Record Reviews

ROLAND ABREU / CUBAN LATIN JAZZ ~ ROOTS V 018 (Barcode: 5903111377199) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is the second album by Cuban (resident in Poland) bassist / composer Roland AbreuFind albums by this artist and his Cuban Latin JazzFind albums by this artist quartet, which also includes Ukrainian saxophonist Taras BakovskyiFind albums by this artist, pianist Pawel KukulaFind albums by this artist and drummer / percussionist Dominik JaskeFind albums by this artist. Two additional Cuban percussionists: Nando Del RioFind albums by this artist and Elio Rodriguez LuisFind albums by this artist also take part in the recording. The album presents seven original compositions, all co-credited to the members of the quartet. The music was recorded at the splendid Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, with a truly spectacular sound quality. Cuban Jazz can not be played perfectly by musicians not originating from Cuba, and I am glad that this album presents music, which has obvious Cuban roots, but does not try to be strictly just Cuban Jazz. It offers a very successful amalgam between the Cuban rhythms and the Slavic lyricism represented by the rest of the quartet members, which works out very well, now for the second time in a row. The compositions are all well structured and perfectly coherent; the melodic content is excellent, as are the arrangements spiced by the Cuban elements. Although the music is mostly on the lighter side of the Jazz spectrum, it is wonderfully entertaining and even spiced with a dash of exotic humor, which makes the album a true pleasure to listen to. But Jazz connoisseurs will be also able to enjoy the great saxophone and piano soloing, the wonderfully warm bass parts and the delightful polyrhythmic percussion "balagan". Overall combining the fluent playing, nice tunes, exuberant rhythmic background and great sound quality, this album has a great entertaining value, without compromising the artistic qualities even one notch. This is one danceable piece of unadulterated pleasure, which is guaranteed to move your ass unless you are completely deaf.

Updated: 19/03/2020Posted: 19/03/2020

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CUBAN LATIN JAZZ ~ JUNTOS POR SIEMPRE V 015 (Barcode: 5903111377175) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by the international Jazz quartet called The Cuban Latin JazzFind albums by this artist, which comprises of Cuban bassist / composer Roland AbreuFind albums by this artist, Ukrainian saxophonist Taras BakovskyiFind albums by this artist and Polish pianist Pawel KukulaFind albums by this artist and drummer Dominik JaskeFind albums by this artist. Two additional renowned Cuban percussionists also participate in the recording. The album presents six compositions, three of which were composed by Abreu, one was co-composed by Abreu and Bakovskyi and the remaining two are by famous Cuban musicians / composers. The music is wonderfully recorded and offers a splendid sound quality, which enhances the listening experience considerably. The music is exactly what one might expect from the quartet´s name – an energetic display of Cuban Jazz, which sounds as original as they come. The surprising element is of course the fact that three quarters of the quartet are East Europeans, who certainly were not born with the Latin ingredient in their Cultural heritage, but manage to sound convincing enough to fool most of the listeners. Of course a more trained ear will discover that the music is slightly less passionate, wild and sensuous than the original Cuban Jazz, but on the other hand it might as well be for the best. Who needs another Cuban Jazz imitation? These young musicians manage to paint the Cuban character with the lyricism of Eastern European music, which is most evident in the playing of Kukula, who is the most ingenious musician in the quartet. Albums of this kind prove that cross-cultural experiments in Jazz work well, as much as one doest not have to be born Polish to love pierogi. Amazingly at times musicians not born into a certain cultural background are able to absorb and emulate it more authentically than those who were. Overall this is a splendid album from start to finish, and considering that Cuban music is always danceable, even in its most Jazzy form, the music simply does not allow the listener to sit still and not move his (and especially hers) butt, bringing on an orgy of energy and good mood. Subtle musical accents arriving from beyond the Cuban environment are present as well, adding some highly aesthetic spicing to the salsa on the table! Enjoy!

Updated: 21/02/2019Posted: 21/02/2019

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JAZZBLASTER ~ NIGHT OUT V 017 (Barcode: 5903111377168) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the second album by Polish ensemble JazzBlasterFind albums by this artist, which comprises of trumpeter / vocalist Tadeusz KulasFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Piotr RachonFind albums by this artist, violinist Dominik BienczyckiFind albums by this artist, bassist Roland AbreuFind albums by this artist and drummer Marcin RakFind albums by this artist. Bassist Wojciech BerganderFind albums by this artist plays on one track and additional synthesizers are played by Pawel KonikiewiczFind albums by this artist, who was also involved in the recording process. The album presents eight original tracks all composed by Rachon (except one co-composed with Kulas) and all texts (in English) are by Kulas. The music moves away from Jazz even more significantly than on the debut album and the overall sound and musical direction of the ensemble are entirely Pop / Rock oriented with the Jazz accents present only within the instrumental passages, which are sadly less prominent on this album. Kulas almost completely resigned from his role as a trumpeter and is manly featured as vocalist. As it usually happens with Polish vocalists singing in English, his accent and pronunciation are really unacceptable, but perhaps on the local Polish scene this is less noticeable. I wander if JazzBlaster and EABSFind albums by this artist are about to create the Wroclaw sound, as there are strong similarities between these two young bands´ sound? Having said all that, the album does have its moments and the overall Punkish attitude probably does it for the younger generation of the Polish listeners. The heavy bass sound and presence of the bass up front in the mix creates a trance like somewhat Funky mood, which is quite effective. The piano parts are all very well played and the addition of the violin also enriches the sonic ambience. The trumpet, when finally played, is also pretty helpful. To sum it up, take away the vocals (or perhaps make them wordless vocalese) and what is left becomes quite a tasty piece of youthful Funky / Punk Jazz, which is danceable and overall quite entertaining. Sorry guys that I can´t be more enthusiastic, but as usual to each his own. The music shows tons of potential for sure, and just a little push in the right direction and everything will click!

Updated: 17/03/2020Posted: 22/09/2019

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