Record Reviews

YES4JAZZ ~ TRZASKOWSKI REWORK SJ 057 (Barcode: 5902596066697) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022 This is the second album by Polish Jazz quintet, called Yes4JazzFind albums by this artist, which comprises of saxophonist / clarinetist Robert ChylaFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Seweryn GraniastyFind albums by this artist, pianist Wojciech PruszynskiFind albums by this artist, bass guitarist Bartlomiej PietschFind albums by this artist and drummer Waldemar FranczykFind albums by this artist. The album presents six tracks, all composed by one of the Godfathers of Polish jazz, pianist / composer Andrzej TrzaskowskiFind albums by this artist. As the title suggests, the album attempts to “revitalize” the music by Trzaskowski, which is often less popular and somewhat neglected in comparison to the work of his contemporaries, members of the first post WWII generation of Polish Jazz. The Polish Jazz scene, like no other in the world, seems to have an obsession with reworking / recomposing / reshaping / transforming the music by Polish Classical and Jazz composers, with very contrasting results, sometimes highly successful but also quite pitiful at times. One can assume that Polish Jazz musicians tend to respect the Polish musical tradition and approach the legacy with love and reverence, but fashionable trends and fads can’t be ruled out in many cases. The music of Trzaskowski certainly deserves to be remembered and admired, as listening to his rather limited recorded legacy proves beyond any doubt. However, the need to “rework” his compositions rises the basic question of the purpose to do so. His music is a testament of a period, which in many respects is unrepeatable, and more importantly it remains completely valid and aesthetically perfect as it is. Unless the “rework” is diametrically innovative, creative and impressive, such attempt might prove questionable. One has to admit that “rework” is highly exaggerated in the case of this album, as the music stays pretty faithful to its origin, except for the more contemporary sound, mostly effected by the electric bass and strident drums and of course the absence of a trumpet, which was an essential signature in Trzaskowski’s music. But all things considered, the music flows fluently and swings happily, and considering the quality of the original compositions, it can’t be really bad, can it? Overall, this is a very nice mainstream Jazz album, with beautiful musical contents, amicably performed by the quintet, and a tribute to one of Polish Jazz greatest figures. Definitely worth investigating, especially by Polish Jazz enthusiasts.

Updated: 10/08/2022Posted: 10/08/2022

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