Record Reviews

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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MILOSZ SKWIRUT ~ ROAD MOVIES NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the debut EP album (under half an hour of music) by young Polish Jazz bassist / composer Milosz SkwirutFind albums by this artist, recorded with several other young Polish Jazz musicians like pianist Katarzyna PietrzkoFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Dominik BienczyckiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Marcin HilarowiczFind albums by this artist, drummer Maksymilian OlszewskiFind albums by this artist, percussionist Lukasz KurzydloFind albums by this artist, vocalist Susanna Jara-MaleckaFind albums by this artist and veteran vocalist Jorgos SkoliasFind albums by this artist, who appears on one track. The album presents five original compositions, all by Skwirut. The cinematic term "road movie" refers to the genre which tells a story of a person leaving home and venturing on a journey of discovery, which often changes the hero´s perspective of life and shapes his character. The strong World Music influences, which are reflected in Skwirut´s music, are the analogy to a virtual journey into different cultures, with the compositions serving as mini-soundtracks of that imaginary journey´s chapters. The music is based on strong melodic motifs, which are then ornamented by World Music rhythms and an atmosphere of mysticism and exoticism, crated by the vocalese and synthesizer parts and Skwirut´s use of arco. All the participants do a truly splendid job, which suits the intended atmosphere of the music ideally. As expected the vocals by Skolias are one of the highlights of this offering. The album is obviously just a glimpse at Skwirut´s abilities as a composer and a player, rather than a full-fledged musical offering, for which we have still to wait. But this glimpse is certainly fascinating and intriguing enough to create an anticipation of things to come. Considering the fact that Jazz-World Fusion is not a very popular and strongly present idiom on the contemporary Polish Jazz scene, especially that exploring World cultures beyond the Slavic sources, this music is a breath of fresh air. In short, this is a very nice introduction to the musical world of Milosz Skwirut, which offers great compositions and excellent playing by his cohorts, rising high hopes for his future ventures!

Updated: 03/07/2019Posted: 03/07/2019

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