Record Reviews

WOJCIECH LICHTANSKI ~ IGA AUDIO CAVE 2019/002 (Barcode: 5905669566681) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is the second album by the young and upcoming Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Wojciech LichtanskiFind albums by this artist, recorded in a classic quartet setting with players of his generation: pianist Mateusz PalkaFind albums by this artist, bassist Jakub DworakFind albums by this artist and drummer Patryk DoboszFind albums by this artist, collectively called the QuestionsFind albums by this artist quartet. The album presents nine compositions, eight of which are originals by Lichtanski and one is a standard. The music was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and offers a remarkable sound quality, as expected. During the five years that separate this album from the debut Lichtanski recorded rather sparingly and as a result this album was highly anticipated. Happily he is able to fulfill the expectations, coming up a long way both as a saxophonist and more importantly as a composer. The music on this album offers a solid and coherent selection of excellent compositions, which are all within the modern mainstream idiom, but offer diversity and sophistication, and most importantly wonderful melodic themes. The treatment of the standard, which usually is a kind of filler on most albums, is absolutely sublime and constitutes one of the strongest statements on the album. From the early days of his career it was obvious that Lichtanski is an exceptional instrumentalist. Having matured and polished his chops, his saxophone playing a true delight, both technically and emotionally. But his most important forte is the wonderful tone he manages to produce both on the alto and soprano saxophones. It is sweat and mellow, but steady and firm at all times and makes him one of the most distinct voices on the young Polish Jazz saxophone scene, amazingly effective both as a romantic "crooner" and a scorching improviser. All three players accompanying Lichtanski are already established talents with respected recording legacy, so their superb performances are hardly surprising. Palka is a great pianist and his unexpected accordion contributions on this album are a nice touch. Dworak is a very supportive and creative bassist and does a superb job here. Dobosz, who also has an impressive record behind him, is a tad too busy on this album (my very personal feeling) and too high in the mix, but obviously a first class player. Overall this is a beautiful album, in many respects the true debut as far as Lichtanski´s career is concerned, which offers excellent modern Jazz of the highest standard, which should satisfy any true Jazz connoisseur on this planet. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 13/04/2019Posted: 13/04/2019

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SZYMON MIKA ~ TOGETHERNESS HEVHETIA 0175 (Barcode: 8588005258425) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018 This is the second album by the Polish Jazz guitarist / composer Szymon MikaFind albums by this artist, recorded, same as the debut album, in an intimate trio format with bassist Max MuchaFind albums by this artist and Israeli drummer Ziv RavitzFind albums by this artist. Three guest musicians appear on selected tracks: vocalist Basia DerlakFind albums by this artist, who also contributed the lyrics to the four songs she appears on, Joachim MencelFind albums by this artist who plays the hurdy-gurdy on three tracks and pianist Mateusz PalkaFind albums by this artist, who plays on five tracks. The album presents eleven original compositions, all by Mika. It album was beautifully recorded at the Monochrom Studio and engineered by Maciej StachFind albums by this artist. The music on this album is decidedly more diverse and shows a more searching attitude than the excellent debut album, which is very encouraging and promising development. There are obvious World Music influences present in this music, but also openness and noticeable reach beyond mainstream Jazz, which was still the core of the debut album. Mucha and Ravitz are ideal partners in this quest for new identity, both of them being unconventional in their approach to music and exceptionally gifted, providing exquisite support to Mika´s lead parts and building a solid, but adventurous, rhythmic layer behind him. The four vocal tracks are also quite surprising and show another facet of Mika´s talent. Derlak sings in Polish, which is already a good starting point, and handles the relatively complex music with ease and obvious flair. Her Folksy mannerisms are a nice addition to the Jazz setting and I´d love to hear more of her in such setting. The tracks with Mencel and Palka, when the ensemble becomes a quintet (or even sextet with the addition of vocals) are somewhat different form the trio tracks, offering more conventional melody lines and ambience and adding to the overall diversity and fluency of the album as a whole. Overall the album is a clear and elegant step forward for Mika in many respects: as a composer, a bandleader and a guitarist. He joins the ranks of the new generation of Polish Jazz musicians, who are gradually taking over the center of the stage both in Poland and in Europe. Kudos are also due to the Slovak HevhetiaFind albums on this label label, which is rapidly becoming one of the most important, open minded and active record labels in Europe and manages to expand its roster of artist to include many of the young generation´s top artists, including neighbors from across the Tatra Mountains, and support them loyally. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 11/08/2018Posted: 11/08/2018

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MATEUSZ PALKA ~ BLUR ECHO ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2020 Released: 2021 This is the second album as a leader by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Mateusz PalkaFind albums by this artist and his first solo piano effort. The album presents fourteen relatively short pieces, five of which are even shorter untitled “variations”, all composed by Palka. The album was recorded at the splendid Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, offering a spectacular sonic experience. The music is absolutely wonderful, floating gently between romanticism and modernism, with strong ties to Polish / European Classical tradition, full of beautiful minimalist melodic motives, harmonic structures and inspired improvisations. In many respects the music is only partially Jazz oriented, being Jazzy more spiritually than formally, and it remains always beyond any attempt of being clearly categorized. One can recognize some contemporary Polish Jazz influences in this music, like those of Piotr WylezolFind albums by this artist, who was Palka’s teacher and Dominik WaniaFind albums by this artist, who undoubtedly served as a lofty inspiration, both being some of the finest piano players / composers in Jazz today, in Poland and beyond. Solo piano album is undoubtedly the ultimate Jazz challenge, especially for artist as young as Palka, and the fact that he manages to overcome the difficulties and create such outstanding piece of music, is quite overwhelming in every respect. Overall, this is a brilliant album from start to finish, which offers a challenging music and at the same time a wonderfully deep aesthetic experience, which is fresh and daring. Cleverly avoiding categorization, this music should delight both modern Jazz listeners and contemporary Classical Music enthusiasts. Combined with some of the best sound quality of solo piano recordings out there, this is nothing less than a spiritual experience.

Updated: 11/02/2022Posted: 11/02/2022

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MATEUSZ PALKA ~ MELODIES. THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN POLSKIE RADIO 2431 (Barcode: 5905610870034) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2022 Released: 2023 This is the 3rd album as a leader by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Mateusz PalkaFind albums by this artist, and the 2nd recording by his trio with bassist Piotr PoludniakFind albums by this artist and drummer Patryk DoboszFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten tracks, nine of which are original compositions by Palka and one is an improvised solo bass piece by Poludniak. The album offers excellent sound recording quality, which for piano trio albums is an absolute must. The music is wonderfully melodic and full of typical Polish lyricism and melancholy, strongly influenced by Polish Classical and Folklore traditions. Palka continues to develop the stylistic directions set by his two previous albums, adding a bit of Jazzy openness and even Freedom to the prevailing melodic dominance, clearly showing an aesthetic development. But the main focus of the music remains on the melodic content, which is somewhat minimalist and uses moments of silence as an integral part of the aural message. The rhythm section plays wonderfully along, with Poludniak standing prominently beside the leader, adding his harmony and rhythmic pulsations. Dobosz plays sparingly and a bit quietly, which is exactly what this music requires, but when the music calls for more dynamics, he’s there 100%. The sound of the trio is somewhat unusual, especially since the music is mostly low-key, and as a result requires more than usual attentive listening to catch all the details. Overall, this is a very elegant, delicate Jazz piano trio album, which should delight the many followers of this format. The music is beautifully flowing from one tune to the next, a true blessing in today’s noise dominated environment. Polish / European Jazz lovers will definitely enjoy this album for all it stands for. Warmly recommended!

Updated: 31/12/2023Posted: 31/12/2023

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MATEUSZ PALKA ~ SANSA EMME 1704 (Barcode: 850869006145) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz pianist / composer Mateusz PalkaFind albums by this artist and his trio which also includes bassist Piotr PoludniakFind albums by this artist and drummer Patryk DoboszFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine compositions, seven of which are originals by the leader, one is composed by Poludniak and one is a standard. The album was beautifully recorded at the RecPublica Studios and engineered by Maciej StachFind albums by this artist. The album´s title and artwork obviously hint as to someone´s adoration of the "Game Of Thrones" imagery. The album was released by an Italian label, which means that the young Poles age definitely going places! The music is deeply melodic and typical of contemporary mainstream European Jazz idiom, with emphasis on the Polish lyricism and melancholy, which are almost omnipresent on recordings by Polish Jazz musicians / composers. The themes are developed gradually and lingeringly, which adds to the tension this music creates and keeps the listener on edge. The overall level of composition is excellent and composition is the focus of this album. The trio plays very well together, with the piano clearly dominating the proceedings, but the rhythm section being audible and leading the music amicably. Dobosz displays a wide array of percussive trickery, which suits the music perfectly, while Poludniak keeps his bass lines down to earth and solid like a rock. The overall sound and attitude of the trio is fresh and innovative, especially in view of the fact that it rarely swings in the traditional meaning of the term, but allows for a large degree of rhythmical space, which is intriguing and very effective. Overall this is a stunning debut effort, as surprising as many other debut efforts by young Polish Jazz musicians, who seem to have found the formula to keep Jazz alive and kicking and intellectually challenging. These young lions are the hope of European Jazz, and in the not to distant future should achieve the acclaim they so well deserve. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 14/09/2017Posted: 14/09/2017

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MATEUSZ PALKA / SZYMON MIKA ~ POPYT SJ 011 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015 This is the debut album by the young Polish Jazz quartet co led by pianist Mateusz PalkaFind albums by this artist and guitarist Szymon MikaFind albums by this artist, with bassist Alan WykpiszFind albums by this artist and drummer Grzegorz MaslowskiFind albums by this artist. It presents six original compositions, four by Palka and two by Mika, and one standard. Stylistically the quartet seems to continue the mainstream Jazz tradition, which crystallized in America in the 1960s and was captured on classic Jazz recordings by labels like Blue Note and numerous others. The album´s ambience and overall sound character is very similar to what was created in that milieu at that period of time and automatically brings on waves of nostalgia. The excellent original compositions, all very melodic, clearly structured and swinging rhythmically are ideally suited for creating that kind musical environment. Personally I think that a more free approach, which the ensemble utilizes on the last track on the album, should be a pointer to their future path, especially in view of how well they manage to handle it here. The individual performances are all superbly executed, way beyond what one might expect form such young musicians, but in today´s reality that fact is almost universally true; musicians mature faster and reach their peak as performers much earlier in their careers. The quartet works very well as a unit surprisingly because these four young musicians are so different from each other. Palka is obviously the instigator of many ideas and wishes to say as much as possible in a given time frame, whereas Mika is an island of tranquility and a king of "cool", playing exactly what is needed at a given moment, with obvious flair and beautiful "old fashioned" tone, which sounds simply marvelous. Wykpisz is a brilliant bassist, with incredible feel for time and melody, and keeps the entire ensemble in check, which allows Maslowski to be all over the place and fill the blanks (or rather intervals) with his pulsating ornamentations. This is definitely a solid and promising debut album by musicians who are surely going places on the Polish Jazz scene and beyond in years to come. Well done indeed!

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MARGO ZUBER ~ CISZA SJ 077 (Barcode: 5905489720522) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2023 Released: 2024 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz vocalist / songwriter Margo ZuberFind albums by this artist. The album was recorded in an unusual setting with the vocalist supported by Hammond organist Kajetan GalasFind albums by this artist, pianist Mateusz PalkaFind albums by this artist and drummer Grzegorz PalkaFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine tracks, eight of which are original songs, one composed by Zuber, five co-composed by Zuber and Galas and two composed by Galas, all with lyrics by Zuber. The ninth, a bonus track, is an interpretation of the iconic “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” composed by Charles MingusFind albums by this artist with words by Joni MitchellFind albums by this artist. Despite the fact that Galas is one of my favorite Polish Hammond players and I absolutely love his playing here, and both Mateusz Palka and Grzegorz Palka are excellent and by now very experienced instrumentalists, and together they manage to provide a very interesting and unusual instrumental accompaniment on this album, the rest of it does not work for me. The compositions are way too similar to each other, which makes the album sound samey and flat for the entire duration. The vocal parts have a very limited range, both emotional and musical. There are some touching moments of course, especially the brilliant piano touches, but not enough to support a lasting interest in the music for the entire duration. It is a matter of taste I suppose, but sadly I remained unconvinced, although I did listen to the very end waiting for the bonus track, which sadly wasn’t able to save the day. Overall, despite an honest effort on my side I remain unimpressed, which of course is entirely my fault. I hope to be proven wrong next time and thank everybody for their efforts.

Updated: 25/03/2024Posted: 25/03/2024

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