Record Reviews

F.O.U.R.S. COLLECTIVE ~ TREEZZ SJ 010 (Barcode: 5912596066092) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2014 This is the debut album by a young Polish Jazz ensemble F.O.U.R.S. CollectiveFind albums by this artist, formed in 2010. The current quintet lineup was completed when the trumpeter Piotr SchmidtFind albums by this artist joined the existing members: saxophonist Stanislaw PlewniakFind albums by this artist, pianist Michal SalamonFind albums by this artist, bassist Jakub DworakFind albums by this artist and drummer Szymon MadejFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original compositions, five composed by Salamon and four co-composed by Salamon and Plewniak. The music is immediately recognizable as "spanking new", full of energy and vigor, which often characterizes the young Polish Jazz generation. Although kept well within the mainstream / melodic idiom, the music demonstrates a wide range of stylistic approaches, touching upon Jazz-Rock Fusion, classic modern Jazz and amalgamating World Music elements. But most importantly the level of the compositions is absolutely outstanding. Every tune on this album is a little gem, with a beautiful melody line, flowing structure and an ideal vehicle for improvisations. The individual performances are also first class; Salamon plays delicate acoustic piano and funky electric, Plewniak is especially effective on the soprano and the rhythm section does exactly what is right at all times, driving the music forward and providing the pulse which is an essential ingredient of this music. Schmidt, who is the most experienced player in the ensemble, sounds also invigorated in this setting and delivers some scorching trumpet solos. As a debut this is quite an achievement in any sense. Superb music, great playing, talent, determination and musical intelligence are all clearly visible here and hopefully this is just the first stem in a long a successful future career. Well done amigos!

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MONOSIES ~ STORIES OF THE GRAY CITY SOLITON 742 (Barcode: 5901571097428) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 - 2017 Released: 2017 This is the debut album by the Polish Jazz quintet MonosiesFind albums by this artist, led by guitarist / composer Lukasz KomalaFind albums by this artist, which also includes trumpeter Zbigniew SzwajdychFind albums by this artist, pianist Michal SalamonFind albums by this artist, bassist Krzysztof AugustynFind albums by this artist and drummer Mateusz KaronFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions, all by Komala. The music is very melodic, well within mainstream Jazz with slight Fusion touches, which are pretty natural when lead guitar is involved. Most of the tunes are pretty slow tempo, melancholic / romantic in nature, but excellently put together. Typically for the young generation of Polish Jazz musicians, the musicians mature with solid compositional abilities, which is apparent on almost all debut albums released on the Polish Jazz scene. All the eight tunes on this album are little gems, which are a pleasure to listen to. All the members of the quintet are also excellent instrumentalists. Szwajdych plays several superb trumpet solos, which are well suited to the melodic line of the compositions. Salamon plays fluidly and always with the exact dynamics required at each specific moment, Augustyn solidly supports the flow of the music with his bottom line pulsations and Karon keeps the energy of the music kicking in. Komala produces some very unusual guitar sounds, especially when playing chords, obviously using a plethora of electronic devices. His solos are more Fusion than Jazz oriented, but they are concise, coherent and elegant, and certainly avoid the unnecessary doodling that plagues most contemporary Fusion recordings. Overall this is an excellent debut album, which is full of great tunes and excellent performances. Guitar fans should have a lot of fun with this, but all melodic Jazz connoisseurs will find this album to be an exciting listening experience. Perhaps not very innovative, but this is definitely a sold, well executed project which presents Komala as a gifted composer and the entire ensemble as an eloquent group of young Jazz lions. Well done indeed!

Updated: 10/11/2017Posted: 10/11/2017

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QUINDEPENDENCE ~ CIRCUMSTANCES NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 5908254159688) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz ensemble QuindependenceFind albums by this artist which comprises of saxophonist / flautist Krzysztof MatejskiFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Dominik BorekFind albums by this artist, pianist Michal SalamonFind albums by this artist, bassist Milosz SkwirutFind albums by this artist and drummer Pawel NowakFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven tracks, four of which are original compositions (two each by Skwirut and Salamon), another two are arrangements of the first two of the fascinating seven piano pieces by Erik SatieFind albums by this artist called Gnossiennes and the last is a Polish Jazz standard by Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist. The music is modern melodic mainstream Jazz, with excellent original compositions and quite unusual complexity, which offers an excellent listening adventure. Although still full of the typical Polish lyricism and melancholy, the music goes beyond the typical conventions and boldly steps into new territory, which even much more established ensembles of this king rarely visit. The instrumental proficiency of these young players is also quite astounding, both on the individual level and as an ensemble. The complex music flows naturally and coherently, allowing for plenty of soloing opportunities and even some free form ensemble improvisation. Salamon, who is both a gifted composer and beautifully lyrical pianist (well remembered from the albums by F.O.U.R.S. CollectiveFind albums by this artist or MonosiesFind albums by this artist ensemble), sets the harmonic anchor for the proceedings and the horns deliver plenty of fiery moments. Skwirut not only keeps the music on track by his bass pulsations but also offers his two superb compositions, which are the most challenging pieces herein. Overall this is a wonderful debut album, which was sadly lost somewhere amongst the multitude of the excellent Polish Jazz releases at the time. Since the album was not followed by other releases, I assume it is not active any more, which is a pity. I have no idea how it arrived on my desk four years after it was released, but better late than never is absolutely true in this case as well.

Updated: 04/04/2020Posted: 04/04/2020

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MICHAL SALAMON ~ LION`S GATE NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 5903802495409) ~ POLAND ~ Smooth Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is the debut album as a leader by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Michal SalamonFind albums by this artist recorded in a quintet setting with trumpeter Zbigniew SzwajdychFind albums by this artist, violinist Mikolaj KostkaFind albums by this artist, bassist Milosz SkwirutFind albums by this artist and drummer Dawid FortunaFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten original compositions, all by Salamon. The music is all very melodic, melancholic and lyrical, developing very slowly and without much dynamics. It is only marginally Jazz oriented and could be easily considered Smooth Jazz or New Age. Although the team includes some very talented young Polish Jazz musicians, there are very little opportunities offered to Kostka or Szwajdych to improvise and solo extensively and the music is dominated by repetitive waves of piano phrases. The melodies are pretty similar to each other and there is not much happening for the duration of the album musically beyond what one can hear in the first few minutes. Yes, it is all very pretty and smooth, but it does not convey any musical message unfortunately. The album’s artwork is full of mystical / spiritual symbols as are the titles of the compositions, reflecting the New Age spirit behind the album. Overall for me this album is quite disappointing, especially since Salamon’s earlier recordings sounded way more promising. This music often sounds very similar to the music of Leszek MozdzerFind albums by this artist, who is a master playing such soulless music – lots of notes, no content. Of course this is only me, sorry Michal, not this time…

Updated: 19/03/2021Posted: 19/03/2021

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