Record Reviews

MALERAI / GOLDSTEIN / MASECKI ~ PREPARING TO DANCE – NEW YIDDISH SONGS MULTIKULTI MPT 011 (Barcode: 5907796319567) ~ POLAND ~ World Music & Folklore Recorded: 2013 Released: 2014 This is a live recording of a concert, which presents a cycle of nine songs composed by clarinetist / composer Michal GorczynskiFind albums by this artist with lyrics in Yiddish by the American poet Yermiyahu Ahron TaubFind albums by this artist. The cycle is performed by the MaleraiFind albums by this artist trio, which comprises of Gorczynski, violinist Dagna SadkowskaFind albums by this artist and cellist Mikolaj PaloszFind albums by this artist, vocalist Hanna GoldsteinFind albums by this artist and the enfant terrible of the Polish Avant-Garde Jazz scene, pianist Marcin MaseckiFind albums by this artist. Gorczynski is known to Polish Jazz followers as the member of the clarinet quartet IrchaFind albums by this artist led by Mikolaj TrzaskaFind albums by this artist and also as a member of the PoleFind albums by this artist trio. He cooperated with Masecki as a member of his ProfesjonalizmFind albums by this artist ensemble. The concert was recorded in 2013 during the 4th edition of the New Jewish Music Festival in Warsaw. This album is a very important statement of several realities concerning contemporary Jewish Culture. Firstly it proves that the Yiddish language is alive and kicking, not only as the lingua franca of Ashkenazi orthodox Jewish communities in Israel and the USA, but also as a form of expression of contemporary Jewish Culture, including poetry and literary prose, which are being created as we speak; this contrary to the popular opinion that the Yiddish language is practically dead and represents a wonderful heritage, which sadly is buried in the past. Secondly it once again emphasizes the incredible rebirth / resurgence / renaissance of the Jewish culture in Poland, especially in the Avant-Garde cycles of the young Polish Jazz community. To put things straight this is definitely not a Jazz album or Jazz music per se; the best form of describing it would be drawing a parallel to the glorious days of German cabaret of the decadent era created almost a century ago and best portrayed by the music of Kurt WeilFind albums by this artist. Gorczynski, perhaps subconsciously, uses similar musical / theatrical devices as classic cabaret, but brings them up to date by adding dissonance and free improvised instrumental passages as part of the arrangements of the songs. Masecki, who is the most Avant-Garde prone ingredient of this ensemble, plays the "grown up in charge" part, elegantly accompanying the vocals and displaying maximal restrain almost at all times. Goldstein´s vocals fit the musical setting well and she´s not afraid to "let go" and explore some vocal acrobatics, whenever appropriate. If only her Yiddish accent was a bit more authentic… Therefore, although not really Jazz, this music does have a lot of free spirited expressionism and improvisational elements in it, to become aesthetically related to Jazz. Although Taub comes from a strict orthodox Jewish background, the subject matter of his poetry is completely secular and universal, often full of psychedelic imagery and free associative connections. Gorczynski´s music is a superb vehicle for these poems to cross over into a new dimension, mixing music and words to create a new identity. Gorczynski and his team created an excellent piece of contemporary Art, which adapted heritage, tradition and contemporary artistic resources, amalgamating them into a class of its own. Overall, although this album does not make any revolutionary discoveries, it has enough merit to be called a bold, important step forward towards creating contemporary Jewish Culture as much as enriching the existing heritage. In a reality, in which most music is completely devoid of any ambition or artistic merit, this is a wonderful example of creativity and intellectually challenging spirit. Bravo!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

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MALERAI / UCHIHASHI / MAYA R ~ UTSUROI FOR TUNE 0055 (Barcode: 5902768701586) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015 This album presents a wonderful project created by Polish trio MaleraiFind albums by this artist, formed and led by clarinetists / composer Michal GorczynskiFind albums by this artist with violinist Dagna SadkowskaFind albums by this artist and cellist Mikolaj PaloszFind albums by this artist, and two Japanese musicians: vocalist Maya RFind albums by this artist and guitarist Kazuhisa UchihashiFind albums by this artist. The album presents thirteen songs, which are sung in Japanese. Eleven of these songs were composed by Gorczynski and two by Uchihashi. The lyrics of these songs were written by Japanese poets: Hekigoto KawahigashiFind albums by this artist (the pioneer of modern haiku) and Yoshihiro HaradaFind albums by this artist and by Friedrich NietzscheFind albums by this artist (translated into Japanese). The music is all about the sound and ambience of the Japanese language and reflects its many subtleties. Completely cross-genre, it moves freely between Pop, Rock, Jazz and contemporary Classical, with ease and elegance, always keeping the listener in suspense. Gorczynski emerges here, similarly to his work on earlier Malerai projects, as one of the most interesting Polish contemporary composers and his ability to diversify his palette to suit different environments is quite remarkable. Since this album is about the sound and feel of the Japanese language, it is not necessary for the listener to understand the language as such in order to enjoy this album. The vocals can be easily considered as one of the instruments of the entire ensemble and be accepted as such. The Polish and English translations of the lyrics are present in the album´s booklet, for those who are interested in the actual meaning of the lyrics. Overall this is a beautiful piece of contemporary music, which by its aesthetic potency easily bridges genres and cultures, creating a completely new universe. Superb music, great performances and a true gift for innovation and farsightedness turn this into a first class musical experience, which of course is wholeheartedly recommended!

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