Record Reviews

VIT KRISTAN ~ IMPRINTS ANIMAL MUSIC 036 (Barcode: 8594155997121) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz Recorded: 2012 - 2013 Released: 2013 This is the debut album by young and upcoming Czech pianist / composer Vit KristanFind albums by this artist recorded with his trio called Vit Kristan ProjectFind albums by this artist which includes veteran bassist Jaromir HonzakFind albums by this artist and drummer Roman VichaFind albums by this artist, and guests: Slovak trumpeter Oskar TorokFind albums by this artist and Polish guitarist Marek KadzielaFind albums by this artist and vocalist Agnieszka TwardochFind albums by this artist (on one track only). The album presents twelve original compositions, all by Kristan. The music was splendidly recorded at the SONO Records studio and engineered by Milan CimfeFind albums by this artist. The music is melody based modern European Jazz, typical of Eastern European ensembles and offering excellent and highly original compositions and conceptually atypical approach to the Jazz idiom, now rejuvenated by the rapidly growing new generation of European musicians, who refuse to simply follow the tradition and are ready to innovate even at a very young age, like in this case. Schooled at the Katowice Music Academy Kristan´s ties with the young generation of Polish Jazz musicians is pretty natural and continued in the years following his return home. The participation of Kadziela effectively expands the sonic range and stylistic diversity of the music with his Rock / Fusion soaked approach. Kristan consistently displays an affinity towards guitar players in his recordings following this debut, often with Czech guitarist Dawid Doruzka. The superb rhythm section of Honzak and Vicha bless this music with a wonderful feel of swing, despite the relatively open playing by these veterans, with a superb diversity and flexibility, which allow Kristan to venture into extensive soloing utilizing uneven rhythmic patterns. Listening to this album in retrospect, since for some strange reason it did not reach me earlier, and after being familiar with quite a few of his recordings released since, it clearly shows that although it is perhaps a tad hesitant, he was already a mature musician and even more so a highly promising composer blessed with an unusual talent. It is a bit strange that Kristan did not record a follow up album as a leader so far, and I certainly hope he won´t let as linger for much longer. In the meantime we can enjoy his work as a sideman or co-leader, which is always excellent, but it is high time for new original compositions, by a fully blossomed Artist. This album is still highly recommended of course!

Updated: 05/10/2020Posted: 05/10/2020

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WOJTEK MAZOLEWSKI QUINTET ~ BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE WMQ 09 (Barcode: 5908252861705) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2023 Released: 2024 This is the 6th album by Polish bassist / composer / bandleader Wojtek MazolewskiFind albums by this artist and his quintet, which current lineup includes Slovak trumpeter Oskar TorokFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Piotr CheckiFind albums by this artist, pianist Marcel BalinskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Tymoteusz PapiorFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Tymek PapiorFind albums by this artist). The album presents ten tracks, nine of which are original compositions by Mazolewski and one is co-credited to all the members of the quintet. Two of the compositions are repeated twice in different versions and the last track is annotated as a “bonus track” (bonus to what?). The music follows the established pattern of the quintet’s previous albums, with solid melodic compositions and excellent performances by the quintet members, but in the long run the album, as nice as it sounds, adds nothing new to the cumulative output, which means that a strong déjà vu feeling is in the air, for listeners who faithfully follow the quintet’s output. That said, this is still a very pleasant listening experience and for Polish Jazz lovers, who enjoy the melancholic lyricism and the acoustic Jazz sound, this is as good as it gets. Overall, this is another well played and pleasing Jazz experience, which can be universally enjoyed, without being groundbreaking or innovative.

Updated: 05/01/2025Posted: 05/01/2025

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WOJTEK MAZOLEWSKI QUINTET ~ POLKA AGORA 9788326813801 (Barcode: 9788326813801) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 - 2014 Released: 2014 This is the third album by Polish Jazz bassists / composer Wojtek MazolewskiFind albums by this artist and his quintet, which also includes Slovak trumpeter Oskar TorokFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Marek PospieszalskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Joanna DudaFind albums by this artist and drummers Qba JanickiFind albums by this artist and Michal BryndalFind albums by this artist. The album presents twelve compositions (one repeated twice), six of which are originals by Mazolewski, two are originals by Duda, one is credited to the entire quintet and three are covers. The music on this album was written over a long period of time and reflects the personal life of the leader and the touring experiences by his quintet, as well as their musical preferences. It is a mixed bag of various influences, including Jazz but not necessarily strictly connected with Jazz, as usual with Mazolewski´s albums. His tap-dance between Jazz and more popular Pop & Rock idioms seem to work miracles during the quintet´s live shows, which are extremely well attended by enthusiastic audiences, but it does not translate that well into albums, like this one, which are a mixed, unfocused bag. Of course these are top-notch players, especially Duda, who displays a remarkable ability to adopt her playing to the various musical environments present herein and sets her own voice in her compositions. The sound is smooth and likeable as is the music and overall this album is a lot of fun to listen to, but leaves very little of an afterthought. The album is beautifully packaged in a fancy digibook format, with great photos and Mazolewski´s reflections about the music. BTW the work "Polka" has a double meaning: a Folk dance (of Czech origin) and a Polish female person; a dichotomy Mazolewski explores in detail. I had a lot fun listening to this album but at the same time, as with all albums by Mazolewski, I feel a bit cheated, always getting a bit less than I hoped for. Some music simply does sound better live…

Updated: 05/01/2025Posted:

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WOJTEK MAZOLEWSKI QUINTET ~ SMELLS LIKE TAPE SPIRIT MYSTIC (PL) 163 (Barcode: 5903427874627) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2010 Released: 2010 This is the debut album by a Polish Jazz quintet led by bassist / composer Wojtek MazolewskiFind albums by this artist, who is a well known figure on the local scene way beyond the Jazz circles, mostly as a member of several Rock groups and later a founding member of the top Polish group Pink FreudFind albums by this artist. Obviously, this album presents an attempt to create a “serious” Jazz album in the splendid tradition of the Polish Jazz heritage, which in fact is by and large quite successful. Carefully composed, arranged and beautifully played, the album is mostly melancholic and lyrical, very melodic and full of internal tension, which is extremely effective. The quintet includes Slovak trumpeter Oskar TorokFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Marek PospieszalskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Joanna DudaFind albums by this artist and drummer Michal BryndalFind albums by this artist, all excellent and very sensitive players. The music was mostly composed or co-composed by Mazolewski, with one track credited to the entire ensemble and two tracks composed by the pianist. In his liner notes Mazolewski makes clear how he longed to return to the double bass and play Jazz again (he mostly plays electric bass) and explains how this music was influenced by the arrival of his first-born son. He also credits his partners in the quintet for contributing to the final result, and so he should, as it definitely is a group effort. Overall it is a beautiful album, which gives the listener a truly satisfactory listening experience, at least until the last (bonus?) track of the album, which states the obvious: “White men can’t jump and they can’t play reggae either”. Highly recommended!

Updated: 05/01/2025Posted:

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WOJTEK MAZOLEWSKI QUINTET ~ WOJTEK W CZECHOSLOWACJI MYSTIC (PL) 195 (Barcode: 5903427875198) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2011 Released: 2011 This is the 2nd album by the Polish Jazz quintet led by bassist / composer Wojtek MazolewskiFind albums by this artist, who is a well known figure on the local scene way beyond the Jazz circles, mostly as a member of several Rock groups and later a founding member of the top Polish group Pink FreudFind albums by this artist. The quintet includes Slovak trumpeter Oskar TorokFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Marek PospieszalskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Joanna DudaFind albums by this artist and drummer Michal BryndalFind albums by this artist, all excellent and very sensitive players. The music was mostly composed or co-composed by Mazolewski, with four tracks credited to the entire ensemble and one track composed by the pianist. One additional track was contributed by Polish DJ Maceo WyroFind albums by this artist, who participates in the recording with his electronic effects and another one is by famous Jamaican reggae artist Max RomeoFind albums by this artist. In contrast to the quintet’s previous album (“Smells Like Tape SpiritFind albums with this title”) this one is quite confusing. The confusion starts right with the album’s title (the Czechoslovak connection being a mystery) and continues throughout the album’s content, which includes several re-makes of compositions already present on the last album and new compositions, which are stylistically quite remote from earlier material. Of course the album has its moments and such high-class musicians can definitely play well, but the overall disorder, lack of direction or aesthetic unity makes it more difficult to enjoy. Of course it’s entirely possible that Mazolewski knows exactly what he’s doing and it’s only me missing the point? Investigate at your own risk!

Updated: 05/01/2025Posted:

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VERTIGO ~ DALEKO ANIMAL MUSIC 081 (Barcode: 8594155999545) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the seventh album by Czech / Slovak Jazz ensemble VertigoFind albums by this artist, which comprises of saxophonist / clarinetist / vocalist Marcel BartaFind albums by this artist, trumpeter / vocalist Oskar TorokFind albums by this artist, cellist / vocalist Dorota BarovaFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Vojtech ProchazkaFind albums by this artist, bassist Rastislav UhrikFind albums by this artist and drummer Daniel SoltisFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven original compositions; five by Barta, three by Prochazka and one each by Barova (with her lyrics), Torok (with lyrics by Slovak poet Ivan KraskoFind albums by this artist) and Soltis. The music is a highly interesting mixture of contemporary Jazz, Chamber Classical music and some Fusion elements, a wonderfully weird, almost Zappaesque concoction, which offers a superb balance of composed and improvised music and should leave no open-minded listener indifferent. Since I am exposed on a daily basis to huge quantities of new music, it is not surprising that it is very difficult to surprise me ;) However this music is definitely a breath of fresh air with its chutzpah and seemingly complete disregard of conventionalism or populism. As a result the listener gets exposed to something different with each track on the album and yet the entire continuity preserves an aesthetic coherence, despite the diversity. The modus operandi of the ensemble is definitely focused on group performance, with the soloing being rather secondary, which does not however limit the superb individual contributions by all the members, which can be distinctly heard by an attentive listener. The intense ensemble sound dominates the proceedings and interestingly the usage of the human voices as instruments empowers the total result and adds another dimension. This music might require more than one listening session in order to penetrate the complexity and intricacy, but is definitely worth the effort. Personally it´s time for me to dig into the earlier recordings by the group, which are hopefully bearing gifts of the same nature. Overall this is a heck of an album, completely innovative and stunning by its chest of musical treasures, which is wholeheartedly recommended. My respect towards Czech / Slovak Jazz is well justified again and if you are bored by the mundane Jazz albums that clutter our life, this is definitely a fountain of youth ;) Enjoy and well done people (of the universe without plastic)!

Updated: 12/10/2020Posted: 12/10/2020

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VERTIGO ~ NIC ANIMAL MUSIC 107 (Barcode: 8594211850100) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2022 Released: 2022 This is the eighth album by Czech / Slovak Jazz ensemble VertigoFind albums by this artist, which comprises of saxophonist Marcel BartaFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Oskar TorokFind albums by this artist, cellist Dorota BarovaFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Vojtech ProchazkaFind albums by this artist, bassist Rastislav UhrikFind albums by this artist and drummer Daniel SoltisFind albums by this artist. The album presents fourteen original compositions; eight by Barta, two by Prochazka, one by Uhrik and three collective improvisations. The music was recorded at the Sono Records studio and engineered by Milan CimfeFind albums by this artist, with the usual stunning sound quality. The music is a sublime amalgam of cross-genre explorations, including contemporary Jazz, Chamber Classical Music, some Rock / Fusion elements and everything in between, completely shunning any simplistic definitions. Perfectly melodic at one moment, it becomes almost Improvised Music at the next, taking the listener on a see-saw journey of epic proportions. This music remains definitely a breath of fresh air with its chutzpah and seemingly complete disregard of conventionalism or populism. As a result, the listener gets exposed to something different with each track on the album and yet the entire continuity preserves an aesthetic coherence, despite the diversity. The emphasis on creating an ensemble sound rather than featuring expressive soloing is typical of contemporary European music, and Vertigo functions perfectly within that realm. The ominous title (“nothing” in English) reflects well the emptiness of the contemporary non-culture, which dominates our lives, and perhaps suggests how the void can be filled by something else, with a tinge of pessimism attached. Overall, this is a brilliant album from start to finish, which continues the Vertigo legacy, now twenty years in existence, filling our hearts with hope for the future. As long as European music has ensembles like Vertigo creating music, not all is lost. This album is well beyond recommendation; it is an absolute must to every true music connoisseur anywhere on this planet, as are in fact all their earlier recordings. This is bloodcurdling (in the best meaning of the word) stuff!

Updated: 05/10/2022Posted: 05/10/2022

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