Record Reviews

ILONA DAMIECKA / TOMASZ LICAK QUINTET ~ PIESNI POLSKIE VOL.1 NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is the debut album by the Polish Jazz quintet co-led by vocalist / pianist Ilona DamieckaFind albums by this artist and saxophonist Tomasz LicakFind albums by this artist, which also includes saxophonist Michal Jan CiesielskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Pawel GrzesiukFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam GolickiFind albums by this artist. The album presents six songs by Polish Classical composers: Stanislaw MoniuszkoFind albums by this artist, Feliks NowowiejskiFind albums by this artist and Mieczyslaw KarlowiczFind albums by this artist, arranged for the quintet by Licak. The music was recorded live at the Radio Gdansk studio and offers a remarkable sound quality. The music is an interesting Jazz-Classical Fusion, and although personally I am not a great fun of the original music, composed mostly in the 19th Century, these Jazz arrangements manage to transform it into the Jazz idiom rather successfully. The swinging treatment transforms the original melodies, many of which are based on Polish Folklore, into a much more vigorous environment and the resulting modern mainstream zest serves them well. The ballads emphasize the typical Polish melancholy, again deeply rooted into Polish Folk music, and those also work out very well in the up-to-date dressing. The closing song on the album gets a much more adventurous treatment, and perhaps points to a direction of the follow up album? The entire transformation process is done with taste and sophistication, which deserves to be praised. The members of the quintet are all seasoned musicians, which is clearly obvious by the splendid level of the performances herein. The idea of the double saxophone front line is excellent, but sadly although the two saxophonists perform beautifully on their own they do not play together enough, which might have intensified the result. Damiecka plays some wonderful piano soli and her treatment of the original lyrics, which are replaced by her vocalese, is also excellent, albeit somewhat minimalist. The rhythm section swings passionately and carries the tunes forward, as expected from professionals. Overall this is a superb debut effort and a most enjoyable listening experience, which as the title pledges, is just a first glance of the future plans by the quintet. Passionate performances, great soloing and swinging fluidity – what else can one expect form a mainstream modern Jazz album. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 16/07/2020Posted: 16/07/2020

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JASKULKE SEXTET ~ KOMEDA RECOMPOSED NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 5900378715009) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by a Polish Jazz sextet led by pianist / composer Slawomir JaskulkeFind albums by this artist, which also includes five excellent musicians of the young Polish Jazz generation: trumpeter Emil MiszkFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Piotr CheckiFind albums by this artist and Michal Jan CiesielskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Piotr KulakowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Roman SlefarskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions by Jaskulke, which were, as the album´s title suggests, "inspired by the creations" of Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist, the Godfather of modern Polish Jazz. The titles of the eight compositions clearly define (for the Komeda erudite) the specific Komeda´s compositions which were the source of the related inspirations. To be perfectly honest I´ve just about had it with the various Polish Jazz Komeda related projects. Komeda has been mercilessly re-composed, de-composed, un-composed and mercilessly mutilated each and every possible and impossible way for decades and he really deserves some piece and quiet to be appreciated exactly for what he had to say by himself. Of course this is just my personal opinion, but hey, enough is enough! Having said all that, this album is by all means a nice piece of Polish / European Jazz, mostly due to the exceptional performances by these young musicians, who sound as if they have been at it since decades. The album offers many superb solos and extraordinary ensemble playing. The music, however, is pretty predictable and the Komeda quotations are a bit corny. Nevertheless it is a very pleasant listening experience altogether, but the somewhat pretentious title is not reflected in these pretty standard mainstream offerings. Overall this is a very pretty, melodic, easy on the ear Jazz album, which has very little to do with Komeda´s urgency and restlessness, but is very listenable and with Komeda´s name in the title will be highly praised by Polish "critics" and fans alike.

Updated: 24/11/2019Posted: 01/08/2018

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DOMINIK KISIEL EXPLORATION QUARTET ~ EXPLORATION ALPAKA 003 (Barcode: 191924149699) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by the young Polish Jazz pianist / composer Dominik KisielFind albums by this artist and his quartet called Exploration QuartetFind albums by this artist, which also includes saxophonist Michal Jan CiesielskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Piotr SzajrychFind albums by this artist and drummer Antoni WojnarFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions, all by Kisiel. The music is a melody based modern Jazz, with typical Polish lyrical inclinations, and melancholic tendencies, which the young Polish Jazz generation seems to have adopted as their favorite modus operandi. The beautiful themes are all wonderfully crafted and serve as ideal vehicles for the musicians to express their improvisational abilities. Some more energetic and more open compositions are also included, to balance the low-key material, and those are equally impressive. Both Kisiel and Ciesielski are able to articulate the melodic motifs and the improvised parts formidably, amicably supported by the rhythm section every step of the way. Together the quartet is able to create a coherent and well balanced ensemble sound, which does not reflect any lack of experience in spite of the of the musicians´ young age. Overall this is a very impressive debut, which emphasizes both Kisiel´s compositional skills and his work as an instrumentalist, superbly supported by his quartet members. Since the album´s release was postponed for technical reasons (it was recorded in 2016) and Kisiel and the quartet also released this year (2018) a live album, with different but no less excellent material, this year is certainly a remarkable jumpstart of his future career, which is definitely worth following. Well done indeed!

Updated: 20/12/2018Posted: 20/12/2018

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DOMINIK KISIEL EXPLORATION QUARTET ~ LIVE AT RADIO KATOWICE PRK 0137 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is a live recording by young Polish Jazz pianist / composer Dominik KisielFind albums by this artist and his quartet called Exploration QuartetFind albums by this artist, which also includes saxophonist Michal Jan CiesielskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Piotr SzajrychFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam GolickiFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, four composed by Kisiel, two by Ciesielski and one by Golicki. The music is typical modern young Polish Jazz, based on excellent melody based compositions and superbly performed by these young musicians, who never cease to amaze how well musically advanced they are despite their young age. It is worth to mention that the material present on this album is completely different from the material included on the quartet´s debut studio album recently released on AlpakaFind albums on this label Records, which proves the prolific compositional capacity of the quartet members. The individual performances are all excellent and the concert setting allows the musicians to stretch out and play long solos without being concerned by time limitation often present in the recording studio. As a result three of the tunes performed here last for over ten minutes in duration. Kisiel skillfully builds up his solos gradually, with excellent usage of dynamics and harmonics, adorned with his technical skill, which is spotless. Ciesielski also stretches out wonderfully, playing with confidence and beautiful sense of lyricism, at all times supported amicably by Kisiel. The rhythm section does an excellent job as well, with Golicki showing his maturity and experience gained over the last few years. Szajrych keeps mostly to the basics, as he seems to be the most inexperienced player in the quartet, but his performance is stable and accurate, exactly what one would expected from a solid bassist in a quartet. Overall this is an excellent effort by the young generation of Polish Jazz players, full of great tunes and superb performances, which is a true fun to listen to and admire their talents and abilities. Definitely well done!

Updated: 06/10/2018Posted: 05/10/2018

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PAULINA PORSZKE ENSEMBLE ~ ADDAPTACJA NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz keyboardist / vocalist / composer Paulina PorszkeFind albums by this artist recorded with a seven piece ensemble with second keyboardist Jan JareckiFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Aleksander KaminskiFind albums by this artist and Michal Jan CiesielskiFind albums by this artist, cellist Weronika KulpaFind albums by this artist, bassist Filip ArasimowiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Maksymilian KreftFind albums by this artist. Except for the two saxophonists and the bassist, the rest of the players have no previous recording experience as far as I know. The album presents five original compositions, one in two parts, all composed by Porszke. From the very onset of the music it becomes immediately apparent that this is a completely original and idiosyncratic piece of music, unlike almost everything that the Polish Jazz scene produced in 2020. Although obviously Jazz oriented, the music is all over the place (in the best meaning of the aphorism), touching on contemporary Classical Music, Free Improvisation, solid melodic themes and at times heartbreaking expressionism and even Romanticism. Such diversity might be a sign of a lack of focus and coherency, but in this case the opposite is true, since although the music is based on cross-genre pollination, it has unifying determination and above all Artistic / aesthetic depth, rarely achievable by such young musicians as Porszke. The complex and challenging music is spectacularly executed by the ensemble. Although there are many inspiring individual statements herein, it is the ensemble performance that is the true forte of this recording. The individual soli are usually short and concise, obviously purposely so, as the leader / composer wishes to present a specific collective ensemble sound and ambience rather than feature the individual statements. Porszke´s use of wordless vocalese deserves a special mention, and is another refreshing facet of the music. It is great to see that some of the representatives of the new generation of European Jazz realize that Jazz music is no longer a simplistic couple of chords theme, 4/4 rhythmic structure and "let´s go" approach. Jazz is becoming more and more Artistic, sophisticated, expressive, intellectual, emotional and above all personal, similar to what one can hear on this album. This music is obviously deeply personal and Porszke uses it as a vehicle to express her innermost experiences, exactly as other true Artists do regardless of what Art Form they utilize to express themselves. It is almost "frightening" to think that if this is Porszke´s debut album, what she will come up with next. Personally I can´t wait to hear it, but on second thought just take your time young Lady…I keep my fingers crossed!

Updated: 07/01/2021Posted: 07/01/2021

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QUANTUM TRIO ~ DUALITY NGM 0001 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 This is the second album by the Quantum TrioFind albums by this artist, which consists of Polish saxophonist Michal Jan CiesielskiFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Kamil ZawislakFind albums by this artist and Chilean drummer Luis Mora MatusFind albums by this artist. The double CD album presents fifteen original compositions, nine composed or co-composed by Ciesielski, three by Zawislak and nine by Matus. Musically the album continues from where the debut left off, presenting a series of excellent melodic compositions, executed with vigor and obvious technical proficiency. The lack of bass does not hinder the trio´s Swing and ability to use odd meters and switch tempi unpredictably, which of course is great fun to listen to. The music is more extrovert and expressive than on the debut, but the basic concept is still there, this time significantly developed and expanded. The use of overdubs on some tracks creates a much denser and complex overall aural effect, also expanding upon the basic concept of the trio. Although the music is beautifully executed, it is the superb compositions that turn this album into a first class musical experience. Full of great harmonies and lyrical melody lines the music is captivating and flows with a remarkable coherence and elegance. The World Music motifs are much more significant on this album, and they again add a completely new dimension to the music, enabling the exploration of new sonic vistas. Overall this is a great album, which can be enjoyed by a wide range of listeners, including even those who do not listen to Jazz on a regular basis, as it encompasses many universal musical devices, sub-consciously understandable to a wide range of music loving listeners. It takes several listening sessions to explore the full depth of this impressive and large volume of music that this album offers, but the effort is certainly highly rewarding. It is great to see that the trio is able to pass the "second album" trial with flying colors, and of course they join the list of ensembles on the "worth following" list with distinction. Well done indeed!

Updated: 25/05/2017Posted: 25/05/2017

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QUANTUM TRIO ~ GRAVITY FOR TUNE 0054 (Barcode: 5902768701616) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2015 This is the debut album by the Quantum TrioFind albums by this artist, which consists of Polish saxophonist Michal Jan CiesielskiFind albums by this artist and pianist Kamil ZawislakFind albums by this artist and Chilean drummer Luis Mora MatusFind albums by this artist. It presents ten original compositions, three of which were composed by Ciesielski, one by Zawislak, four by Matus and the remaining two by all three members of the trio. The music is mostly serene, intimate and reflexive, with strong and beautiful melodic themes and a distinct Classical influence. The chamber ambience is also emphasized by the lack of bass, which usually supplies the Jazz pulsation, not present here. Nevertheless this is undoubtedly a Jazz album, although the music is very elegant and almost lofty, somewhat similar to the Scandinavian touch. Contrary to what the trio publishes in their promo materials about their music, all of the music herein is perfectly composed and arranged and shows no traces of spontaneous composition / improvisation. The personal contributions by all three trio members are without reproach; Ciesielski plays delicate, long phrases with beautiful intonation and great sensitivity, Zawislak masterly accompanies the saxophone parts and plays elegant solo parts and finally Matus ornaments the music with his rich palette of percussive sounds, showing great imagination and a lot of skill. Overall this is a very enjoyable, delicate and aesthetically pleasing album, and a most impressive debut outing. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come. Definitely recommended!

Updated: 25/05/2017Posted:

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QUANTUM TRIO ~ RED FOG EMME 1909 (Barcode: 850869006350) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is the third album by the Quantum TrioFind albums by this artist, which consists of Polish saxophonist Michal Jan CiesielskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Kamil ZawislakFind albums by this artist and Chilean drummer Luis Mora MatusFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, two by Ciesielski, one by Zawislak, three by Matus and one credited to all trio members. The album offers a wonderful sound quality, albeit quite unusual and demanding due to the unorthodox balance between the instruments. With an average once every two years release schedule the trio managed to established a unique sound and stylistic approach to their music, which stays faithful to melody based compositions, but gradually opens up to distance itself from the Jazz mainstream. This album offers a new, rather dark and somewhat industrial sound, which differs from the two earlier albums but continues the trio´s musical direction. The trio offers a very unusual approach to instrumentation, with a delicate balance between the saxophone, piano and drums, not depending on the usual bass provided harmony and pulse, which might sound pretty weird at the first hearing, but has a lot of charm and intrinsic tension. The drums are given an absolute equal rank within the trio, which is almost never present elsewhere. As usual the personal performances are all exquisite and offer grace, elegance and sophistication way beyond what one might expect from young Jazz musicians. The complexity, mostly rhythmical, of the music demands a telepathic communication between the trio members, which is found here aplenty. Again, as usual, it is the level of the compositions that makes this music stand out above the average and turns this album into an exciting listening experience. Overall this is a mature, coherent piece of music by a trio that knows exactly where it is going, which offers splendid ambitious music, which keeps the listener on his toes from start to finish, being definitely one of the most exciting albums so far this year. Well done, again!

Updated: 18/05/2019Posted: 18/05/2019

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MACIEJ SADOWSKI KWADRAT ~ JAZZ DLA ZWIERZAT EASTRINGS 0001 (Barcode: 194171743108) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is the debut album as a leader by Polish bassist / composer Maciej SadowskiFind albums by this artist, recorded with his quartet called KwadratFind albums by this artist (square in English, clearly alluding to the quartet), which also includes trumpeter Dawid LipkaFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Michal Jan CiesielskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Tomasz KoperFind albums by this artist. Guitarist Marcin GalazkaFind albums by this artist guests on one track. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Sadowski. The music, although melody based, is very original and moves freely across several genres, touching on Rock, Fusion, Groove, mainstream Jazz and even Improvised Music. The compositions are the absolute focus of this album, although the instrumentalists are all extremely effective. Sadowski is an experienced player with an impressive portfolio of recording as a sideman and studio musician and he shines on this album as well. The most fascinating aspect of the music is the central role of the bass and a strong polyrhythmic diversity excellently handled by the drummer. But of course the trumpeter and saxophonist offer impressive soloing all the way through and contribute to the overall success. Although seemingly an acoustic quartet, there is an extensive use of electronic devices, adding sheets of sound behind the instruments and creating a very impressive and unusual overall sound. One could say that these effects serve as an additional member of the quartet playing the synthesizer. On the track featuring the guitar player his guitar also sounds almost entirely like a synthesizer. The most extraordinary synthesizer effects are associated with the bass, which sounds often like a bass clarinet when playing arco. In short this album offers really innovative approach to playing the instruments, and combined with the superb and unique compositions the overall result is absolutely refreshing. Overall this is definitely a surprisingly excellent debut album, which deserves a lot of attention and again shows that the new generation of Polish Jazz players possesses unlimited creativity, rarely found elsewhere. Absolutely delightful listening experience - Hats off!

Updated: 22/11/2019Posted: 22/11/2019

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VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ ILLINOIS JACQUET IN MEMORIAM NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2005 Released: 2017 As the title suggests, this is a tribute album to the great American saxophonist Illinois JacquetFind albums by this artist, recorded live by top Polish Jazz musicians. The album presents eight tunes recorded over a period of one year at the Gdynia Jazz club UCHO and two bonus tracks recorded earlier at the NOSPR concert hall in Katowice. The album features ten Polish tenor saxophone players, whose ages span four generations: Piotr CheckiFind albums by this artist, Michal Jan CiesielskiFind albums by this artist, Przemek DyakowskiFind albums by this artist, Tomasz GrzegorskiFind albums by this artist, Dariusz HerbaszFind albums by this artist, Janusz MuniakFind albums by this artist, Maciej SikalaFind albums by this artist, Wojciech StaroniewiczFind albums by this artist, Irek WojtczakFind albums by this artist and Jan Ptaszyn WroblewskiFind albums by this artist. They are accompanied by various rhythm sections comprised of organist Wojciech KarolakFind albums by this artist, vibraphonist Dominik BukowskiFind albums by this artist, guitarists: Maciej GrzywaczFind albums by this artist, Marcin WadolowskiFind albums by this artist and Michal ZienkowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Janusz MackiewiczFind albums by this artist and drummers: Eric AllenFind albums by this artist (an American in Gdynia who played with Jacquet´s quintet and Big Band) and Tomasz SowinskiFind albums by this artist. Two of the tracks are originals by Jacquet and the rest are standards. Although recorded live, the album offers excellent sound quality. The music is everything one might expect form a tribute album like this one: familiar tunes, superb playing and an obvious joy ride. This is Swing and Bebop at its best and the participants seem to have great fun but the performances are all professional and heartfelt. It is great to see four generation of Polish Jazz musicians cooperating on one stage and playing every inch as good as any American musician might do, again simply wiping out any inferiority complexes still present among Polish Jazz musicians and many Jazz fans in Poland. Mainstream classic Jazz fans all over the world should have a great fun with this music, as it is full of the Jazz spirit and offers a high standard of playing well beyond of what is present on similar album recorded over the pond. The entire project, including this superbly produced album with beautiful artwork and fabulous photography is an obvious labor of love and the people standing behind it deserve all the praise we can offer them, including buying the album. Great stuff!

Updated: 24/11/2019Posted: 31/07/2018

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