Record Reviews

JOLA LITERSKA ~ PROTEST SONGS (PIESNI LUTRA) NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Gospel Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017 This is a wonderful and completely out of the ordinary album by Polish (well Silesian) vocalist Jola LiterskaFind albums by this artist, which as the title suggests presents her interpretation of eight songs composed and written by the 16th Century Protestant Reformation leader Martin LutherFind albums by this artist, who was also an accomplished composer. Literska´s concept is to interpret these songs as Protest Songs, which in many respects they were, considering the theological and social upheaval Luther´s teachings managed to create. Literska sings the songs in the Polish language and is accompanied by a small group of musicians, which includes guitarist Tomasz BienekFind albums by this artist, bassist Andrzej RusekFind albums by this artist and violinist Tomasz MuchaFind albums by this artist; all three also arranged the songs. Guitarist Stefan MalejkaFind albums by this artist and violinist Jacek DzwonowskiFind albums by this artist guest on a couple of tracks. Although the music has distinctive mediaeval characteristics, it sounds also amazingly contemporary, and turns out to be almost Bluesy. The arrangements, which are very delicate and minimalistic, are astoundingly effective and powerful. Literska´s beautiful vocals, which are kept within strict stylistic limitations, amaze with their simplicity and intrinsic gorgeousness. The instrumentalists make every note count and adorn the spiritual music with angelic beauty. This album is a superb example of great taste, intelligent treatment of the subject matter and divine esthetics, which combined together are simply irresistible. Even without the deeply theological layer, which is expressed by the song´s lyrics, the music has a spiritual nature and quality, which is almost never achievable by today´s musical standards. Personally I was completely smitten by this concept album, which proves the power of modesty and "less is more" approach, especially if the actual concept matter is as powerful as in this case. It takes a lot of courage to tackle such an unusual and ideologically challenging project and the fact that the result is as powerful and successful as in this case, is truly rewarding. This is definitely one of the most unusual recordings on the Polish scene in quite a while and I recommend to every music connoisseur, including those who do not know the Polish language, to try and get a copy of this gem. Silesia Rules!

Updated: 11/02/2018Posted: 11/02/2018

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SOUNDCHECK ~ MARTIN LUTHER: SUITE FOR JAZZ QUARTET AUDIO CAVE 2019/012 (Barcode: 5905669566865) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2015 Released: 2019 This is the fifth (although by my count the sixth) album by the excellent Polish Jazz quartet SoundcheckFind albums by this artist led by saxophonist / composer Maciej KocinskiFind albums by this artist with pianist Krzysztof DysFind albums by this artist, bassist Andrzej SwiesFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof SzmandaFind albums by this artist. It presents a six-part suite dedicated to the great reformist Martin LutherFind albums by this artist and one additional bonus tracks, all composed by the leader. The album marks the return to "active duty" by the quartet, which was almost completely absent from the scene in the last seven years of so, with their last recordings dated 2012 (including also Kocinski´s debut solo album recorded and released that same year). Since their formation in 2002 and the release of their debut album on 2005, Soundcheck experienced a meteoric rise to stardom, reaching the status of one of the very best young Polish / European Jazz ensembles, and therefore their disappearance from the scene was as mysterious as it was heartrending. I was glad to see Kocinski´s name popping up on two Polish Jazz albums recorded in 2018, and this album under the quartet´s moniker is a happy occasion, although the music was recorded back in 2015 and was a part of Kocinski´s Ph.D. thesis rather than a planned full fledged release. In the liner notes Kocinski talks about his emotional and intellectual involvement with Luther´s ideas and teachings, both those about the religious and the social ideology behind the reformation. Musically the album is noticeably more reflective and reserved that the quartet´s earlier work, full of lyrical melodic themes, which are slowly developed by the quartet. It is also more constrained and allows less free improvisation, mostly staying on a firm melodic ground. The individual performances by the quartet members, although as brilliant as always, are less extrovert and flashy, displaying mostly concentration and elegance. Make no mistake, these are some of Polish Jazz best players today, but this recording in definitely not intended to show off and speaks strongly to true connoisseurs rather than Jazz adventurers. Personally I love this music, but considering the rapid progress and the incredible level of contemporary Polish Jazz scene, its density, competitiveness and incredible overflow of superb recordings, this album could be endangered by the tendency to be overlooked. Seven years in such circumstances could be significant and Jazz "critics" / listeners unfamiliar with the quartet´s legacy and Artistic scope could probably miss the point, as it happens way too often. Hopefully that will not happen in this case. Glad to see you back, hoping for a real new album to be recorded and released ASAP and wishing you all the best, as always. What a great soundcheck this is ;)

Updated: 07/11/2019Posted: 07/11/2019

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