Record Reviews

DIXIE WARSAW JAZZMEN ~ CHINA BOY NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2012 Released: 2012 This delightful album presents the Polish Traditional Jazz ensemble Dixie Warsaw JazzmenFind albums by this artist, which comprises of musicians who used to play with other Polish Trad ensembles like HagawFind albums by this artist, Vistula River Brass BandFind albums by this artist, Gold WashboardFind albums by this artist and others: trumpeter Stefan WozniakowskiFind albums by this artist, clarinetist and vocalist Andrzej BigolasFind albums by this artist, bass saxophonist Wlodzimierz HalikFind albums by this artist and banjoist and vocalist Zygmunt JagodzinskiFind albums by this artist. They invited the violinist Maciej StrzelczykFind albums by this artist as a special guest and finally added the Fuerte String QuartetFind albums by this artist to play with them, creating a most unusual Trad ensemble with a new approach and rich sound texture. The music includes seven classic Dixieland compositions mostly dating from the early 20th Century, newly arranged to include the string quartet parts and featuring Polish lyrics on some of them. The overall effect is quite surprising and fresh, which should please many listeners, even those who usually don´t listen to Trad Jazz. It is great to see Trad Jazz still being performed vigorously and with such obvious dedication. Many younger Jazz listeners, who are unaware of the early history of the music, should find this most educational on top of being highly enjoyable. Strzelczyk plays some wonderful solos here and all the rest of the musicians perform spotlessly and with inspiration. This is a great opportunity to take a peek at the less serious, demanding and often over-intellectual Jazz by visiting the historic sources of the music and simply having fun! Very nice indeed!

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend

ZBIGNIEW NAMYSLOWSKI ~ DANCES POLONIA 133 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 1997 Released: 1997 This album by veteran Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist summarizes many years of his career by concentrating on one of the most important characteristics of his music: the symbiosis of Jazz and World Music, or more precisely Jazz and folklore, as represented by dances from different regions. The album comprises of fourteen original compositions by Namyslowski, all of which are based on specific dance rhythms, like tango, waltz and samba or Polish folk dances like mazurka, kujawiak and oberek. Several of the compositions included on this album are new arrangements of compositions recorded and released previously over time. The music is performed by a quartet, which besides Namyslowski, who plays saxophone, flute and trombone (his original instrument) includes also pianist Krzysztof HerdzinFind albums by this artist, bassists Olgierd WalickiFind albums by this artist and drummer Grzegorz GrzybFind albums by this artist. Three additional players expand the lineup to a septet: accordionist Cezary PaciorekFind albums by this artist, violinist Maciej StrzelczykFind albums by this artist and percussionist Jose TorresFind albums by this artist. A Cuban percussion group guests on one tune (obviously the samba). Namyslowski´s ability to compose melodies, which fit the various rhythms and meters, including some very odd meters indeed, is absolutely phenomenal. This album is full of such clever tunes, which happen also to be delightful and sound completely "easy" in spite of their complex and capricious nature. The actual performance is of course first-rate, as always with ensembles led by Namyslowski, who is very strict and meticulous as far as playing is concerned. In many respects this is the most unconventional album ever recorded by Namyslowski in which Jazz plays still a central role, but is intertwined with the folkloristic elements so tightly, that is sounds often like a soundtrack to a documentary produced by National Geographic. Jazz connoisseurs will find this album absolutely charming in every respect, even though it covers musical ground not habitually associated with Jazz. It might be very difficult to find, but I urge every Polish Jazz enthusiast to lay their hand on a copy of this gem. Listening to this music is such a great fun!

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

ZBIGNIEW NAMYSLOWSKI ~ THE LAST CONCERT POLONIA 002 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1991 Released: 1992 This is a brilliant album by veteran Polish saxophonist / composer Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist, one of the pillars of modern Jazz in his country. A superb player and a gifted composer, Namyslowski first as a member of the Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist´s group and later as a leader of his numerous ensembles created excellent music and served as a model to generations of Jazz players in his country. This album, one of very few live recordings by Namyslowski, was captured at Warsaw´s Jazz Jamboree festival and features one of the strongest quartets Namyslowski ever led, with pianist Janusz SkowronFind albums by this artist, bassist Zbigniew WegehauptFind albums by this artist and drummer Cezary KonradFind albums by this artist. Violinist Maciej StrzelczykFind albums by this artist joins the quartet on a couple of tunes. All seven compositions performed are by Namyslowski and portray his wonderful sense of melody, polyrhythmic approach and tendency to incorporate World Music elements in his music. Two of the tracks are over 10 minutes long, which allows plenty of space for extensive improvisations. I have no idea why this album is entitled "The Last ConcertFind albums with this title" (perhaps this was the last concert with this particular quartet?), as this certainly wasn´t Namyslowski´s last live performance and he´s still playing brilliantly twenty years later, to the delight to his many admirers and fans, as well as writing great music. For lovers of Polish Jazz, this is an absolute classic, which should be a part of any decent Jazz collection. Highly recommended!

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

JAROSLAW SMIETANA ~ A TRIBUTE TO ZBIGNIEW SEIFERT JSR 0011 (Barcode: 5901119902399) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2009 Released: 2009 This is a stunning tribute album to the Polish violin virtuoso / composer Zbigniew SeifertFind albums by this artist by the great Polish guitarist Jaroslaw SmietanaFind albums by this artist and his band: pianist Piotr WylezolFind albums by this artist, bassist Zbigniew WegehauptFind albums by this artist, drummer Adam CzerwinskiFind albums by this artist and percussionist Slawomir BernyFind albums by this artist. Keyboardist Janusz GrzywaczFind albums by this artist guests on two tracks. Smietana invited nine leading Jazz violinists to play along with this fabulous band, performing Seifert´s wonderful compositions. They are: Jerry GoodmanFind albums by this artist (ex-Mahavishnu OrchestraFind albums by this artist, USA), Mateusz SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist (Poland), Didier LockwoodFind albums by this artist (France), Krzesimir DebskiFind albums by this artist (Poland), Christian HowesFind albums by this artist (USA), Mark FeldmanFind albums by this artist (USA), Maciej StrzelczykFind albums by this artist (Poland), Adam BaldychFind albums by this artist (Poland) and Pierre BlanchardFind albums by this artist (France). These nine virtuosi play like there´s no tomorrow and the resulting music is simply a breathtaking trip into Seifert´s world. This is such a conglomerate of talent, that anything said beyond this would be simply superfluous. Simply grab this ASAP, as you are about to take trip of your life – violin heaven indeed!

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

STRZELCZYK / ERENC / RODOWICZ ~ CHOPIN ON STRINGS NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017 This is the debut album by the Polish trio comprising of violinist Maciej StrzelczykFind albums by this artist, guitarist Romuald ErencFind albums by this artist and bassist Piotr RodowiczFind albums by this artist, who as the title suggests present twelve Jazzy arrangements of musical pieces originally composed by the Polish composer Frederic ChopinFind albums by this artist. The music of Chopin has been a source of inspiration for endless Polish Jazz recordings, up to the point where it seemed the subject is simply exhausted. In the last decade however, there have been considerably fewer attempts to tackle Chopin´s music, and this project is a nice breath of fresh air. Since most Chopin projects are obviously piano based, the idea to transcribe the music for string instruments is original and changes the entire point of view of contemporary interpretation of his music. The arrangements take a lot of liberties with the original music, especially in the rhythmic sense, which might be frowned upon by some purist, but the concept of freedom in interpreting music is a principle that should not be questioned. As a result, the listeners are exposed to familiar Chopin pieces, played in Bossa Nova rhythmic disguise, and other such unusual scenery, but the music is treated with respect and obvious love, as appropriate for the Polish National composer. The music is very carefully executed by the three gifted instrumentalists, and the album is altogether a pleasant listening experience, which bridges Classical and Jazz Music in a new and original way. Although definitely on the lighter side of the Jazz spectrum, it certainly has its audience and is a lot of fun to listen to. The music is excellently recorded and the resulting sound quality is another asset of this album. Lovers of Chopin´s music and accessible Jazz should have a field day with this.

Updated: 24/09/2017Posted: 24/09/2017

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend