Record Reviews

DYMNY / TRILLA ~ CAVE CANEM FMR 399 (Barcode: 642415162685) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2015 This is an album by a duo comprising of Polish guitarist Michal DymnyFind albums by this artist and Portuguese / Catalan drummer Vasco TrillaFind albums by this artist. Polish saxophonist Paulina OwczarekFind albums by this artist guests on a couple of tracks. The album presents nine pieces, assumed to be spontaneous improvisations, which are not specifically credited on the album´s artwork. The content of this album is a typical radical Avant-Garde offering, which can only be considered as "music" under the most flexible definition of the term. There is plenty of sound creation and even interplay, but devoid completely of any melodic or harmonic substance this Art Form is accessible to a very narrow audience, and even then mostly live on stage rather than in recorded form. The two tracks with Owczarek participating are strikingly more accessible by the way. But searching and exploring is an essential part of the artistic process and has its place among the many Improvised Music / ambient recordings, even if it is able to reach a limited audience. The fact that the musicians / performers are able to cooperate and communicate within this sonic environment is already a proof that such experimentation has its justification. The question of course is if this music is able to make listeners place this album in the player more than once? I am not qualified to judge it beyond my personal universe, but I rather doubt it. Nevertheless the fact that this music was recorded and released is a statement, which left a mark on the overall artistic fabric of our common universe, and is already fully valid as such. In order to be alive, music has to have its Avant-Garde, as much as it needs its mainstream. Therefore these efforts, which might seem extreme and narcissistic at one point of time, might prove to be prophetic some time in the future. Who can tell?

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 26/07/2017

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SATOKO FUJII ORCHESTRA BERLIN ~ ICHIGO ICHIE LIBRA 212-037 (Barcode: 4562169330375) ~ JAPAN ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015 Japanese pianist / composer / bandleader Satoko FujiiFind albums by this artist is one of the most prolific and active international Jazz icons, leading several versions of an Orchestra, located in several cities around the globe in addition to several small ensembles. This album is a recording by the Orchestra BerlinFind albums by this artist, a twelve piece band that comprises mostly of German musicians, but also includes Fujii and her husband, trumpeter Natsuki TamuraFind albums by this artist, French drummer Peter OrinsFind albums by this artist and Polish saxophonist Paulina OwczarekFind albums by this artist. It presents the four parts suite that gives the album its title and one additional piece, all composed by Fujii. The music of Fujii is always full of innovation and groundbreaking steps towards expanding the boundaries of Jazz music, and this everlasting process of search is her trademark. But she also composes great melodic vistas, which in an orchestral environment like this one reach a climatic climax. The individual solo performances by the orchestra members lead to full orchestral passages, which define the overall structure of the music. Fujii carefully seeks out some of the most daring Jazz performers to become members of her various teams, and the level of the individual statements on this album is a great illustration of such a collection of incredible talents. The music is in many respects a continuation of the great European Jazz Orchestras of the late 1960s, starting with the British outfits led by Mike WestbrookFind albums by this artist and continental ensembles like Globe Unity OrchestraFind albums by this artist, brought up to date with contemporary compositional language. Fujii manages to push the orchestral idiom to its limits time after time, and this album is no different. Of course every true Jazz fan knows, either if he admits it or not, that there is nothing remotely as powerful aesthetically and emotionally as a full orchestra sound, and listening to this album clearly points that out. The wonderful tension created between the solos, duets and other chamber units formed within the orchestra and the entire band playing together is the secret weapon of this music and every moment of it is absolutely priceless. Of course this is by far not an easy musical experience, and a trained ear and open-mindedness should definitely be assumed by the potential listener. The reward is of course proportional to the effort needed to grasp the intricacy and internal beauty of this music. Definitely highly recommended!

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SATOKO FUJII ORCHESTRA BERLIN ~ NINETY-NINE YEARS LIBRA 211-047 (Barcode: 4562169330474) ~ JAPAN ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018 This is an album by Japanese pianist / composer / bandleader Satoko FujiiFind albums by this artist, one of the most prominent representatives of the contemporary Avant-Garde Jazz activists. The album was recorded with an eleven piece Orchestra Berlin, one of Fujii´s permanent ensembles, which features mostly German musicians, but includes also her Japanese husband, trumpeter Natsuki TamuraFind albums by this artist, French drummer Peter OrinsFind albums by this artist and Polish saxophonist Paulina OwczarekFind albums by this artist. The album presents five extended original orchestral compositions, all by Fujii and is one of the twelve albums Fujii released in 2018 (one every month) to celebrate her 60th Birthday. Her cumulating discography since 1991 includes well over a hundred albums. The music is everything contemporary Avant-Garde Big Band has to offer: composed parts expanded into lengthy improvised passages, several sub-ensembles constantly developing within the frame of the Big Band (duos, trios, etc.) sublime individual soloing and group improvisations and much more. Fujii skillfully uses the entire arsenal at her disposal to continue the splendid tradition of European Avant-Garde Big Bands, which goes several decades into the past, initiated by the British Big Bands led by Barry GuyFind albums by this artist, Mike WestbrookFind albums by this artist and others and later European parallels like Globe Unity OrchestraFind albums by this artist and others. Since contemporary activity in this particular area is rather limited today, Fujii´s recordings are even more important and significant. Of course Avant-Garde Jazz never was music for the masses, and this intellectually challenging offering is of interest to a sadly miniscule group of potential listeners, who are able to appreciate and enjoy it. The faithful aficionados will find this music absolutely stunning of course, which is hardly surprising. Wholeheartedly recommended to the connoisseurs of the genre!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 19/03/2019

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MARCIN KRZYZANOWSKI ~ KENOSIS MUSIC FOR TUNE 0102 (Barcode: 5906395808021) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2014 - 2015 Released: 2016 This is a very interesting album by veteran Polish cellist / composer Marcin KrzyzanowskiFind albums by this artist, primarily known as a composer of cinematic and theatrical music, which presents a collection of thirteen relatively short Avant-Garde compositions, all by Krzyzanowski. The music is performed by a core trio, which also includes the excellent saxophonist Paulina OwczarekFind albums by this artist and electronics manipulator Piotr ZylaFind albums by this artist. Multi-instrumentalist / vocalist Mieczyslaw LitwinskiFind albums by this artist appears as guest. The music is very diverse and touches upon a multitude of Contemporary Avant-Garde Music and other idioms, with also includes spontaneous improvisation. The cycle of three compositions based on Biblical Psalms, which include the original Hebrew texts, are the strongest pieces on the album. A whole album dedicated to such music might have been also truly fascinating. Additional cycles of three chorals and five "Fucksoundages" (yes there is a lot of humor here as well) are also included. The overall level of complexity and wonderful weirdness is in fact intriguing and keeps the listener on his toes throughout the entire duration. The vocals deserve a special mention and are one the most impressive layers of this music. This is a wonderful example of music, which is still searching and exploring uncharted (at least partly) territories, boldly ignoring genre limitations and taking from the tradition only to push it into a new direction. Definitely not for everybody, but connoisseurs of Contemporary Avant-Garde Classical music and Improvised Music should enjoy this album in full. Kudos to the For TuneFind albums on this label label for giving this music a chance to reach a wider public, despite the total lack of commerciality it so proudly displays.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 16/10/2016

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SAMBAR ~ MELT! NOT TWO 899 (Barcode: 5901549185638) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2014 This is the debut album by Polish Avant-Garde / Improvised Music duo SambarFind albums by this artist, or saxophonists Paulina OwczarekFind albums by this artist and Tomasz GadeckiFind albums by this artist, both playing the baritone saxophone exclusively on this album. It captures a live performance by the duo at the legendary Alchemia club in Krakow, which is edited into four separate parts. Although not specifically attributed as such, the music is obviously co-created by the duo members. Both Owczarek and Gadecki are very active and prolific members of the Polish Avant-Garde scene. Avant-Garde by definition knows no limitations or preconceived boundaries, and therefore we should actually never be surprised by anything artists active in that sphere will come up with. But there are always innovations that make us raise the proverbial brow, and this is certainly one of those. The baritone saxophone is not a very popular instrument in general and in Improvised Music in particular and a duo of baritone saxophones freely improvising is simply almost unheard of. And yet, once one listens to this album, even that surprising setup proves workable when handled by daring and creative artists. The music on this album challenges the very fabric of our conception as to what music actually is. The traditional elements of melody, harmony and rhythm are almost completely irrelevant here and one is left only with pure sound and the way our brain interprets it. In fact listening to this music is really similar to taking part in the process of actually creating it. Sadly this is also this music´s greatest weakness, not intrinsically but as a result of the inability of the vast majority of listeners to engage in such process. As a result this music will be fascinating to a very selective group of listeners but completely unacceptable (if not unlistenable) to the majority. This is the price tag associated with innovative artistic search processes and I have always had the deepest respect to those artists who are willing to pay that price. Overall this is a bold and very interesting artistic statement condemned to limited appeal. I wish the world was different, but I have no illusions on that subject. Respect!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

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