Record Reviews

FUSION GENERATION PROJECT ~ NO FUSION ALLEGRO 027 (Barcode: 5901157049278) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2012 - 2013 Released: 2013 This is the debut album by young Polish quartet called Fusion Generation ProjectFind albums by this artist, which consists of keyboardist Dariusz PeteraFind albums by this artist, guitarist / cellist Krzysztof LenczowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Lukasz Jan JozwiakFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof KwiatkowskiFind albums by this artist. They perform nine original compositions, six of which are by Petera and the rest are one each by the other three quartet members. Saxophonist Marcin KajperFind albums by this artist and American trumpeter Michael Patches StewartFind albums by this artist appear as guest on a few tracks. The music is a nice brand of Jazz-Rock Fusion, on the lighter side of the genre almost touching on instrumental Pop occasionally. The tunes are very melodic and pretty straight-forward, but the level of performances as well as the general atmosphere of the album is quite excellent. There are also a few nice surprises, for example when the guitarist plays the cello out of the blue, and other less enjoyable ones when the album starts with a long drums solo track. The keyboardist, who is also the principal composer of the material, is the Jazziest player in the quartet, whereas the guitarist (at least when playing the guitar) is a definite Rocker. The excellent rhythm section is quite Funky on the other hand, so the overall effect works well, without taking any major risks. The usage of the sax and trumpet seem a bit out of place as the band sounds pretty balanced as a quartet and loses the focus with the addition of the brass. Stewart´s solos, although adequate, seem out of place stylistically and sort of misguided. But overall the music is good fun and a nice listen, especially when driving. I´d prefer that such talented musicians would have played a more adventurous and challenging music altogether, but each to his choices and the future will tell where does all this lead. In the meantime this album will surely find many satisfied listeners.

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LUKASZ PAWLIK ~ LONELY JOURNEY PAWLIK RELATIONS 011 (Barcode: 5901289325103) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Funk Fusion Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 This is the debut album as a leader by Polish keyboardist / composer Lukasz PawlikFind albums by this artist, recorded with saxophonist Dawid GlowczewskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Pawel PantaFind albums by this artist and drummer Cezary KonradFind albums by this artist. The polish team is joined by American guitarist Mike SternFind albums by this artist on one track and trumpeter Michael Patches StewartFind albums by this artist on three tracks. The album presents eight original compositions, all by Pawlik. The music is a slick, melodic Jazz-Funk / Groove / Smooth Jazz, similar to countless other albums of this sort. It is very well performed by all participants, who are true pros, and makes your feet tap, but once it´s over there is nothing left. The compositions are all pretty good, but again, hardly remarkable or memorable. Why on earth would a talented Polish young musician play music, which others (yes Americans) have been playing ad nauseam since the 1970s, not moving an inch forward in the last almost 50 years. Admittedly the Polish team is in every respect as good as their American counterparts, so what? Although this kind of music has its followers, which of course is fine, this is only very marginally, if at all, Jazz and should not be labeled as such. Overall this is a good Funk / Groove album, very well played, which lovers of the genre should enjoy in full, but definitely not something a Jazz connoisseur would listen to. And yes, Stern´s solo is as good as one might expect ;)

Updated: 12/03/2016Posted: 12/03/2016

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MICHAEL PATCHES STEWART ~ ON FIRE UNIVERSAL 602537537594 (Barcode: 602537537594) ~ USA ~ Pop & Rock Recorded: 2012 Released: 2013 Although released under the name of American Jazz trumpeter Michael Patches StewartFind albums by this artist, this is in fact a product of cooperation between American and Polish Jazz musicians. The Americans also include saxophonist Kenny GarrettFind albums by this artist, keyboardist George DukeFind albums by this artist (on one track only), drummer Poogie BellFind albums by this artist and a few others. The Poles are represented by bassist / keyboardist Robert KubiszynFind albums by this artist, guitarist Marek NapiorkowskiFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Pawel TomaszewskiFind albums by this artist and others. The album comprises of eight tracks, four of which were composed by Kubiszyn and the remaining four by American composers. One track includes vocals. The music has almost nothing to do with Jazz and is a kind of instrumental Soul / Funk with only marginal Jazzy touches. The melodies are completely banal and unremarkable and the improvisations shallow. The performances are well executed, which is not surprising considering the level of the musicians involved and their professionalism. However the overall result is pretty miserable, screaming "muzak" and "elevator music" from start to finish. Why such talented musicians would stoop so low is completely beyond me and I hope they´d all rather forget this disaster ASAP. What a waste of talent!

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