Record Reviews

ADAM PIERONCZYK ~ KOMEDA – THE INNOCENT SORCERER JAZZWERKSTATT 104 (Barcode: 4250079758715) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2009 Released: 2010 This is an album by Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Adam PieronczykFind albums by this artist dedicated to the music composed by the Godfather of Polish Jazz pianist / composer Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist. Pieronczyk recorded the album with an international quintet, which also features American saxophonist Gary ThomasFind albums by this artist, Brazilian guitarist Nelson VerasFind albums by this artist, American bassist Anthony CoxFind albums by this artist and Polish drummer Lukasz ZytaFind albums by this artist. Together they perform six compositions (one repeated twice), all composed by Komeda. The Polish Jazz scene produced dozens of albums dedicated to the music of Komeda. Many of these records are pretty derivative and often not in par with Komeda´s memory, but some are simply brilliant, and this is definitely one of the latter. Pieronczyk manages to transform Komeda´s music into new dimensions, completely unconventional and unexpected, which is very effective and creates a new perspective of Komeda´s music. The unique lineup of the quintet, which includes two saxophonists and guitar, which replaces the piano one would expect to be present on an album dedicated to Komeda´s music, is just one of the surprises on this album. Then there is the fact that the tempi of each of the compositions are changed dramatically from the original ones, often using World Music influences like bossa nova and Cuban rhythmic patterns. The fact that this album includes two American Jazz players and manages to incorporate them into this very non-American music is also a very significant contribution. They both leave their Bebop roots behind and step boldly into the new territory, contributing beautifully. Since these are all very talented musicians, the fact that everybody contributes excellent solos and plays along splendidly with the others is of course no surprise whatsoever. The amalgam of Polish, American and Brazilian musical cultures works out wonderfully and Komeda´s music is again verified as being beyond National borders and as all great music successfully transcends any Cultural diversities and as such this is a very significant tribute to Komeda´s music. This album deserves an honorable place in every serious collection of Polish Jazz recordings.

Updated: 09/01/2017Posted: 09/01/2017

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ADAM PIERONCZYK ~ SZYMANOWSKI / X-RAY ANAKLASIS 022 (Barcode: 5907795211923) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022 This is an album by Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Adam PieronczykFind albums by this artist, recorded in a trio setting with Brazilian guitarist Nelson VerasFind albums by this artist and Polish pianist Dominik WaniaFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven pieces inspired by the Etudes Op. 33, composed by Polish Classical Music pianist / composer Karol SzymanowskiFind albums by this artist in 1916 and first performed in Paris in 1922. At the time the music was highly innovative and expressionist, marking the birth of the new era in European Classical Music with the dawn of the 20th Century. The album was released as part of the “Revisions” series on the prestigious AnaklasisFind albums on this label label, which present cross-genre experiments between Classical Music and other genres, like Electronic, Jazz or Improvised Music. As Pieronczyk explains in the booklet accompanying the album, the music the trio performs is not an attempt to interpret the original music by Szymanowski, but a completely new music composed by him, while looking at the music by Szymanowski as if under an X-Ray examination. Despite the fact that this music is freely improvised, and highly abstract, there is a strong, albeit fragmented, melodic presence, which serves as a catalyst for the three musicians to cooperate. Although the Etudes were written for piano solo, Pieronczyk decided to invite the two partners to share with him the burden of the re-examination and re-creation, sharing the duties among the three instruments equally. Obviously all three musicians are virtuosi on their respective instruments, but the essence of this album is the trialogue they are able to create intuitively between them, rather than the individual performances. Obviously this music is very demanding and might prove to be difficult both for Classical Music listeners and Improvised Music connoisseurs. Hopefully patience and open-mindedness will prevail and many music lovers will be able to discover this highly interesting effort. Overall, this is a challenging cross-genre adventure, which builds a bridge between early 20th Century Classical Music and contemporary Improvised Music, and which offers an intimate trialogue, which is fascinating and challenging as one. It is encouraging to see that such highly non-commercial and Artistic music is still able to find a home and be respectfully released.

Updated: 23/01/2023Posted: 23/01/2023

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ADAM PIERONCZYK WITH ANTHONY JOSEPH ~ MIGRATORY POETS FOR TUNE 0061 (Barcode: 5902768701562) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015 This is a live recording by an international ensemble performing a Jazz & Poetry concert. The ensemble, led by veteran Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Adam PieronczykFind albums by this artist, also includes Brazilian guitarist Nelson VerasFind albums by this artist, Polish bassist Robert KubiszynFind albums by this artist and American drummer John B. ArnoldFind albums by this artist. They are joined by British (of Caribbean roots) poet Anthony JosephFind albums by this artist, who recites his poems accompanied by the quartet. The album consists of seven tracks, six of which are poetry accompanied by music and one is an instrumental piece. All the music is original and was composed by Pieronczyk. The albums brings on fond memories of times (mostly the 1960s) when Jazz & Poetry concerts were a common happening, both in Britain and in Poland, producing some of the most adventurous and aesthetically challenging music at the time. Since the sub-genre is quite a rarity today, this album is a welcome reminder of this magnificent Art form. The overall performances on this album are all very good, with Pieronczyk playing as usual with great fluidity and taste. The rhythm section produces a steady groove as a background to the poetry recitation and the guitar and saxophone solos are intertwined between the stanzas or after the recitation is over. Pieronczyk, although perfectly capable of Free Style improvisation, keeps a very calm profile here, playing mostly very lyrically and melodically, suitable Joseph´s poetry, which is mostly more associative than clear-cut thematically, full of exotic smells, tastes and panoramas. Overall this is a beautiful trip of poetic dreams engulfed in lyrical music, that make the listener forget his whereabouts and take him on a dreamy trip to a far away place. Definitely worth investigating!

Updated: 01/01/2016Posted:

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