Record Reviews

MATEUSZ BLISKOWSKI ~ IMAGINARY LANDSCAPE NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2023 Released: 2024 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz guitarist / composer Mateusz BliskowskiFind albums by this artist, recorded in a trio setting with bassist Grzegorz NadolnyFind albums by this artist and drummer Piotr BiskupskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten tracks, nine of which are original compositions by Bliskowski and one is by Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist. The music is based on melodic compositions, inspired by the “beauty of Nature”, as the composer states in the album’s liner notes. Elegantly and intimately played by the trio, the music balances between sound and silence, and offers a delicate, but touching statement, which requires patience and attention from the listener. The rhythm section, which includes older and experienced musicians, does a perfect job, keeping the music on the track but staying respectfully as much as possible in the background, keeping the intimacy of the session intact. Bliskowski plays an amplified guitar, but sticks primarily to an acoustic sound, playing sparingly and avoiding unnecessary pyrotechnics. Overall, this is an interesting debut album, which shows potential and determination. Bliskowski needs to find a more precise stylistic preference and expand his compositional horizons, but he certainly shows that he knows what his preferences are, which of course is very important. For guitar lovers, this is quite an unusual album, which manages to eschew all the Fusion mannerisms, which plague most guitar players. Well done!

Updated: 06/08/2024Posted: 06/08/2024

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MARIUSZ BOGDANOWICZ ~ CONFITEOR SONG CONFITEOR 002 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2000 Released: 2001 This is the debut album as a leader on his own record label by Polish bassist / composer Mariusz BogdanowiczFind albums by this artist, recorded with a formidable team of Polish Jazz musicians, which includes saxophonists Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist and Adam WendtFind albums by this artist, US born guitarist Brandon FurmanFind albums by this artist, accordionist Andrzej JagodzinskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Krzysztof HerdzinFind albums by this artist and drummer Piotr BiskupskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions by Bogdanowicz and one arrangement of a folk tune. Considering the level of the musicians involved there are no surprises here; the performances by all the participants are spotless, professional and truly excellent. The young Herdzin, who was a member of the ensemble led by Namyslowski at the time, plays some great piano lines. It is very interesting to hear Namyslowski play music he did not compose; his performances here are truly inspired. Furman plays beautiful guitar lines, full of lyricism and technically brilliant guitar tricks. Jagodzinski, who normally plays piano of course, adds some nice accordion touches. Wendt adds also some fiery saxophone solos and finally Biskupski on drums plays solidly and respectfully alongside Bogdanowicz, who plays several beautiful bass solos, creating together a perfect mainstream Jazz rhythm section. But the focus of this album is of course on the superb tunes composed by the leader. Melodic and gorgeously lyrical, these compositions are all sensual and intelligent, serving as perfect vehicles for the musicians to spread their wings. These tunes are all as good as any Jazz standard and deserve to be listened to repeatedly. Overall this is a perfect mainstream Jazz album, which combines great music with perfect and inspired execution, a model for all excellent Jazz album ever created, becoming an instant classic Polish Jazz album in all respects.

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HERDZIN / BOGDANOWICZ / BISKUPSKI ~ SERIALE SERIALE CONFITEOR 001 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1997 Released: 1998 This is the third album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Krzysztof HerdzinFind albums by this artist, this time co-leading a piano trio with bassist Mariusz BogdanowiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Piotr BiskupskiFind albums by this artist, accompanied by a string sextet. It presents the musical themes of eight Polish TV serials arranged by Herdzin and composed by various Polish composers, among then two with very strong Jazz ties: Andrzej KurylewiczFind albums by this artist and Jerzy MatuszkiewiczFind albums by this artist, who contribute two compositions each. The music is all very solid and is also a wonderful example of the fact that music for TV productions can be intelligent and wonderfully crafted, as this album demonstrates and emphasizes. The overall atmosphere of the piano trio accompanied by strings obviously tends to sound somewhat corny and commercial, but careful listening reveals that the level of performances is highly professional and the result is anything but trivial. Herdzin, who was a member of the ensemble led by Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist at the time of the recording of this album, was already recognized as one of the brightest upcoming Polish Jazz musicians and his talent and ability are obvious. The string arrangements reveal Herdzin´s respect and love of Classical music, which will, in later stages of his career, come to the forefront of his activities. The rhythm section, which already at that time had a long tradition of playing together, is a perfectly oiled and masterfully synchronized team, which in the years to come will prove to be one of the best of its kind on the Polish Jazz scene. Although very accessible, this is still a great mainstream piano trio album, which sounds as good today as it did at the time of its recording and can be enjoyed both by Jazz enthusiast and listeners who do not listen to Jazz on a regular basis. Definitely worth looking for and being discovered now, almost twenty years later.

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WLODZIMIERZ NAHORNY ~ BALLAD BOOK CONFITEOR 011 (Barcode: 9788393161058) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 - 2018 Released: 2018 This is a wonderful piano trio album by veteran Polish Jazz pianist / composer Wlodzimierz NahornyFind albums by this artist with bassist Mariusz BogdanowiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Piotr BiskupskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven original compositions, all by Nahorny. Nahorny is one of the original great Masters of Polish Jazz and one of the last few Mohicans, who are still fully active and continue to perform and compose new music. He is not only a great Artist, but also a wonderful human being, warm and friendly, as I have had the pleasure to experience personally since many years. Nahorny and his two companions have been playing uninterruptedly together for almost three decades and are probably one of the oldest Polish Jazz ensembles which exist without any personal changes since its inception. As a result the trio functions as a three-headed body in perfect unity, harmony and coordination, rarely achieved elsewhere. The music composed by Nahorny is in many respects the epitome of Polish Jazz, as it embodies the typical Polish lyricism and melancholy, which characterizes the distinctive sound and feel of the Slavic elements of Polish Jazz. He has been called the Frederic ChopinFind albums by this artist of Polish Jazz, which is perhaps a bit inappropriate in the strict musical terms, but conveys the spirit of things. The music on this album was influenced by a somewhat nostalgic trip to his hometown of Kwidzyn and reminiscences of his childhood memories, which are both inspiring and emotional. The music is certainly very personal and introvert, but Nahorny´s exquisite melodies and superb touch of the keyboards turns everything into immediate feeling of warmth and kindness. Overall this is a beautiful piece of Artistry in every respect, wonderfully, composed, perfectly executed, excellently recorded and elegantly packaged in a digibook format with many photographs and a very personal short essay by Nahorny. This is obviously an absolute must have for the many Nahorny´s fans and admirers, but all Polish Jazz connoisseurs the world over should definitely grab a copy ASAP, as Jazz rarely come in better doses than this. Thank you my Friend and may God bless us all with many more years of your health and creativity.

Updated: 21/12/2018Posted: 21/12/2018

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WLODZIMIERZ NAHORNY ~ CHOPIN GENIUS LOCI CONFITEOR 005 (Barcode: 9788393161003) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2010 Released: 2010 The veteran Polish Jazz pianist / saxophonist / composer Wlodzimierz NahornyFind albums by this artist, one of the Godfathers of the post-WWII Polish Jazz scene, manages continuously to display a phenomenal vitality and unprecedented imagination, often much superior to those of his colleagues, often decades younger than himself. This album is a wonderful proof of exactly these qualities. Recorded in a sextet setting, with vocalist / violinist Dorota MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist, violinist Henryk GembalskiFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Wojciech StaroniewiczFind albums by this artist, bassist Mariusz BogdanowiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Piotr BiskupskiFind albums by this artist, Nahorny presents a set of Jazz transcriptions of eight pieces by the Polish composer Frederic ChopinFind albums by this artist, three pieces by a lesser known 20th Century Polish composer Roman MaciejewskiFind albums by this artist and one piece by Karol SzymanowskiFind albums by this artist. In addition one original composition by Nahorny is also included. Polish Jazz suffers terribly from overexploitation of Chopin´s music, which varies in quality from brilliant (rarely) to completely banal (most of the time). Therefore another attempt to interpret Chopin in the Jazz context is always a perilous undertaking. Nahorny´s bold and far fetching approach results in transcriptions, which although quote the original music, move very far away from the source during their execution, being in fact completely new and whole pieces of music, which Nahorny even names anew, giving the source as a reference only. Although such liberties might appear sometimes as to audacious, in Nahorny´s case they are fully justified and simply brilliant. The eleven transcriptions, spread over two CDs, are all fascinating musically and serve as wonderful vehicles for the musicians to display their respective talents. Miskiewicz sings some great vocalese, at times even almost free form, using lyrics on just one piece. Gembalski plays some scorching violin passages and Staroniewicz, as always, charms with his beautiful saxophone tone. The rhythm section keeps the music together with flair and elegance, pushing it ahead with just the right amount of energy. And last but not least Nahorny´s piano serves as glue between the Classical and the Swinging elements, bridging and bonding everything together. Although seemingly positioned well within the mainstream Jazz boundaries (except for the Classical references of course), this music displays quite a lot of freedom and unexpected ventures into less programmatic areas, sometimes almost touching upon Free / Avant Garde idioms, which of course is nothing new as far as Nahorny´s music is concerned. This album is a living proof that the Jazz-Classical Fusion can avoid pastiche, cliché and kitsch, and simply bite!

Updated: 17/12/2018Posted:

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WLODZIMIERZ NAHORNY ~ DOLCE FAR NIENTE …I NIC WIECEJ CONFITEOR 003 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2000 Released: 2002 This is a wonderful album by veteran Polish Jazz pianist / saxophonist / composer Wlodzimierz NahornyFind albums by this artist, recorded in a classic piano trio format with bassist Mariusz BogdanowiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Piotr BiskupskiFind albums by this artist. The album features twelve relatively short pieces, ten of which are original Nahorny´s compositions, one is a folk song and the last is an arrangement of works by Polish Classical composers Frederic ChopinFind albums by this artist and Karol KurpinskiFind albums by this artist. In addition to his Jazz activities Nahorny is also acknowledged for writing many popular songs, which became in time Polish evergreens. This album presents many of these songs in an instrumental version with Jazzy arrangements, performed affectionately and passionately by the composer and his cohorts. Nahorny´s music is always full of typical Polish lyricism and melancholy, which come to light even in the seemingly happier, up tempo numbers. He loves the waltz and Polish folkloristic dances, all of those elements which are the cornerstones of what is considered Polish music, and he openly and lovingly embraces them in his compositions. The way Nahorny plays the piano is completely unique; a mixture or Classical, Jazz and Blues strokes combined into one stylistic approach, which is specifically his and his only. Although distinctly melodic and seemingly simple, his piano often wanders away from the main melodic line into less charted territory, which more experienced listener will find fascinating and those less experienced won´t mind or even notice. The rhythm section sounds like an extension of the leader, following his every move elegantly and attentively. A few modest but excellent bass and drums solos are part of the proceedings, but the main role of the rhythm section remains, as appropriate, to accompany the leader, which it does with flair and zest. This is timeless music, which remains classic regardless of what the contemporary trends may bring. Superb sonic quality ensures a complete listening pleasure and what remains is to relax and enjoy every moment of this delightful delivery.

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WLODZIMIERZ NAHORNY ~ FREEDOM BOOK / ECHOES OF HEYDAY SJ 066 (Barcode: 5902596066970) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2022 Released: 2022 Recently I realize that the Polish Jazz Olympus is getting sadly scarcely populated by its founding Forefathers, as the time goes by. Many of the great Polish Jazz musicians, that I knew for decades, are no longer with us, which of course makes me appreciate even more those, who are still around, and even more so if they are still creatively active. Wlodzimierz NahornyFind albums by this artist (born 1941 and active since 1959) belongs to this intimate group for many reasons, not only as a superb musician and composer, but also as a human being. This new album was recorded with his trio, which functions steadfastly since over thirty years, with bassist Mariusz BogdanowiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Piotr BiskupskiFind albums by this artist, which was expanded here to a quartet with the addition of the “young” (born 1985) trumpeter Piotr SchmidtFind albums by this artist. It presents eleven tracks, eight of which are original compositions by Nahorny and three are short quartet improvisations. The music is delightfully lyrical and superbly melodic, based on Nahorny’s unique capability to weave heartbreaking tunes, which are captivating and heartwrenching, but never simplistic. Despite some flirting with Avant-Garde during his early years, Nahorny remained a full blown Romantic for the majority of his composing career, and has very few competitors in this field on the local scene. The performances are all stellar, which is hardly surprising, with Nahorny still playing steadily and convincingly, Bogdanowicz providing excellent continuity and harmony to the proceedings and Biskupski gently but firmly keeping the chronometric time stamp just right. Schmidt is, for me, the absolute surprise of this album, as his trumpet playing sounds simply stupendous and sublimely sensuous, with a shadow of subconscious Chet BakerFind albums by this artist-ism, summarizing beautifully his enormous progress made during his career in the last few years, now joining the major league with full credentials. Overall, this album is an instant classic, which deserves to be heard by as many people as possible around the globe. This is European Jazz at its best, solid, beautiful and elegant, without an iota of pretentiousness and fakery. Despite its seemingly simplistic approach it is intelligent and highly professional, not to mention pleasing and genuinely musical. Well done Gentlemen!

Updated: 28/11/2022Posted: 28/11/2022

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WLODZIMIERZ NAHORNY ~ HOPE CONFITEOR 008 (Barcode: 9788393161089) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2014 This is a wonderful piano trio album by one of the Godfathers of Polish Jazz, pianist / composer Wlodzimierz NahornyFind albums by this artist, and his partners: bassist Mariusz BogdanowiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Piotr BiskupskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents six original compositions by Nahorny and one mini-suite, which comprises of three folklore motifs arranged by him. In the accompanying booklet Nahorny tells the listener about the circumstances that brought each of these seven pieces of music to be created, as well as his deeply personal and moving memories of the panoramic view of the Holy City of Jerusalem, which always leaves a lasting impression on those who visit it. How blessed are we, who live nearby and are able to enjoy this breathtaking view more often than others. It is truly invigorating to see (and hear) a musician, who seems to be completely unaffected by the tides of time and keeps bursting with ingenuity and talent despite his age. This album proves beyond any doubt that Nahorny is still a musician who is able to innovate and surprise even the strictest connoisseurs. His music is as beautiful as always with melodies full of romanticism and typical Polish melancholy, which he masterly and continuously molds into new musical jewels. His piano playing is nothing short of sensational with an astonishing level of space and freedom, which often bring fond memories of the early days of his career when he flirted with free form. All the compositions on this album are quite remarkable. Although they are stylistically diverse and encompass many different Jazz sub-genres, they are all marked by Nahorny´s personal touch, which has been his trademark since many years. The music is fresh and stimulating, fitting perfectly in the contemporary Polish Jazz scene, bursting with excitement and creativity. The faithful rhythm section stands besides the Master at all times, providing the guidelines for his extended improvisations and ornamenting his performances with occasional short solos. Bogdanowicz and Biskupski are both veterans of the trade and they know exactly what is required of them under these circumstances: supporting the leader and not being obtrusive in any way. The many years that these musicians play together turns them into a well oiled unit, which is able to travel anywhere without a hitch. Nahorny is a perfect representative of the Polish "old class" in the best positive meaning of that idiom. A Gentleman, an Artist and an Intellectual incorporated into one wonderful, warm person. Such class is very rare these days and therefore a figure like Nahorny is important as an example to be followed by the young generation, which definitely has the talent but sadly almost never such class. Thank you Maestro!

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LORA SZAFRAN ~ SPIEWNIK NAHORNEGO CONFITEOR 004 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2000 Released: 2003 Polish Jazz vocalist Lora SzafranFind albums by this artist is active on the local scene since the mid 1980s, when she graduated from the Katowice Music Academy. She sings Jazz but is also active on the mainstream Polish popular music market. This is her sixth album as a leader and it is dedicated to songs composed by the legendary Polish Jazz pianist / saxophonist / composer Wlodzimierz NahornyFind albums by this artist, who is also known as the author of popular evergreens. The album includes twelve songs composed by Nahorny, with lyrics (in Polish) by some of top Polish lyricists. Szafran is accompanied by a trio which includes Nahorny on piano with bassist Mariusz BogdanowiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Piotr BiskupskiFind albums by this artist and a string sextet, with string arrangements by Andrzej JagodzinskiFind albums by this artist and Krzysztof HerdzinFind albums by this artist. The album is kept in the classic mainstream Jazz tradition, performed spotlessly and with flair by all participants. Nahorny´s music is timeless and remains fresh and beautiful in complete disregard of passing fads and fashions. His compositions are as good as any American standards. The intelligent lyrics are a painful remainder that song´s lyrics are supposed to tell a story in an intelligent way, as they do here in complete contrast to today´s monstrosities called songs. Szafran sings perfectly and superbly, with her charming mannerisms and vocal tricks, which she manages to use as effectively as always. She is able to pronounce every word clearly and accurately, with feeling and obvious sentiment to the context, an art that seems to be lost completely these days. Her warm and round voice and professional finesse are irresistible. The interplay between her and the trio is always impeccable, which turns the entire recording into a musical love affair. Nahorny and the rhythm section are of course a living example of knights in shining armor. This is an "old fashioned" album, but in spite of that often misused classification it sounds fresh and alive in spite of its delicacy, fragility and sophistication. I must be old fashioned myself, as this stuff simply melts my heart.

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WE4 ~ HARMONIJNIE LONG PLAY ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2012 Released: 2013 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz quartet called We4Find albums by this artist, which consists of harmonica player Wojciech MilewskiFind albums by this artist, vibraphonist Karol SzymanowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Grzegorz NadolnyFind albums by this artist and drummer Piotr BiskupskiFind albums by this artist. They perform nine tunes, all standards. The music is on the extreme easy side of the Jazz spectrum, with familiar themes played pleasantly by harmonica, which dominates the proceedings, mellow vibraphone playing mostly in the background, accompanied by a swinging rhythm section. Except for the unusual match between the harmonica and vibraphone the entire proceeding presents no intellectual challenge whatsoever and can be easily played as background music in a hotel lobby or restaurant. The recording quality of this album is very good, in complete contrast to its contents, so Hi-Fi stores selling high range equipment to half-deaf nouveau riche is another place for this album to be used. Why on earth would someone go through the effort to produce an album like this beats me, but what do I know?

Updated: 28/04/2018Posted:

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