Record Reviews

MALERAI / GOLDSTEIN / MASECKI ~ PREPARING TO DANCE – NEW YIDDISH SONGS MULTIKULTI MPT 011 (Barcode: 5907796319567) ~ POLAND ~ World Music & Folklore Recorded: 2013 Released: 2014 This is a live recording of a concert, which presents a cycle of nine songs composed by clarinetist / composer Michal GorczynskiFind albums by this artist with lyrics in Yiddish by the American poet Yermiyahu Ahron TaubFind albums by this artist. The cycle is performed by the MaleraiFind albums by this artist trio, which comprises of Gorczynski, violinist Dagna SadkowskaFind albums by this artist and cellist Mikolaj PaloszFind albums by this artist, vocalist Hanna GoldsteinFind albums by this artist and the enfant terrible of the Polish Avant-Garde Jazz scene, pianist Marcin MaseckiFind albums by this artist. Gorczynski is known to Polish Jazz followers as the member of the clarinet quartet IrchaFind albums by this artist led by Mikolaj TrzaskaFind albums by this artist and also as a member of the PoleFind albums by this artist trio. He cooperated with Masecki as a member of his ProfesjonalizmFind albums by this artist ensemble. The concert was recorded in 2013 during the 4th edition of the New Jewish Music Festival in Warsaw. This album is a very important statement of several realities concerning contemporary Jewish Culture. Firstly it proves that the Yiddish language is alive and kicking, not only as the lingua franca of Ashkenazi orthodox Jewish communities in Israel and the USA, but also as a form of expression of contemporary Jewish Culture, including poetry and literary prose, which are being created as we speak; this contrary to the popular opinion that the Yiddish language is practically dead and represents a wonderful heritage, which sadly is buried in the past. Secondly it once again emphasizes the incredible rebirth / resurgence / renaissance of the Jewish culture in Poland, especially in the Avant-Garde cycles of the young Polish Jazz community. To put things straight this is definitely not a Jazz album or Jazz music per se; the best form of describing it would be drawing a parallel to the glorious days of German cabaret of the decadent era created almost a century ago and best portrayed by the music of Kurt WeilFind albums by this artist. Gorczynski, perhaps subconsciously, uses similar musical / theatrical devices as classic cabaret, but brings them up to date by adding dissonance and free improvised instrumental passages as part of the arrangements of the songs. Masecki, who is the most Avant-Garde prone ingredient of this ensemble, plays the "grown up in charge" part, elegantly accompanying the vocals and displaying maximal restrain almost at all times. Goldstein´s vocals fit the musical setting well and she´s not afraid to "let go" and explore some vocal acrobatics, whenever appropriate. If only her Yiddish accent was a bit more authentic… Therefore, although not really Jazz, this music does have a lot of free spirited expressionism and improvisational elements in it, to become aesthetically related to Jazz. Although Taub comes from a strict orthodox Jewish background, the subject matter of his poetry is completely secular and universal, often full of psychedelic imagery and free associative connections. Gorczynski´s music is a superb vehicle for these poems to cross over into a new dimension, mixing music and words to create a new identity. Gorczynski and his team created an excellent piece of contemporary Art, which adapted heritage, tradition and contemporary artistic resources, amalgamating them into a class of its own. Overall, although this album does not make any revolutionary discoveries, it has enough merit to be called a bold, important step forward towards creating contemporary Jewish Culture as much as enriching the existing heritage. In a reality, in which most music is completely devoid of any ambition or artistic merit, this is a wonderful example of creativity and intellectually challenging spirit. Bravo!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

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PROFESJONALIZM ~ CHOPIN CHOPIN CHOPIN LADO ABC C/11 (Barcode: 5907709922334) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2011 Released: 2011 Profesjonalizm is the name of the new sextet created and led by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Marcin MaseckiFind albums by this artist, one of the greatest talents on the local scene in the recent years and the enfant terrible / eccentric artiste spearheading the Jazz anti-establishment, a role that fits him like a glove. During my recent visit in Poland I was lucky to be invited to the concert the band performed in a dinky Warsaw restaurant called Mozaika, which remarkably managed to sustain the atmosphere (and look, not to mention the service) of the 1970s Socrealizm, completely oblivious to the changes around. The concert celebrated the release of this album, so the music was simply a live version of what is included here, in its entirety. I must say that I was completely unaware of what was about to happen musically and therefore the experience was a total culture shock, even though I am a difficult man to surprise in view of the heavy burden of my age upon me. Masecki and his cohorts: trumpeter Kamil SzuszkiewiczFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Michal GorczynskiFind albums by this artist and Tomasz DudaFind albums by this artist, bassist Piotr DomagalskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Jerzy RogiewiczFind albums by this artist played a stunning set of outlandish music (all composed by Masecki), which is so original, unique and devilishly clever that one´s mind is completely boggled. How the hell did they manage to do it at all (live!) is beyond comprehension, but nevertheless they did it with a spectacular result. Listen to the studio version herein and imagine this being played live to get the scope of the task ahead. As to the music itself, I´m not even trying to start describing it, as it is well beyond the scope of words (as most great music is). Suffice to say that it is a suite of sorts, in seven parts, which tells the story of Jazz from its earliest days (Ragtime) to now, flowing like a soundtrack to an imaginary movie, constantly (and unexpectedly) changing rhythms and scales, themes and patterns, but remarkably and completely coherently keeping a brilliant sense of unity. The rhythm section is absolutely dazzling, managing the impossible task of gluing this passionate and untamed music together. Masecki´s piano work is a chapter in itself, which is worth studying separately, but it serves the role of the thematic / melodic beacon pointing the way ahead for of this music. During a short chat before the concert I asked Masecki about his musical influences; he mentioned some usual suspects but emphasized Thelonious MonkFind albums by this artist and Conlon NancarrowFind albums by this artist, two superb examples of total non-conformism, suiting Masecki´s image perfectly. The problem with non-conformism is often that eccentric artists become often self-centered and completely uncommunicative, which luckily enough does not apply to Masecki. In spite of all the lunacy herein, this is (amazingly) quite an easy album to listen to, against all odds. When I asked Masecki as to the nature of his music, he replied: "We are playing entertaining music" – well, he was after all right, in his own crazy way. Now if anybody is wandering about the album´s title, I must assure you that the album has absolutely nothing to do with the great Polish National composer Frederic ChopinFind albums by this artist. This is one more of Masecki´s clever stunts, expressing his disgust and ridicule of the Polish Jazz scene´s exploitation of Chopin´s music in the recent years. Using this tongue in cheek / sarcastic reference Masecki protests against the "One can´t go wrong by playing Chopin" attitude, where in fact one can go wrong and as the plentitude of available recorded evidence proves one does in most cases. So what do we have here: a work of a mad genius, a wizard, a prophet? Who am I to judge? Suffice to say I love this music, every note of it and most of all the chutzpah and complete disregard of convention – exactly the qualities I admire in Artists. Bless you, Marcin Masecki!

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