Record Reviews

BEAT FREAKS ~ LEON GATEWAY (Barcode: 5707471047200) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016 This is the debut album by Polish ensemble The Beat FreaksFind albums by this artist, which consists of guitarist Michal StarkiewiczFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Tomasz LicakFind albums by this artist, bassist Pawel GrzesiukFind albums by this artist and drummer Radek WoskoFind albums by this artist. The album includes nine original compositions, all co-composed by all the ensemble members. The music floats between straightforward modern Jazz and Fusion, and somehow lacks the ability to present a cohesive musical concept. A few less constrained moments show the guitar and saxophone conversing and improvising, but the ensemble soon returns to a steady rhythm and typical vamping on the theme, which frankly is not very interesting. There are hardly any remarkable melodies which the listener can follow and all the tunes sound a bit similar to each other. The performances are all pretty professional, but not remarkable. These musicians can all play very well, but on this album their collective effort simply does not add up. Except for the one track on which Licak plays the bass clarinet, which is a nice melancholic ballad, all the rest of the tracks simply do not register in the long term memory. The guitar is definitely too aggressive and too loud in the balance, which does not help at all. It is hard to guess if the musicians involved wanted this album to come out the way it did, but basically it sounds like Polish Yass or American Punk Jazz from the 1980s and 1990s, music that might have been relevant at the time but definitely lost its charm over time. Of course this is just my personal opinion and others might like this music very much. Definitely not my cup of tea!

Updated: 02/11/2016Posted: 02/11/2016

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BEAT FREAKS ~ STAY CALM NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 5707471065136) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the second album by Polish ensemble The Beat FreaksFind albums by this artist comprising of guitarist Michal StarkiewiczFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Tomasz LicakFind albums by this artist, bassist Pawel GrzesiukFind albums by this artist and drummer Radek WoskoFind albums by this artist. The album presents thirteen original compositions, eight of which were composed by Starkiewicz, two by Licak, one by Wosko and two were co-composed by all four members of the quartet. The album was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist. The quartet´s debut album recorded three years earlier (2016) left me with mixed feelings and I am happy to say that this one is a significant improvement, especially as far as the compositions are concerned, as well as the guitar playing, which works this time without a hitch. Also the superb recording quality improves the overall coherence of the music, with less harshness and excellent separation, making every little nuance audible. The music is all melody based, Fusion oriented contemporary Jazz and offers some excellent guitar / saxophone interplay supported by a steady and solid rhythm section. Licak is the primary soloist, but Starkiewicz follows suit time after time with a nicely balanced guitar tone, which manages to shake off most of its Fusion mannerisms that prevailed earlier on, and offers heartfelt guitar soli. Their unisono parts, which then develop into a saxophone / guitar conversations is the central feature of this album. Overall this is an album which can be enjoyed by a wide Jazz / Fusion audience, especially guitar enthusiasts, who should be able find many interesting licks here. Definitely worth investigation!

Updated: 08/12/2019Posted: 08/12/2019

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BEAT FREAKS / RALPH ALESSI ~ MECHANICS OF NATURE NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 5707471095904) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2023 Released: 2024 This is the third album by the Polish Jazz quartet Beat FreaksFind albums by this artist, which comprises of guitarist / composer Michal StarkiewiczFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Tomasz LicakFind albums by this artist, (new Italian, resident in Poland) bassist Flavio GullottaFind albums by this artist and drummer Radek WoskoFind albums by this artist. They are joined by American trumpeter Ralph AlessiFind albums by this artist. The album presents fourteen tracks, nine of which were composed by Starkiewicz, one by Wosko and four are co-credited to the quartet members and Alessi. The music was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, with the usual superb sonic quality. The music on this album is revolutionary different from the two earlier albums recorded by the quartet and presents a giant step forward in their musical development. The straightforward Fusion direction is completely gone and the music here offers an excellent Free Form / Improvised Music meeting. Despite the openness and Freedom, the music is subtly but decidedly very well organized, based on beautiful melodic themes, which serve as vehicles to the extensive improvisations. Not surprisingly, Alessi is the dominant soloist and sets the direction of the music, but the quartet members are noticeably featured and given ample opportunity to contribute. Starkiewicz lets go of his role as a dominant leader, which is exactly what was needed in these circumstances, and adds concise guitar licks, which add both harmonic and rhythmic support. Gullotta is a true godsend, as his firm and precise bass pulsations are cementing the music into a cohesive whole. Licak stands bravely shoulder to shoulder with Alessi, contributing coherently and with remarkable feeling and Wosko adds the highly irregular rhythmic layer, which fits the music perfectly. In short this session simply works together like a dream. Although I am not familiar with the entire very extensive recording legacy by Alessi, I’d go as far as to say that this is definitely one of his finest moments so far, despite the impressive gallery of names of his American recording partners. Overall, this is a highly surprising album by Beat Freaks, which catapults them directly into the “serious league” of the Polish Jazz scene, with one of the best recordings so far released in 2024. I truly hope they found their new vocation and will continue on this path in the future, and of course wish them all the best. Hats off, Gentlemen!

Updated: 22/05/2024Posted: 22/05/2024

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SOLARIS ~ SOLARIS NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 190317000531) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2023 Released: 2023 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz quartet SolarisFind albums by this artist, comprising of guitarist Michal StarkiewiczFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Tomasz LicakFind albums by this artist, bassist Ksawery WojcinskiFind albums by this artist and Chilean drummer Luis Mora MatusFind albums by this artist. The album, recorded live, presents six tracks, all original compositions by Starkiewicz. As the quartet’s name and album’s title suggest, the music is inspired by the writings of Polish author Stanislaw LemFind albums by this artist. The music is a kind of Jazz-Rock Fusion, somewhere between Heavy Metal and Free Jazz, with strong rhythmic patterns and advanced improvisations by the saxophone and guitar, somehow reminiscent of the two albums Starkiewicz and Licak recorded together as partners in the Beat FreaksFind albums by this artist quartet a few years ago, but way less restrained and Free oriented, probably due to the presence of Wojcinski and Matus, who hail from the Improvised Music circles. The music develops gradually from relatively well-organized intros and builds up towards tense crescendos, which gives all the musicians plenty of opportunity to show their individual chops and develop an ensemble statement. It has an industrial tinge to it, which obviously is intentional, as stated on the album’s booklet. Overall, this is quite original, and certainly rare musical statement on the local Jazz scene, which offers a unique approach to improvisation and creation of sound, which might feel quite alien at first, but certainly is highly absorbing and surprising. Listeners looking for new forms of expression within the widely treated Jazz domain, will probably enjoy this music immensely, despite the fact that it is somewhat an acquired taste, which sounds better and better with each listening attempt. Ambitious and unusual enough to be respected!

Updated: 20/12/2023Posted: 20/12/2023

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