Record Reviews

MICHALSKA / JARZMIK QUINTET ~ MONIUSZKO: PRAGNIENIA I ROZTERKI MUSIC ART FUN (Barcode: 5907745979309) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz quintet co-led by vocalist Patrycja MichalskaFind albums by this artist and pianist Adam JarzmikFind albums by this artist, which also includes saxophonist Jakub LepaFind albums by this artist, bassist Mateusz SzewczykFind albums by this artist and drummer Stefan RaczkowskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven Jazz arrangements by Jarzmik of songs from the "Home Songs" collections composed by Polish Classical composer Stanislaw MoniuszkoFind albums by this artist, with texts by different Polish poets. Moniuszko published twelve volumes of "Home Songs", which contained altogether 268 songs, meant to be sung by people at home, rather that be used for performances in concert halls. They include some of Moniuszko´s most beautiful melodies and are full of the typical Polish melancholy and lyricism. The album was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist with the usual excellent sound quality. 2019 is Moniuszko´s birth bicentenary, which resulted in quite a few new recordings of his music, but this album is certainly one of the most successful modern interpretations of his music, full of respect and deep understanding of his credo, especially the lyrical streak, which was superbly captured by Jarzmik´s arrangements and the delicacy of Michalska´s vocal delivery. The music is splendidly executed, as expected. Jarzmik is an excellent pianist, with an established reputation and his playing is always a source of great pleasure. Lepa, who played with Jarzmik on all of his albums so far, is perfect for the job, adding ably to the ensemble sound. The rhythm section, although very young, does exactly what is expected, with precision and taste. Michalska delivers the lyrics with sensitivity and respect, avoiding unnecessary theatrics, which could have spoiled the desired result. Overall this is an intelligent, very well played piece of music, which treats the legacy of Moniuszko´s music with respect and love, adding a contemporary point of view, which might be instrumental in bringing this music to younger generations of listeners. A splendid debut effort by all means – well done!

Updated: 08/06/2020Posted: 17/09/2019

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MOW ~ HISTORIE ZEBRANE HEVHETIA 0169 (Barcode: 8588005258319) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by Polish ensemble MOWFind albums by this artist, which comprises of vocalist / songwriter Ania BratekFind albums by this artist, pianist Aga DerlakFind albums by this artist, bassist Mateusz SzewczykFind albums by this artist and drummer Patryk ZakrzewskiFind albums by this artist. Guitarist Jakub MizerackiFind albums by this artist guests on three tracks. The album presents eleven original songs, all featuring lyrics (in Polish language) written by Bratek and all but one were composed by Bratek and one co-composed by her. All songs were arranged by the ensemble members. The album was recorded at the Monochrom Studio and was engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, with the expected excellent sonic result. The music is a Jazzed-up Alternative Pop, but basically eschews clear genre classification. The focus is naturally on the lead vocals, accompanied by a piano trio, which collectively offers a constant stylistic duality between the vocal parts, which are more Soul / Pop oriented and the instrumental piano trio parts, which are clearly Jazz related. The mixture does work together well and the album is an interesting listening experience. For the Polish speaking audiences, the well crafted and intelligent lyrics offer an additional benefit. Bartek´s vocal delivery is somewhat theatrical, which emphasizes the messages delivered by the lyrics. She is able to express the emotions as well as the melodic / harmonic contents with ease and sincere involvement, and her compositions are exciting and diverse enough to make the music flow swiftly and keep the listener interested all the way through. The instrumental work is also excellent, which is hardly surprising as Derlak´s piano playing already earned her a lot of attention in spite of her young age and short mileage. The rhythm section sticks to the Jazzy formula with great bass lines and inventive drumming moving the music forward. Mizeracki´s guitar parts are also admirable and it´s a pity he wasn’t featured as a regular member of the band. Overall this is an excellent debut offering, which will hopefully be followed by new music soon. The two female Artists on this album are a sign of the growing role of the Women Power in Polish Jazz, which is wonderful of course. Kudos to the Slovak HevhetiaFind albums on this label label for supporting the Polish music scene since several years, and for offering new opportunities and exposure to creative Artists, which the local Polish record industry is unable to contain. Well done Milady and all the best in the years to come!

Updated: 22/12/2018Posted: 22/12/2018

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MARCIN PATER ~ NOTHING BUT TROUBLE EMME 1917 (Barcode: 850869006503) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz vibraphonist / composer Marcin PaterFind albums by this artist recorded in a trio format with bassist Mateusz SzewczykFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam WajdzikFind albums by this artist. Guitarist Jakub MizerackiFind albums by this artist guests on three tracks. The album presents nine original compositions, eight of which were composed by Pater and one co-composed by him with other musician. The album was released by the Italian label EmmeFind albums on this label Records, as the result of the trio winning the first prize at the 2018 Jazz Juniors competition in Krakow. The music is a wonderful amalgam of cross-genre explorations, moving between modern mainstream Jazz and Jazz-Rock Fusion, based on beautifully melodic themes. The level of all the compositions is truly excellent and very surprising considering the young age of the composer. The three tracks featuring Mizeracki are understandably much more Fusion oriented, due to the dominating sound of the electric guitar, whereas the trio tracks are much more airy and atmospheric. Pater emerges as a surprising vibraphone Master, playing with remarkable confidence and technical proficiency. Every strike of his mallets is precise and superbly expressive, using sustain and delicate variations of the pressure to produce a wonderful palette of sounds. It is truly heartwarming to see the much neglected instrument finally being treated with respect and virtuosity it deserves. The rest of the crew is also excellent of course. Szewczyk and Wajdzik support the leader with swinging fluidity and Mizeracki adds another layer to the music, stirring things up with his edgy approach, but also remarkable flexibility. Altogether the trio / quartet present a clockwork precision and a velvety sound, which work like a dream. The album brings on some fond nostalgic memories or early Gary BurtonFind albums by this artist quartet featuring Larry CoryellFind albums by this artist (or the birth of Fusion), which are still some of best examples of vibraphone virtuosity not related to Bebop. Overall a very impressive debut album, perhaps not very innovative musically, but very refreshing and focusing on a neglected and much loved instrument, which definitely put this album in the short list of best Polish Jazz debuts for 2019. Well done and definitely worth investigating!

Updated: 31/12/2019Posted: 31/12/2019

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ANDRII SACHEVA ~ ELUSIVE SIGNS SJ 021 (Barcode: 5912596066245) ~ UKRAINE ~ Jazz-Rock-World Fusion Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 This is the debut album (an EP lasting just under twenty minutes) by the Ukrainian (resident in Poland) violinist / multi-instrumentalist / composer Andrii SachevaFind albums by this artist. The album was recorded by various lineups involving musicians from six different countries. The five tracks on the album, all original compositions by Sacheva, feature female vocalists, and in the case of three of them it is the Polish vocalist Julia KaniaFind albums by this artist, who also wrote the English lyrics for these songs. Other young Polish participants are keyboardist Bartosz KalickiFind albums by this artist, bassist Mateusz SzewczykFind albums by this artist and drummer Liliana ZieniawaFind albums by this artist. The music is basically melodic Pop with rich instrumental arrangements, which include in addition to the conventional instruments also some electronically generated sounds. The arrangements are elaborate and include some cross-genre influences from Jazz, World and Ambient music. The overall sound and atmosphere of the music is rather somber and melancholic, quite appropriate for soundtrack of a mystery / thriller movie. Sacheva plays a plethora of instruments in addition to the violin, but his performances on this album are not extensive enough to learn in depth about his abilities as an instrumentalist. Judging by whatever can be heard he is definitely a gifted musician. The performances by all the other participants are first-rate, especially the vocalese parts by Lithuanian vocalist Ida SevelkaityteFind albums by this artist on one track. Overall this is a promising debut effort, but still very ambivalent musically. Although these tracks present a coherent approach, the exact stylistic maturity is still to be clarified in the future, which of course usually happens in time.

Updated: 30/09/2017Posted: 30/09/2017

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