Record Reviews

NOVI ~ FIVE, FOUR, THREE GAD 025 (Barcode: 5901549197310) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1974 - 1975 Released: 2015 This is a reissue of the fifth album by the Polish Jazz vocal ensemble NOVIFind albums by this artist, recorded after the ensemble´s founder / leader / primary composer / arranger Bernard KawkaFind albums by this artist left Poland for the greener pastures of the Big Apple, following a whole wave of his compatriots, like Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist, Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist, Adam MakowiczFind albums by this artist and others. Kawka´s departure seemed to have little impact on the remaining three members of the ensemble: Ewa WanatFind albums by this artist, Janusz MychFind albums by this artist and Waldemar ParzynskiFind albums by this artist. They immediately embarked upon the recording of this album, which as usual included original material, composed by Parzynski (seven of the nine compositions on this album) and Mych (the other two compositions). Three of the compositions included also lyrics (in English). The ensemble was accompanied by an instrumental combo, which featured top Polish Jazz musicians: keyboardist Wojciech KarolakFind albums by this artist, guitarist Marek BlizinskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Pawel JarzebskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Czeslaw BartkowskiFind albums by this artist, and the Polish Radio Jazz Studio OrchestraFind albums by this artist conducted by Jan Ptaszyn WroblewskiFind albums by this artist. In addition to the original album, this remastered edition includes four bonus tracks, two of which feature the vocalist Tomasz OchalskiFind albums by this artist, who expanded the ensemble to the original quartet lineup for a brief period. The original album was released only three years after it was recorded, which was an example of how political bureaucracy dictated the fate of musicians behind the Iron Curtain. Musically this album was a continuation of the fantastic work they did on the previous releases, but the stress of loosing their leader and the confusion that followed is pretty obvious. The selection of material and inclusion of songs is obviously a step towards commercialism, but the album still presents several top-notch numbers, beautifully and skillfully executed, which stand up to par with their earlier work. But overall the glory days of NOVI were over and although they would record a couple of additional albums, they were moving further away from the revolutionary and innovative vocal achievements of their early days. Considering the fact that this music has been unavailable for such a long time this is definitely another project by GADFind albums on this label Records, which deserves to be praised. NOVI fans will find this an indispensable part of their collection and hopefully we will get a complete set of NOVI reissues sometime in the future.

Updated: 13/10/2016Posted:

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

NOVI ~ TORPEDO (POLISH JAZZ VOL.87 DELUXE) MUZA 1087 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1970 Released: 2006 This is a reissue of the second album by the seminal vocal group NOVIFind albums by this artist, one of the most acclaimed Polish Jazz acts in the 1960s and 1970s, and one of the most influential vocal ensembles of all times. Led by the charismatic vocalist / composer / arranger Bernard KawkaFind albums by this artist, the group also included the sensational female vocalist Ewa WanatFind albums by this artist and two more male vocalists / composers / arrangers: Janusz MychFind albums by this artist and Waldemar ParzynskiFind albums by this artist. Following the formula set by their sensational debut album, they perform original music composed and arranged by Kawka, Mych and Parzynski (except for one Classical piece). The vocal quartet is accompanied by a superb instrumental team, which includes some of the best Polish Jazz musicians at the time, including pianist Adam MakowiczFind albums by this artist, drummer Czeslaw BartkowskiFind albums by this artist and many others, as well as the Polish Radio Jazz Studio OrchestraFind albums by this artist, led by Jan Ptaszyn WroblewskiFind albums by this artist. The rich instrumental arrangements were one of the differences between NOVI and the earlier European Jazz vocal ensembles like Les Double SixFind albums by this artist or The Swingle SingersFind albums by this artist. This album, as all early recordings by NOVI, is absolutely immune to the tides of time and sounds today as magnificent as it was at the time of its recording. NOVI definitely left a mark on the Jazz vocal idiom, setting an incredibly high standard, which sadly was later on followed by only very few similar ensembles. Side Note: This is one of those Polish Jazz albums, released by the Polskie Nagrania / MuzaFind albums on this label label, which should have been released as part of the legendary "Polish Jazz" series at the time, but somehow never made it. From the historic perspective it definitely deserved to be a part of that series and this was partially corrected by this edition, as it is one of the items in the expanded "Polish Jazz Deluxe" series of reissues.

Updated: 13/10/2016Posted: 13/10/2016

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend

S.P.P.T. CHALTURNIK / POLISH RADIO JAZZ STUDIO ORCHESTRA ~ S.P.P.T. CHALTURNIK / POLISH RADIO JAZZ STUDIO ORCHESTRA POLJAZZ / ANEX 312 (Barcode: 5907513047674) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1973 - 1975 Released: 2009 The material presented on this album originates from two separate LPs released by the PoljazzFind albums on this label label, each contributing one side of the original LP. The logic behind it is that the original Poljazz releases often included two sides of completely unrelated material, artificially combined for a variety of reasons, mostly economic. These two sides of two separate LPs are connected by the central personality behind the music, the Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer / arranger / bandleader Jan Ptaszyn WroblewskiFind albums by this artist. Wroblewski was the founder and leader of the band S.P.P.T. ChalturnikFind albums by this artist, which was formed in order to present Jazz with a humorous and tongue in cheek attitude, featuring well known standards as well as original material by the leader. The band included the absolute crème de la crème of the Polish Jazz scene: saxophonists Janusz MuniakFind albums by this artist, Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist and Tomasz SzukalskiFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Wojciech KarolakFind albums by this artist, bassist Bronislaw SuchanekFind albums by this artist and drummer Czeslaw BartkowskiFind albums by this artist. The wonderful arrangements and whimsy performances are all brilliant, especially in view of the fact that they show that Jazz doesn´t have to be treated always so seriously. Wroblewski was also the director of the Polish Radio Jazz Studio OrchestraFind albums by this artist during the years 1968-1978, which was one of the most important incubators and places of refuge for the young Polish Jazz musicians under the Socialist regime, providing them with a steady income. The orchestra performs a very ambitious piece of music composed by the young pianist Jan JarczykFind albums by this artist called "A Double Concerto For Five Soloists And Orchestra", which features as soloists top Polish Jazz players of the time: violinist Zbigniew SeifertFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Tomasz Szukalski and Janusz Muniak and trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist. Legendary American drummer Stu MartinFind albums by this artist also participates in the recording. The music is a very interesting example of early Orchestral Jazz works, which combine contemporary Classical techniques with Free Jazz improvisation. Side Note: The PoljazzFind albums on this label label, which originally released this album, was active for 20 years (between 1972 and 1991) and was owned by the Polish Jazz Society. Considering the fact that the music industry in the Socialist State was centralized and totally controlled, with just one State owned music company producing all the albums, the possibilities to record and release Jazz albums were extremely limited. Poljazz was conceived and founded in order to allow for many more Jazz (and other) albums to be released independently from the State owned Polskie NagraniaFind albums on this label / MuzaFind albums on this label and as such revolutionized the music industry at the time, being the only such enterprise in Eastern Europe. The Polish label AnexFind albums on this label reissued many of the original Poljazz albums on CD, bringing this fabulous music back to life.

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend

KRZYSZTOF SADOWSKI ~ AND HIS HAMMOND ORGAN (POLISH JAZZ VOL.21) MUZA 1021 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1970 Released: 2006 This is the first album on the legendary Polish Jazz series, which is dedicated to the Hammond organ, the godfather of the electronic keyboards and probably the most significant new instrument, which dominated Jazz and Progressive Rock in the late 1960s and early 1970s (although available since the 1930s). Keyboardist Krzysztof SadowskiFind albums by this artist belongs to the first post WWII generation of Polish Jazz musicians, debuting in the 1950s and active on the local scene for many years. He combined his love of Jazz and Rock, playing with the leading ensembles of both genres with equal dedication and success. This album presents his Hammond organ performances in two different environments: Side A of the original LP captures him accompanied just by drummer Andrzej DabrowskiFind albums by this artist and the duo moves through a Rocky set, which includes a BeatlesFind albums by this artist medley. Side B finds him accompanied by the Polish Radio Jazz Studio OrchestraFind albums by this artist, led by saxophonist / composer Jan Ptaszyn WroblewskiFind albums by this artist and featuring top Polish Jazz players, among them saxophonist Janusz MuniakFind albums by this artist, bassist Bronislaw SuchanekFind albums by this artist, drummer Janusz StefanskiFind albums by this artist and many others. This set is much closer to Jazz and features a beautiful version of Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist´s ballad from "Rosemary´s Baby".

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend

ZBIGNIEW SEIFERT ~ POLISH RADIO JAZZ ARCHIVES VOL.32 POLSKIE RADIO 2145 (Barcode: 5907812248697) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1970 - 1978 Released: 2018 This is the thirty-second installment in the series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings from the radio vaults. Radio recordings are always a fabulous source of remarkable material, and as far as Polish Jazz history is concerned, the Polish Radio, which was a state monopoly for 45 years, recorded over time a plethora of invaluable material, which apart from the albums released by the Polskie Nagrania record company (also a state monopoly), is the only available additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland´s most important Jazz venues, including the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well. The seven tracks presented here were recorded by one of the most iconic Polish Jazz figures: saxophonist / violinist / composer Zbigniew SeifertFind albums by this artist, who sadly died at a ridiculously young age succumbing to cancer. Influenced by the music of John ColtraneFind albums by this artist, Seifert revolutionized the Polish Jazz violin school and achieved international recognition. All the tracks are original compositions by Seifert. The first five tracks were recorded live on November 14, 1978 at the "Pod Jaszczurami" Jazz club in Krakow, just three months before Seifert´s death. They were recorded by a quintet, which also included guitarist Jaroslaw SmietanaFind albums by this artist (also not with us anymore, another victim of cancer), keyboardist Janusz GrzywaczFind albums by this artist, bassist Zbigniew WegehauptFind albums by this artist (my dear and sadly also departed friend) and drummer Mieczyslaw GorkaFind albums by this artist. Grzywacz and Gorka were at the time members of the legendary Polish Jazz-Rock ensemble LaboratoriumFind albums by this artist while Smietana and Wegehaupt were at the time members of another no less legendary ensemble Extra BallFind albums by this artist. The music, although composed by Seifert, gets here a Fusion oriented treatment, as a result of the fact that all members of the quintet except for Seifert were involved with Fusion at the time. Sadly these five tracks are only a selection from the entire recording session captured by Polish Radio Krakow, which has been previously partially released as a double LP entitled "KilimanjaroFind albums with this title" by the Polish Jazz Society label PoljazzFind albums on this label (available also separately as "Kilimanjaro Vol.1Find albums with this title" and "Kilimanjaro Vol.2Find albums with this title") and later on as a double CD bootleg album in its entirety. Why wasn´t the entire material finally released properly and legally on this album is a mystery and sadly a grave opportunity loss to put things in order once and for all and honestly a mess! The sixth track originates from a recording Seifert made with the Polish Radio Jazz Studio OrchestraFind albums by this artist directed by Jan Ptaszyn WroblewskiFind albums by this artist in 1972. It presents him as a soloist backed up by an excellent Jazz orchestra, performing one of his early compositions, which is also previously unreleased. The seventh and last track goes even further back and was recorded in 1970 during the thirteenth edition of the Jazz Jamboree Festival. On this track Seifert plays saxophone and is accompanied by pianist Jan JarczykFind albums by this artist, bassist Jan GonciarczykFind albums by this artist and drummer Janusz StefanskiFind albums by this artist. This track was already released in 2010 by the great Polish reissue label GADFind albums on this label Records on the album "NoraFind albums with this title", dedicated to Seifert´s early recordings, and the inclusion of this track here is redundant and somewhat questionable. The beautifully restored sound quality is excellent and the warm ambience of the analog recording is a true joy. As usual with this series, which is very reasonably priced, I miss the presence of "in depth" liner notes / booklet, which should convey the circumstances at which this music was recorded and its importance to the development of Jazz in Poland. Nevertheless this is an absolutely essential piece of Jazz history which every Jazz fan will surely consider an absolute must.

Updated: 01/10/2018Posted: 28/09/2018

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend

JAN PTASZYN WROBLEWSKI ~ FLYIN` LADY (POLISH JAZZ VOL.55) POLSKIE RADIO 0534 (Barcode: 5901448115347) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1978 Released: 2005 This is an excellent album by Polish veteran Jazz saxophonist / composer / arranger / bandleader Jan Ptaszyn WroblewskiFind albums by this artist. One of the great pioneers of the Polish Jazz movement since the 1950s, Wroblewski remained very active on the local scene in many capacities, which included leading his own ensembles, directing the Polish Radio Jazz Studio OrchestraFind albums by this artist and teaching generations of Polish Jazz musicians. Wroblewski always firmly stood for the Jazz tradition, keeping the mainstream Jazz in Poland on a very high level. He was rarely associated with the Polish Jazz modernists and avoided Free Jazz excursions, even when these were fashionable. Nevertheless his unique and innovative approach to Jazz composition and virtuosic ability as a player make his very extensive legacy an infinite source of superb Jazz moments. This album presents six original compositions by Wroblewski, superbly performed by a quartet, which includes guitarist Marek BlizinskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Witold SzczurekFind albums by this artist and drummer Andrzej DabrowskiFind albums by this artist. Blizinski should be noted as one of the greatest Polish guitarists and perhaps the Jazziest one, who avoided getting into Fusion at all costs, keeping his sound in the Wes MontgomeryFind albums by this artist / Barney KesselFind albums by this artist tradition. Altogether this is a great example of the versatility of the Polish Jazz scene and its excellence, regardless of the specific sub-genre in question. Highly recommended!

CD 1 Digipak Oversampling Remastered Recommend To A Friend

JAN PTASZYN WROBLEWSKI ~ SKLEROPTAK POLJAZZ / ANEX 301 (Barcode: 5907513047568) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1976 Released: 2009 The material presented on this album was recorded in Belgium but presents the great veteran Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer / arranger / bandleader Jan Ptaszyn WroblewskiFind albums by this artist, who contributed his beautiful compositions and arrangements and plays as the principal soloist. He is accompanied by the Belgian (Radio & TV) BRT Jazz OrchestraFind albums by this artist, directed by Etienne VerschuerenaFind albums by this artist, which includes many wonderful players, including internationally known keyboardist Bob PorterFind albums by this artist and drummer Bruno CastelucciFind albums by this artist. Wroblewski, who was also the director of the Polish Radio Jazz Studio OrchestraFind albums by this artist during the years 1968-1978, recorded these compositions earlier with that orchestra, but these new renditions sound quite different from the earlier versions, being more "polished" and "rounded". The Polish orchestra was in fact a collection of top soloist whereas the Belgian orchestra is a full-fledged professional Big Band, which is much more about the overall band sound than individual solo spots. As a result the music captured here is a beautiful example of European Big Band sound, which is quite different from the American counterparts. Overall this is a splendid Big Band album playing excellent music, interesting arrangements and featuring some great solo spots. Although pretty mainstream, this is elegant music, full of European aesthetics, which is completely ageless and sounds now every bit as great when it did at the time of its release. Big Band enthusiasts should have a field day with this excellent piece of music, which is again back in circulation. Side Note: The PoljazzFind albums on this label label, which originally released this album, was active for 20 years (between 1972 and 1991) and was owned by the Polish Jazz Society. Considering the fact that the music industry in the Socialist State was centralized and totally controlled, with just one State owned music company producing all the albums, the possibilities to record and release Jazz albums were extremely limited. Poljazz was conceived and founded in order to allow for many more Jazz (and other) albums to be released independently from the State owned Polskie NagraniaFind albums on this label / MuzaFind albums on this label and as such revolutionized the music industry at the time, being the only such enterprise in Eastern Europe. The Polish label AnexFind albums on this label reissued many of the original Poljazz albums on CD, bringing this fabulous music back to life.

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend

JAN PTASZYN WROBLEWSKI ~ STUDIO JAZZOWE POLSKIEGO RADIA 1969-78 POLSKIE RADIO 2327-2331 (Barcode: 5907812248222) ~ POLAND ~ Big Band Jazz Recorded: 1969 - 2017 Released: 2020 This is an iconic archival album documenting the recorded legacy of one of the Godfathers of Polish Jazz, saxophonist / composer / arranger / bandleader Jan Ptaszyn WroblewskiFind albums by this artist. The first four CDs in this 5CD set present recordings by the Polish Radio Jazz Studio OrchestraFind albums by this artist led and conducted by Wroblewski between late 1968 and early 1978, and the last CD presents recordings by his quartet and sextet, recorded between 1979 and 2017. The entire crème de la crème of the Polish Jazz scene in the crucial decade of its development (late 1960s to late 1970s) can be heard on these recordings, including such celebrated names like Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, Andrzej TrzaskowskiFind albums by this artist, Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist, Wlodzimierz NahornyFind albums by this artist, Bronislaw SuchanekFind albums by this artist, Janusz StefanskiFind albums by this artist, Jerzy MilianFind albums by this artist, Zbigniew SeifertFind albums by this artist, NOVIFind albums by this artist Singers and many others. Almost all the music on these CDs was composed and arranged by Wroblewski and the members of the orchestra. Wroblewski (born 1936), who is nearing his eighty fifth birthday, is still active today and he wrote the liner notes accompanying this release, reminiscing about the decade during which he fronted the orchestra. The artistry of the Big Band idiom and the sophistication of the arrangements are of course the focal points of the music and although the American Big Bands are an obvious inspiration, the result reaches way beyond the basic model, creating the European Big Band approach, which looks for inspiration in way more complex compositions (like the music of Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist in this case) and experimental soloing, bordering on Free Jazz, which can be heard extensively here. The fact that the members of Komeda’s ensembles play on these recordings speaks for itself and the contributing composers are all pioneers of modern Polish Jazz. The music is, as expected, absolutely brilliant from start to finish, and in retrospect glorifies the level of the Polish Jazz musicianship and talent at the time. It is “criminal” that this music was locked down in the vaults of the Polish Radio for so long, and hopefully the rest of it (at least twice as much as was released now) will be released in the future. The damages made by limitations of the Polish music industry at the time and the monopoly of State owned music enterprises, which controlled and censored the output of recorded music for decades, should be all made right in time, preserving the Cultural treasures hidden from public access. Polish Jazz enthusiasts all over the world should find this album an absolute must have in their collection. The list of participating musicians and the quality of the compositions is certain to satisfy the most demanding listeners and the historical importance is unprecedented. Essential listening!

Updated: 11/02/2021Posted: 11/02/2021

CD 5 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend