Record Reviews

KRZYSZTOF SADOWSKI ~ NA KOSMODROMIE GAD 030 (Barcode: 5901549197389) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1972 Released: 2015 This is a reissue (first time on CD) of the second album by Polish Jazz keyboardist / composer Krzysztof SadowskiFind albums by this artist recorded with an ensemble called Organ GroupFind albums by this artist, which also included flautist / vocalist Liliana UrbanskaFind albums by this artist, Dutch trumpeter Eddie EngelsFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Wlodzimierz NahornyFind albums by this artist, bass guitarist Pawel DabrowskiFind albums by this artist, drummer Tomasz ButowttFind albums by this artist and congas player Jozef GawrychFind albums by this artist. This album was not released at the time as part of the legendary "Polish Jazz" series, for reasons that are way beyond the scope of this text. The original album included only six tracks, the first of which gave the album its title and was a twenty minutes long six parts suite originally found on side A of the LP. The five tracks on side B were all much shorter. All the compositions were originals, four composed by Sadowski and one each by Nahorny and Engels. This remastered reissue adds three bonus tracks recorded at the Polish Radio. By the time this album was released the Polish Jazz scene was in a state of upheaval, torn between two extremes: Free Jazz on one side and Jazz-Rock Fusion on the other. Strangely this album presents a bit of both, since although conceptually belonging to the Jazz-Rock Fusion genre it features a few Free Form solos. Obviously Sadowski was shifting his organ playing stylistics from the traditional influences (Jimmy SmithFind albums by this artist) towards (then) contemporary keyboard approach represented by Herbie HancockFind albums by this artist or Weather ReportFind albums by this artist´s Joe ZawinulFind albums by this artist. The use of vocalese, which was one of the trademarks of Polish Jazz at the time, utilized extensively by Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist in Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist´s ensemble, is only one of the parallels between these two pioneering Fusion bands active at the time. The space exploration, which seems a bit strange as a subject matter of a Jazz album, was at the time one of the main pillars of the Socialist propaganda, which excitedly participated in the space race between USSR and USA, with an obvious winning side. Picking such a subject increased of course significantly the possibility to have one´s music released by the State controlled solitary record company in existence at the time in Poland (Polskie Nagrania). In retrospect the albums is a great document of the time at which it was recorded, proving that in spite of the relative separation from what was happing beyond the Iron Curtain, Polish Jazz was responding rapidly to the changes in the Jazz idiom, often with ferocity and ingenuity, which were impossible to hold back by the political regime. As usual it is my duty to thank GADFind albums on this label Records for taking care of the Polish Jazz heritage, who is sadly a lonely rider on that trail. This superb music definitely needs to be fondly remembered and discovered by new generations!

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KRZYSZTOF SADOWSKI ~ THREE THOUSANDS POINTS (POLISH JAZZ VOL.47) GAD 031 (Barcode: 5901549197396) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1974 - 1997 Released: 2015 This is a reissue (first time on CD) of the third album by Polish Jazz keyboardist / composer Krzysztof SadowskiFind albums by this artist recorded with an ensemble called Organ GroupFind albums by this artist, which also included flautist / vocalist Liliana UrbanskaFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Vesselin NikolovFind albums by this artist and Tomasz SzukalskiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Winicjusz ChrostFind albums by this artist, bass guitarist Wojciech BruslikFind albums by this artist, drummers Zbigniew KitlinskiFind albums by this artist and Wojciech MorawskiFind albums by this artist and finally percussionists Andrzej ZielinskiFind albums by this artist and Bozena BruszewskaFind albums by this artist. The reason for the long lineup is the fact that the album was recorded during two separate sessions with two different lineups. This album was released at the time as part of the legendary "Polish Jazz" series (as Vol.47) and included originally only four tracks, the first of which gave the album its title and was a twenty one minutes long suite originally found on side A of the LP. The three tracks on side B were shorter and spanned between three to nine minutes in duration. Two of the compositions were originals, both composed by Sadowski; one was a Keith JarrettFind albums by this artist tune and one was a Classical piece. This remastered reissue adds three bonus tracks recorded at the Polish Radio. The music on this album shows Sadowski at full swing as a Jazz-Rock Fusion musician, firmly based in the Fusion idiom, which was pretty well established by then both on the Polish scene and abroad. He expands his arsenal and uses electric piano and early synthesizer (ring modulator) gadgets. The flute parts are more daring and the vocalese more developed, clearly following the work of Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist. Nikolov adds a tinge of Balkan spice and Szukalski blows away like only he could, touching upon Free at times. The rhythmic support is very Rock oriented and the overall sound and feel of the music resembles to some extent the best Fusion ensembles active in the West but maintains an East European identity both harmonically and melodically. In retrospect the album is a great document of the time at which it was recorded, proving that in spite of the relative separation from what was happing beyond the Iron Curtain, Polish Jazz was responding rapidly to the changes in the Jazz idiom, often with ferocity and ingenuity, which were impossible to hold back by the political regime. The grammar mistake in the English version of the title (preserved for historic consistency) is a nice reminder of Socialist bureaucracy (an insider´s joke). As usual it is my duty to thank GADFind albums on this label Records for taking care of the Polish Jazz heritage, who is sadly a lonely rider on that trail. This superb music definitely needs to be fondly remembered and discovered by new generations!

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

LILIANA URBANSKA ~ LILIANA URBANSKA GAD 101 (Barcode: 5903068120404) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 1971 - 1974 Released: 2019 This is a reissue of the debut album as a leader by Polish vocalist / flautist Liliana UrbanskaFind albums by this artist, best known as a member of the groups led by her husband, organist Krzysztof SadowskiFind albums by this artist. The ensemble that accompanies her on this album is the Krzysztof Sadowski Organ GroupFind albums by this artist and the background vocals are performed by the vocal ensemble PartitaFind albums by this artist (which is still active today). The original album presented eleven songs, nine of which were composed by Sadowski, one was a folk song and one was composed by Alina PiechowskaFind albums by this artist. This reissue adds four bonus tracks originating from an EP Urbanska recorded three years earlier. Contrary to her usual involvement with Jazz, this album is a collection of songs, which move between Pop, Soul, Folk and Rhythm And Blues. Considering the fact that almost all of the music and the instrumental parts involve Sadowski, the Jazzy feeling is quite dominant throughout the album. Urbanska plays a few flute solos as well. In retrospect this album sounds dated and even the nostalgia is not able to save it from a musty atmosphere. Except for a couple of poetic songs, especially the one based on a poem by Jaroslaw IwaszkiewiczFind albums by this artist and the a.m. song by Piechowska, which get close to the Jazz & Poetry idiom, the rest is quite forgettable. Overall for Polish Jazz completists this album is a nice nostalgic memorabilia, which certainly justifies having this album reissued, but probably won´t generate a lot of excitement in other circles.

Updated: 08/05/2023Posted: 09/03/2020

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend