Record Reviews

LIGHT COORPORATION ~ 64:38 RADIO FULL LIV(F)E RER LC05 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2013 Released: 2016 This is the fifth album by the excellent Polish ensemble Light CoorporationFind albums by this artist, led by guitarist Mariusz SobanskiFind albums by this artist. This lineup of the ensemble features also saxophonist Pawel RogozaFind albums by this artist, vibraphonist Mariusz GregorowiczFind albums by this artist, bassist Krzysztof WaskiewiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Milosz KrauzFind albums by this artist. The album was recorded live in the Polish Radio studio in Poznan, which is named Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist Studio after the Godfather of Polish Jazz, who made his early recordings there. The ensemble performs seven original compositions, all composed by the leader. The music presents reworked versions of compositions that previously appeared on the ensemble´s first and third albums and completely improvised pieces credited to all five members of the ensemble. This album definitely marks a shift towards improvised music, taking the ensemble further away from their initial Progressive Rock and Fusion image. This constant chameleonic ability to change the musical approach has been one of the greatest assets of Light Coorporation since their inception. Although instrumentally limited only to five instruments, the ensemble creates wide and diverse sound structures. The addition of the vibraphone (Gregorowicz is the only new member of the ensemble who did not appear on any of the previous albums) changed the overall sound significantly, bringing it even closer to traditional Jazz sound. I have no idea if Sobanski was influenced by the presence of the vibraphonist Jerzy MilianFind albums by this artist as a member of the early Komeda combos, when he decided to add vibraphone to this new lineup, but whatever the reason was, it had a major influence on the overall result. As already stated above this album emphasizes Free improvisation, which constitutes a major part of the music. However, the music is still very coherent and based on composed parts, which enables the listener to follow up the developments without getting lost within the havoc that is often projected by Improvised Music projects. Some basic riffs and electric guitar parts go back to the Fusion idiom, but everything here is more hinted than explicitly stated, which of course makes life interesting for the listener. Overall this is another superb release by Light Coorporation, which is surely one of the most interesting, unconventional and sadly underrated ensembles active in Europe today. The album was released again on the prestigious British ReRFind albums on this label label, which consistently supports the band. I wholeheartedly recommend to open-minded listeners to investigate this album, as well as the previous releases by Light Coorporation, as they all are still completely valid and lost nothing of their original charm. Well done again!

Updated: 05/11/2016Posted: 05/11/2016

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

LIGHT COORPORATION ~ ABOUT RER LC03 ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 2013 Released: 2013 This is the third (in three years) album by Polish Progressive Rock / Jazz-Rock Fusion ensemble Light CoorporationFind albums by this artist, founded and led by guitarist / composer Mariusz SobanskiFind albums by this artist. The ensemble is expanded to include twelve musicians, which more then doubles its size on their two earlier albums, and includes members from the earlier versions of the ensemble, like saxophonists Pawel RogozaFind albums by this artist, Michal PijewskiFind albums by this artist and Michal FetlerFind albums by this artist, violinist Robert BielakFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Marcin SzczesnyFind albums by this artist, bassist Tom StrukFind albums by this artist and drummer Milosz KrauzFind albums by this artist, as well as others who play here for the first time. They perform ten original compositions, all by Sobanski, who also arranged it. The album was again released on the prestigious British ReRFind albums on this label label, which stays faithful to its Artists. Musically this album shows yet another step forward for the group, which keeps changing like a chameleon, and yet retains a specific sound and feel, which by now are certainly their own. There is a shift from the earlier Prog and Ambient tendencies towards more Jazzy influences, which of course are emphasized by the expanded brass section and the appropriate arrangements. There is more of typical Jazz improvisation here, although rhythmically the music is still very much Rock based. The music is dark and moody as on the earlier albums, but also Funky and swinging at the same time. It appears that the ensemble is able to re-invent itself anew on every album, which is truly impressive. One can only hope that this can be repeated in the future. By now it is pretty obvious that Sobanski is a major force on the Polish music scene, which should not be ignored or dismissed haphazardly. He has proved not only his talents as player / composer / arranger but also as innovator and visionary, with a burning desire to create and develop further. His restlessness is a blessing and hopefully the harsh reality will not be able to block his creative powers. Having done a remarkable job third time in a row he truly deserves both recognition and support. This is the kind of music, which keeps my faith in aesthetics, intelligence and creativity in a world full of superficiality, banality and zero values. As already stated in my reviews of the two earlier albums, the music of Light Coorporation fails every attempt of categorization, since it is so original and unconventional on one hand and so encompassing on the other. As a result there should be something for everybody herein, regardless if the listener comes from Prog, Jazz or even contemporary Classical fields. This is simply great music, and as such needs no particular encouragement to be listened to. Just grab a copy of the album and listen – satisfaction guaranteed!

Updated: 31/03/2018Posted:

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

LIGHT COORPORATION ~ ALIENS FROM PLANET EARTH RER LC02 ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 2012 Released: 2012 The recording of a second album is a pivotal moment for every ensemble; a process, which often foretells if that particular group of musicians has a lasting momentum and creative power to re-invent itself time after time and remain relevant and artistically significant in the long term. There are endless examples of one-time creative outbursts, which result in brilliant music, but only a miniscule proportion of these develop into a lasting source of inventiveness, which withstands the tides of time. This, the second album by Polish ensemble Light CoorporationFind albums by this artist, is therefore a litmus paper of sorts, by which the future of this group can be predicted, bearing in mind of course that prophesy was given the fools. The group underwent some personnel changes since the release of their stunning debut album "Rare DialectFind albums with this title" a year earlier and comprises now of leader / founder guitarist / composer Mariusz SobanskiFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Pawel RogozaFind albums by this artist, violinist Robert BielakFind albums by this artist, bassist Krzysztof WaskiewiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Milosz KrauzFind albums by this artist. Of the eight compositions present on the album (there is also a "hidden" ninth track), two are credited to the leader and the remaining six are group compositions, indicating that most of the music is improvised. The fact that the music was recorded live in an Art Gallery, capturing the wonderful ambience of the room, is yet another indication as to the highly improvised nature of the music herein. The music itself is quite different from what we can hear on the debut album, which points out that the group is not trying to find a formula, which can then be repeated, but keeps searching, which is probably the essence of all Art. Although the music consistently defies all efforts to be neatly categorized, or even described for that matter, it is quite clear that it moves more towards ambient improvised music, in which sounds become as important as notes in traditional music, even if the sounds are produced by traditional acoustic instruments, sometimes electronically amplified and modified with the use of delay and other effects. The overall effect is completely novel and deadly effective, creating sonic tension of incredible intensity and emotional potency. In many respects this album moves away from the direct relations with the sources of this music, like RIO, Zeuhl and Jazz, which were still very much noticeable on the debut album, clearly trying to establish a self-determined (sound-wise) identity. At times, when most music is sadly being reduced to repetitious mechanical dribble, originality and creativity, which are the underlying principles of this music, is so much more important and worthy of admiration and support. Sobanski and his cohorts might as well be "aliens from planet earth", as their music is so far removed from the dreaded mainstream so-called music as planet earth from other galaxies. In fact this might even suggest that Poland is a favorite place of residence of many other musical "aliens", judging by the incredible music scene, which produces these days more original and highly innovative music than most other places on our planet. As to the original question about the "second album trial", the answer is one big "passed with honors". Congratulations are in order, and of course a wholehearted recommendation to every intelligent and adventurous music lover (few of those are still remaining on this planet), to grab this immediately and put it on "repeat" at once. There will be no regrets!

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

LIGHT COORPORATION ~ CHAPTER IV – BEFORE THE MURMUR OF SILENCE RER LC04 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2014 Released: 2014 This is the fourth album by Polish Progressive Rock / Jazz-Rock Fusion ensemble Light CoorporationFind albums by this artist, led by guitarist / composer Mariusz SobanskiFind albums by this artist. The album was recorded by a septet, which also includes saxophonist Pawel RogozaFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Kuba JankowiakFind albums by this artist, pianist Witold OleszakFind albums by this artist, bassists Piotr OsesFind albums by this artist (acoustic) and Krzysztof WaskiewiczFind albums by this artist (electric) and drummer Milosz KrauzFind albums by this artist. It includes eight original compositions, all by Sobanski, which are accompanied by eight poems also written by him, printed in the album´s booklet, which remain as unsung lyrics accompanying the music. The music was recorded live in the studio, but the sound quality and dynamics are excellent. For the fourth time in a row Sobanski and his ensemble manage to surprise me completely, which happens extremely rarely with other artists. The chameleonic ability to constantly change the lineup and the music, but at the same time create some of the most fascinating music on the Polish scene, which is exploding with talent and extremely competitive, is truly astounding. This album is definitely the most jazzy and most open of the ensemble´s releases so far, and brings fond memories of some of the Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist ambitious projects, which incorporated Rock, Jazz and contemporary Classical idioms, but also the work of some early British Jazz-Rock pioneers like Rock WorkshopFind albums by this artist. The "dirty" guitar tone and the superb brass solos, backed by a funky rhythm section are simply delightful and completely unique. There is no other group, neither in Poland nor anywhere else on this planet, which plays anything remotely similar. There are also new elements, which appear here for the first time, such as the Improvised Music approach the ensemble clearly demonstrates, and of course the element of freedom in the improvisations, which are often quite bold and clearly reach beyond the boundaries of Prog, which initially defined the group´s orientation. Over time Light Coorporation managed to evade and steer clear of all attempts to get neatly categorized, which is one of their major fortes. The last track on the album, which lasts over seventeen minutes, is a modern symphonic poem, of rare beauty and intensity, which simply de facto defines the music. Listening to this album is like a rollercoaster ride, which themes, rhythms, intensities, crescendos and silences chasing each other constantly. The music takes the listener by the throat and does not let go well until the last echoes of the music are all gone; a completely unique experience, which happens only once in a blue moon. I have no idea why Light Coorporation gets such a limited feedback in Poland, but the fact that the prestigious British ReR label releases their album for the fourth consecutive time is a symbol of distinction and appreciation. Hopefully they will be able to get more recognition back at home, as they truly deserve. This is definitely one of the best and most interesting Polish albums of 2014, and another great accomplishment by Sobanski and his cohorts.

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend