Record Reviews

JOACHIM MENCEL ~ ARTISENA FOR TUNE 0134 (Barcode: 5906395808458) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2015 Released: 2018 This is an album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Joachim MencelFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quintet setting with violinist Weronika PluteckaFind albums by this artist, guitarist Szymon MikaFind albums by this artist, bassist Pawel WszolekFind albums by this artist and drummer Szymon MadejFind albums by this artist. It presents a cycle of eight original compositions, all by Mencel, based on Polish Folklore dances. Originally Mencel composed and arranged these compositions for a Jazz nonet, but over time as a result of his process of mastering the hurdy-gurdy, he changed the concept and recorded these compositions in a Jazz-World Fusion approach with the above quintet. Polish Folklore seems to be and endless source of inspiration to Polish Jazz musicians and the numerous Jazz-World Fusion projects that appear on the Polish Jazz scene like mushrooms after the rain are ample proof of this phenomenon. One can reflect on the early days of Polish Jazz, during the Socialist regime, when Jazz was often presented as Folk music of the oppressed Afro-American community in order to get clearance from the Cultural censorship to organize Jazz events, and later on Jazz musicians had to include Polish Folklore in their compositions in order to be allowed to record an album (same methods applied also to Polish contemporary Classical Music and Rock). In retrospect perhaps these despicable political manipulations achieved an after effect, which is now coming to a most successful fruition out of good will this time. The music on this album is very melodic and basically mainstream oriented, with the Folklore influences being rather subtle and present most vividly in the rhythmic layer of the compositions. Listeners familiar with Polish Folk dances like Polonaise, Oberek, Mazurka or Kujawiak will probably recognize the patterns, but to those less well-versed in the matter they will become simply a part of the music as a whole. Nevertheless the overall effect is very impressive and aesthetically pleasing. The Jazz facet of the music comes forward during the guitar and piano solo parts and the excellent work by the rhythm section, behind the front players. The individual performances of the quintet members are all top notch, although Mika simply steals the show with his guitar magic. Mencel is an accomplished pianist but his soloing is rather reserved, which emphasizes the guitar parts even more. The violin and hurdy-gurdy stay mostly in the background and are merely an ambient coloring to the rest of the music. Overall this is a very pleasant, highly melodic album, which flows gently from one tune to the next, with the Folklore impact being mostly secondary. Great guitar solos spice the proceedings and keep the music on a Jazzy path, to the delight of the many guitar enthusiasts. Definitely on the lighter side of the spectrum, this music is accessible to almost all music connoisseurs, who like cross-genre explorations without too many cerebral obstacles.

Updated: 08/05/2018Posted: 08/05/2018

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FRANCISZEK RACZKOWSKI TRIO ~ APPRENTICE FOR TUNE 0066 (Barcode: 5902768701722) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2015 Released: 2015 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Franciszek RaczkowskiFind albums by this artist, recorded in a classic piano trio setting with bassist Pawel WszolekFind albums by this artist and drummer Piotr BudniakFind albums by this artist. It presents seven original compositions, all by Raczkowski. As the title suggests, Raczkowski is still at the very early stage of his career and is searching for his personal language, both as a player and a composer. His music is floating somewhere between mainstream Jazz and more ambitious explorations of the melodic and harmonic spheres, quite diverse and obviously still uncertain as to the final outcome. As a result the album is somewhat uneven, with some of the pieces being very interesting and others significantly less so. Although the music sounds very melodic, there are but a few clear melodic themes to which the listener can cling to or follow. The rest sounds just as fragmented statements, hold together by the framework of a tune, but not really making sense musically. The music is very well performed, although Raczkowski does not display a wide dynamic range in his performances, which is splendidly picked up by the rhythm section, which does a wonderful job here. Wszolek keeps the tunes together bravely, even when the music seems to disintegrate, and Budniak keeps it alive with his delicate but masterly strokes. After repeated listening to this album I could not honestly make up my mind if it presents a pianist / composer of great hope, as some of the statements I read about it claim. The comparisons to Keith JarrettFind albums by this artist are pretty far fetched and might prove more damaging than constructive. I´ll have to wait patiently for the next album to see if Raczkowski is the "next" big thing on the Polish scene. In the meantime this album surely deserves to be listened to and as a debut it is altogether quite nice.

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PAWEL WSZOLEK ~ CHOICE FRESH SOUND 478 (Barcode: 8427328424783) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2015 Released: 2015 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz bassist Pawel WszolekFind albums by this artist recorded with his quartet with also includes guitarist Lukasz KokoszkoFind albums by this artist, pianist Sebastian ZawadzkiFind albums by this artist and drummer Szymon MadejFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Wszolek and was released on the Spanish Fresh SoundFind albums on this label label as part of the prestigious New Talent series. The music is all within the melodic modern mainstream boundaries, solid and well crafted, but not particularly ambitious. It is, however, excellently executed, especially due to the superb piano parts by Zawadzki and sensitive drumming my Madej, who have both already appeared with great success on other Polish Jazz recordings in the last few years. Wszolek also plays well, handling the bass solos with self confidence and playing alongside his cohorts amicably. Of course, although he is the quartet´s leader, playing a bass solo on every track of the album is a bit excessive. The guitar, however, I find a bit overbearing, as it is loud in the mix and its sound is slightly harsh (too much echo?), not fitting ideally to the acoustic piano trio setting of the rest of the band. Stylistically the round guitar sounds are definitely way too related to Pat MethenyFind albums by this artist for my taste. Nevertheless this is still a very strong debut effort, which should satisfy most mainstream Jazz fans and serve as a sold proof of the talents of these young musicians, who are after all at the very early stages of their career. I look forward to hear more of Wszolek´s music in the future, after he matures a bit and gains the experience so much needed when playing Jazz.

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PAWEL WSZOLEK ~ FAITH FOR TUNE 0106 (Barcode: 5906395808083) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016 This is a second album by young Polish Jazz bassist / composer Pawel WszolekFind albums by this artist, which follows his debut album, released just a year earlier. This time the music is recorded by a quintet, which includes all the players present alongside the leader on the debut effort, i.e. guitarist Lukasz KokoszkoFind albums by this artist, pianist Sebastian ZawadzkiFind albums by this artist and drummer Szymon MadejFind albums by this artist, and adds saxophonist Mateusz SliwaFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions, all by Wszolek. Musically the album marks a significant step forward towards compositional maturity, and continues the excellent level of execution present on the debut. The tunes are significantly less straightforward than those on the predecessor, with more complex harmonic structure and melodic diversity, which results in an overall aesthetic aura, which projects seriousness and depth. Wszolek is lucky to have these talented players as members of his quintet, as their individual contributions lift the music to a connoisseur level, which of course serves the compositions very well. The album is full of great solo statements by the participants, but manages to maintain a calm, relaxed atmosphere of melancholy, typical of Polish Jazz recordings. Wszolek plays the bass parts with confidence and determination, obviously leading the quintet all the way through. His beautifully melodic and round sound is an excellent anchor that keeps the music in check. Zawadzki´s statements are, again, the most impressive as far as soloing is concerned, and in spite of his young age he is slowly emerging as a significant pianist on the very crowded Polish Jazz scene, still waiting for his definitive album to be released. Overall this is a very solid release, full of great tunes and excellent performances, which proudly represents the state of contemporary Polish Jazz and compares favorably to anything in the similar vein recorded anywhere in the world. All these musicians are part of the next generation of Polish Jazz, slowly taking over the center stage from the aging (albeit hopefully slowly) current residents. Well done!

Updated: 31/12/2016Posted: 31/12/2016

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