Record Reviews

MACIEJ FORTUNA / KRZYSZTOF DYS ~ MACIEJEWSKI VARIATIONS DUX 1151 (Barcode: 5902547011516) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2014 Released: 2014 This is the second album by the Polish Jazz duo: trumpeter Maciej FortunaFind albums by this artist and pianist Krzysztof DysFind albums by this artist. However, in contrast to their debut release, which featured their original Jazz oriented compositions, this album is dedicated to the works of the great but sadly little known 20th Century Polish composer Roman MaciejewskiFind albums by this artist. Maciejewski, who spent most of his adult life outside of Poland, was only recently re-discovered by the Polish Classical music scene and now apparently also beyond the strict circle of Classical connoisseurs. The album includes thirteen variations of themes composed by Maciejewski, three of which appear here as premiere recordings. The themes serve as departure points for the various variations, in which Fortuna and Dys add their own layers of both improvisational and compositional extensions. The sensitive dialogue between the two musicians is the key element herein, being far more significant than the interpretation of the composed themes and yet it respectfully pays homage to the original music. The performances of both players are of course virtuosic and elegant, which can only be expected in view of their previous recording legacy. Fortuna´s trumpet playing is this time much "cleaner" than his somewhat "coarse" sound he uses in the Jazz idiom. Dys also sounds closer to Classical piano approach than on his previous recordings, which of course is quite natural in this case, as the music created here is only remotely related to what is usually associated with Jazz, at least for the majority of the audiences. The music emerges really beyond genre specifics and limitations, being simply wonderfully crafted and aesthetically fulfilling, which is what great music is supposed to be. Fortuna and Dys prove that a passionate dialogue between two Master musicians can be more effective than an entire orchestra, which is playing plainly. Their mutual respect and understanding border on telepathy and often they sound like a one-man-band, driven by one common mind. One may wonder why so many Polish Jazz musicians chose to deal with music that bridges Classical roots with Jazz? There is no clear answer to this profound question, but perhaps the new artistic music emerging in the 21st Century is simply eradicating the genre boundaries that enslaved it in the last Century? Only time will tell. In the meantime we have here another sublime piece of music, which easily qualifies as one of the most interesting achievements on the Polish music scene in 2014, which this duo manages to pull off second time in a row. This is something that an honest music connoisseur should definitely not try and live without, if life is supposed to have a meaning.

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WLODZIMIERZ NAHORNY ~ CHOPIN GENIUS LOCI CONFITEOR 005 (Barcode: 9788393161003) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2010 Released: 2010 The veteran Polish Jazz pianist / saxophonist / composer Wlodzimierz NahornyFind albums by this artist, one of the Godfathers of the post-WWII Polish Jazz scene, manages continuously to display a phenomenal vitality and unprecedented imagination, often much superior to those of his colleagues, often decades younger than himself. This album is a wonderful proof of exactly these qualities. Recorded in a sextet setting, with vocalist / violinist Dorota MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist, violinist Henryk GembalskiFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Wojciech StaroniewiczFind albums by this artist, bassist Mariusz BogdanowiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Piotr BiskupskiFind albums by this artist, Nahorny presents a set of Jazz transcriptions of eight pieces by the Polish composer Frederic ChopinFind albums by this artist, three pieces by a lesser known 20th Century Polish composer Roman MaciejewskiFind albums by this artist and one piece by Karol SzymanowskiFind albums by this artist. In addition one original composition by Nahorny is also included. Polish Jazz suffers terribly from overexploitation of Chopin´s music, which varies in quality from brilliant (rarely) to completely banal (most of the time). Therefore another attempt to interpret Chopin in the Jazz context is always a perilous undertaking. Nahorny´s bold and far fetching approach results in transcriptions, which although quote the original music, move very far away from the source during their execution, being in fact completely new and whole pieces of music, which Nahorny even names anew, giving the source as a reference only. Although such liberties might appear sometimes as to audacious, in Nahorny´s case they are fully justified and simply brilliant. The eleven transcriptions, spread over two CDs, are all fascinating musically and serve as wonderful vehicles for the musicians to display their respective talents. Miskiewicz sings some great vocalese, at times even almost free form, using lyrics on just one piece. Gembalski plays some scorching violin passages and Staroniewicz, as always, charms with his beautiful saxophone tone. The rhythm section keeps the music together with flair and elegance, pushing it ahead with just the right amount of energy. And last but not least Nahorny´s piano serves as glue between the Classical and the Swinging elements, bridging and bonding everything together. Although seemingly positioned well within the mainstream Jazz boundaries (except for the Classical references of course), this music displays quite a lot of freedom and unexpected ventures into less programmatic areas, sometimes almost touching upon Free / Avant Garde idioms, which of course is nothing new as far as Nahorny´s music is concerned. This album is a living proof that the Jazz-Classical Fusion can avoid pastiche, cliché and kitsch, and simply bite!

Updated: 17/12/2018Posted:

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