Record Reviews

RAFAL GORZYCKI ~ PLAYING FOR TUNE 0088 (Barcode: 5902768701951) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 This is an album by Polish Jazz drummer / composer / bandleader Rafal GorzyckiFind albums by this artist, one of the most prolific, diverse and always unpredictable figures on the local scene. This time he presents a trio, which also includes guitarist Marek MalinowskiFind albums by this artist and electric bassist Wojciech WozniakFind albums by this artist, and which performs ten tracks entitled simply "Playing" part 1 to part 10, two of which were composed by Gorzycki, four were co-composed by all three trio members and four more were co-composed by the previous lineup of the trio which included bassist Patryk WeclawekFind albums by this artist. The sound on an electric guitar trio immediately invokes associations with Jazz-Rock Fusion, and indeed this music has very close ties with Fusion, but encompasses a much wider stylistic variety than simply Fusion, including Improvised Music, Ambient and contemporary Chamber Music. With Gorzycki at the helm, this is hardly surprising, as his extensive recording legacy is characterized by its diversity and cross-genre explorations. Although pre-composed and melody based to some extent, this music includes a lot of space and freedom, which allows for very creative playing by the trio members, which they use liberally; but in spite of all that freedom, the music remains quite "well behaved" most of the time, which makes it accessible to a wide range of listeners. Creating music of such intrinsic beauty and highly aesthetic value and yet making it sound "simple" is a real artistry, and Gorzycki deserves praise for managing to achieving such result. Malinowski, who released his debut album as a leader ("AloneFind albums with this title") a year earlier, emerges as one of the most interesting new hopes of the Polish Jazz guitar players. His open and clean sound, which uses (almost) no electronic trickery, is very impressive and quite unique today in its straightforwardness. In many respects it brings back fond memories of the early Fusion days, when players like John McLaughlinFind albums by this artist were using a very similar sonic approach. Wozniak, who has some past Fusion ties as well, plays very skillfully and precisely, which is exactly what is expected of him in this setting. He plays a cool "walking" pulsations when the music swings and atmospheric prolonged phrases when it moves into a more ambient environment. This modesty and respect towards ones partners is a most formidable quality in a musician. Gorzycki is of course a Master drummer, a fact which requires no reinforcements, and indeed he plays very sparingly, cooperatively and relatively straightforwardly on this album, which is a very wise decision. When the music requires his input, he is always there and always at his best, but overall his playing on this album is primarily a part of the collective effort rather than claiming the role of a leader. The album was excellently recorded at the RecPublica Studios and engineered by Lukasz OlejarczykFind albums by this artist, and offers a superb sonic quality, which will make high-end Hi-Fi enthusiasts extremely happy. But overall it is definitely one of the best Polish Jazz albums released so far in 2016, and hopefully will reach a wide circle of music lovers, as it is definitely capable of capturing the hearts of very many connoisseurs anywhere in the world. Respect!

Updated: 07/05/2016Posted: 07/05/2016

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

SING SING PENELOPE ~ MUSIC FOR UMBRELLAS MONOTYPE 008 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2006 Released: 2006 This is the 2nd album by the incredible Polish Jazz ensemble Sing Sing PenelopeFind albums by this artist, led by drummer Rafal GorzyckiFind albums by this artist and also including trumpeter Wojciech JachnaFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Tomasz GlazikFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Daniel MackiewiczFind albums by this artist and bassist Patryk WeclawekFind albums by this artist. Violinist Sebastian GruchotFind albums by this artist guests on one track. They play all original music, composed mostly by Gorzycki and Jachna or credited to the ensemble. Stylistically this is an incredible mixture of many elements from Jazz, Rock, Ambient, RIO and other areas, completely eluding any attempt of pinpointing or categorization. They are definitely one of the most interesting and most consistently excellent ensembles currently active on the Polish scene, which of course is a major compliment. All these players are excellent instrumentalist, the music is fresh, unusual and truly intelligent, but in spite its complex nature manages to embrace the element of melody, which is often mostly lost in adventurous attempts tried by others. I suppose that if Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist was alive today, he´d have loved to play with these young musicians behind him, but so would a lot of other great musicians. In any case this, and the other recordings by this group, is a beacon of hope that not all is lost in music in the 21st Century. Absolutely not to be missed!

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

SING SING PENELOPE ~ SING SING PENELOPE TONE INDUSTRIA 009 (Barcode: 5905912550863) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2004 Released: 2005 This is the debut album by the sensational Polish ensemble Sing Sing PenelopeFind albums by this artist, founded in Bydgoszcz in 2001 by four musicians: keyboardist Daniel MackiewiczFind albums by this artist, bassist Patryk WeclawekFind albums by this artist, drummer / percussionist Rafal GorzyckiFind albums by this artist and saxophonist Tomasz GlazikFind albums by this artist. They were joined in 2003 by trumpeter Wojciech JachnaFind albums by this artist and the quintet lineup, which recorded this album, was born. Obviously based on the Jazz-Rock and modern Jazz roots, this ensemble acts as a creative unit and treats their original music (credited to all the five members) as an experimental canvas, expanding it into new and uncharted territory. Rather that use well established patterns and musical structures they try to innovate constantly, which puts them apart from most of their contemporaries. Combining melodic themes, pulsating rhythms and a lot of freedom in the improvisations they mange to create something fresh, challenging and often unexpected, which will be their trademark in all their future recordings. In fact this little known (at the time of its release) album marks the birth of was to become the most interesting ensemble active on the Polish scene in the first decade of the 21st Century. By now this is already a classic recording, which sadly is very difficult to find today. A must!

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

SING SING PENELOPE ~ THIS IS THE MUSIC / VOLUME 1 MW 004 (Barcode: 5903292102245) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2011 - 2012 Released: 2012 This is the 6th album by the brilliant Polish ensemble Sing Sing PenelopeFind albums by this artist, formed and led by drummer Rafal GorzyckiFind albums by this artist, which includes also trumpeter Wojciech JachnaFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Aleksander KaminskiFind albums by this artist (new member) and Tomasz GlazikFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Daniel MackiewiczFind albums by this artist and bassist Patryk WeclawekFind albums by this artist. Two guest artists, who played on the ensemble´s previous recordings, are also present here: violinist Sebastian GruchotFind albums by this artist and DJ StrangefruitFind albums by this artist from Norway on live electronics. It seems that SSP (as they are known in this age of shortcuts) can do no wrong and this album is every bit as grand as everything else they attempted previously, which after six albums and ten years amounts both to a substantial body of music as much as their impeccable reputation. The music, contributed collectively or individually by all participants, is as usual a completely original mix of styles and sub-genres, disregarding boundaries and freely moving from one territory to another. Atmospheric / ambient electronic sounds over strong, pulsating rhythmic patterns and Jazz solos on top seems to be shortest way to describe this music, although it manages to escape any simple depiction, which of course means there is interesting stuff happening here. In many respects this album sums up the decade of the ensemble´s existence, covering everything from their Jazz-Rock efforts, through the Free Jazz improvisations and recent ambient vistas. In retrospect SSP emerge as perhaps the most interesting phenomenon of the first decade of the 21st Century on the Polish scene, being the most consistent, searching and completely disregarding fads group of young musicians around. An absolute must to any serious Jazz listener, wishing to reach beyond the obvious!

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

SING SING PENELOPE ~ WE REMEMBER KRZESELKO ELECTRIC EYE 003 (Barcode: 5905912552874) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2006 - 2007 Released: 2008 This is the 3rd album by excellent Polish ensemble Sing Sing PenelopeFind albums by this artist, led by drummer / composer Rafal GorzyckiFind albums by this artist, one of the most versatile and diligent Polish musicians, who also created and leads other ensembles, like Ecstasy ProjectFind albums by this artist. Gorzycki incorporates Jazz tradition with contemporary Classical music, Avant-Garde, Rock, Punk and a myriad of other genres and sub-genres, completely ignoring conventions, like many of his Polish contemporaries on the off-centre music scene. His recording legacy in the last decade is quite prolific, presenting many quite contrasting, but always intriguing musical vistas. This album is definitely one of the most interesting of his recordings, and one of the best albums coming out of Poland in the first decade of the 21st Century. On this album the ensemble includes trumpeter Wojciech JachnaFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Tomasz GlazikFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Daniel MackiewiczFind albums by this artist and bassist Patryk WeclawekFind albums by this artist. Violinist Sebastian GruchotFind albums by this artist guests on four tracks. The music, all original of course, is a stunning amalgam of Modern Jazz, Avant-Rock, RIO, contemporary Classical; in short completely beyond classification. Somehow all this makes perfect sense musically and leaves the innocent listener completely stunned. The strange thing is that this music might appeal to Jazz and Rock (especially Progressive Rock) audiences with equal might, but certainly it´s extremely unlikely someone might stay indifferent to it. In short this is a blast of an album, which took me by complete surprise and made me return to it several time already. As to the album´s title, I have no idea what the ensemble really meant, even after watching the short video included on the album, but my guess would be that it´s a pun on the many Polish Jazz albums dedicated to the memory of Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist, including the famous "We`ll Remember KomedaFind albums with this title" album? In any case this album is an absolute must!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

SING SING PENELOPE / DJ STRANGEFRUIT ~ ELECTROGRIDE MOZG 001 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2010 Released: 2010 This is the 5th album by the sensational Polish ensemble Sing Sing PenelopeFind albums by this artist, recorded in cooperation with Norwegian DJ StrangefruitFind albums by this artist (real name Pal NyhusFind albums by this artist) and Polish (resident in Norway) violinist Sebastian GruchotFind albums by this artist. The regular SSP lineup (trumpeter Wojciech JachnaFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Tomasz GlazikFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Daniel MackiewiczFind albums by this artist, bassist Patryk WeclawekFind albums by this artist and drummer / percussionist Rafal GorzyckiFind albums by this artist) is slightly changed with saxophonist Aleksander KaminskiFind albums by this artist fulfilling the position of the absent Glazik. The circumstances surrounding the recording of this album are connected to the Smolensk catastrophe, in which a plane carrying Polish Government officials crushed killing everybody on board. The musicians who recorded this album were suppose to tour Polish clubs, but as a result of the mourning the concerts were cancelled and instead they recorded the album, which was distributed free of charge in the clubs, where the concerts were supposed to be played. Of course today this album is a rare collector´s item. Musically this album marks another expansion of SSP already adventurous music into new territory, with the inclusion of electronics and ambient elements. The music becomes more contemplative and spacey, in comparison to their earlier efforts, but the Jazz solos and overall atmosphere is unmistakably SSP. Another innovation is the use of World Music percussive elements by Gorzycki, which adds another dimension to the music. The album´s ac hoc nature and the short (EP size) repertoire are all results of the on the spot decision to make the album at the time and the fruition of the ideas contained herein was fully realized in their next album. In retrospect this little gem appends a valuable add-on to the splendid recorded legacy of the ensemble so far and as usual is a splendid piece of contemporary music of rare quality.

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

SING SING PENELOPE / ANDRZEJ PRZYBIELSKI ~ STIRLI PEOPLE – IN JAZZGA MONOTYPE 022 (Barcode: 5908310927084) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2008 Released: 2009 This phenomenal recording presents a somewhat unlikely cooperation between young Polish ensemble Sing Sing PenelopeFind albums by this artist and the dark prince of Polish Jazz Avant-Garde, genius trumpeter / composer Andrzej PrzybielskiFind albums by this artist (now sadly departed). Sing Sing Penelope, formed by Polish drummer / composer Rafal GorzyckiFind albums by this artist also includes brilliant trumpeter Wojciech JachnaFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Tomasz GlazikFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Daniel MackiewiczFind albums by this artist and bassist Patryk WeclawekFind albums by this artist. They recorded three albums since the mid-2000s, all of which are excellent, and this is their fourth release. Przybielski was a key figure on the Polish Avant-Garde scene since the 1960s, and his scarce, but mostly brilliant recorded legacy is a prime example of the Eastern-European Jazz at its most creative best. The music created by the young members of the ensemble and the veteran trumpeter is a wonderful surprise, completely unexpected not only due to the age and musical background differences but mainly because of the vibrancy and vitality of the result, which resembles the power and verve of the early electric Miles DavisFind albums by this artist ensembles. The sound is very modern and up to date, mostly up tempo and sometimes quite Rock oriented, but always within the Jazz aesthetic and always simply radiant. Of the seven composition presented on the album Przybielski is credited with three, another three are co-credited to him and the group and the last one is by the group. The most striking feature of the album is of course the double trumpet front line, which is simply phenomenal. Jachna already proved his ability as a player on several albums featuring his unique talents and playing alongside a genius such as Przybielski must have proven a unique inspiration, which is evident from the result. Przybielski himself simply plays beautifully all the way and this recording is definitely one of his best moments. As much as two saxophones lineups are very popular in Jazz, a two trumpets ones are almost inexistent, which is a great pity, as this recording proves beyond any doubt. But of course all the participants of this recording deserve to be praised, as everybody contributes towards the unprecedented success. Overall this is one of the strongest Polish Jazz albums recorded recently and a grand memorial to the talents of Andrzej Przybielski, who received almost no recognition before his untimely and tragic death. Definitely a must to every connoisseur of Polish and Eastern-European Jazz!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend