Record Reviews

AGA ZARYAN ~ A BOOK OF LUMINOUS THINGS BLUE NOTE 5099908449825 (Barcode: 5099908449825) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2011 Released: 2011 This is the 6th album by Polish Jazz vocalist Aga ZaryanFind albums by this artist and her second release on the legendary Blue NoteFind albums on this label label (she is the first Polish Jazz artist to release albums on that label, and so far the only one, which is altogether disheartening, considering the level of musical artistry readily available in Poland). Any reference to this album as yet another vocal Jazz release would be completely off the track. This is much more than just one more vocal Jazz album; it is an artistic statement, which encompasses different Art disciplines – in this case music and poetry – amalgamating them into an aesthetic whole, which becomes more than the sum of its parts. This kind of (music & poetry) format, which has an established tradition on the Polish cultural scene, continues the superb Jazz & Poetry movement, which has its roots more that half a century ago in the Beat generation. Zaryan created this concept work around the works of Polish Nobel laureate, poet Czeslaw MiloszFind albums by this artist, and three poetesses, which Milosz admired. Of the twelve songs presented on this recording, six are based on poems by Milosz and the other six are by the three poetesses, each with two poems. To complicate things a bit further, all the texts are in English, although most were written originally in Polish. Milosz, who lived in the US since 1960, firmly believed that he should write poetry only in his Mother tongue (i.e. Polish), and only later translated his own poems into English. He also translated the poems by the Polish poetess Anna SwirszczynskaFind albums by this artist. The other two poetesses: British-born American Denise LevertovFind albums by this artist and American Jane HirshfieldFind albums by this artist wrote their poems in English of course. As to the music, the list of credits is no less impressive. The basic tracks were recorded in a quartet format with musicians, who cooperated with Zaryan on earlier recordings: pianist / composer Michal TokajFind albums by this artist, who also composed almost all the music, guitarist Larry KoonseFind albums by this artist, bassist Darek OleszkiewiczFind albums by this artist and percussionist Munyungo JacksonFind albums by this artist. The basic tracks were then ornamented by rich orchestral arrangements, written by Tokaj and performed by the Polish Radio String Orchestra, which was directed by another Polish Jazz celebrity, pianist / composer Krzysztof HerdzinFind albums by this artist. If all this is not confusing enough, the basic tracks were recorded in the US and the orchestra in Poland. But what really counts is of course the final result, and in this case in spite of the intellectual complexity looming in the background and the musical intricacy involved, the overall result is a delicate, almost reserved and unpretentious little gem of an album. There is nothing flashy and overbearing here, just an intimate dialogue between Zaryan, her cohorts and the listener. Yes, it takes some effort to plunge deep beneath the surface and yes it takes a few listening sessions to discover some of those wonderful details veiled behind the sounds. I´d be surprised if Zaryan would´ve wanted it any other way; after all subtlety and modesty were always her distinctive gifts. Her vocal performances here, mystical and sensuous, reveal her struggle with the lyrical content, which is often devilishly convoluted. Yet everything sounds seemingly effortless and natural, as if no sweat was spilled in the process. These are true star qualities, in the best possible meaning of the idiom and in complete contrast to what are commonly conceived as star qualities these days. Although the album does not break and new musical ground, it certainly manages to create a unique atmosphere and climate, proving once more that intelligent, meaningful and non-trivial music combined with an obvious love and conviction leading the Artist are the essential ingredients needed to create true Art. Zaryan´s Polish listeners will probably impatiently await the Polish language version of this album, which should be available very soon, but it is this version which might bring some listeners in Europe and the US closer to the treasures of the Polish Cultural Heritage, which unfortunately remains mostly completely unknown beyond its own ghetto. Thank you Aga for your vision and conviction: chapeau! kudos! and respect!

Updated: 01/01/2016Posted:

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AGA ZARYAN ~ LIVE AT PALLADIUM COSMOPOLIS 081/082/083 (Barcode: 5907476693574) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2008 Released: 2008 This is the fourth album by Polish Jazz vocalist Aga ZaryanFind albums by this artist and her first live recording, captured at the Warsaw´s Palladium club. She is accompanied by a trio of excellent musicians: guitarist Larry KoonseFind albums by this artist, bassist Darek OleszkiewiczFind albums by this artist and percussionist Munyungo JacksonFind albums by this artist, who all participated in the recording of her second album "Picking Up The PiecesFind albums with this title", recorded a couple of years earlier in the USA. The album comprises of thirteen tracks, spread over two CDs and a DVD with the video of the concert, which has the same musical content and some bonus material with artists´ interviews. The music originates mostly from the second album, with a couple of earlier songs form the debut album, one instrumental piece, which opens the concert and one previously unrecorded song (by Stevie WonderFind albums by this artist), which closes it. It takes balls of steel (especially for a woman) to face a large crowd and being able to mesmerize it with such a delicate music, which is based on aesthetics and finesse and requires total silence and complete attention from the listener. There are but a few female vocalists able to perform such magic on stage and Zaryan is certainly at the very top of this exclusive guild. The three master musicians accompanying Aga deserve of course a large piece of the praise, especially Oleszkiewicz, since lengthy parts of the concert are simply duets between him and the singer. His playing is way beyond virtuoso bass performance; it is simply the vehicle carrying this entire show on his shoulders. His empathy and telepathic conversation with Zaryan and the other musicians is simply sensational. Zaryan´s performances are simply breathtaking from start to finish. She is much more adventurous here than on the studio albums, using her full vocal range as well as creating a panorama of sound effects using her voice. Her total control of tone, expression, volume and theatrics is masterful, as is her ability to switch moods and atmosphere. She simply holds the audience at the palm of her hand. Although the album brings little new material, it summarizes perfectly the first phase of Zaryan´s career, where she concentrated on her vocal interpretations of Jazz standards. The next phase, which started with the third album, was about to expose her also as lyricist and a Jazz & Poetry artist, taking her right up to the very top of the Polish Jazz scene. When the legendary Blue Note label signed Aga Zaryan as its recording artist, it was a culmination of the first decade of her career, well earned and truly deserved, as this album proves beyond any reasonable doubt. In retrospect this is a wonderful document, a time capsule preserving magic moments, which are always associated with sublime pleasure, when revisited. I simply can´t imagine anybody could resist Zaryan´s charm and talent for long, so give in and grab this crown jewel as soon as you can – satisfaction guaranteed!

Updated: 01/01/2016Posted:

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AGA ZARYAN ~ LOOKING WALKING BEING BLUE NOTE 5099963139020 (Barcode: 5099963139020) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2008 - 2009 Released: 2010 This is the 5th album by Polish Jazz vocalist Aga ZaryanFind albums by this artist and her first release on the legendary Blue NoteFind albums on this label label, a first ever by a Polish artist. This album marks a new stage in Zaryan´s career, characterized by performing original material especially composed for her by pianist / composer Michal TokajFind albums by this artist (six of the twelve songs on the album) and Czech guitarist / composer David DoruzkaFind albums by this artist (four songs), both actively playing on this album. One additional song was composed by guitarist / composer Larry KoonseFind albums by this artist, who accompanied Zaryan on her earlier recordings and another one is by the great and sadly recently departed Polish bassist / composer Zbigniew WegehauptFind albums by this artist. Apart from Tokaj and Doruzka the other accompanying musicians include bassist Michal BaranskiFind albums by this artist, drummer Lukasz ZytaFind albums by this artist and percussionist Munyungo JacksonFind albums by this artist. Zaryan also takes charge of writing the lyrics for seven of the album´s songs with the remaining five being poems by the marvelous British-born American poetess Denise LevertovFind albums by this artist. The lyricism of Zaryan´s texts and the intricacy of Levertov´s modern and deeply moving poetry give the album a clear artistic direction, which draws from the beautiful tradition of combining music and poetry, especially the Jazz & Poetry movement, which flourished in the 1960s. The music is a perfect match to the complex lyrics, fluidly and gently carrying the singer´s words on the waves of sound. It is mostly lyrical as well, reflective and introvert, but energetic enough to prevent an overall morose atmosphere, which many "serious" musical projects suffer from. Obviously this kind of music requires serious and repetitive listening to uncover its complex content and allow intimate contact, but its obvious beauty is quite obvious from the very first exposure to it. This is both intellectual and emotional music, a rare quality indeed, especially these days. Zaryan´s performances as well as the accompaniment are both an absolute bliss. As usual she cooperates with her musicians on levels rarely achieved elsewhere, making the best of their respective talents and abilities. Doruzka, who is the main soloist, plays some of the finest guitar I´ve heard in a long time and Zaryan´s obvious love for the guitar is commendable, as most singers prefer to use the piano as the main supportive instrument. The album, which was recorded in Warsaw and Los Angeles over a period of several months, displays an overall level of musicianship and recording / production as well as sonic quality, which are simply extraordinary. There is no doubt that Zaryan and her cohorts deserve an honorable place on the Polish Jazz scene as much as being a part of world´s Jazz elite with the Blue Note as their home base. Buying this album is definitely a no brainer and I can´t imagine money better spent that this. A must!

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AGA ZARYAN ~ PICKING UP THE PIECES BLUE NOTE 5099909494329 (Barcode: 5099909494329) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2006 Released: 2010 This is the 2nd album by the undeniable present-day diva of Polish Jazz, vocalist Aga ZaryanFind albums by this artist. Recorded almost five years after the debut album, which is an agonizingly long break especially in the initial stage of her career, the album is both a conceptual continuation of the debut and a giant step in her artistic development. The eleven tracks are again predominantly standards with just two originals: one by guitarist Larry KoonseFind albums by this artist with lyrics by Zaryan and the other by bassist Darek OleszkiewiczFind albums by this artist. Koonse and Oleszkiewicz are the main accompanying musicians with percussionist Munyungo JacksonFind albums by this artist and cornet player Nolan ShaheedFind albums by this artist contributing on some tracks. Musically the album is much more challenging than the debut, especially in view of the fact that Zaryan gives up the security of the usual piano-led quartet as her support group and presents mostly a series of intimate duets with the bassist or the guitarist or trios with both of them present. As already mentioned, only a few tracks are further ornamented with percussion or cornet sounds. Her rapport and affinity with her cohorts is absolutely stunning and deeply moving, being examples of the rare intimacy and telepathic musical cooperation like that of pianist Bill EvansFind albums by this artist and bassist Scott LaFaroFind albums by this artist. The overall relaxed and intimate atmosphere hides of course a multitude of exquisite instants of sheer musical joy and there are absolutely no dull moments here from start to finish. One can hardly decide what to savor first: the beauty of the music, the sophistication of simplicity, the twists and idiosyncrasies, the elegance or the charm. Whichever way one looks at this music, it is utterly fascinating without a trace of being a cliché or a déjà vu. In retrospect this is definitely a milestone recording in the history of contemporary Polish Jazz music and Aga Zaryan´s illustrious career so far. It remains a timeless beauty and a favorite album, which I intend to revisit time and again. Extraordinary! Side Note: This album was originally recorded in Los Angeles in 2006 and released the same year on an independent label. This version of the album is released on Blue NoteFind albums on this label in 2010, after the legendary Jazz label signed Aga Zaryan as the first Polish Jazz artist in its roster. The sound quality is simply marvelous!

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ZAWINUL SYNDICATE ~ BLACK WATER / LOST TRIBES BGO 1417 (Barcode: 5017261214171) ~ AUSTRIA ~ Jazz-Rock-World Fusion Recorded: 1989 - 1992 Released: 2020 This is a reissue of the second and third albums released on the ColumbiaFind albums on this label label by The Zawinul SyndicateFind albums by this artist, the ensemble led by Austrian keyboardist / composer Joe ZawinulFind albums by this artist, following the cessation of the legendary Weather ReportFind albums by this artist. The ensemble continued the musical path of the late period Weather Report, mixing Jazz-Rock Fusion with World Music and Pop elements. Veteran Zawinul was supported by much younger American musicians and the lineup of the ensemble changed over time several times. "Black WaterFind albums with this title", released in 1989, features guitarist Scott HendersonFind albums by this artist, bassist Gerald VeasleyFind albums by this artist, drummer Cornell RochesterFind albums by this artist and percussionist Munyungo JacksonFind albums by this artist, with occasional vocal parts by Lynne Fiddmont-LinseyFind albums by this artist and other vocalists. The album presents nine tracks, seven of which are original compositions by Zawinul and two are arrangements by compositions by Thelonious MonkFind albums by this artist. "Lost TribesFind albums with this title", released in 1992, features new members: guitarist Randy BernsenFind albums by this artist, drummer Mike BakerFind albums by this artist and percussionist Bobby Thomas, Jr.Find albums by this artist, with Veasley on bass but also playing keyboards alongside the leader. The album presents ten original compositions, nine by Zawinul and one by Veasley. Following the third album Zawinul and his ensemble was dropped by Columbia and recorded a few additional albums on small independent labels until his death at the age of 75 in 2007. These two albums perfectly reflect Zawinul´s genius as a composer and performer and his everlasting search for new forms of expression and his exploration of worldwide influences. In retrospect this music sounds significantly better than how it appeared at the time of its release, dismissed by critics and fans as way to commercial. But in truth it sounds today quite visionary, especially in comparison to what people call music today. The ensemble was a first rate live act, which I was lucky to catch several times, and managed to restore similar energies as live shows by Weather Report. Considering that the original copies of these two albums are quite difficult to find, this remastered reissue is a true Godsend. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 11/09/2020Posted: 11/09/2020

CD 1 Slipcase Remastered Recommend To A Friend