Record Reviews

HIGH DEFINITION QUARTET ~ DZIADY ANAKLASIS 007 (Barcode: 5907795208732) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Ambient Fusion Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is the third album by Polish Jazz ensemble High Definition QuartetFind albums by this artist, which comprises of saxophonist Mateusz SliwaFind albums by this artist, pianist / composer Piotr OrzechowskiFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. PianohooliganFind albums by this artist), bassist Alan WykpiszFind albums by this artist and drummer Grzegorz PalkaFind albums by this artist (each of the three albums features a different drummer). On this album the ensemble collaborates with five electronic music composers: Polish veteran / pioneer of the idiom Krzysztof KnittelFind albums by this artist, Igor BoxxFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Igor PudloFind albums by this artist), Americans William BasinskiFind albums by this artist and Robert RichFind albums by this artist and Austrian Christian FenneszFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten original compositions, five of which are performed by the ensemble and were composed by Orzechowski and five shorter pieces, each composed and performed by one of the above listed electronic music composers (except for the Knittel piece which was co-composed with Orzechowski and co-executed with the ensemble), which are sandwiched between the ensemble pieces. The album´s title "Dziady" ("Forefathers´ Eve") refers of course to the epic poetic drama by the Polish national poet Adam MickiewiczFind albums by this artist, considered as one of the greatest works of European Romanticism and a source of controversial interpretations throughout the convoluted Polish political history, famous for its role in the 1968 Polish Political crisis, but retaining its prophetic actuality to this very day. The drama was staged many times over the years of course and one could speculate that this music could be considered as a possible soundtrack / stage music to an imaginary / future spectacle. Combining Jazz with electronic / ambient music is of course quite fashionable these days and this year´s (2019) Polish Jazz recording harvest offers several such outings. In most cases the electronic / ambient music is closely amalgamated with the Jazzy content, whereas on this album, with the exception of the opening Knittel / Orzechowski track, the rest of the electronic / ambient tracks stand on their own musically, which raises a basic speculation as to their integration within the album´s musical fabric and its continuity. Personally I feel that their absence would not have changed the album´s overall effect dramatically. The Jazz part of the album is however absolutely brilliant, as one might expect. Orzechowski´s dramatic music, rich in texture and full of imagination, is delightful from start to finish. The five seemingly separate themes constitute a coherent whole, which is perfectly executed by the quartet. Orzechowski´s piano playing is radiant as always, and he proves to be on top of the heap, in spite of the fact that his recording output is sadly way too infrequent for my liking. Sliwa manages to keep his unique personal style, which sets him apart from most contemporary young Polish Jazz saxophonists, and who sadly also does not record frequently enough. Big Bear Wykpisz is amazing as always, a monster bass player in every bone and muscle of his body – he does play constantly and is omnipresent on the local scene, being probably the most sought after bassist around these days. Palka integrated with the three founding members without a hitch, which is completely natural in view of his achievements lately. Together they are able to carry a tune as well as open up and improvise, supporting each other amicably and offer a superb listening experience. The album was released by a new record label on the Polish market called AnaklasisFind albums on this label Records. I must admit that I was quite taken aback by the primitive / simplistic cover design; perhaps this is some kind of new sophisticated graphic aesthetics, but it looks plain ugly to me. This music surely deserves a better packaging. The album includes an extensive booklet, which offers a bilingual version of an essay by Polish music journalist Jaroslaw SzubrychtFind albums by this artist. Overall this is a brilliant piece of music, ambitious and searching, which stands up to the highest echelon of contemporary European Jazz and which is consistent with the earlier work by High Definition. Hopefully the listeners won´t be discouraged by the cover and reach out to embrace this exquisite music, as it truly deserves it. Well done Gentlemen!

Updated: 12/12/2019Posted: 12/12/2019

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MARKUS REUTER / OCULUS ~ NOTHING IS SACRED MOONJUNE 105 (Barcode: 692287910525) ~ GERMANY ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is an album by German touch guitarist / composer Markus ReuterFind albums by this artist, recorded with a group of musicians associated with the MoonJuneFind albums on this label label and the producer Leonardo PavkovicFind albums by this artist as well as his cohorts from other projects like Stick MenFind albums by this artist: Israeli drummer Asaf SirkisFind albums by this artist, Italian bassist Fabio TrentiniFind albums by this artist, British violinist David CrossFind albums by this artist and guitarist Mark WingfieldFind albums by this artist and American Ambient composer / keyboardist Robert RichFind albums by this artist, collectively known as OculusFind albums by this artist. The music was recorded at the usual "crime location", i.e. Spanish studio La Casa Murada, by Reuter, Sirkis, Trentini and Cross and later overdubbed by Wingfield and Rich. The album presents five extended pieces, all more than ten minutes in duration, which are not credited and assumed to be co-credited to the participating musicians. The music, although mostly improvised, is based on strictly pre-designed structures created by Reuter, which the musicians had to follow in order to create a coherent development of the music. However, for the listener the music offers a flux, which can be individually interpreted, and the listener´s perception is in fact a crucial ingredient in the music itself. Ambient vistas, supported by leading bass lines and rhythmic structures created by the drums take the listener on a journey, which can only be enjoyed under a total submission to the music, without involving intellectual analytic processes. The music manages successfully to avoid genre limitations and attempts to be categorized. Each listener can find whatever he sees fit in this music, from Avant-Garde electronic music, via Improvised Jazz and Rock Music or Fusion and Progressive Rock. It is an excellent example of contemporary music, which basically ridicules genre classification, which music criticism suffers from constantly, and proposes an opportunity to accept it for what it is: simply music. Of course there are plenty of superb individual statements by all the participants, and again each listener will probably enjoy certain aspects of the music that others might overlook, but this is exactly the point. Like all great Art, music is completely individual (not subjective, as is often wrongly stated). The beauty of Humanity is all in our individualism, which makes us what we really are, of which the perception of music is just one facet. This music, as I have repeatedly stated, comes with a price tag ;) It is not for a casual listener nor can it be enjoyed without a considerable emotional effort, which if often way too much to ask from people these days. Oh well, c´est la vie!

Updated: 24/09/2020Posted: 24/09/2020

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