Record Reviews

KUBA BANASZEK ~ 2020 AFRO VIBE 007 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2021 - 2022 Released: 2024 This is the 2nd album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Kuba BanaszekFind albums by this artist, this time recorded with bassist Alan WykpiszFind albums by this artist and drummer Maksymilian OlszewskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents thirteen tracks, eleven of which are a classic Jazz piano trio pieces and two are solo piano pieces, one of which features vocalist Zuza BaumFind albums by this artist. The music is a superb example of modern Jazz, mostly delicate and introvert, elegantly played by Banaszek both on acoustic piano and the electric Fender Rhodes, which adds another layer of sound. The excellent rhythm section supports the leader amicably and unobtrusively, which is always a great strength in a piano trio. A pleasure to hear Wykpisz and his sophisticated bass lines, as he somewhat “went underground” lately and I missed his round bass notes, which appeared on many albums s few years ago. The album is very much a trio effort, despite the fact that the leader wrote all the music, as he solos sparingly, shifting the responsibility from his shoulders to the ensemble effort, which I appreciate very much. Especially when the music becomes very melancholic and almost lethargic, and the rhythm section is what keeps it afloat. The beautifully minimalist melodic themes weaved by Banaszek are truly magical. Although composed and recorded quite soon following the debut, this album proposes a huge step forward in the leader’s approach, showing a process of reflection and maturity. As such, the music becomes more difficult and less immediately likeable than the debut album, but offers a way more power of expression and determination, observing the “less is more” principle. Overall, this is a beautiful and highly rewarding piece of music, albeit definitely non-trivial and demanding, certainly at the initial contact. In retrospect, it definitely deserves to be counted as one of the best Polish Jazz efforts released in 2024.

Updated: 14/01/2025Posted: 14/01/2025

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KUBA BANASZEK ~ BAND OF BROTHERS SOLITON 0692 (Barcode: 5901571096926) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz pianist / composer Kuba BanaszekFind albums by this artist recorded in a classic quartet setting with saxophonist Marcin KonieczkowiczFind albums by this artist, bassist Tymon TrabczynskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Maksymilian OlszewskiFind albums by this artist – all three already with some recording experience on the young Polish Jazz scene (the lineup was sadly omitted from the album´s artwork). The album presents eight compositions, seven of which are by Banaszek and one is a standard. The music is excellent modern Jazz, with remarkable original compositions, full of typical Polish melancholy and lyricism, which make Polish Jazz what it is, but also clever usage of unusual time signatures and intrinsic cool, which sets them immediately apart from most of the competition. Even the unusual treatment of the standard is outstanding. The performances do not stay behind and these young Lions show superb skills despite their young age and relative lack of experience. Banaszek´s compositions are very open and allow unlimited freedom of expression both for the leader and the entire crew. Piano solos are the obvious centerpiece of the album, but the saxophone parts are no less impressive and the rhythm section is outstanding, playing the difficult odd time signatures, which seems to be the composer´s natural habitat, with ease and elegance. Trabczynski offers some really impressive bass support and Olszewski, who stays mostly in the shadows, shows some sublime drumming minimalism, which is way more effective than obsessive banging. Overall this is definitely one of the most impressive Polish Jazz debuts for 2020, especially since it is able to take the classic Jazz quartet so far away from its much ragged banality. It has been a while since I have been so deeply impressed with a piano quartet recording, simply playing Jazz – no shticks and no tricks – just pure music. This album certainly immediately makes the listener want to hear more, which hopefully won´t have to wait long to take place. This is brilliant stuff and I am grateful to its makers for keeping my desire for good music to prevail, as it often gets pretty desperate under the barrage of mundane bullshit. Respect!

Updated: 02/01/2021Posted: 02/01/2021

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ESKAUBEI & TOMEK NOWAK QUARTET ~ 10/10 NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rap Fusion Recorded: 2024 Released: 2024 This is the 5th album by Polish Rap and Jazz ensemble which finds rapper Bartlomiej SkubiszFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. EskaubeiFind albums by this artist) combining forces with a Jazz quartet led by trumpeter Tomek NowakFind albums by this artist, which also includes keyboardist Kuba BanaszekFind albums by this artist, bassist Alan WykpiszFind albums by this artist and drummer Maksymilian OlszewskiFind albums by this artist. DJ Wojciech DlugoszFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Mr. KrimeFind albums by this artist), vocalist Aleksandra TockaFind albums by this artist and a string quartet also take part in the proceedings. The album present ten original compositions, all of which were composed by Nowak. Skubisz wrote all the lyrics. As the title suggests, the album celebrates the 10th Anniversary of the ensemble’s existence. The album continues the same basic concept that was used on the previous albums, which sets the lyrics written by Skubisz against Jazz tunes, which serve at times as background / accompaniment to the lyrics but also take the front stage when Nowak or Banaszek play solo parts. After ten years of working together the Jazz-Rap Fusion is brought to perfection and seems as natural as any other cross-genre exploration and combined with the wonderful musicianship by the participants it offers its own aesthetic ambience, rather than a random opportunistic conglomerate of styles. The arrangements on this album are more elaborate than on early recordings, which adds another layer of interest. Overall this is another solid release by this ensemble, which maintains the same level of execution and musical ingenuity. As I already pointed out earlier on, the very close stylistic similarity of all the albums released so far, should perhaps be refreshed / reconsidered in forthcoming projects. But so far the formula works out splendidly, so on the other hand not trying to change something that works well is a better choice. I had a blast listening to this music, as usual!

Updated: 21/01/2025Posted: 21/01/2025

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ESKAUBEI & TOMEK NOWAK QUARTET ~ SWEET SPOT FPJ 56A-19-01 (Barcode: 5907558261905) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rap Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the third album by Polish Rap and Jazz ensemble which finds rapper Bartlomiej SkubiszFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. EskaubeiFind albums by this artist) combining forces with a Jazz quartet led by trumpeter Tomek NowakFind albums by this artist, which also includes keyboardist Kuba PluzekFind albums by this artist, bassist Alan WykpiszFind albums by this artist and drummer Maksymilian OlszewskiFind albums by this artist. DJ Wojciech DlugoszFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Mr. KrimeFind albums by this artist), saxophonist Bartlomiej PrucnalFind albums by this artist, vocalist Aleksandra TockaFind albums by this artist and a few additional vocalists also take part in the proceedings. The album present thirteen original compositions, nine of which were composed by Nowak, one by Pluzek and three are collective instrumental improvisations. Skubisz wrote all the lyrics except two which he co-wrote with other people. The album repeats the same basic concept that was used on the two previous albums, which sets the lyrics written by Skubisz against Jazz tunes, which serve at times as background / accompaniment to the lyrics but also take the front stage when Nowak or Pluzek play solo parts. After five years of working together the Jazz-Rap Fusion is brought to perfection and seems as natural as any other cross-genre exploration and combined with the wonderful musicianship by the participants it offers its own aesthetic ambience, rather than a random opportunistic conglomerate of styles. Skubisz manages to express his views, often very controversial, critical and bitter, with clarity and coherence, using well developed language and eschewing vulgarism and simplistic shortcuts. Although the resulting Rap is somewhat "soft" in comparison to the usual hardcore roughness that characterizes the genre, his messages are my no means less striking, penetrating of evocative. Of course his target public is probably quite different from the typical Rap followers, especially when combined with Jazz, but his consistent activity definitely managed to create a strong following over time. Overall this is another solid release by this ensemble, which maintains the same level of execution and musical ingenuity. The only point worth consideration for future releases might be the very close similarity of the three albums released so far, which perhaps should be refreshed / reconsidered in forthcoming projects.

Updated: 19/06/2019Posted: 19/06/2019

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FLASH! ~ BUJAKA W GUMIAKACH HEVHETIA 0211 (Barcode: 8588005258944) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is the second album by Polish trio The Flash!Find albums by this artist, founded by saxophonist / composer Slawomir PezdaFind albums by this artist with bassist Jakub DworakFind albums by this artist and drummer Maksymilian OlszewskiFind albums by this artist. On this album they are joined by Boston based guitarist Dustin CarlsonFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven pieces, six of which were composed by Pezda and one is by the American duo Lightning BoltFind albums by this artist. The music is a further exploration of the concepts described in my review of the debut album "SilaFind albums with this title" and manages to produce a completely original "wall of sound" Punk Jazz, which is as much controversial as it is fascinating. It is difficult to decide if the musicians are mocking contemporary Pop, Rock, and even Jazz in its ridiculous crudeness and oversimplification, or they are just pissed off and want to relieve some bad vibes, but the overwhelming effect is certainly achieved. Of course it is plainly obvious that these guys are brilliant musicians, no kidding there. To make things clear everything here is perfectly planned and executed with the attention to the minute details, so obviously nothing was left to chance. The sheer audacity and the amount of ideas are simply staggering. In any case any attempt do describe this music in words is simply futile and nothing will replace the exposure to the actual aural content. The attitude brings fond memories of the early experiments of Polish Yass movement, when quite a few of such original creations were produced, but on today´s Polish music scene The Flash! are sadly almost completely lonesome. It is remarkable to see (or rather hear) how well Carlson fits within this madness; he is truly a spiritual kin to the members of the trio and manages to complete and expand the diversity of the sound without changing the basic attitude and direction, which is truly amazing. Obviously not for everyone, but personally I love this music to bits, every second of it. The Rock genes in my musical personality are vibrating happily and my Zappaesque aesthetics of "don´t care what you think" are fully satisfied! This is brilliant stuff!

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

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FLASH! ~ SILA HEVHETIA 0144 (Barcode: 8588005258012) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 This is the debut album by Polish trio The Flash!Find albums by this artist, which consists of saxophonist Slawomir PezdaFind albums by this artist, bassist Jakub DworakFind albums by this artist and drummer Maksymilian OlszewskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven original compositions, all by Pezda. The music is a very surprising twist of Punk / Rock / Jazz power trio approach, very similar to the stuff done by Scandinavian trio The Thing. Pezda´s solid tunes are structured and melodic enough to be easily followed and serve as a basis for his lengthy improvisations. The bass uses electronic fuzz and distortion to produce a very thick and loud sound and the drums are primarily used to supply a straightforward steady beat. The overall idea is to sound as loud and uncomplicated as possible, providing a hypnotic and easy to follow grove, although the saxophone improvisations are far from simplistic. It is difficult to guess if the band recorded this album as a cynical exercise to ridicule some of the contemporary directions in Jazz, which tend to castrate the music from its artistic values and its power, or perhaps this is a serious protest against the musical establishment, hypocrisy of the Art world and other social dilemmas. Whatever the motivation might be, this is a very strong statement, which is difficult to be ignored. Some of the Polish musicians who established the Yass movement in the 1990s might smile and say to themselves "we have already tried this ages ago", but in all fairness this music has perhaps some of the Yass attitude, but musically it is quite different and often much more ambitious. Pezda´s performances on this album are a unique example of treating the saxophone as a Rock instrument, similar to what was quite natural in the early 1960s as part of the Rhythm And Blues and Big Beat music, and than completely disappeared. This album is definitely worth hearing and experiencing (watch the volume!) and it is difficult to predict how it will be accepted by the Jazz audiences, but it´s pretty easy to guess that the young generation should love it, as it usually loves everything that is loud and projects anti-establishment (in music this time). Congrats to the band for being unconventional! I had a great fun listening to this stuff!

Updated: 08/05/2023Posted: 13/01/2017

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MILOSZ SKWIRUT ~ ROAD MOVIES NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the debut EP album (under half an hour of music) by young Polish Jazz bassist / composer Milosz SkwirutFind albums by this artist, recorded with several other young Polish Jazz musicians like pianist Katarzyna PietrzkoFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Dominik BienczyckiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Marcin HilarowiczFind albums by this artist, drummer Maksymilian OlszewskiFind albums by this artist, percussionist Lukasz KurzydloFind albums by this artist, vocalist Susanna Jara-MaleckaFind albums by this artist and veteran vocalist Jorgos SkoliasFind albums by this artist, who appears on one track. The album presents five original compositions, all by Skwirut. The cinematic term "road movie" refers to the genre which tells a story of a person leaving home and venturing on a journey of discovery, which often changes the hero´s perspective of life and shapes his character. The strong World Music influences, which are reflected in Skwirut´s music, are the analogy to a virtual journey into different cultures, with the compositions serving as mini-soundtracks of that imaginary journey´s chapters. The music is based on strong melodic motifs, which are then ornamented by World Music rhythms and an atmosphere of mysticism and exoticism, crated by the vocalese and synthesizer parts and Skwirut´s use of arco. All the participants do a truly splendid job, which suits the intended atmosphere of the music ideally. As expected the vocals by Skolias are one of the highlights of this offering. The album is obviously just a glimpse at Skwirut´s abilities as a composer and a player, rather than a full-fledged musical offering, for which we have still to wait. But this glimpse is certainly fascinating and intriguing enough to create an anticipation of things to come. Considering the fact that Jazz-World Fusion is not a very popular and strongly present idiom on the contemporary Polish Jazz scene, especially that exploring World cultures beyond the Slavic sources, this music is a breath of fresh air. In short, this is a very nice introduction to the musical world of Milosz Skwirut, which offers great compositions and excellent playing by his cohorts, rising high hopes for his future ventures!

Updated: 03/07/2019Posted: 03/07/2019

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JOANNA SLOWINSKA ~ ZIELNIK POLSKI ROZSTAJA 116 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016 This is an album which presents a live recording of a very grand musical undertaking, which brings together vocalist Joanna SlowinskaFind albums by this artist, a well known Polish World Music singer, with a Polish Classical orchestra Sinfonietta CracoviaFind albums by this artist and a Polish Jazz quartet led by young and upcoming violinist Stanislaw SlowinskiFind albums by this artist, which also includes pianist Katarzyna PietrzkoFind albums by this artist, bassist Justyn MalodobryFind albums by this artist and drummer Maksymilian OlszewskiFind albums by this artist. Together they perform twelve pieces, two of which are instrumentals and ten are songs featuring lyrics by Jan SlowinskiFind albums by this artist. In case you are wondering, Joanna and Jan are Stanislaw´s parents. Stanislaw Slowinski composed the music to eleven of these pieces and the last piece on the album was composed by Joanna Slowinska and arranged by Stanislaw. The album´s title ("Polish Herbarium"), the titles of the individual pieces and their subject matter clearly suggest that this is a concept album and the pieces are in fact a song cycle. The overall atmosphere, soaked in typical Polish melancholy, religious martyrology and solemn reflection is heavy and overbearing, and creates a piece of music that is definitely not easy to absorb or even listen to. The sound is mostly massive and daunting, often overdramatic and even cataclysmic, something which could easily be used as a horror movie soundtrack, rather than something listeners would chose to listen to voluntarily. The only piece, which is performed by just the vocalist and the Jazz quartet, is definitely the most coherent piece on the album. The music, although dominated by Classical influences, manages to amalgamate strong folkloristic themes and subtle Jazz sensitivity and shows talent and dedication by the composer and all the musicians involved. It seems Stanislaw Slowinski is trying to conquer the musical world a bit too aggressively and a bit prematurely, even for such talented young men as he is. It is worth to remember that less is often more, both in music and life in general. Having said all that, this is still definitely an unusual and ambitious album that deserves to be heard and appreciated. A little less intensity and drama next time should make everything just perfect.

Updated: 25/02/2017Posted: 25/02/2017

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STANISLAW SLOWINSKI ~ LANDSCAPES TOO EASY TO EXPLAIN HEVHETIA 0139 (Barcode: 8588005257978) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016 This is the debut album by a quintet led by Polish Jazz violinist / composer Stanislaw SlowinskiFind albums by this artist, which also includes trumpeter Zbigniew SzwajdychFind albums by this artist, pianist Katarzyna PietrzkoFind albums by this artist, bassist Justyn MalodobryFind albums by this artist and drummer Maksymilian OlszewskiFind albums by this artist. Together they perform seven original compositions, all by the leader. The music is an excellent example of modern Polish Jazz, which although melody based and well within the mainstream convention, manages to maintain a very high level of compositions and performances. It is soaked with typical Polish melancholy and Slavic melodic motifs, and of course focuses on the violin as the leading instrument, and as a result one can hardly find a more spiritually "Polish Jazz" album than this one. The pairing of the violin and the trumpet as the two lead instruments proves to be extremely effective and harmonically attuned, in spite of its rarity. As usual with the new generation of the Polish Jazz musicians, Slowinski, despite his young age, has already an impressive list of accomplishments to his credit, which includes leading / membership in several projects, including as diverse directions as Improvised Music on one hand and Classical Music on the other. This album, which sits, as already mentioned, comfortably within the mainstream Jazz idiom, presents yet another facet of Slowinski´s versatility and is primarily dedicated to presenting his compositions. But of course his performances on the violin are full of beautiful sensitivity and technical excellence. It is worth mentioning that Slowinski is yet another representative of the Polish Jazz Violin School, which enjoys an incredible renaissance in the last decade, and places Poland in the leading position as far as violin artistry is concerned in the Jazz field. He joins the ranks of many of his colleagues, who proudly continue the traditional role of the violin as one of the most expressive instruments available to mankind. The rest of the quintet members are all of course excellent performers as well. Szwajdych delivers melodic accompaniment and excellent solo parts, Pietrzko lays out the harmonic layer upon which the tunes progress and fills the gaps with her delicate but solid statements, and hopefully will play more solo parts on future recordings. The rhythm sections provides admirable and flawless support to the soloists, and plays always at the right levels to make the music a whole bigger that the sum of its parts. This is definitely a very impressive debut, which comes with a firm recommendation to follow these wonderful young people in their future endeavors. Well done indeed!

Updated: 30/12/2016Posted: 30/12/2016

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SOPHIA GRAND CLUB ~ 4 A.M. AFRO VIBE 001 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rap Fusion Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by the Polish ensemble Sophia Grand ClubFind albums by this artist, comprising of rapper EskaubeiFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Bartlomiej SkubiszFind albums by this artist), saxophonist Bartlomiej PrucnalFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Kuba PluzekFind albums by this artist, veteran bassist Vitold RekFind albums by this artist and drummer Maksymilian OlszewskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions, four by Pluzek, three by Rek, one co-composed by Pluzek and Rek and one improvised piece credited to all members of the ensemble. Seven of the numbers feature lyrics by Eskaubei and one is an instrumental. Musically the album continues the formula set up by Eskaubei with his two albums recorded with Tomek NowakFind albums by this artist Quartet for the For Tune Label, i.e. Jazz tunes featuring Rap and spoken word amalgamating the genres into a new musical entity. Pluzek, who proves to be one of the most versatile players / composers on the young Polish Jazz scene, delivers again some fiery Jazz / Funk tunes and Rek adds his more melancholic contributions, together creating a wonderful collection of highly effective musical vistas. Eskaubei yet again delivers a set of meaningful texts, touching upon deeply troublesome problems of contemporary life, social relationships, loneliness, injustice and many others. It is a pity the lyrics were not included in the album´s artwork, as they are definitely worth reading on their own. These lyrics could be seen as contemporary revelation of what we once called "protest songs" fifty of so years ago, just to show that the world is nothing like a TV commercial, then or today. The instrumental work is also first rate, with Prucnal delivering some soulful solos and elegant accompaniment, Pluzek is master of the ceremony with his keyboards providing most of the melodic and harmonic framework, Rek plays wonderful bass parts, which are both very Jazzy and superbly Funky at the same time, and finally Olszewski adds his polyrhythmic Groove to keep things moving ahead. Overall this is another superb album by Eskaubei and his instrumental cohorts, which proves that Rap can be a meaningful idiom, both musically and textually. Highly recommended to open-minded listeners, who like to be told the truth straight in their faces, which even the Funk doesn´t make much easier to digest. Well done again!

Updated: 01/04/2018Posted: 01/04/2018

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