Record Reviews

BALDYCH / HERDZIN / PIERONCZYK / SZTABA ~ GREAT ENCOUNTERS ANAKLASIS 075 (Barcode: 5907795210841) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2020 - 2021 Released: 2021 This is an album produced to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the PWM Edition (Polish music publishing house), which also owns the prestigious AnaklasisFind albums on this label record label. The album collects five musical pieces, which represent the cross-genre projects released by the label as part of its “Revisions” series. Those are mostly Jazz-Classical Fusion or Pop-Classical Fusion explorations, which were inspired by Polish Classical Music composers: Frederic ChopinFind albums by this artist, Stanislaw MoniuszkoFind albums by this artist, Ignacy Jan PaderewskiFind albums by this artist, Karol SzymanowskiFind albums by this artist and Henryk WieniawskiFind albums by this artist. Three Polish Jazz instrumentalists / composers: violinist Adam BaldychFind albums by this artist, pianist Krzysztof HerdzinFind albums by this artist and saxophonist Adam PieronczykFind albums by this artist, as well as pianist / composer / arranger / conductor Adam SztabaFind albums by this artist, mostly associated with Polish TV and entertainment industry, were selected to create the music for this album. Herdzin is the author of two of these pieces and the others authored one piece each. The music is performed by Baldych, Herdzin, Pieronczyk and additional musicians: vocalist Igor HerbutFind albums by this artist, Moldovan cimbalom (hammered dulcimer) player Marcel ComendantFind albums by this artist, pianist Krzysztof DysFind albums by this artist and the AUKSO Chamber OrchestraFind albums by this artist conducted by Marek MosFind albums by this artist. The music offers quite a diverse stylistic amalgam, dominated by the two pieces by Herdzin, which comprise almost half of the album’s duration, ranging from romantic easy listening Classical music to Jazz Avant-Garde and Avant-Pop. The level of the performances is absolutely superb and the music offers intelligent and highly aesthetic listening experience. Overall, this is another highly successful album in this wonderful series, and certainly something worthy of pursuing by the Jazz-Classical Fusion enthusiasts. Since these pieces do not appear on any of the albums released in this series, it is absolutely worth getting as well. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 31/03/2023Posted: 31/03/2023

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PIOTR BARON ~ MONIUSZKO JAZZ POLSKIE RADIO 2372 (Barcode: 5907812241889) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2021 This is an album by veteran Polish Jazz saxophonist Piotr BaronFind albums by this artist recorded in a classic quintet setting with top Polish Jazz musicians: trumpeter Robert MajewskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Michal TokajFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej AdamczakFind albums by this artist and drummer Lukasz ZytaFind albums by this artist. As the title suggests, the album plays a Jazz tribute to the music of Polish National composer Stanislaw MoniuszkoFind albums by this artist, and features four of his compositions in a Jazz arrangement. The fifth track on the album is an arrangement of a composition by Feliks NowowiejskiFind albums by this artist, another Polish Classical composer. The year 2019 was declared as Moniuszko year in Poland, which not surprisingly produced a plethora of recordings of his music, including several within the Jazz idiom, some already reviewed by me earlier. Personally I am not convinced that the music of Moniuszko and Jazz go ideally hand in hand, but since the Moniuszko year offered a possibility to get a grant for playing his music, many musicians took advantage of such an offer – not a bad thing per se of course. The music on this album has very little to do with Moniuszko, except for the fact that the melodic themes from his compositions are quoted subtly. This does not mean of course that the music suffers from that fact, since anything played by these excellent musicians must sound great thanks to their talents. The arrangements call for a gentle, melodic, mainstream approach, which is taken here to the max. Following the intros, where the source is quoted, the five tracks present lengthy solos by all five musicians, all brilliantly executed, as expected. Overall, this is a wonderful Polish Jazz mainstream album, performed by top musicians, which is a joy to listen to, although does not try to be innovative or surprising in any way. Works for me! And please leave Moniuszko out of Jazz in the future.

Updated: 31/12/2021Posted: 31/12/2021

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ILONA DAMIECKA / TOMASZ LICAK QUINTET ~ PIESNI POLSKIE VOL.1 NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is the debut album by the Polish Jazz quintet co-led by vocalist / pianist Ilona DamieckaFind albums by this artist and saxophonist Tomasz LicakFind albums by this artist, which also includes saxophonist Michal Jan CiesielskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Pawel GrzesiukFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam GolickiFind albums by this artist. The album presents six songs by Polish Classical composers: Stanislaw MoniuszkoFind albums by this artist, Feliks NowowiejskiFind albums by this artist and Mieczyslaw KarlowiczFind albums by this artist, arranged for the quintet by Licak. The music was recorded live at the Radio Gdansk studio and offers a remarkable sound quality. The music is an interesting Jazz-Classical Fusion, and although personally I am not a great fun of the original music, composed mostly in the 19th Century, these Jazz arrangements manage to transform it into the Jazz idiom rather successfully. The swinging treatment transforms the original melodies, many of which are based on Polish Folklore, into a much more vigorous environment and the resulting modern mainstream zest serves them well. The ballads emphasize the typical Polish melancholy, again deeply rooted into Polish Folk music, and those also work out very well in the up-to-date dressing. The closing song on the album gets a much more adventurous treatment, and perhaps points to a direction of the follow up album? The entire transformation process is done with taste and sophistication, which deserves to be praised. The members of the quintet are all seasoned musicians, which is clearly obvious by the splendid level of the performances herein. The idea of the double saxophone front line is excellent, but sadly although the two saxophonists perform beautifully on their own they do not play together enough, which might have intensified the result. Damiecka plays some wonderful piano soli and her treatment of the original lyrics, which are replaced by her vocalese, is also excellent, albeit somewhat minimalist. The rhythm section swings passionately and carries the tunes forward, as expected from professionals. Overall this is a superb debut effort and a most enjoyable listening experience, which as the title pledges, is just a first glance of the future plans by the quintet. Passionate performances, great soloing and swinging fluidity – what else can one expect form a mainstream modern Jazz album. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 16/07/2020Posted: 16/07/2020

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LESZEK KULAKOWSKI ~ BEAUTIFUL JAZZY OPERA SOLITON 1338 (Barcode: 5903684233380) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2022 Released: 2023 This is a live album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer / educator Leszek KulakowskiFind albums by this artist, recorded with a classic piano trio with bassist Adam ZuchowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Tomasz SowinskiFind albums by this artist, a large orchestra Sinfonia Baltica PhilharmonicFind albums by this artist conducted by Tadeusz WicherekFind albums by this artist, and two opera singers: soprano Anna FabrelloFind albums by this artist and tenor Lukasz ZaleskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten tracks, which are Jazzy arrangements by Kulakowski of operatic pieces by Polish composer Stanislaw MoniuszkoFind albums by this artist, Italian composer Giacomo PucciniFind albums by this artist, French composer Georges BizetFind albums by this artist and a couple of other pieces. Obviously the music is a Jazz-Classical Fusion attempt to combine the two genres, which is rather unusual, as such projects rarely tackle operatic music. The contrast between the two genres is not easy to achieve, since the arias do not allow much space for improvisation, and as a result the music offers something of a “two for the price one” show, which do not always go hand in hand. Kulakowski is without a doubt one of the best Polish Jazz pianists, and his improvisations in the piano trio format, or with the orchestral accompaniment, are all perfectly executed, but when the vocal parts take over the central stage, the Jazz element is almost completely lost. This does not mean of course that the album is not a great fun to listen to, but the listener has to be prepared to accept this dichotomy. Personally, I had no problem whatsoever with this format, being a music lover of all shapes and shades, but I can imagine some people objecting. Overall, this is a bold effort to place Jazz and Opera together on one stage, but without integrating them to closely. It offers an opportunity to hear some great Jazz piano playing by Kulakowski, interesting orchestral arrangements and a few operatic arias beautifully sung by the soloists. A musical feast by all means, but probably not for everybody.

Updated: 04/04/2024Posted: 04/04/2024

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MICHALSKA / JARZMIK QUINTET ~ MONIUSZKO: PRAGNIENIA I ROZTERKI MUSIC ART FUN (Barcode: 5907745979309) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz quintet co-led by vocalist Patrycja MichalskaFind albums by this artist and pianist Adam JarzmikFind albums by this artist, which also includes saxophonist Jakub LepaFind albums by this artist, bassist Mateusz SzewczykFind albums by this artist and drummer Stefan RaczkowskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven Jazz arrangements by Jarzmik of songs from the "Home Songs" collections composed by Polish Classical composer Stanislaw MoniuszkoFind albums by this artist, with texts by different Polish poets. Moniuszko published twelve volumes of "Home Songs", which contained altogether 268 songs, meant to be sung by people at home, rather that be used for performances in concert halls. They include some of Moniuszko´s most beautiful melodies and are full of the typical Polish melancholy and lyricism. The album was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist with the usual excellent sound quality. 2019 is Moniuszko´s birth bicentenary, which resulted in quite a few new recordings of his music, but this album is certainly one of the most successful modern interpretations of his music, full of respect and deep understanding of his credo, especially the lyrical streak, which was superbly captured by Jarzmik´s arrangements and the delicacy of Michalska´s vocal delivery. The music is splendidly executed, as expected. Jarzmik is an excellent pianist, with an established reputation and his playing is always a source of great pleasure. Lepa, who played with Jarzmik on all of his albums so far, is perfect for the job, adding ably to the ensemble sound. The rhythm section, although very young, does exactly what is expected, with precision and taste. Michalska delivers the lyrics with sensitivity and respect, avoiding unnecessary theatrics, which could have spoiled the desired result. Overall this is an intelligent, very well played piece of music, which treats the legacy of Moniuszko´s music with respect and love, adding a contemporary point of view, which might be instrumental in bringing this music to younger generations of listeners. A splendid debut effort by all means – well done!

Updated: 08/06/2020Posted: 17/09/2019

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JERZY MILIAN ~ OPTIMA FIDE GAD 208 (Barcode: 5903068123108) ~ POLAND ~ Big Band Jazz Recorded: 1968 - 1970 Released: 2022 This is the eleventh installment of the archival series released by GADFind albums on this label Records, which presents the work of Polish Jazz vibraphonist / composer / bandleader Jerzy MilianFind albums by this artist. This chapter is dedicated to Milian´s recordings from the late 1960s and early 1970s, done in Brussels, with Belgian (Radio & TV) BRT Jazz OrchestraFind albums by this artist conducted by Etienne VerschuerenFind albums by this artist and the BRT Jazz ComboFind albums by this artist conducted by Freddy SunderFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions by Milian and one arrangement of a Classical piece by Polish composer Stanislaw MoniuszkoFind albums by this artist. The compositions include a concerto for vibraphone and Jazz Orchestra and a suite, which gives this album its title. This album is a companion release to the seventh part of this series called “CirculationsFind albums with this title”. The music is a wonderful orchestral Jazz, which at the time was considered as part of the searching Third Stream, which was supposed to merge Jazz and contemporary Classical Music, as initiated by the American composer Gunther SchullerFind albums by this artist in the late 1950s and had many sympathizers among leading American Jazz musicians in the 1950s and 1960s, but never became part of the mainstream of Jazz per se. Milian did not follow the Third Stream conventions by the letter, but his complex compositions and Jazzy improvisations by the orchestra on top of the scores can be without doubt associated with the idiom. In some respects, Third Stream was an attempt to Europeanize American Jazz and failed mostly due to the basic cultural incompatibility between mainstream American Jazz and sophisticated European contemporary Classical music, which Americans rejected but some Europeans (Milian included, but also the great Polish composer Krzysztof PendereckiFind albums by this artist and many others) embraced warmly. Milian´s compositions are absolutely brilliant and remain completely valid half a Century later, as if composed today. Sophisticated, elegant, clever and beautifully melodic, in some cases incorporating Polish Folklore sources, this music is alive and kicking as it was at the time it was created. The BTR Jazz Orchestra included many excellent instrumentalists, who performed the difficult music without a hitch. Overall, this is an incredible piece of Polish / European Jazz history, which absolutely deserves to be heard and studied. With Milian´s passing it is even more important to document his work and bring it to the public. For orchestral Jazz enthusiasts this album is an absolute must!

Updated: 09/10/2022Posted: 09/10/2022

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MARIA POMIANOWSKA ~ MONIUSZKO Z 1000 I JEDNEJ NOCY NOT ON LABEL 0001 (Barcode: 5907675594610) ~ POLAND ~ World Music & Folklore Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is an album by Polish World Music wonder women Maria PomianowskaFind albums by this artist, multi-instrumentalist / composer / arranger and scholar who never stops even for a moment to take a rest between her numerous projects, which often take her around the globe. This ambitious undertaking creates cross-pollination between the music composed by Polish Classical Music composer Stanislaw MoniuszkoFind albums by this artist and World Music originating from the six continents, wonderfully arranged by Pomianowska and performed by a large team of twenty four musicians who play a plethora of exotic folk instruments. Celebrated Polish Jazz vocalist Grazyna AuguscikFind albums by this artist sings vocalese parts. The album presents twelve tracks, eleven of which are compositions by Moniuszko and one is an original composition by Pomianowska. Usually I treat projects of this kind with extreme caution, as they often turn out to be terrible kitsch and cacophonic mixtures of unmatched ingredients. It was a pleasant surprise to discover that in skillful hands music becomes truly one and the seemingly impossible correlation between 19th Century Polish Classical Music and the music from distant parts of our World can be so naturally compatible. The secret lays first and foremost in the fact that Moniuszko´s music was deeply immersed in Polish Folklore, which Pomianowska skillfully emphasized in her arrangements. Music is of course completely unaware of geography and National boundaries, and true Folklore easily binds with other Folklores, even if separated by rhythmic patterns, musical scales and of course the use of diverse instruments. Based on the popular "One Thousand And One Nights" concept, each of the twelve tracks on the albums tells a musical tale, which is up to the listener to extrapolate into his own narrative. Each of the tracks is based on a different melody line and incorporates different ethnic ambiance as well as using a different instrumentation. Although instruments from very different parts of the world are used, the predominant Middle Eastern mood rules the proceedings, which would make even Scheherazade smile. Additionally some Indian and other Far East motives are clearly present. Of course people familiar with Moniuszko´s music and the Polish Folklore will recognize these elements as well. Overall this is a splendid musical journey, cleverly and elegantly devised and superbly executed, which should make the many World Music connoisseurs worldwide very happy. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 16/07/2019Posted: 16/07/2019

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VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ POLISH RADIO JAZZ ARCHIVES VOL.26 POLSKIE RADIO 2058 (Barcode: 5907812247119) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1965 Released: 2016 This is the twenty-sixth installment in the series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings from the radio vaults. Radio recordings are always a fabulous source of remarkable material, and as far as Polish Jazz history is concerned, the Polish Radio, which was a state monopoly for 45 years, recorded over time a plethora of invaluable material, which apart from the albums released by the Polskie Nagrania record company (also a state monopoly), is the only available additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland´s most important Jazz venues, including the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well. The tracks presented here were recorded live in December 1965 during the eighth Jazz Jamboree Festival in Warsaw and are the first volume of a collection of tracks from that event. The first five tracks present the great British vocalist Annie RossFind albums by this artist, who revolutionized the vocal Jazz idiom as a member of the legendary trio Lambert, Hendricks & RossFind albums by this artist, which she left in late 1962 to start her solo career. She is accompanied by a trio consisting of Polish pianist Wojciech KarolakFind albums by this artist, bassist Juliusz SandeckiFind albums by this artist and Swedish drummer Rune CarlssonFind albums by this artist. All the songs are Jazz standards. The next four tracks present the great Polish vocal ensemble NOVIFind albums by this artist in their earliest incarnation as a quintet, which includes in addition to their leader Bernard KawkaFind albums by this artist also Ewa WanatFind albums by this artist, Janusz MychFind albums by this artist, Waldemar ParzynskiFind albums by this artist and Aleksander GluchFind albums by this artist, who left the ensemble before they recorded their debut album Bossa NovaFind albums with this title in 1967. NOVI modeled their vocal style on earlier vocal Jazz ensembles like Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, and their tracks appearing immediately following the Ross´s tracks is symbolic. NOVI are accompanied by pianist Adam MatyszkowiczFind albums by this artist (Adam MakowiczFind albums by this artist), bassist Janusz KozlowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Czeslaw BartkowskiFind albums by this artist. All the tracks are vocal arrangements of Jazz standards. The next three tracks present a quartet led by legendary Polish Jazz pianist / trombonist / composer Andrzej KurylewiczFind albums by this artist with guitarist Janusz SidorenkoFind albums by this artist, bassist Edward DylagFind albums by this artist (older brother of Roman DylagFind albums by this artist, who is mistakenly listed here) and drummer Jerzy BartzFind albums by this artist. The rare appearance of Kurylewicz playing the trombone is one of the highlights of this album. They perform a couple of adaptations, one of a classical piece by Polish composer Stanislaw MoniuszkoFind albums by this artist and the other of a folk tune and finally one original composition by Kurylewicz. The last two tracks present a quartet led by legendary Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Jan Ptaszyn WroblewskiFind albums by this artist with pianist Wojciech Karolak, bassist Juliusz Sandecki (here misspelled as Janusz), and drummer Andrzej DabrowskiFind albums by this artist. They perform on original composition by Wroblewski and an extended version of a Miles DavisFind albums by this artist classic. The beautifully restored sound quality is excellent and the warm ambience of the analog recording is a true joy. As usual with this series, which is very reasonably priced, I miss the presence of "in depth" liner notes / booklet, which should convey the circumstances at which this music was recorded and its importance to the development of Jazz in Poland. Nevertheless this is an absolutely essential piece of Jazz history which every Jazz fan will surely consider an absolute must.

Updated: 03/12/2016Posted: 02/12/2016

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VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ STANISLAW MONIUSZKO: Z DOMOWEGO SPIEWNIKA REQUIEM / LYDIAN 2020/13 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is one of many albums recorded by Polish Jazz artists as part of the birthday bicentenary celebrations of the Polish Classical composer Stanislaw MoniuszkoFind albums by this artist (1819-1872). This album presents Jazzed up arrangements of eight songs taken from his "Home Songs" collections, performed by mezzo-soprano operatic singer Aleksandra OpalaFind albums by this artist, pianist Piotr MatusikFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Marcin ZupanskiFind albums by this artist and accordionist Wojciech GolecFind albums by this artist. The approach is quite original, and offers a direct contrast between the Classic songs performed by Opala and the improvised / Jazzy parts by the three instrumentalists, which harmonize beautifully, even when they "clash" stylistically when the instrumental parts are almost Free Jazz oriented. As a result this is definitely one of the most interesting Moniuszko related Polish Jazz projects the "Moniuszko year" produced. As magnificent and interesting as the Polish Jazz scene is, easily topping the European scene in the last two decades or so, it suffers from local "obsession" when dealing with its National Musical heritage. A huge part of Polish Jazz recordings is related either to Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist (the Godfather of Polish Jazz) or Frederic ChopinFind albums by this artist (the National composer), and lately Moniuszko – all totally out of proportion and in complete contrast to the need to respectfully leave the past behind and look ahead. Of course such projects find support more easily from the Ministry of Culture and other financial support bodies, but such opportunism should be kept at bay as much as possible. Having said all that, this project is definitely "forgiven" for riding on the Moniuszko wave, due to its originality and overall splendid music it offers and for being quite different from most Jazz-Classical Fusion offerings the world over. Personally I enjoyed this music immensely, as weird as it sound at first – well done Lady and Gentlemen!

Updated: 15/07/2021Posted: 04/01/2021

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