Record Reviews

MICHAL KOBOJEK ~ THE OUTSIDE MANXIMUM 5908254159596 (Barcode: 5908254159596) ~ POLAND ~ Smooth Jazz Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 This is the second album as a leader by Polish saxophonist / composer Michal KobojekFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quartet setting with pianist Witold JaniakFind albums by this artist, bassist Wojciech PulcynFind albums by this artist and drummer Przemyslaw KuczynskiFind albums by this artist. Guitarist Marek KadzielaFind albums by this artist appears as a guest artist. The album presents eight original compositions, all by Kobojek. Kobojek´s career is mostly associated with the Polish Pop / Rock scene due to his cooperation with many top Polish artists / groups in that area. But obviously the Jazz streak has always been there as part of his musical personality. The music is, as expected, definitely on the lighter side of the Jazz idiom, somewhere near the Smooth Jazz concept, which, as I have stated many times, does not mean that the music is necessary inferior in any way to other Jazz styles, as this album overwhelmingly proves. The album is full of absolutely beautiful melodies, all of which manage to avoid the schmaltzy stigma of the bad side of Smooth Jazz. The music is romantic and beautifully lyrical and presents Kobojek as a gifted composer, who mixes feeling with professionalism. The performances are all highly professional, but relatively constrained without presenting any virtuosic solos or complex improvisations, which of course goes hand in hand with the album´s intended character. Kobojek plays with a sweet timbre and stays close to the melody lines, but his skills are obvious as is his feel for the music. Janiak plays excellent accompanying chord structures, exactly what is required in this case, inserting several nicely structured solos. The rhythm section is doing a superb job in the background, with Pulcyn, as always, being the Master of bass accompaniment. Overall this is a very good straightforward Smooth Jazz album, full of great melodic music, which does not make any compromises as far as the quality is concerned. Listeners, who are Romantics at heart, regardless of their age, should find this album exactly what they need to make their day (or night).

Updated: 12/05/2017Posted: 12/05/2017

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KASIA LISOWSKA ~ AURA REQUIEM / LYDIAN 2023/36 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 2023 Released: 2023 This is the second album by Polish vocalist / pianist / songwriter Kasia LisowskaFind albums by this artist. The album was recorded with several accompanying musicians, playing on selected tracks, like bass guitarists Piotr ZaczekFind albums by this artist and Wojciech StaniszFind albums by this artist, drummer Przemyslaw KuczynskiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Jakub ChmielarskiFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Piotr KrzeminskiFind albums by this artist. The music was arranged and produced by pianist / sound engineer Lukasz KowalskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight songs, all by Lisowska (music & lyrics), and lasts slightly above half an hour, being rather an EP than a full album. The music is pretty straightforward, very melodic and somewhat repetitious, in contemporary Pop stylistics but with minimal background accompaniment, only at times somewhat Jazzy, which makes it more listenable. Lisowska has a nice and well trained voice, and she is certainly capable of singing a much more ambitious material, than what is present on this album. But to be fair, the album is well produced and all of the songs offer meaningful lyrics and nice melodies, which could be potential radio favorites, if there was still a radio to listen to. It is a typical singer / songwriter offer, which is easy to like, sounds slick and polished, but is certainly too good for contemporary Pop listener, who expects Hip Hop / Rap vulgarity, and these sentimental lyrical songs are boring to him. Overall, this is a nice collection of melodic / sentimental songs, well performed and produced, somewhat out of sync with current Pop sensitivities, but certainly a pleasant listening experience. Nor exactly my cup of tea but I appreciate the honest effort and of course talent by everybody involved.

Updated: 01/04/2024Posted: 31/03/2024

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KRZYSZTOF SCIERANSKI ~ NIGHT LAKES POLSKIE RADIO 1713 (Barcode: 5907812247133) ~ POLAND ~ Smooth Jazz Recorded: 2012 Released: 2014 In the liner notes attached to this album Polish Jazz electric bass virtuoso Krzysztof ScieranskiFind albums by this artist confesses that his initial dream was to become a guitarist and the fact that he became Poland´s bass guitar legend is, as often happens in life, a matter of circumstances and of course the fact that his brother already played guitar. One way or another, the audiences had the pleasure of enjoying his superb performances for four decades now. This album is primarily a realization of a dream where Scieranski could play guitar in addition to his already legendary bass routine. He is accompanied on this album by a core trio: saxophonist Michal KobojekFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Michal LyczekFind albums by this artist, drummer Przemyslaw KuczynskiFind albums by this artist and a few other musicians. Two tracks (the opening and closing ones) also include vocals. The album presents twelve original compositions, all by Scieranski. The music is a mixture of relatively uncomplicated Smooth Jazz tunes, ranging between Jazz-Rock Fusion and almost Popish signatures, all very melodic and well structured harmonically. The tunes are definitely much more solid than most if not all the material found on Smooth Jazz recordings. There is something for everybody here and all of it is slick and pleasurable, so I wouldn´t be surprised if this album becomes very popular indeed among listeners of all ages and musical persuasions. The performances are all excellent from start to finish. These are all highly skilled and professional musicians and one should expect nothing less than technical perfection. Absurdly, although Scieranski plays some great guitar licks, it is his bass playing that is the most impressive, especially when he uses the fretless bass. He actually plays guitar on only about half of the tracks. To summarize this is an excellently executed Smooth Jazz album, which includes a collection of tunes that are much stronger that the usual stuff one finds on that type of releases. Scieranski is a virtuoso by any standard and this album is simply another proof of the fact that he is simply great in any environment. And yes, he can play the guitar as well, which nobody can deny! Music for fast red cars, long haired blondes and sunny beaches… California here we come!

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