Record Reviews

ALMOST JAZZ GROUP ~ FADE OUT WOOD AND MOOD 0005 (Barcode: 5907222681015) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 This is the third album by the Polish quartet called Almost Jazz GroupFind albums by this artist, led by accordionist / composer Pawel NowakFind albums by this artist and pianist / composer Ignacy Jan WisniewskiFind albums by this artist. The rhythm section comprises of bassist Maciej SadowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Antoni WojnarFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions: two each by Nowak and Wisniewski, three by Sadowski and one by Wojnar. The quartet´s name accurately describes the music that it presents, which is borderline Jazz, based on melodic themes which serve as basis for the improvisations, which are very tamed and stay within the strict mainstream idiom, bordering on Groove, Smooth Jazz and even Pop. Nevertheless the music is very well composed, coherent and harmonically pleasing, without being trivial or crossing over to kitsch. Personally I love the accordion´s sound and regret it is such a neglected instrument in Jazz, in spite of its enormous potential. The subtle balance between the accordion and the piano creates a wonderful atmosphere, which suits both the melancholic ballads and the swinging pieces. The bass supports the soloist amicably and very accurately, adding a crucial ingredient to the music. The drums are a bit too Rocky at times for this kind of music, but nothing dramatic which would break the charm. Both Nowak and Wisniewski play excellently and with obvious emotional involvement. Overall this is a very pleasant, somewhat nostalgic album, very well recorded, which offers a splendid listening experience to connoisseurs of the lighter side of the Jazz spectrum, but still being honest, superbly played and definitely worthy of listening. I had a great fun listening to it and I´m sure it will work for many other listeners as well – recommended!

Updated: 27/10/2017Posted: 27/10/2017

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

BIZARRE PENGUIN ~ ACIDO DOMINGO EASTRINGS 0003 (Barcode: 196400420262) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2020 Released: 2021 This is the debut album by Polish Avant-Garde Jazz trio Bizarre PenguinFind albums by this artist comprising of drummer Tomasz KoperFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej SadowskiFind albums by this artist (who also plays synthesizers) and trumpeter Dawid LipkaFind albums by this artist, who recorded already several albums together under various monikers. The album presents five compositions, all uncredited and assumed to be co-composed by the trio members. Although recorded in the midst of the pandemic, with the musicians not able to see each other and interact visually, which is almost imperative in Improvised Music, the album offers a remarkable musical coherence, often not found on conventionally recorded albums. These musicians obviously managed to develop an unusual rapport between them, which already produced some exceptional recordings like “NecrosofiaFind albums with this title”, “MurmursFind albums with this title” or “Jazz Dla ZwierzatFind albums with this title” (the last two on Sadowski’s record label EastringsFind albums on this label Records), which is also prevailing on this superb recording. The music manages to combine acoustic and electronic auras perfectly, offering Improvised Music which is beautifully melodic and lyrical, and yet completely unusual and unpredictable. Lipka’s sublime trumpet playing, closely resembling Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist during his early experimental phase, is absolutely stunning and irresistible. Koper and Sadowski support layer upon layer of complex rhythmic patterns, both acoustic and electronic, as well as wall of sound effects, creating wonderfully powerful sound vistas. The music moves between contemplative excursions and energetic soul-drenching exchanges, which keep the listener completely mesmerized. I had the album on “repeat” mode for quite a while, before being able to clear my head and write these lines, as admittedly it’s been quite a while since I heard any music of such power of expression. Overall, this is definitely one of the very best, and perhaps the best Polish Improvised Music album I have had the pleasure to listen to in 2021, especially so in view of the rather dull and weak output in that area on the local scene, which sadly seems to be completely lost lately. These musicians seem to have a “golden touch” and hopefully will produce much more great music when the world gets back to normal. Hats off and thank you for this extraordinary music!

Updated: 04/01/2022Posted: 04/01/2022

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

MARCIN GAWDZIS ~ SHADOWS OF AUTUMN SOLITON 305 (Barcode: 5901571093055) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2013 This is the debut album as a leader by Polish Jazz trumpeter / composer Marcin GawdzisFind albums by this artist recorded in a quintet format with saxophonists Szymon LukowskiFind albums by this artist, vibraphonist Dominik BukowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej SadowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Tomasz SowinskiFind albums by this artist. The album includes seven compositions, six of which are Jazz standards and one is an original composition by Gawdzis. The format is, as expected, a straightforward mainstream Jazz, which basically offers the "more of the same" formula of this format, which was previously used countless times earlier. Of course all these musicians are perfectly well trained professionals and their playing is spotless and even inspired at times, but the question is why listen to this specific album as opposed to countless others exactly like it? Let´s leave the Americans to keep repeating themselves ad nauseam with their mainstream Jazz and look for something at least slightly different? But all things considered this is after all a very good mainstream album, which will surely keep listeners of such music very happy. Gawdzis has a nice round tone and plays solidly, without taking many risks or offering bravado displays. Bukowski, who is the most interesting player in this quintet, displays his usual virtuosity, but the battered standards don´t leave him with many options to show up his true abilities. The rest of the guys schlep on happily and without much effort. Not really my cup of tea, as this is nice, but banal music as far as I´m concerned, but I´m sure many other listeners will be able to enjoy it.

CD-R 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

GDANSK NECROPOLITAN ORCHESTRA ~ NECROSOFIA NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is a spectacular debut album by Polish Jazz duo behind the Gdansk Necropolitan OrchestraFind albums by this artist moniker: trumpeter / composer Dawid LipkaFind albums by this artist and bassist / composer Maciej SadowskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven compositions / improvisations not credited specifically and therefore assumed as co-created by the duo members. The albums artwork is very secretive about the date and place of the recording, which offers an absolutely amazing sound quality and a unique ambience of a large empty room / hall resonating and creating wonderful overtones. Although seemingly limited by the scope of just two instruments, the music offers wonderful richness and depth of musical ideas, amalgamating elements of Classical Baroque Music, Avant-Garde Jazz, Chamber experiments and Ambient explorations, all perfectly matched together forming a marvelously striking and condensed kaleidoscope of sounds which penetrates the listener´s soul directly. It matches perfectly the two other albums released in 2019, which involve Sadowski and Lipka ("MurmursFind albums with this title" and "Jazz Dla ZwierzatFind albums by this artist"), both being among the most interesting Polish Jazz albums released in that year. This album completes an astounding "triptych" of rare quality and inventiveness. Lipka´s trumpet pyrotechnics fondly remind the work of lamented Andrzej PrzybielskiFind albums by this artist, both on the sound and emotional levels. Sadowski´s arco work and heartbreaking melancholy are absolutely dazzling. Together (and with the help of the hall´s ambience and some electronics) they are able to create an impressive wall of sound effect during the crescendo moments, but their intimacy is no less effective during the pianissimo passages. In fact the music they manage to create together is simply unparalleled by anything else that happened on the Polish scene in 2019. Overall this is nothing short of a masterpiece, an amazing piece of music, which should be definitely listened to together with the above mentioned two albums of the "triptych". If the phrase "future of music" has any meaning at all, this is as good a sample of it as one can hear here and now. I know, I know… prophesy has been given to the fools.

Updated: 10/01/2020Posted: 10/01/2020

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

LOWBOW ~ MURMURS EASTRINGS 0002 (Barcode: 194171751134) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Classical Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is a stunning debut album by Polish duo LowBowFind albums by this artist comprising of bassist / composer Maciej SadowskiFind albums by this artist and cellist / composer Malgorzata ZnarowskaFind albums by this artist. American multi-instrumentalist / composer Kevin Scott DavisFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. GlowwormFind albums by this artist) accompanies the duo on four tracks and four other musicians participate on the final track. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Sadowski, except two which are co-composed by him and Znarowska. The music is an absolutely marvelous collection of strongly melodic tunes, which elegantly escape genre classification, and flow between Medieval Church Music, contemporary Classical Music, Ambient vistas and whatever else comes to the listener´s mind while experiencing these deeply moving sounds. The stern minimalism, which seemingly rules a priori due to the duo´s instrumental range, proves to be a complete false assumption, as the duo manages often to sound like a full orchestra in spite of the intrinsic limitations, partly due to multi-tracking but mostly due to the power of the music itself. The ambient synthesized sounds on the tracks with Davis´ participation are completely organic with the rest of the material, which leaves only the last track played by a sextet to round things up with a slightly different accent but completely consistent with the rest of the album. But beyond the unique low key sound, the melodic lyricism and ocean deep melancholy of this music are its most striking characteristics. It easily stands shoulder to shoulder with some of the most profound contemporary Polish Classical Music by such lofty names as Witold LutoslawskiFind albums by this artist, Wojciech KilarFind albums by this artist, Krzysztof PendereckiFind albums by this artist, Henryk GoreckiFind albums by this artist and others. I know this statement will raise a brow or two, but honestly anybody listening to this music should be able to immediately recognize the distinctive "Polishness" it radiates, and although the formalism of the orchestration may still lack the sophistication of the Masters, it has all it takes to make it profoundly beautiful and lasting. Albums like this make the life of a music reviewer worth living. It is not very often that music of such striking quality lands on my desk in spite of the fact that I get thousands of albums every year. It takes just a few seconds to hear that this is something completely different as far as quality and beauty are concerned and a repeated listening only strengthens this feeling. People who know me are aware of the fact that I am rarely left speechless, but in this case I am truly short of words to say anything more… just listen!

Updated: 23/11/2019Posted: 23/11/2019

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

SZYMON LUKOWSKI ~ SZYMON LUKOWSKI QUINTET SOLITON 338 (Barcode: 5901571093383) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2014 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Szymon LukowskiFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quintet format with trumpeter Marcin GawdzisFind albums by this artist, vibraphonist Dominik BukowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej SadowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Slawomir KoryznoFind albums by this artist. The album features seven original compositions, five by Lukowski and one each by Sadowski and Gawdzis. This album presents the same lineup (except for the drummer) that recorded the album "Shadows Of AutumnFind albums with this title" by Gawdzis, and unfortunately presents the identical worn out mainstream Jazz formula, that contributes neither intellectual nor aesthetic challenge to the listener, sounding very much like American Jazz recorded a few decades earlier (and that is not meant as a compliment). The compositions are unremarkable and the playing, except for Bukowski, who is always highly professional, uninspired. I already stated what I think about this kind of music in my review of the a.m. album and there is nothing else to add. Some people like this stuff, but I definitely try to avoid it.

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

MACIEJ SADOWSKI ~ I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO SAY, SO LISTEN RHODIUM 012 (Barcode: 193872506616) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2020 Released: 2021 This is the debut solo album by Polish Jazz bassist / composer Maciej SadowskiFind albums by this artist (who also plays synthesizers) recorded with a bunch of musicians / friends including his usual cohorts: drummer Tomasz KoperFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Dawid LipkaFind albums by this artist, a string quartet, several vocalists, American multi-instrumentalist / producer Kevin Scott DavisFind albums by this artist, pianist Antoni WojnarFind albums by this artist and others. The album presents eight original compositions, all by Sadowski. The highly provocative / sarcastic title of the album stands in complete contrast to the contents of the album, which has in fact quite a lot to say on any imaginable musical plane. The compositions are spectacularly resounding, continuing the modus operandi which prevailed on the LowBowFind albums by this artist duo album by Sadowski and cellist Malgorzata ZnarowskaFind albums by this artist (who also plays here), called “Murmurs”. The resulting music presents a unique kind of Avant-Garde Contemporary Classical Music, which incorporates subtle elements of Jazz and Ambient / Electronic Music in addition to Chamber Classical Music, producing deeply lyrical and fascinating sound vistas. Sadowski eschews flashy expositions and prefers solid compositions, based on coherent melodic themes, which are the basis for his sound-paintings. His music leaves much to the listener’s imagination and real-time interpretation, which of course means that with every listening session the aural result might resound differently, which is a rare quality. Despite the fact that the album offers only slightly over half an hour of music, it definitely presents a full musical package, naturally leaving the listeners wishing for more. The team of musicians that performs on this album is nothing short of a “dream-team” every artist might desire to work with, setting aside any individual ambitions other than do their best to contribute to the success of Sadowski’s compositions. The delicate minimalism, which is the prevailing artistic directive on this album, pays off in full, according to the “less is more” principle, with the music rather floating in the air than hitting the listener directly between the ears. Judging by the quality of his output in the last few years, Sadowski proves that he is by far not a “one hit wonder” and has plenty to say, all of which is worth listening to. He definitely emerges as one of the most interesting figures on the young Polish scene, who deserve to be followed closely. Overall, this is a stunning piece of a wonderful musical treasure, which deserves to be heard by as many true music lovers around the globe as possible, regardless of their stylistic preferences. This is simply universally beautiful music!

Updated: 05/01/2022Posted: 05/01/2022

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

MACIEJ SADOWSKI KWADRAT ~ JAZZ DLA ZWIERZAT EASTRINGS 0001 (Barcode: 194171743108) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is the debut album as a leader by Polish bassist / composer Maciej SadowskiFind albums by this artist, recorded with his quartet called KwadratFind albums by this artist (square in English, clearly alluding to the quartet), which also includes trumpeter Dawid LipkaFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Michal Jan CiesielskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Tomasz KoperFind albums by this artist. Guitarist Marcin GalazkaFind albums by this artist guests on one track. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Sadowski. The music, although melody based, is very original and moves freely across several genres, touching on Rock, Fusion, Groove, mainstream Jazz and even Improvised Music. The compositions are the absolute focus of this album, although the instrumentalists are all extremely effective. Sadowski is an experienced player with an impressive portfolio of recording as a sideman and studio musician and he shines on this album as well. The most fascinating aspect of the music is the central role of the bass and a strong polyrhythmic diversity excellently handled by the drummer. But of course the trumpeter and saxophonist offer impressive soloing all the way through and contribute to the overall success. Although seemingly an acoustic quartet, there is an extensive use of electronic devices, adding sheets of sound behind the instruments and creating a very impressive and unusual overall sound. One could say that these effects serve as an additional member of the quartet playing the synthesizer. On the track featuring the guitar player his guitar also sounds almost entirely like a synthesizer. The most extraordinary synthesizer effects are associated with the bass, which sounds often like a bass clarinet when playing arco. In short this album offers really innovative approach to playing the instruments, and combined with the superb and unique compositions the overall result is absolutely refreshing. Overall this is definitely a surprisingly excellent debut album, which deserves a lot of attention and again shows that the new generation of Polish Jazz players possesses unlimited creativity, rarely found elsewhere. Absolutely delightful listening experience - Hats off!

Updated: 22/11/2019Posted: 22/11/2019

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

SEKSTANS ~ SEKSTANS MULTIKULTI 010 (Barcode: 5907529223376) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2011 Released: 2013 This is an excellent debut album by the young Polish Jazz sextet called SekstantFind albums by this artist and originating form the Baltic Tricity, founded and led by saxophonists Lukasz JuzkoFind albums by this artist and including saxophonist Piotr CheckiFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Dawid LipkaFind albums by this artist, pianist Szymon BurnosFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej SadowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Tomasz KoperFind albums by this artist. The album comprises of seven original compositions, two of which (the opening and closing tracks) are improvised pieces, three are composed by Juzko and one each by Sadowski and Koper. As usual with the young Polish Jazz ensembles the music crosses all possible boundaries and is almost impossible to be neatly categorized. On top of the obvious Jazz tradition there are traces of Rock and even Punk (especially in the somewhat hassle-free attitude), Free Jazz and even Improvised Music excursions and many other elements, which of course make this music fascinating and unpredictable. The usage of electric piano and the brass arrangement on certain pieces take the ensemble close to Jazz-Rock Fusion, but then electronics and Ambient elements remind the listener that this is 21st Century and music is constantly changing and expanding its idioms. Underlying these stylistic explorations, the compositions present solid melodic themes, which are all quite impressive. Both the individual abilities of these players and their collective cooperation are very impressive. As usual it´s hard to believe that these are such young players only starting their musical life´s journey. The open-mindedness and personal courage to explore non-trivial music and eschew mediocrity are truly admirable. I eagerly anticipate the next step on this ensemble´s path, which in view of this promising debut could be even more thrilling. In the meantime this is a true little gem, which should give Jazz connoisseurs a most pleasurable listening experience. Well done!

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend