Record Reviews

LUKASZ BOROWICKI ~ MORBIDEZZA OF DECADENCE MULTIKULTI MPJ 021 (Barcode: 5907529223598) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018 This is the fourth album by Polish (resident in Denmark) Jazz guitarist / composer Lukasz BorowickiFind albums by this artist recorded this time with a sextet, which also features three Danish musicians: trumpeter Mads la CourFind albums by this artist, pianist Soren GemmerFind albums by this artist and drummer Anders MogensenFind albums by this artist and two Polish musicians: saxophonist Bartlomiej WawryniukFind albums by this artist and bassist Mariusz PrasniewskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions, all by Borowicki. The music on this album takes a step back towards more structured / composed modern European Jazz, with emphasis on composition and ensemble effort. In contrast to the typical albums produced by young Polish Jazz musicians these days, this album is much closer in spirit to Scandinavian Jazz, not only due to the fact that half of the sextet´s members are Danish, but mainly due to the character of the compositions, which offer typical Nordic open space and "windy" ambiance. The music is relaxed, and offers a lot of breathing space for all the musicians to solo and interplay extensively, with every single note being perfectly clearly audible. Borowicki plays the guitar with wonderful minimalist, almost completely acoustic touch, shunning flashy displays of egocentric show-off. All the rest of the sextet members follow his lead in this respect, and the album is a wonderful example of mutual respect and understanding between the musicians, as well as a display of the elegance, restraint and artistry that characterizes European Jazz. The sextet members are all superb instrumentalists, and they all contribute equally to this album´s success. Wonderfully "cool" trumpet parts by la Cour, beautifully melodic solos by Gemmer and spirited saxophone parts by Wawryniuk are kept in check by the solid and yet creative work by the rhythm section, which is fully up to par with the front line players. Overall this is an excellent album in every respect, clear evidence that the prolific work of Borowicki is consistently excellent and has a lot to offer in a long term. Full of great compositions and excellent playing, this album is an indicator of how young European Jazz is exploding with talent and extraordinary quality, which never ceases to amaze. Well done Gentlemen!

Updated: 27/10/2018Posted: 27/10/2018

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SOREN GEMMER ~ THE LARK WHYPLAYJAZZ 028 (Barcode: 4250459990384) ~ DENMARK ~ Jazz Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 This is the second album by Danish pianist / composer Soren GemmerFind albums by this artist, recorded in two quartet settings: one with trumpeter Mads la CourFind albums by this artist and the other with guitarist Per MollehojFind albums by this artist and with the rhythm section which consists of Finnish bassist Tapani ToivanenFind albums by this artist and drummer Andreas FrylandFind albums by this artist. Together they perform thirteen pieces, all composed by Gemmer. The music is an open form modern European Jazz, based on melodic themes but incorporating rhythmic irregularities, odd meters and group improvisation, which together create a wonderfully weird tonal experience. The decision to use condensed, relatively short pieces turns this album into an emotional rollercoaster, with themes, rhythms and splintered interplays somehow making a perfect musical sense. A few intimate piano solo and piano / trumpet duets are also present. The album works so well thanks to the exceptional level of playing by all the participants, who are the young Lions of Scandinavian Jazz, taking the idiom into the future without any inferiority complexes. The music enables everybody to contribute splendid solo spots, as well as superb ensemble playing, which requires careful listening and mutual respect. This music is certainly quite challenging but these musicians seem to have no problem to overcome the technical obstacles. The presence of la Cour is especially heartwarming here, as his wonderful trumpet tone and attack add an additional layer to this already great album. He is certainly one of the young European trumpet players, which are worth to be watched carefully, as they progress. Mollehoj gets the least exposure on this album, but his unique approach to the instrument is intriguing and I´m looking forward to hear more of his work. Toivanen has already quite a name on the young European scene and his bass lines are the epitome of good taste, modesty and elegance. Fryland stays mostly in the background, adding his rhythmic touches exactly where needed, but carefully holding back in order not to throw this delicate music off balance. As usual with the splendid WhyPlayJazzFind albums on this label label, this music demands a lot of involvement from the listener and even intellectual effort, but the listening experience, perhaps only after more than one tryout, turns out to be exceptionally rewarding. The sound quality of this album is super, which makes it easy for the listener to pick up every individual note. Warmly recommended!

Updated: 05/06/2016Posted: 05/06/2016

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KAROLINA SMIETANA ~ ILLUSION RECART 0021 (Barcode: 5908285287206) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2015 - 2016 Released: 2017 This is the debut album by the Polish (resident in Denmark) singer / songwriter Karolina SmietanaFind albums by this artist recorded with an excellent Polish / Danish quartet comprising of Polish guitarist Rafal SarneckiFind albums by this artist and drummer Radek WoskoFind albums by this artist and Danish pianist Soren GemmerFind albums by this artist and bassist Anders FjeldstedFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine tracks, six of which are original compositions by Smietana, one is co-composed by her and Wosko and the remaining two are standards. Smietana also wrote the English lyrics to five of the songs, one is a poem by the Polish poetess Wislawa SzymborskaFind albums by this artist (and is the only case of Polish lyrics on the album) and the remaining three texts originate from other sources. The album was recorded (mostly) at the excellent RecPublica Studios and engineered by Lukasz OlejarczykFind albums by this artist with great sonic results, as expected. Smetana´s music is quite typical of the Polish Jazz vocal idiom, with solid melodies and coherent structures, which are pleasant and easy on the ear, without being trivial or boring. The songs are diverse enough to show her compositional palette and the lyrics are not an insult to the intelligence, which in today´s musical world is a success by itself. On the other hand, however, not everything is perfect; Smietana has a nice mellow voice, which she uses wisely, but her vocal range is limited and there are no virtuosic vocal performances herein. The usual problem with singing in English, when it is not the singer´s native tongue, produces the common pronunciation and accent problems. What gives the album a great boost are the great instrumental performances by the quartet, which does a superb job accompanying her. Sarnecki plays superbly and manages to create a few brilliant solos. Gemmer also proves to be a great accompanist, with a great feel for melody and excellent technique. The rhythm section does an amicable job all along and plays along with the vocals and the lead instruments with elegance and flair. In short the instrumental parts are top notch. Overall this is a nice vocal Jazz album, which exposes Smietana as an able vocalist and solid composer, marking a positive kickstart of her career. I am already looking forward to her next project!

Updated: 05/05/2017Posted: 05/05/2017

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RADEK WOSKO / ATLANTIC QUARTET ~ ATLANTIC MULTICULTI MPJ 018 (Barcode: 5907796319819) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz drummer / composer Radek WoskoFind albums by this artist and his new Atlantic QuartetFind albums by this artist, which also includes Israeli guitarists Gilad HekselmanFind albums by this artist, Danish pianist Soren GemmerFind albums by this artist and Polish bassist Mariusz PrasniewskiFind albums by this artist. Together they perform eight pieces, seven of which are original compositions by Wosko and one is by the late Polish violinist Zbigniew SeifertFind albums by this artist. It seems that Wosko finally found the perfect formula for his music, which is presented here by this quartet, i.e. a melodic Jazz-Rock Fusion, which does full justice to his compositions. Coupled with beautiful execution by all the quartet members, this album guarantees a pleasurable listening experience, without lowering the musical standards. The album is dominated by the enchanting sound of Hekselman´s guitar, with virtuosic phrasing and crystal clear sound bringing on immediately fond memories of early Pat MethenyFind albums by this artist, but definitely presenting a unique and personal approach. Gemmer offers a wonderfully sensitive accompaniment, but sadly does not play too much solo. The rhythm section moves the music forward amicably, playing exactly what is needed in such environment. Although Wosko states in the liner notes that this music represents the meeting of European and American influences, as symbolized by it´s title, personally I find it to be almost completely dominated by contemporary American Jazz approach, with very little of the European aesthetics left, which of course does not diminish its quality. Overall this is a wonderfully crafted Jazz-Rock Fusion album, perfectly executed by the musicians on board and accessible to a very wide range of music lovers, which hopefully will result in at least some commercial success.

Updated: 21/02/2017Posted: 21/02/2017

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RADEK WOSKO / ATLANTIC QUARTET ~ SURGE MULTIKULTI MPJ 025 (Barcode: 5903068683329) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the second album by Polish Jazz drummer / composer Radek WoskoFind albums by this artist and his Atlantic QuartetFind albums by this artist, which includes Norwegian (resident in Copenhagen) guitarist Stian SwenssonFind albums by this artist (who replaced Israeli Gilad HekselmanFind albums by this artist who played on the debut), Danish pianist Soren GemmerFind albums by this artist and Polish bassist Mariusz PrasniewskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven original compositions, eight composed by Wosko and three co-composed by all four members of the quartet. The music, although sonically continuing the guitar dominated Fusion ambience of the debut, is way more open and offers significant proximity to European Jazz elements, including the Nordic loftiness and Polish lyricism, two of the most powerful ingredients of modern European Jazz. It is great to find Wosko finally approaching his "natural" elements in his music, which combined with his maturity and experience accumulated over time and his excellent compositions come all together on this album. The playing is also excellent all the way, with the two Scandinavian melody weavers leading the way with confidence and finesse. Swensson is a wonderful surprise (sadly I failed to hear his debut album so far) and steps easily into Hekselman´s shoes with complete confidence. His playing is the most significant color of the music, but he respectfully leaves space for his cohorts to have their say. He can be firm and decisive but also delicate and considerate, showing great sensitivity. Gemmer is a superbly lyrical player and his sense of melody and atmospheric vistas are simply hair-rising. Prasniewski offers both a solid bottom filling to the quartet´s sound and a significant rhythmic drive. Wosko offers inventive and supportive drumming parts, especially significant during the open / almost free compositions, but does not dominate the music, staying respectfully in-line with the other quartet members. The album is a wonderful example of the ideal balance between melody and order and freedom and open space, which is always so difficult to achieve without pulling the music one way or another; one could almost say that it is case study of such vague and evasive musical phenomenon. Overall this is a beautiful and superbly executed album, for me definitely the best recording by Wosko so far and a gate of hope for his future endeavors. This quartet is a formidable team, which exemplifies the best there is in contemporary, still young but already mature European Jazz. Well done!

Updated: 08/12/2019Posted: 08/12/2019

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