879) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is an album by Polish Jazz quintet co-led by saxophonists Tomasz GrzegorskiFind albums by this artist and Marcin SlusarczykFind albums by this artist with a rhythm section comprising of pianist Tomasz BialowolskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej AdamczakFind albums by this artist and drummer Arek SkolikFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten Jazz standards and one original composition by Bialowolski, which is both the title track and a bonus track. The album is dedicated to the memory of the legendary Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Janusz MuniakFind albums by this artist, who was a Father figure to many younger Polish Jazz musicians. The album was produced by Slawomir MajewskiFind albums by this artist, Polish Jazz activist and a great connoisseur of classic mainstream Jazz. The albums holds no surprises, exactly as intended, and is meant to be listened to by lovers of conventional, well known Jazz tunes, which are amicably played by professional musicians. This type of unpretentious, good time and somewhat nostalgic mainstream Jazz is relatively not so easy to come by in Poland, where the new generation of musicians and apparently also listeners tend to prefer much more complex and advanced Jazz explorations, which often distances older and more conventional Jazz connoisseurs from the contemporary scene. The music offers a nice blend of ballads and up tempo numbers, which should keep the listeners happy and the beautiful piano / saxophone duet closing the album is an appropriate gesture to commemorate one of the most beloved figures in Polish Jazz history.

Updated: 12/04/2024Posted: 23/12/2019

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PAWEL KACZMARCZYK / AUDIOFEELING TRIO ~ SOMETHING PERSONAL HEVHETIA 0100 (Barcode: 8588005257411) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015 This is the fourth album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Pawel KaczmarczykFind albums by this artist, recorded in a classic piano trio format with bassist Maciej AdamczakFind albums by this artist and drummer Dawid FortunaFind albums by this artist. This rhythm section is also known as the rhythm section of the New BoneFind albums by this artist ensemble. The album presents seven tracks, all of which are original compositions by Kaczmarczyk. It was mixed and mastered by the great Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist and released on the Slovak HevhetiaFind albums on this label label, which releases lately a significant amount of Polish Jazz albums, opening new opportunities for Polish Jazz musicians, who face a very tough and crowded local recording market. Kaczmarczyk stormed the Polish Jazz scene over a decade earlier as a young prodigy, winning awards from every possible competition and later recording and releasing three excellent albums as a leader. But the initial impact somewhat subsided over time and although he was visible on the scene quite recurrently, almost six years passed between the release of his last album and this one. No doubt these were years of reflection and reassessment of his musical attitude, as this album clearly proves. The return to the piano trio format and the much less complex arrangements of his compositions signal a kind of return to the roots. Kaczmarczyk was always a great songweaver, and the collection of his new compositions confirms that status again. Wonderfully melodic, deeply lyrical and always full of grace, his music, presented here in a very basic down to earth form, is most effective exactly as it appears here. Gone are the elaborate and intricate rhythmic complexities, instrumental shenanigans and other tricks of the trade; instead we get Kaczmarczyk almost naked musically, but finally mature and truthful to himself. Of course Kaczmarczyk is also a brilliant pianist and on this album, which is modest and very personal, there are limited possibilities to shine as a virtuosic performer; and yet Kaczmarczyk manages to pull this off, playing some amazingly sweet and inspired piano performances. The experienced rhythm section plays along tightly and supportively, being always there when needed. Adamczak plays several nice solos and stands by the leader both harmonically and rhythmically. Fortuna is a very busy drummer, but at all times stays in the background not disturbing the delicate trio balance. In many respects this album could be seen as Kaczmarczyk´s "return", an older, and more mature and focused version of the young star from a decade earlier. The lost charm of excitement and surprise was replaced by musical depth and developed compositional as well as performing skills. It was definitely worth the time we had to wait for this album and hopefully another long lingering will be spared. Welcome back! Side Note: The promo version of this album includes also seven tracks, but two of them are different than those included on the formal album, which of course makes the demo a most desirable collector´s item!

Updated: 27/09/2016Posted:

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PAWEL KACZMARCZYK / AUDIOFEELING TRIO ~ VARS & KAPER DECONSTRUCTION HEVHETIA 0126 (Barcode: 8588005257817) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 - 2015 Released: 2016 Three years ago I initiated a series of concerts / recordings as part of the Singer Jazz Festival, of which I am the artistic director, of music by the great "American" composers: Victor YoungFind albums by this artist, Bronislaw KaperFind albums by this artist and Henryk WarsFind albums by this artist, all three of which are in fact Polish Jews, who immigrated to the US at some stage of their life. The fact that they had Polish / Jewish roots is almost completely unknown not only to the American public (which is not surprising), but sadly also to Polish public. The main purpose, therefore, of these concerts / recordings was to bring their Jewish / Polish roots to the attention of music lovers. The music was performed and recorded by my friend, the excellent Polish Jazz pianist Kuba StankiewiczFind albums by this artist and his trio, and the entire series was hugely successful. Neither Kuba nor I anticipated the fact that our project would also influence the entire Polish Jazz scene and produce a huge renewed interest in these three composers, which also produced a string of recordings, of which this album is an example. Pawel KaczmarczykFind albums by this artist is of course one of the most brilliant Polish Jazz pianist, who took the local scene by a storm and during the last decade established himself as a one of its central figures. This is the second album with his trio which includes bassist Maciej AdamczakFind albums by this artist and drummer Dawid FortunaFind albums by this artist. Together they perform nine songs composed by Henryk Wars (four songs) and Bronislaw Kaper (five songs, two split into two parts). In addition to the trio the DJ Wojciech DlugoszFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Mr. KrimeFind albums by this artist) adds turntablism and electronics. The trio performs beautifully, as expected, playing the classic compositions with the usual flair and technical brilliance. The turntablism, electronics and other sound effects like vintage voice recordings, suit the music well and are non intrusive, but don’t really add anything substantial to the subject matter, beyond being a novelty of sorts. The usage of the term "deconstruction" in the album´s title is however quite problematic. Personally I can´t hear anything being deconstructed in the music played on this album? These are just pretty standard interpretations of the classic songs, but deconstructions? The philosophical / aesthetic meaning of deconstruction is certainly absent here and in general this term is being used (or misused) way to often these days. Overall this is an excellent piano trio recording, with brilliant Jazz performances, as expected. Just forget the somewhat pretentious title and enjoy the music!

Updated: 27/09/2016Posted: 27/09/2016

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NEW BONE ~ DESTINED CM 1019 (Barcode: 5904259353564) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2012 Released: 2012 This is the 3rd album by the Polish acoustic Jazz quintet New BoneFind albums by this artist, founded and let by trumpeter Tomasz KudykFind albums by this artist, who also composed all the music included herein, and including in its current lineup saxophonist Marcin SlusarczykFind albums by this artist, pianist Pawel KaczmarczykFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej AdamczakFind albums by this artist and drummer Dawid FortunaFind albums by this artist. Two guest musicians: saxophonist Tomasz GrzegorskiFind albums by this artist and percussionist Jan PilchFind albums by this artist participate on most of the tracks. All these young musicians are excellent players with a proven record and evident abilities, but the music they perform here presents them with no real challenges. It is mainstream Jazz with strong Afro-Cuban rhythmic tendencies, which sounds good at all times but disappears from one´s mind the minute the sound is over. It seems that New Bone tries very hard to sound exactly like an average American Jazz ensemble, which they definitely manage perfectly, rather than search for a unique identity, which is characteristic of most Polish Jazz. I´m sure many listeners, perhaps even the majority, will enjoy this music immensely, but honestly we should expect more from an ensemble of such high potential. Hopefully they´ll do better next time.

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NEW BONE ~ FOLLOW ME CM 1023 (Barcode: 5904259354417) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2014 This is the fourth album by Polish Jazz ensemble New BoneFind albums by this artist, led by trumpeter Tomasz KudykFind albums by this artist and also including bassist Maciej AdamczakFind albums by this artist, who has been with the ensemble from day one, excellent young drummer Dawid FortunaFind albums by this artist, who played also on their previous album and two new members: saxophonist Bartlomiej PrucnalFind albums by this artist (Prucnal and Fortuna are also members of the NSI QuartetFind albums by this artist) and the fabulous pianist Dominik WaniaFind albums by this artist, one of the biggest stars on the polish scene at the moment. The album presents seven new arrangements of film music written by two Polish (of Jewish origin) and later American composers: Henryk WarsFind albums by this artist and Bronislaw KaperFind albums by this artist. The arrangements are all kept in the middle of the road mainstream Jazz, making sure nobody is offended but also providing very little intellectual or aesthetic reward to the listener. Although pleasant on the ear and sweetly melodic, this music is simply forgotten as soon as it stops playing. Of course there are some excellent players involved in making this music, so it has its moments. Wania couldn´t be boring even if he tried very hard and his contributions are splendid, but by far not enough to save this album from its blunders. Prucnal doesn´t get an opportunity to show his chops until the fifth track, by which time I was already yawning. Hiring great musicians to play on an album always presents the problem that their performances stand out even more dramatically. Definitely not my cup of tea…

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NEW BONE ~ LONGING CM 1030 (Barcode: 5907996083732) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is the sixth album by Polish Jazz quintet New BoneFind albums by this artist founded in 1996 and led by trumpeter / composer Tomasz KudykFind albums by this artist and including in its current lineup saxophonist Bartlomiej PrucnalFind albums by this artist, pianist Dominik WaniaFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej AdamczakFind albums by this artist and drummer Dawid FortunaFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original compositions, eight by Tomasz Kudyk and one by his late father Jan KudykFind albums by this artist, who was one of the pioneers of Polish Traditional Jazz, trumpeter / composer and founder / leader of the Jazz Band Ball OrchestraFind albums by this artist. The music of New Bone was initially characterized by strict mainstream Jazz tendencies, but with the arrival of Wania in 2013 it took a slow but consistent turn towards more modern approach, which on this album reaches an apogee of bravado and creativity. Still firmly based on melodic themes, full of melancholy and typical Polish lyricism, the music now ventures into much more complex, both harmonically and rhythmically, explorations, moving even further away from the old-fashioned customary mainstream doodling. Kudyk weaves beautiful themes, which on this album reflect his feelings resulting from his Father´s passing, which are sometimes heartwrenching, and which is completely understandable. All five members of the band are clearly experienced and highly talented musicians, who mange to maximize the qualities of the themes, stretching them into beautiful mini suites. The soloing by Kudyk and Prucnal is stronger than ever, highly inspired by the collective input of all the players, producing a well structured and attractive result time after time. Wania is, as always, the alpha and omega of everything that happens around him, taking the music into another dimension (or more than one for that matter), playing wonderful accompaniments all along the way and wondering into stratosphere when soloing. He is one of the most unique players today on the European and every album in which he takes part is irresistible. The rhythm section does a wonderful job supporting the soloist and providing a steady flow to the music, all this without being obtrusive, which probably is the best compliment one can offer to a rhythm section. Overall this is by far the best album by New Bone so far, miles ahead (pun intended) of everything recorded previously and an enormous promise as far as their future is concerned. As much as I was sorry in the past to criticize the band for conventionality, it gives me an enormous pleasure now to praise them now for their success. This is Polish Jazz at its best!

Updated: 11/07/2020Posted: 11/07/2020

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NEW BONE ~ TEATR WITKACEGO OD-JAZZ-DOWO NOT ON LABEL 060 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2015 Released: 2015 This is the fifth album by Polish Jazz quintet New BoneFind albums by this artist, led by trumpeter Tomasz KudykFind albums by this artist and including saxophonist Bartlomiej PrucnalFind albums by this artist, pianist Dominik WaniaFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej AdamczakFind albums by this artist and drummer Dawid FortunaFind albums by this artist. It presents seven compositions by Jerzy ChruscinskiFind albums by this artist, the resident composer of the WitkacyFind albums by this artist Theater in Zakopane, which were scored for seven different spectacles produced and performed by the Witkacy Theater over time and are now dressed up as Jazz pieces arranged by the members of New Bone. Although Wania, who joined the quintet just before they recorded their previous album, upgraded the overall level of their playing considerably, the quintet struggles from day one with their tendency to copy American Jazz from the 1960 and stay safely within the mainstream idiom, which was a waste of their potential. This album comes as a surprise in some respect, since New Bone make for the first time a serious effort to step up their antiquated approach and move into modern Jazz, still within the mainstream guidelines but at least using wider and less constrained tools to make the music more interesting, thanks more often than not to Wania´s superb playing. The arrangements work very well transforming the compositions, which were initially not meant as Jazz compositions, into the Jazz milieu, and are all good examples of the incredible importance and strength of a good arrangements. The performances are also quite excellent, vigorous and well rounded, as appropriate for musicians of such statue. Wania plays a myriad of small accents, chords and little ditties, which add a whole new dimension to this music and which would have sounded much less excitement without them. Prucnal gets at last an opportunity to show his chops and plays some exciting solos, although does not follow Wania in the "thinking beyond the box" approach. The rhythm section does a good job supporting the soloists and keeping the rhythmic dynamics working, but again avoids any attempt to try innovative rhythmic techniques. Overall this is definitely the best album recorded by New Bone, which finally shows hope that they might make it after all into an exciting and interesting musical unit, which they deserve to become. Let´s hope for the best.

Updated: 30/04/2022Posted:

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NSI QUARTET ~ THE LOOK OF COBRA AUDIO CAVE 2017/005 (Barcode: 5905669566308) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017 This is the second album by Polish Jazz ensemble NSI QuartetFind albums by this artist, which comprises of trumpeter Cyprian BaszynskiFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Bartlomiej PrucnalFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej AdamczakFind albums by this artist and drummer Dawid FortunaFind albums by this artist. The quartet is joined by the excellent pianist Dominik WaniaFind albums by this artist on several tracks. The album presents seven original compositions, four by Prucnal, two by Baszynski and one co-composed by them both. The music tries to get away form the stylistic direction initiated on their debut, which used to concentrate on up-tempo post Bebop mainstream Jazz, based on simple melodic themes. This time the music is more open structurally and offers moments of almost Free improvisation and extensive exchanges between the musicians. The unusual sound of the quartet, which lacks a harmonic instrument, is not easy to get used to and therefore the tracks featuring Wania are much more balanced, with his input dramatically influencing the overall result. However, the fact that the ensemble expanded its basic conceptions proved to be problematic, causing the music to lose some of its coherence and sense of direction. The music is more interesting intellectually, but almost completely loses its sense of melody and harmony, creating an emotional void. The best example of this can be found the long trumpet / saxophone duet track, which simply goes nowhere. This album is a classic example of music played by excellent musicians, who are obvious professionals and talented individuals, which somehow fails to make an impact it could potentially reach. It is hard to pinpoint what exactly does not work here, and of curse this is just my very personal opinion. Perhaps the attempt to play less restricted music simply is beyond these particular musicians (excluding Wania of course) and sticking to the well paved roads is less problematic, as evident on the debut album. In short this album left me cold, without being able to make spiritual or emotional contact with the music it offers. Obviously well played, it sort of passed me by without leaving any impact, which is a great pity.

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

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend