Record Reviews

LIGHT STAR GUIDING ~ LIGHT STAR GUIDING NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Ambient Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by Polish quartet called Light Star GuidingFind albums by this artist, which comprises of British (resident in Poland) saxophonist Ray DickatyFind albums by this artist and Polish guitarist Mikolaj PoncyljuszFind albums by this artist, bassist Staszek CzyzewskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Dominik MokrzewskiFind albums by this artist. Vocalist Maniucha BikontFind albums by this artist appears on one track. The album presents six original pieces, which are not credited on the album´s artwork and are assumed to be co-composed by the quartet members. The members of the quartet are usually associated with the Polish Avant-Garde / Improvised Music scene, but the music on this album is overtly contemplative and surprisingly melodic, bordering on contemporary Classical chamber music, with some Jazz and Rock influences. The pieces develop slowly and gradually increase the intensity and tempo, moving towards a climax and then stop abruptly. There is a lot of trancelike repetition and ambient mood, and the overall effort is more about atmosphere than actual content. It is difficult to separate the pre-composed and the improvised parts, but there is not much individual soloing and most of the time the quartet plays in unison and perfect harmony, rather than freely improvising. There are some obvious conceptual similarities between this music and the music of the RdzaFind albums by this artist ensemble, which also includes Dickaty and Mokrzewski. Although instrumentally Rdza is a big ensemble and LSG is a quartet, the approach is quite related and they both represent a relatively new stream in Polish Jazz, which combines ambient / trance experiments with Jazz tradition. Overall this is definitely an interesting listening experience, which requires patience and piece of mind to get into, but is eventually very rewarding. There is not that much happening within the music, but the mood and ambience are tantalizing and keep the listener mesmerized for the entire duration. Warmly recommended and surely worth checking out!

Updated: 14/08/2020Posted: 14/08/2020

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RDZA ~ PANOPTIKUM MZM 14 ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is the second album by Polish Improvised Music duo RdzaFind albums by this artist, comprising of bassist Jaroslaw MajewskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Jacek BuhlFind albums by this artist. For this album they added pianist Anna JedrzejewskaFind albums by this artist and violinist Martyna Liliana KabulskaFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten original spontaneous compositions co-credited to all four participants. The music was recorded in a Palace, which hosts a collection of old pianos, three of which were used on this recording. The music is much more intimate and concise this time than the almost Big Band sound of the debut, and as such much less surprising or outstanding. It is a typical Improvising Music meeting, based on the exchange of ideas developing on the fly, which might be exciting while it happens but don’t necessarily manages to transform all that excitement on record. This said, there are plenty of interesting moments herein and hardcore Improvising Music enthusiasts will surely love this music to bits, but it probably does not penetrate far beyond that specific audience. Buhl is an extraordinary drummer with highly developed imagination and technique and it is always a pleasure to listen to him playing. Majewski also plays some great bass passages, and his pulsations drive the music forward, during the moments when the music offers a specific direction. The pianos sound interesting but I wonder how many listeners are able to distinguish this early 19th piano sound from any other. The music is mostly very hesitant, delicate and contemplative and offers almost as much silent moments as sounds, which has a soothing effect contrasting the actual notes played by the performers. It does fluctuate periodically between quiet passages and more intense interactions, but avoids fierce climaxes. Overall this is somewhat typical Improvised Music recording, which offers a challenge even to experienced Anat-Garde connoisseurs, and demands patience and open-mindedness, which sadly not many listeners these days are ready to invest. I had a blast listening to this music, but I might be pretty lonely in that position…

Updated: 27/03/2021Posted: 27/03/2021

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RDZA ~ YASS IMPROVISATION MZM 9 ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by Polish Improvised Music duo RdzaFind albums by this artist, which comprises of bassist Jaroslaw MajewskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Jacek BuhlFind albums by this artist. For the recording session, which produced this album, they invited a group of musicians with whom they cooperated previously on various occasions: vocalists Antonina NowackaFind albums by this artist and Mamadou BaFind albums by this artist (alias Goo), clarinetist Piotr MelechFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Ray DickatyFind albums by this artist, Jan MalkowskiFind albums by this artist and Jedrzej LagodzinskiFind albums by this artist, flautist Maksymilian GwincinskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Jakub KrolikowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Slawek JanickiFind albums by this artist and drummer Dominik MokrzewskiFind albums by this artist – altogether a fourteen musicians strong Improvising Music orchestra. The album presents seven pieces, all credited to the entire crew of participating musicians. The music, although representing the Avant-Garde spontaneously Improvised Music genre, is quite unique, mostly due to the fact that it was created by a large ensemble in contrast to the usual rather intimate Improvised Music settings. The incredible power of such a large ensemble, the diversity of musical ideas and the wide range of instruments (including vocalese) is extremely effective and happens so rarely, that this album is an immediate focus of interest. Of course one has to remember that such experiments have already been tried successfully both across the pond and in European Jazz in the late 1960s, but are sadly very rare these days. This album is a wonderful example of Avant-Garde / Improvised Music recording that manages to retain the magic of the live performance and change into a musical capsule, which can be listened to repeatedly, discovering new layers with each new listening session. There are many superb individual performances here, although usually very brief, and above all wonderful ensemble cooperation, which absolutely rules here. Overall this is definitely one of the best if not the best Improvised Music album on the Polish scene in 2019. I´d like to point out to my Polish colleagues who write about music, what music with BIG balls is all about, regardless of the horn power involved – if an example is necessary. An absolute must to Free / Improvised Music orchestral music connoisseurs!

Updated: 14/08/2020Posted: 20/01/2020

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SKEREBOTTE FATTA ~ APPAZ FOR TUNE 0152 (Barcode: 5906395808670) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2020 Released: 2021 This is the second album by Polish Free Jazz duo Skerebotte FattaFind albums by this artist, which comprises of saxophonist Jan MalkowskiFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Jan SkerebotteFind albums by this artist) and drummer Dominik MokrzewskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions credited to the duo members. As the album’s title and the track titles (when read in reverse) suggest, the album is a tribute to icons of creative music, as diverse as Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist, Albert AylerFind albums by this artist or Han BenninkFind albums by this artist. Both Malkowski and Mokrzewski already participated in several Polish Free Jazz / Improvised Music recordings, including the RdzaFind albums by this artist ensemble and the Infant Joy QuintetFind albums by this artist, the latter also released on the For TuneFind albums on this label label. The rather unusual saxophone – drums duo obviously immediately prompts for comparisons to similar recordings on the world scale, but honestly it’s hardly relevant to compare these relatively young musicians with world-class veterans like Max RoachFind albums by this artist / Anthony BraxtonFind albums by this artist or John ColtraneFind albums by this artist / Rashied AliFind albums by this artist. It’s better to keep things in proportion. The duo members display an obvious rapport and excellent partnership, while building their performances, usually driving them to an explosive crescendo. Both also display excellent technique and evident understanding of the Improvised Music idiom. As a result, the music they create offers honest effort and inventive excitement, which are perhaps more appropriate for a live performance than a studio recording, but that is just a mere observation. The problem with Improvised Music is always its long-term musical value, which faces the obvious conflict between spontaneous / momentary creation and its lasting significance. In plain words, will a potential listener return to listen to this music ever again? In times when listeners are constantly bombarded with an endless flow of new releases and the opportunity to discover older recordings made available, the chances of Improvised Music recordings become ever slimmer, unless they are truly unique and everlasting. As wonderful as the Polish Jazz scene has become in the last two decades, Improvised Music is unfortunately not one of its fortes. Overall, this is an ambitious and generally successful Free Jazz / Improvised Music duo recording, with a lot of passion and technique involved. For lovers of the genre, it is certainly a worthy excursion into the Polish flavor of the idiom.

Updated: 25/09/2021Posted: 25/09/2021

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