Record Reviews

ENSEMBLE TUNING XIII ~ MUZYKA NA TRZY INSTRUMENTY REQUIEM / OPUS 2021/55 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2019 - 2020 Released: 2021 This is the third album by Polish Jazz drummer / composer / bandleader Rafal GorzyckiFind albums by this artist, recorded under the Ensemble TuningFind albums by this artist moniker, now with a new variant of the moniker, i.e. Ensemble Tuning XIIIFind albums by this artist. The new lineup is extended into a quartet, which now includes alongside the leader clarinetists Piotr MelechFind albums by this artist and Michal GorczynskiFind albums by this artist and pianist Jakub KrolikowskiFind albums by this artist, which explains the album title, which in English means “Music For Three Instruments” (i.e. clarinet, piano and drums). Guitarist Jakub ZiolekFind albums by this artist guests on the final track. The album presents six original compositions / improvisations, credited to various combinations of the quartet members. The album is a continuation of the two previous recordings by Gorzycki: “PlayingFind albums with this title” (2016) and “Ensemble TuningFind albums with this title” (2018). I have been following Gorzycki and his work for the last two decades since he first arrived on the Polish Jazz scene as the leader of the Ecstasy ProjectFind albums by this artist (debuted in 2000) and Sing Sing PenelopeFind albums by this artist (debuted in 2004). He is certainly one of the constantly searching and horizon expanding Polish Jazz musicians / composers, with a strong tendency to amalgamate Jazz and contemporary Chamber music. This album is somewhat surprising as it presents almost entirely Improvised Music elements, which are not necessarily the usual modus operandi as far as Gorzycki is concerned. But the two clarinets, played by my favorite Polish Jazz clarinetists, add some thrilling moments and by the fifth and longest track the ensemble finally finds the nirvana spot and the music becomes magical. Personally the labeling of the music is somewhat misleading, as this certainly is not contemporary Chamber Classical music, so why try and use that particular label? But besides labeling, this music offers a lot of unexpected vistas, demanding dot-connecting and other cerebral exercises, which are always welcome. Overall, this is a very unique, unusual and highly demanding listening adventure, but at the same time a highly rewarding experience for open-minded music lovers, who are prepared to take risks in order to expand their horizons. Hats off to Gorzycki for his consistency and tireless searching!

Updated: 02/10/2021Posted: 27/09/2021

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FRED LONBERG-HOLM / PIOTR MELECH ~ COARSE DAY MULTIKULTI MPI 014 (Barcode: 5907529223147) ~ USA ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2009 Released: 2011 This is the debut album by the experimental duo, which consists of American cellist / composer Fred Lonberg-HolmFind albums by this artist and Polish clarinetists / composer Piotr MelechFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions / improvisations co-credited to both musicians. The music presents extreme Avant Garde, which has very little to do with Jazz or any other form of music, and which is spontaneously improvised and recorded in real time. There is no melody, no harmony and no rhythm, which of course makes it difficult to consider this kind of expression in standard terms of reference applied to music. It is all about freedom and conversation between the musicians at the moment of creation. The question whether this music is a form of anarchy is also relevant. This kind of music may have some validity performed live, but in its recorded form is actually pretty irrelevant, since it is questionable if anybody would play this album repeatedly actually listening to it. Therefore completely valid as a form of expression, it has little meaning beyond the documentation of the meeting and mutual exchange of ideas between the musicians involved. Of course Lonberg Holm and (in retrospect) Melech have created many valuable contributions in music, this album is definitely not one of them. Nothing beyond self-indulgence I´m afraid.

Updated: 17/12/2018Posted: 29/04/2017

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MELECH ~ PLAYS GEBIRTIG MULTIKULTI MPT 015 (Barcode: 5907796319826) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 This is the debut album by Polish Free Jazz / Avant-Garde quartet MelechFind albums by this artist, which comprises of clarinetist / composer Piotr MelechFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Marcin Albert SteczkowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Marcin JadachFind albums by this artist and drummer Michal KasperekFind albums by this artist. The album presents six pieces, five of which were composed by the Polish / Jewish poet / songwriter Mordechai GebirtigFind albums by this artist and one is an original composition credited to all four members of the quartet. The album continues the interest in Jewish music by the Polish Jazz Avant-Garde, which is one of the most fascinating developments on the local scene since the turn of the Millennium. A whole "New Jewish Music" scene developed in Poland, exploring the treasures of Jewish Music and creating contemporary Jewish Music, despite the fact that there are almost no members of the Jewish community left in Poland at the moment. Gebirtig´s legacy is one of the most re-visited, which is no surprise considering the wealth, depth and strength of his creations. Some of the treatments of his songs in the past suffered from too many liberties, but this album is a wonderful example of just the right way to respect the original music and take it forward to contemporary Avant-Garde. The quartet manages to preserve the spirit of the music in spite of the radically changed musical environment and the individual contributions by the quartet members fit the transposed sounds ideally. Melech states the original melodies almost faithfully, before those are picked up by the rest of the band and transformed, stretched and re-composed in Free Form. The rhythm section is elevated to a full membership within the quartet, adding its invaluable contributions. I wonder what would Gebirtig say to these transformations, but considering his progressive intellectualism, he would probably embrace them wholeheartedly. Overall this album is a wonderful example of preservation by modernization, where Culture is brought forward to contemporary recipients in form and shape that bridge over time barriers. It manages to stand by itself both as a contemporary work of art and as a tribute to the past. Thanks to the talent of the musicians involved and their respect towards the source of this music, their goal was achieved in full. This is definitely one of the most successful tributes to Gebirtig´s legacy done within the Polish Jazz Avant-Garde. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 28/10/2019Posted: 17/12/2016

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MELECH / LONBERG-HOLM / OLESZAK / GOLEBIEWSKI ~ DIVIDED BY 4 MULTIKULTI 023 (Barcode: 5907529223239) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2012 Released: 2012 This is the debut album by Improvised Music quartet comprising of three Polish musicians: clarinetist Piotr MelechFind albums by this artist, pianist Witold OleszakFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam GolebiewskiFind albums by this artist, who are joined by US cellist Fred Lonberg-HolmFind albums by this artist. The album was recorded in one day, as appropriate for this kind of music, and the nine consecutively numbered improvisations are separated into the album´s nine tracks. All music is co-credited to the four musicians. Spontaneously improvised music, as the one presented here, has a very limited appeal to most music listeners and is usually considered as part of the "wild" Avant-Garde, inhibiting the extreme margins of the Jazz scene. Therefore the Polish Avant-Garde / Improvised Music scene, which is experiencing a remarkable Renaissance in the last decade, is an amazing phenomenon. Recordings, concerts, festivals and other activities, which happen in several cities across Poland, manage to draw listeners and enthusiasts from the native Poland, from all over Europe and even from across the pond. There is no logical explanation to the above, but the facts speak for themselves. Perhaps it is the longing for Freedom, which has always been a very "Polish" characteristic, emphasized by hundreds of years of political enslavement, created the proper intellectual ground in the Polish Culture to pursue Freedom, wherever possible? The greatest problem with Improvised Music is the fact that is can transform in an instant from a cultural dialogue to an orgy, from a coherent sound structure into cacophony. The limits and boundaries are thin and flexible, and they probably differ from listener to listener. Therefore whatever makes sense to one listener can be completely confusing to another one. The only way to treat an album like this one is therefore to listen to it and decide for oneself. Personally the most important factor in making Improvised Music recordings is the very fact they are made at all. Such recordings are obviously completely non-commercial (anti-commercial?) and there is no money to be made from them and therefore documenting the fact that such music was made becomes the only reason for them to be made at all. That and of course the intellectual pleasure of hearing four individuals communicating non-verbally on a "higher plane", if that is you "cup of tea". Improvised Music fanatics will find this extremely interesting, most other will find it unlistenable, but who cares about the "most" anyway. The majority is always wrong ;).

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

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MELECH / MAJEWSKI / KROLIKOWSKI / BUHL ~ KWARTET PLEXUS OF INFINITY ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by the Avant-Garde Polish Jazz quartet led by clarinetist Piotr MelechFind albums by this artist, which also includes pianist Jakub KrolikowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Jaroslaw MajewskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Jacek BuhlFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten tracks, all co-composed by the members of the quartet. The music is typical Avant-Garde / Improvised Music project, which offers spontaneously created music not based on any clear melodic threads and which relays the spur of the moment mutual exchanges between the musicians. For people from outside of the Improvised Music circle this music is completely non-communicative and bizarre, and only a tiny group of connoisseurs is able to listen to it and enjoy it for what it is. Such is the sad fate of any Avant-Garde Art. However, for people familiar with the Polish Avant-Garde Jazz, which enjoys an extraordinary renaissance in the last decade, the name of Melech is pretty familiar as a result of about half a dozen of his earlier recordings, all of which made a mark on the local scene. His wonderful clarinet work, which often sounds very Klezmerish, is very unique and often resembles the work of the Israeli clarinet Master Harold RubinFind albums by this artist. Melech firmly controls the flow of the music, setting the structural and rhythmic ambience, with the rest of the quartet following his lead. Buhl, who is perhaps the leading Polish Avant-Garde drummer and a true musical persona, adds a wonderful layer to the music. He is obviously the most experienced musician on this album and his superb technique and sensitivity are a natural counterbalance to Melech´s clarinet work. Krolikowski and Majewski, who are lesser known, keep up with the two veterans and contribute their parts without a hitch. Overall this album offer depth and remarkable teamwork between the musicians, which of course is not surprising considering the excellent musicianship present on the Polish Avant-Garde Jazz scene. Although obviously not for everybody, this music is exactly what connoisseurs of Improvised Music look for in an album. Well done!

Updated: 09/06/2019Posted: 08/06/2019

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MELECH / MAZURKIEWICZ / TRILLA ~ DOG / HUM / BRAIN MULTIKULTI MPI 047/48/49 (Barcode: 5903068683282) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2016 Released: 2019 Released as three separate CDs, this is obviously a unified release documenting live performances by the Improvised Music / Avant-Garde Jazz trio comprising of Polish clarinetist Piotr MelechFind albums by this artist, bassist Jacek MazurkiewiczFind albums by this artist and Spanish drummer Vasco TrillaFind albums by this artist, recorded in February 2016 at three clubs in different cities in Poland. Guitarist Damian PielkaFind albums by this artist takes part on one track. The albums present four / five / two improvised tracks respectively, all obviously credited to the three members of the trio. Although all the three concerts were recorded by the same trio within one week, the music on the separate CDs differs significantly, presenting completely diverse facets of the trio´s possibilities. Improvised Music is of course created in the spur of the moment and such diversity speaks highly of the abilities of the trio both on the individual and ensemble levels. Listeners familiar with the European Improvised Music scene are obviously already familiar with the names of these musicians, since they all performed and recorded prolifically in the last decade and are considered as some of the most interesting representatives of the genre. Since both Melech and Mazurkiewicz employ electronics on regular basis, the music on these albums depicts the polarity between purely acoustic and almost completely electronic music, with everything in between. It seems that the usage of electronics opened up the possibilities, both of the contemporary modern European Jazz and the more adventurous Free Jazz / Avant-Garde scene, which embraced electronics as an integral part of the accessible instrumental palette, a trend growing stronger towards the end of the decade. The reception of this music is of course highly individual, but I found all thee albums to be highly interesting and absorbing, and the diversity of the music is a strong incentive to try and listen to the whole set in one go. But of course it is also entirely possible to listen to them separately. Overall this is a great document of the live concerts, which stand on its own in the recorded version and offers challenging, but highly aesthetic listening experience. Highly recommended to all Improvised Music enthusiasts!

Updated: 15/03/2020Posted: 15/03/2020

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PIOTR MELECH / WOJCIECH KUREK ~ SPLIT HERE ANTENNA NON GRATA 2019/07 ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2018 Released: 2-19 This is an album by Polish Improvising Music duo comprising of clarinetist Piotr MelechFind albums by this artist and drummer Wojciech KurekFind albums by this artist. The album presents six improvised pieces, which are, as usual in such cases, uncredited. Melech is a prominent figure on the Polish Avant-Garde scene in the last decade and a prolific recording artist, associated mostly with the MultikultiFind albums on this label label, but also releasing albums on other Polish niche labels, like the Antenna Non GrataFind albums on this label, which released this album. Kurek, also a prolific recording artist, with about twenty albums under his belt, works as improvising musician but also composes for multimedia installations and theatre. It seems that this recording is the first cooperation between these two Artists. As I have already stated often in my reviews of Melech´s other albums, I am a great fun of his clarinet shenanigans, and since the clarinet is one of my favorite instruments Melech always has an open ear as far as I am concerned. He is obviously a completely unique clarinetist, who is able to take the instrument into uncharted territory time after time. He is able to play relative melodic music as well as totally Free improvisations with the same power of expression and obvious virtuosity. I am not familiar with Kurek´s other recordings, but his performances here expose his openness to dialogue and cooperation, which the duo demonstrates whenever they play together. Obviously highly skilled technically, Kurek proves to be a very supportive partner to Melech´s spacey explorations, and they are able to produce many magic moments together on this album. Since Free / Improvised Music is a priori oriented towards very limited audiences, this album belongs to the same category. The magic that happened during the recording of this music has no guarantees to be embraced by many listeners, which sadly is almost an intrinsic characteristic of the Avant-Garde. Hopefully, since Melech has a solid following on the local scene, this music will resound in many homes, as it certainly deserves.

Updated: 24/10/2020Posted: 24/10/2020

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PIOTR MELECH / PATRYK LICHOTA ~ LOST LEVEL MULTIKULTI MPLE 001 (Barcode: 5907529223420) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2011 Released: 2013 This is the debut album by Polish experimental duo, which consists of clarinetists / composer Piotr MelechFind albums by this artist and live electronics performer Patryk LichotaFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, all co-composed by Melech and Lichota. The album was released by the prestigious MultikultiFind albums on this label label as a numbered Limited Edition. The music is one of the very few examples of Avant Garde / Improvised Music, which incorporates fully acoustic instruments and electronics, treating the two distinct worlds on an equal plane, whereas in most cases when electronics are used, they are confined to a marginal role in the overall framework. The entire sound environment created by the two musicians is very unorthodox and presents numerous innovative approaches, which are all quite fascinating. The traditional "sweet" tone of the clarinet is radically changed by electronic manipulation, used in a multilayered recording technique, with pure clarinet and pure electronic sounds also added to the entire collage. There is very little melody used as such, but melodic fragments are an integral part of the entire creation, creating a link to "conventional" music, without which the sonic structures might have been a tad too detached from what most listeners define as music. Overall the album is a fascinating trip into unconventional musical spheres, which manages to keep the listener on his toes, unable to predict what the next move will be, which defines the essence of creativity after all. Although released a few years ago, this is still more innovative than most contemporary releases and definitely worthy of discovery.

Updated: 17/12/2018Posted: 29/04/2017

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POLSKI PIACH ~ POLUDNIE NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Blues Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is the debut album by Polish trio called Polski PiachFind albums by this artist, which comprises of guitarist Patryk ZakrockiFind albums by this artist, clarinetist Piotr MelechFind albums by this artist and percussionist Kuba FalkFind albums by this artist (a.k.a Kuba FalkowskiFind albums by this artist). The album presents ten (assumably) original compositions, which remain uncredited on the album’s artwork. On the album’s artwork we can find the following statement: “The Polish Sands project delves into the spiritual bonds which bind the sands of the Mississippi Delta, the Sahara Desert and the Wisla River”, which roughly describes the music included on this album, which is mostly Blues influenced, which in turn is a spiritual ancestry of African origin, combined with Slavic melancholy and spiced with Jazz improvisation. Zakrocki, who is primarily identified with playing violin on Improvised Music recordings, plays an alter ego role on this album, playing deeply melodic and completely docile acoustic guitar. Melech, on the other hand, is less surprising, playing a beautifully sentimental bass clarinet parts, for which he is known (among other things). Falk who is completely out of nowhere, is rather less prominent here, but his mouth harp playing and percussion fit the bill perfectly. It is rather difficult to describe the music precisely, which of course is not really necessary, but I really enjoyed the music immensely, for some strange reason. Although the basic Blues riffs are nothing out of the ordinary, the overall atmosphere and Melech’s superb playing simply won me over, and the music managed to engage me more on a subconscious level than as an analytical attempt to get into it. The Blues is after all a universal music, as this music is trying to demonstrate, so after all I am not surprised. I am sure it also sounds great live. Overall this Blues / Jazz-World Music exploration is a nice and original idea, which is a great fun to listen to, surely on the debut album; I am not sure if it has the stamina to last for more albums though. Definitely worth investigating!

Updated: 15/02/2021Posted: 15/02/2021

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RDZA ~ YASS IMPROVISATION MZM 9 ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by Polish Improvised Music duo RdzaFind albums by this artist, which comprises of bassist Jaroslaw MajewskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Jacek BuhlFind albums by this artist. For the recording session, which produced this album, they invited a group of musicians with whom they cooperated previously on various occasions: vocalists Antonina NowackaFind albums by this artist and Mamadou BaFind albums by this artist (alias Goo), clarinetist Piotr MelechFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Ray DickatyFind albums by this artist, Jan MalkowskiFind albums by this artist and Jedrzej LagodzinskiFind albums by this artist, flautist Maksymilian GwincinskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Jakub KrolikowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Slawek JanickiFind albums by this artist and drummer Dominik MokrzewskiFind albums by this artist – altogether a fourteen musicians strong Improvising Music orchestra. The album presents seven pieces, all credited to the entire crew of participating musicians. The music, although representing the Avant-Garde spontaneously Improvised Music genre, is quite unique, mostly due to the fact that it was created by a large ensemble in contrast to the usual rather intimate Improvised Music settings. The incredible power of such a large ensemble, the diversity of musical ideas and the wide range of instruments (including vocalese) is extremely effective and happens so rarely, that this album is an immediate focus of interest. Of course one has to remember that such experiments have already been tried successfully both across the pond and in European Jazz in the late 1960s, but are sadly very rare these days. This album is a wonderful example of Avant-Garde / Improvised Music recording that manages to retain the magic of the live performance and change into a musical capsule, which can be listened to repeatedly, discovering new layers with each new listening session. There are many superb individual performances here, although usually very brief, and above all wonderful ensemble cooperation, which absolutely rules here. Overall this is definitely one of the best if not the best Improvised Music album on the Polish scene in 2019. I´d like to point out to my Polish colleagues who write about music, what music with BIG balls is all about, regardless of the horn power involved – if an example is necessary. An absolute must to Free / Improvised Music orchestral music connoisseurs!

Updated: 14/08/2020Posted: 20/01/2020

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