Record Reviews

BIPOLAR ORDER ~ DUALITY ALLEGRO 039 (Barcode: 5901157049391) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz quartet Bipolar OrderFind albums by this artist, which comprises of saxophonist Mateusz ChorazewiczFind albums by this artist, guitarist Jakub ZolubakFind albums by this artist, bassist Lukasz Ostrowski-KunertFind albums by this artist and drummer Maciej WojcieszukFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, four by Chorazewicz and three by Zolubak. The music floats between mainstream Jazz and Jazz-Rock Fusion, with solid melodic compositions, mostly melancholic and slowly developing, with some Folkloristic influences and even some Free Form moments. There is a significant difference between the more Jazz oriented compositions by Chorazewicz and the Fusion oriented compositions by Zolubak, which is also evident in the continuous conflict between saxophone parts / improvisations and those by the guitar, with the saxophone clinging to Jazz tradition and the guitar pushing towards Fusion. The bass guitar also influences the overall sound, adding to the Fusion feel, which eventually wins the competition. But to be fair, the music is well structured and often way more complex than the "usual" Fusion outings, and as such definitely worth listening to. It´s a pity that the guitarist is overwhelmingly influenced by Fusion heroes, rather than searching for a more individual approach to the instrument, but the future is surely still ahead of him. The saxophone parts are all quite original and beyond reproach, which saves the day. Perhaps the quartet needs to find a stylistic compromise, which will unify the music and focus the musical direction of the future recordings, perhaps something in the direction of the title track, which is by far the most interesting on the album. Having said all that, the album is still quite impressive considering it’s a debut and taking into account the excellent compositions it presents. It should be of interest to many listeners, especially those who still have not lost hope in the possibility that Fusion can produce interesting music today. All in all well done!

Updated: 16/11/2019Posted: 16/11/2019

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POLA ~ 13 NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garge Pop Recorded: 2022 Released: 2022 This is the debut album by Polish duo PolaFind albums by this artist, which consists of vocalists / composer / lyricist / keyboardists Zofia OlszewskaFind albums by this artist and bassist / composer Piotr KomosinskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents thirteen original songs, hence the title. The music defies any attempt to categorize it precisely, which is usually a good sign. It floats somewhere between Ambient, New Wave, electronic, esoteric Pop and so on, but who cares… The songs are based on simple, but effective melodic riffs, accompanied by some keyboards / electronics drone background and supported by solid bass lines, with vocals on top. Olszewska skillfully overdubs her vocal parts on some tracks, which creates the effect of two vocalists present. The music is very intimate and embodies silent moments, provoking the listener to fill in the blanks rather than overload the ears with too many sounds. The Polish lyrics have the drawback of being lost to listeners not speaking the lingo, but even without actually understanding the message the vocals have a strong musical presence of its own. The idiosyncratic vocal approach creates a level of tension and is certainly a focal point of this music. Overall, this is a highly esoteric, unique and ambitious piece of music, which should be very interesting for listeners willing to reach beyond the obvious. It does require attentive listening and patience, but is a rewarding and thought inspiring experience, intimate, delicate and modest, which speaks volumes. Highly recommended to highly sensitive, exploratory musical explorers.

Updated: 09/04/2023Posted: 09/04/2023

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POLANIE ~ POLANIE MUZA 1268 (Barcode: 5907783422683) ~ POLAND ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1967 Released: 2009 Only album by the excellent Polish Beat group PolanieFind albums by this artist founded and led by organist Wieslaw BernolakFind albums by this artist, which also included guitarist / vocalist Piotr PulawskiFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Wlodzimierz WanderFind albums by this artist, bassist Zbigniew BernolakFind albums by this artist and drummer Andrzej NebeskiFind albums by this artist. Founded by members of two other famous Polish Beat groups: Niebiesko-CzarniFind albums by this artist and Czerwono-CzarniFind albums by this artist, they were the first Polish super-group. They played superb original material (sung in Polish) as well as covers of then contemporary international material (sung in English) and displayed an incredibly high level of musicianship, what was completely in par with their British or US counterparts. They were largely modeled after The AnimalsFind albums by this artist, which they supported during the group´s tour of Poland, using the same organ / guitar Bluesy sound. The lead singer had almost no foreign accent and their interpretations of songs by British groups sound as good as the originals, if not better. In retrospect this is one of the most important albums in the Polish Rock history and still sounds great after all these years. This new edition includes also the only EP released by the group, which is an extremely rare collectors´ item. Wholeheartedly recommended!

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