Record Reviews

WOJCIECH MYRCZEK ~ WE`LL BE TOGETHER AGAIN SST 002 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2010 Released: 2010 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz vocalist Wojciech MyrczekFind albums by this artist, recorded with his quintet which also includes saxophonist Marcin KaletkaFind albums by this artist, pianist Michal WierbaFind albums by this artist, bassist Michal KapczukFind albums by this artist and drummer Sebastian KuchczynskiFind albums by this artist. The album, recorded at Polish Radio Katowice, presents seven vocal Jazz standards. Myrczek has a beautiful classic Jazz voice and his talent is immediately apparent even on this early recording, which obviously does not display his full palette, which he learned over time, as evident on his duo album with pianist with Pawel TomaszewskiFind albums by this artist, recorded four years later ("Love RevisitedFind albums with this title"). He does show his ability to learn the tricks of the trade, moving freely between singing lyrics (in English, problematic but tolerable), scat or vocally imitating bass lines. On this album Myrczek still lacks his own personal style and expression, obviously imitating a plethora of influences and searching for the most appropriate path to find his own way. Nevertheless it still is a solid debut album, especially in view of the fact that male vocalists are a rare commodity on the Polish Jazz scene. The instrumental support Myrczek receives from his cohorts is also very solid, nothing sensational but well played and supportive of him as a soloist. Wierba is the most gifted player and the players are all used to play together as members of the Wierba / Schmidt QuintetFind albums by this artist, therefore their performance as a unit is quite predictable. Overall this album is a nice effort, capturing a young vocalist at the early stage of his career, which remains as a nice document of his musical biography.

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PIOTR SCHMIDT / ELECTRIC GROUP ~ SILVER PROTECT SJ 005 (Barcode: 5902596066048) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2012 Released: 2012 This is the debut recording by the Polish Fusion band Electric GroupFind albums by this artist led by the young trumpeter Piotr SchmidtFind albums by this artist and including also keyboardist Tomasz BuraFind albums by this artist, bassist Michal KapczukFind albums by this artist, drummer Sebastian KuchczynskiFind albums by this artist and vocalist Wojciech MyrczekFind albums by this artist. The album comprises of six original compositions, four of which are by the pianist and two by the leader. In addition to leading this group, Schmidt also co-leads a Jazz quintet with pianist Michal WierbaFind albums by this artist, which uses the same rhythm section as this group. It seems that the Polish Jazz scene is not only capable of grooming excellent piano players, but apparently also brilliant young trumpeters, as evident from the recent wave of extraordinary new releases. This album certainly falls into the same category as far as presenting new trumpet players, but it is quite different in every other sense, most notably being a Fusion recording, a genre which nowadays rarely features the trumpet as the leading instrument, as it used to in its heydays. This album in however not just one more Fusion album, as it includes many other elements, especially Funk, which makes it particularly interesting. The compositions present a diverse musical approach, with excellent melody lines supported by Funky rhythms, memorable vamps and overall superb execution, which is simply heartwarming, especially in view on the musicians´ age. I must admit that its been quite a while since I´ve had the pleasure to listen to such Funky high quality music, which at best brings back fond memories of Herbie HancockFind albums by this artist´s "MwandishiFind albums with this title" period. Schmidt sounds great regardless if he plays a muted trumpet, an electronically processed one (a la echoplex) or simply blows straight forward. Bura is best (in this environment) playing the electric piano rather than synthesizers and the rhythm section is close to stealing the show at times, with those bass slaps that make your ass dance and the extraordinary drumming, which is all over the place and yet so on time. The vocals are used mostly as vocalese, where they are most effective. When they turn to singing lyrics (in English), they quickly become the weakest link of the otherwise excellent effort. Overall this is definitely a most impressive debut recording, which is both fun to listen to and a quality listening experience. I´m really looking forward to hear their next one, hopefully soon. Not to be missed! Schmidt, a native of Silesia, the southwestern Polish region (where I come from as well) is one of a growing number of important Polish Jazz musicians originating there. The region is cultivating an active and first-rate local Jazz scene in the last decade, including clubs and festivals. In short, Silesia rulez!

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PRZEMYSLAW STRACZEK ~ WHITE GRAIN OF COFFEE ES ART 1406 (Barcode: 5908285240034) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2013 Released: 2014 This is the fifth album by Polish Jazz guitarist / composer Przemyslaw StraczekFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quartet setting with pianist Michal WierbaFind albums by this artist and Italian rhythm section: bassist Francesco AngiuliFind albums by this artist and drummer Flavio Li VigniFind albums by this artist. Vocalist Karolina SleziakFind albums by this artist guests on two tracks and saxophonist Radek NowickiFind albums by this artist guests on five. The album presents eight original compositions, all by Straczek. Stylistically the music belongs to a typical lightweight Fusion, which sounds pretty smooth but offers little depth or aesthetic effort, although overall excellently performed by all participants. Sadly the compositions are not able to save the day and they are pretty banal and altogether unremarkable. It is always a pity to hear a recording by excellent instrumentalists, which sadly amounts to what could be described as a blunder. I am not familiar with Straczek´s earlier recordings, but Wierba, who is by all standards is an excellent pianist, seems to fall again and again into these situations where his contribution is simply a wasted opportunity. Hopefully he will find his true calling one day. I suppose some people will enjoy this album, like Smooth Jazz enthusiasts or yuppies wishing to impress their dinner friends, but honestly this does not represent the creative side of Polish Jazz, which can be truly inspiring.

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WIERBA / SCHMIDT QUINTET ~ BLACK MONOLITH SJ 001 (Barcode: 5902020415008) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2010 Released: 2011 This is the third album by the Polish Jazz quintet, which was founded by two young players / composers: pianist Michal WierbaFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Piotr SchmidtFind albums by this artist. The quintet also includes saxophonist Marcin KaletkaFind albums by this artist, bassist Michal KapczukFind albums by this artist and drummer Sebastian KuchczynskiFind albums by this artist. On this album the quintet is expanded into a sextet with the addition of American trombonist Dante LucianiFind albums by this artist. The sextet performs six tunes, three of which are original compositions by Wierba, two are standards and the remaining one is a composition by Czech trumpeter / composer Stepanka BalcarovaFind albums by this artist, who studied at the Katowice Music Academy as did all of the quintet members. The album was recorded at the fabulous Studio Tokarnia and was engineered by Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist, with excellent, as usual, sonic results. Although the music is all within boundaries of typical Jazz mainstream, it is superbly arranged and executed. The original compositions are interesting and poise perfectly the melodic themes and the spirited attitude; the piece by Balcarova is the most impressive on the album. Overall this is a very pleasant well rounded Jazz album, which presents the sextet as a small Big Band, balancing between the brass and rhythm sections, features many excellent solo spots and shows that young Europeans can play mainstream as well as anybody else anywhere. The individual skills of the musicians involved are of course spotless. This album is the first release on the SJFind albums on this label label, owned by Schmidt, which is one of the small independent Polish Jazz labels releasing music by young Polish Jazz musicians, a most welcome phenomenon of course, spreading the local Jazz gospel around the world.

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WIERBA / SCHMIDT QUINTET ~ THE MOLE PEOPLE SJ 004 (Barcode: 5902596066017) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2011 Released: 2012 This is the fourth album by the Polish Jazz quintet, which was founded by two young players / composers: pianist Michal WierbaFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Piotr SchmidtFind albums by this artist. The quintet also includes bassist Michal KapczukFind albums by this artist and drummer Sebastian KuchczynskiFind albums by this artist. The fifth member of the quintet is a guest artist and in this case it the fabulous Polish saxophonist Piotr BaronFind albums by this artist. The quintet performs seven tunes, five of which are original compositions by Wierba, one by Schmidt and the remaining one is a Jimmy RowlesFind albums by this artist standard. The music sits well within the comfortable boundaries of typical Jazz mainstream, moving vaguely between Bebop and Hard Bop. The original compositions are all quite solid, but overall unremarkable and lack an edge which could keep the listener focused for the duration of the music. The performances are also very good, but than again there´s nothing here that every Jazz fan never heard before. Baron, who obviously represents a completely different league, sadly contributes very little, as most of the music is performed without his direct involvement. The only moment when the music becomes truly inspired is when the beautiful standard is performed solo by the pianist. To make things perfectly clear this is not a bad album; there are plenty of interesting moments and excellent solos (Baron´s solos in particular) but it is not enough to make it a remarkable album. In view of the music made by the very young Polish Jazz players, even younger than the ones on this album, constantly breathing on the neck of their slightly older colleagues, the level of competition requires everybody to try ever so harder. Life is a bitch.

Updated: 12/06/2018Posted:

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MICHAL WIERBA ~ BODY LANGUAGE FOR TUNE 0116 (Barcode: 5906395808168) ~ POLAND ~ Smooth Jazz Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 This is the second album as a leader by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Michal WierbaFind albums by this artist, recorded live at the Polish Radio in a quintet setting with saxophonist Maciej SikalaFind albums by this artist, bassist Jakub DworakFind albums by this artist, drummer Arek SkolikFind albums by this artist and percussionist Bogusz WekkaFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine compositions, five of which are originals by Wierba, one is a traditional tune and three are standards (sort of). As usual with Wierba´s recordings, the music is definitely on the lighter side of Jazz, somewhere between mainstream Jazz and entertainment. His original compositions are well crafted, but do not represent a coherent stylistic consistency as of yet. This of course might be remedied in the future. The album is, however, excellently executed by all the participants, who are of course seasoned musicians with years of experience and numerous earlier recordings. Wierba is very skilled technically and plays with self confidence and vigor. Sikala is right on the money every time he takes a solo. The rhythm section provides amicable support and carries the music safely and steadfastly, albeit predictably forward. Personally I´m not a great fan of percussion, unless used in music where it organically belongs, so the percussion parts on this album add little to its value. Overall this is a very nice light Jazz album for listeners not necessarily associated with Jazz per se, but displaying some fondness of Jazzy oriented material that does not get to complicated. Definitely well played and entertaining, it might find many sympathetic ears.

Updated: 28/01/2017Posted: 28/01/2017

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MICHAL WIERBA / DOPPELGANGER PROJECT ~ ORANGE SKY CELESTIS 005 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2014 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz pianist / composer Michal WierbaFind albums by this artist, known to local fans as the co-leader of a quintet with trumpeter Piotr SchmidtFind albums by this artist. This is a much more intimate project, basically a piano trio plus percussion and a female vocalist on three tracks. The participating musicians apart from Wierba are: bassist Jakub DworakFind albums by this artist, drummer Arek SkolikFind albums by this artist, percussionist Lukasz KurzydloFind albums by this artist and vocalist Patrycja ZarychtaFind albums by this artist. The album consists of ten tracks, five of which are Wierba originals, three are standards and one each is by Kurzydlo and Zarychta. Although Wierba is an excellent player by all standards, this album does him a terrible disservice. The music sounds like something played during a yuppie birthday party, always simplistic and pleasant, conformist and sugary sweet. Even the divine Jimmy RowlesFind albums by this artist´ composition "The Peacocks", played on solo piano like a Frederic ChopinFind albums by this artist nocturne, sounds completely ridiculous. The vocalist sings in English (again!) and I don´t need to repeat what I think about that. Even the album´s liner notes credit the wrong tracks to their composers, at least in the case of the a.m. Rowles composition and the tracks timings are wrong like on the last track. In short anything that could go wrong here simply did go wrong. This record should have never been recorded, nor released. I´m not adding another word…

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