Record Reviews

SABINA MECK ~ TESKNI DZIOUCHA DO SYNECZKA: SONGS OF THE SILESIAN UPRISINGS CAMERATA SILESIA 02 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2023 Released: 2025 This is the 4th album by Polish Jazz singer / songwriter Sabina MeckFind albums by this artist. She is accompanied by pianist Franciszek RaczkowskiFind albums by this artist, clarinetist Patryk PeterssonFind albums by this artist and percussionist Patryk ZakrzewskiFind albums by this artist and the Katowice City Singers’ Ensemble Camerata SilesiaFind albums by this artist, conducted by Anna SzostakFind albums by this artist. The album presents thirteen tracks, eleven of which are folk songs and two are original songs written by Meck especially for the album. Meck also arranged all the music. The album is a commendable memorial to the dramatic events in the history of Silesia between the two Great Wars, where Silesia was divided between Poland and Germany, and the Silesian People went through an internal cultural / national dichotomy. Three uprisings (1919-1921) by Polish Silesians, who wanted their land to be annexed to Poland, which they considered to be their homeland, were brutally put down by the German army. Silesia was reunited only after the WW II, in 1945, when it became a part of Poland. Since I was born in Silesia, the memory of these uprisings was always present as part of my childhood, but strangely and sadly this part of Polish history is almost completely absent in contemporary Polish historical / cultural landscape. Needless to say I am familiar with these songs in their original versions, and I am deeply grateful to see this album created. The album brings songs, which are now about a hundred years old, to a more contemporary environment, with just a little touch of Jazz and modern choral music, emphasizing their natural beauty and everlasting values. The instrumental arrangements are delicate and non-intrusive, but perfectly fit the atmosphere and expand the music, bringing it forward to current milieu. The vocal performances, both by the vocal ensemble, the soloists and Meck herself, are all impeccable and truly heartfelt. The arrangements skillfully make proper openings for all the elements, which fit together perfectly. This is definitely a very skillfully put together project, which emphasizes Meck’s maturity and talent. Overall, this is a very unique album, which demands attentive listening and open-mindedness, as it presents seemingly simple Folk songs with a considerable depth and complexity, which creates a moving piece of music, far beyond initial expectations. Well done, everybody!

Updated: 16/05/2025Posted: 16/05/2025

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MOW ~ HISTORIE ZEBRANE HEVHETIA 0169 (Barcode: 8588005258319) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by Polish ensemble MOWFind albums by this artist, which comprises of vocalist / songwriter Ania BratekFind albums by this artist, pianist Aga DerlakFind albums by this artist, bassist Mateusz SzewczykFind albums by this artist and drummer Patryk ZakrzewskiFind albums by this artist. Guitarist Jakub MizerackiFind albums by this artist guests on three tracks. The album presents eleven original songs, all featuring lyrics (in Polish language) written by Bratek and all but one were composed by Bratek and one co-composed by her. All songs were arranged by the ensemble members. The album was recorded at the Monochrom Studio and was engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, with the expected excellent sonic result. The music is a Jazzed-up Alternative Pop, but basically eschews clear genre classification. The focus is naturally on the lead vocals, accompanied by a piano trio, which collectively offers a constant stylistic duality between the vocal parts, which are more Soul / Pop oriented and the instrumental piano trio parts, which are clearly Jazz related. The mixture does work together well and the album is an interesting listening experience. For the Polish speaking audiences, the well crafted and intelligent lyrics offer an additional benefit. Bartek´s vocal delivery is somewhat theatrical, which emphasizes the messages delivered by the lyrics. She is able to express the emotions as well as the melodic / harmonic contents with ease and sincere involvement, and her compositions are exciting and diverse enough to make the music flow swiftly and keep the listener interested all the way through. The instrumental work is also excellent, which is hardly surprising as Derlak´s piano playing already earned her a lot of attention in spite of her young age and short mileage. The rhythm section sticks to the Jazzy formula with great bass lines and inventive drumming moving the music forward. Mizeracki´s guitar parts are also admirable and it´s a pity he wasn’t featured as a regular member of the band. Overall this is an excellent debut offering, which will hopefully be followed by new music soon. The two female Artists on this album are a sign of the growing role of the Women Power in Polish Jazz, which is wonderful of course. Kudos to the Slovak HevhetiaFind albums on this label label for supporting the Polish music scene since several years, and for offering new opportunities and exposure to creative Artists, which the local Polish record industry is unable to contain. Well done Milady and all the best in the years to come!

Updated: 22/12/2018Posted: 22/12/2018

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RANNE PTASZKI ~ W PELNI VOICE MUSIC 1009 (Barcode: 5906489287374) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 2024 Released: 2024 This is the 2nd album by Polish group Ranne PtaszkiFind albums by this artist, led by singer / songwriter Martyna KubiakFind albums by this artist, with vibraphonist / guitarist Marcin PaterFind albums by this artist, bassist Mateusz SzewczykFind albums by this artist, percussionist Patryk ZakrzewskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Tomasz MachanskiFind albums by this artist. A string quartet performs arrangements by Nikola KolodziejczykFind albums by this artist, accompanying the quintet and vocalist Anna BratekFind albums by this artist guests on one track. The album presents eleven tracks, all songs written by Kubiak (music and lyrics), except one, which has music co-credited to Kubiak and Szewczyk and with string arrangements by him, and one with music by Szewczyk. The album was recorded at the legendary Monochrom Studio, engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, and offers, as usual, a spectacular sound quality. The music is absolutely sensational, from start to end, offering a wonderful amalgam of Pop, Rock and Jazz, sophisticated melodies, twisted rhythm changes, brilliant vocal and instrumental performances, in short a stunning piece of music, which undoubtedly deserved the Fryderyk prize for 2024. Kubiak is a perfectly natural vocalist, singing completely without any effort, not trying to prove anything or show off any of her qualities. Everything that comes out of her throat sounds just right, regardless if she uses a jokingly cabaret attitude or almost whispers her messages. She is utterly unique on the Polish scene, and since I know almost everything that gets recorded in Poland, she simply stands out without any competition. As if her vocal qualities were not enough, she also writes brilliant songs, both musically and lyrically. In short this lady is a phenomenon! The musicians who accompany Kubiak do a splendid job all along the way, with incredible sensibility. Selecting the vibraphone as the main harmonic instrument accompanying the vocals was a risky decision, buy proved to be a genius one. I’d love to hear more from Pater and although I have his debut album from five years ago and one additional album he played on, he certainly deserves a wider recognition. Szewczyk also plays brilliantly, and his bass pulsations provide a solid foundation for the music, but he also appears rarely on records. Zakrzewski ornaments the music with his percussion effects, and he also is rarely featured on albums, and as far as Machanski is concerned, who keeps the music perfectly on time, he is completely unfamiliar to me. There are simply so many brilliant young musicians on the Polish scene, that the competition becomes incredibly tough. Kolodziejczyk, who on the other hand needs no introduction, does a perfect job with the string arrangements, and those are also superbly played. Overall, this is an outstanding album, which I enjoyed playing several times in a row (and that happens extremely rarely), and enjoyed the experience repeatedly. Even for listeners, who are unable to understand the Polish lyrics, the sonic message should be definitely astounding enough to enjoy the music immensely. It’s a pity I got a copy of the album so late, as I’d have voted it the album of the year for 2024, well perhaps next time… Hats off Milady, you managed to capture my heart unconditionally. Bon chance with your future endeavors!

Updated: 05/06/2025Posted: 05/06/2025

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