Record Reviews

FLAMINGO ~ FLAMINGO (SWINGING TRICITY VOL.4) SOLITON 250 (Barcode: 5901571092508) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1961 - 1963 Released: 2012 This is the fourth installment in the excellent archival series documenting Polish Jazz created in the country´s Tricity on the Baltic Sea, one of the important centers where Polish Jazz thrives and over the years produced numerous first-rate musicians and superb bands. The series presents material, which in most cases never previously appeared in any form and therefore is of immense historic importance. This chapter presents the FlamingoFind albums by this artist ensemble, a Traditional Jazz outfit, which was very popular locally as well as in the rest of the country and even participated in the prestigious annual Jazz Jamboree Festival in Warsaw. The group was founded in the late 1950´s, following the great Polish Jazz rebirth after the two historic Sopot (one of the Tricity cities) festivals in 1956 and 1957, which were a turning point in Polish Jazz history. The ensemble existed for about a dozen years until the late 1960s, and unfortunately never managed to record even one album, which sadly was the fate of many Polish Jazz artists during the Socialist regime. However they did record for the Tricity Polish Radio station in Gdansk, where most of the material included on this album comes from, except for five tracks that come from the 1961 Jazz Jamboree Festival, which were previously released by the state owned record label Polskie NagraniaFind albums on this label (MuzaFind albums on this label). Flamingo was one of quite a few Polish Jazz ensembles playing Traditional Jazz, i.e. Ragtime, Dixieland and New Orleans, as part of the Traditional Jazz Revival, which swept Europe in the 1950s and 1960s. It was founded by pianist Jerzy DerfelFind albums by this artist, bassist Henryk PietrewiczFind albums by this artist and banjoist Lucjan WozniakFind albums by this artist. They were soon joined by drummer Janusz NalaskowskiFind albums by this artist and clarinetist Eugeniusz PudelewiczFind albums by this artist. Other group members present on this album were trumpeters Piotr NadolskiFind albums by this artist and Ryszard PodgorskiFind albums by this artist, and trombonists Andrzej DorawaFind albums by this artist, Edward RykaczewskiFind albums by this artist and Jan TomaszewskiFind albums by this artist. After the group folded, several members joined other groups; like Rama 111Find albums by this artist, which appears on an earlier release of this series, and even NiemenFind albums by this artist´s group AkwareleFind albums by this artist. The group performed mostly Traditional Jazz standards, with their youthful energy and zest overcoming the lack of experience. The overall level of performances was nothing short of excellent, which gained them quite a following and respect at the time. They performed in several European countries and participated in many jazz festivals. Since their split they managed to get briefly reunited a few times celebrating their past. Most of the Flamingo members live now outside of Poland. This is another great piece of Polish Jazz history, which should definitely be told and preserved as part of the country´s Cultural Heritage. Kudos to Marcin JacobsonFind albums by this artist for creating this series and keeping it going!

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RAMA 111 ~ RAMA 111 (SWINGING TRICITY VOL.2) SOLITON 101 (Barcode: 5901549899733) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1968 - 1987 Released: 2012 This is the second installment in the excellent archival series documenting Polish Jazz created in the country´s Tricity on the Baltic Sea, one of the important centers where Polish Jazz thrives and over the years produced numerous first-rate musicians and superb bands. The series presents material, which in most cases never previously appeared in any form and therefore is of immense historic importance. This chapter presents the Rama 111Find albums by this artist ensemble, which is now almost completing five decades of musical activity, having toured extensively worldwide. The group was founded in 1966 and exists to this very day, but unfortunately never managed to record even one album under their name (they did record with the Polish Jazz vocalist Marianna WroblewskaFind albums by this artist), which sadly was the fate of many Polish Jazz artists during the Socialist regime. However they did record for the Tricity Polish Radio station in Gdansk, where all of the material included on this album comes from. Rama 111 changed musical directions over the years and in retrospect covered a wide range of styles, from modern mainstream, via Jazz-Rock-Fusion, Swing and even Dixieland. The recordings included on this album originate mostly in the early to mid-1970s, and present primarily their Jazz-Rock side, although the Jazzy side is much more dominant than the Rock elements. It was founded by keyboardist Jan RejnowiczFind albums by this artist and over the years featured the following musicians present on this album: saxophonists Przemek DyakowskiFind albums by this artist, Maciej FlontFind albums by this artist and Tadeusz PetrowFind albums by this artist, trumpeters Piotr NadolskiFind albums by this artist and Boguslaw SkawinaFind albums by this artist, pianist Andrzej NowakFind albums by this artist, bassists Eugeniusz KadyszewskiFind albums by this artist, Roman SkurzynskiFind albums by this artist and Aleksander SliwaFind albums by this artist and drummer Andrzej SliwaFind albums by this artist. The group performed both their original compositions, mostly by Rejnowicz, which were truly excellent, as well as their arrangements of Jazz standards, also mostly by Rejnowicz, which were unique and elaborate. The radio recordings have excellent sonic quality and the overall level of performances is superb. This is another great piece of Polish Jazz history, which should definitely be told and preserved as part of the country´s Cultural Heritage. Kudos to Marcin JacobsonFind albums by this artist for creating this series and keeping it going!

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VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ PRZYJACIELE GRAJA HAJDUNA ALLEGRO 023 (Barcode: 5901157049230) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2009 Released: 2011 This album presents the live recording of a memorial concert dedicated to the Polish pianist / composer Janusz HajdunFind albums by this artist, who died a year before this concert took place. Hajdun composed music to more than a hundred films, including the short animated film "Tango", which was the first and so far only Polish film to win the Oscar in 1983, as well as many popular songs. His music was characterized by a distinctive swing and a Jazz spirit, and therefore it is only natural that the Polish Jazz musicians taking part in this concert would pay this loving tribute to the beautiful music composed by Hajdun, hoping to preserve it for posterity. The album presents thirteen compositions by Hajdun (in two cases co-compositions), all of which were beautifully arranged by the participating musicians and three of which include vocals sung by Wanda StaroniewiczFind albums by this artist. The instrumentalist are: legendary pianist Wlodzimierz NahornyFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Piotr NadolskiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Marcin WadolowskiFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Wojciech StaroniewiczFind albums by this artist, bassist Janusz MackiewiczFind albums by this artist, vibraphonist Dominik BukowskiFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Dariusz HerbaszFind albums by this artist, percussionist Adam GolickiFind albums by this artist and pianist Kuba HajdunFind albums by this artist (the composer´s son). The music is truly beautiful, full of the typical Polish lyricism, somewhat melancholic and even gloomy, but always absorbing and aesthetically perfect. There is more than a coincidental similarity to Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist´s cinematic work, which indisputably inspired Hajdun, as it did all Polish composers. Hearing all this music collected here makes a great impact as a sum total and emphasizes his incredible value as a composer and contributor to the development of Polish Culture. The performances are inspired and overall perfect, full of superb solos and excellent team work, kept in relative low-key, as appropriate for a memorial concert. Ranging from solo piano performances to a full-blown Jazz ensemble, things are definitely happening here, which should leave no listener cold. The fact that people pay tribute to their departed colleagues and mentors is heartwarming and commendable and when it is done with such love, dedication and talent, it becomes an unforgettable event. This is Polish Jazz at its best, and as such it deserves to be listened to with attention and open-mindedness. Taking care of the past and the heritage is every bit as important as taking care of the future, let´s not forget it.

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