Record Reviews

JAZZPOSPOLITA ~ ALMOST SPLENDID AMPERSAND 20 (Barcode: 5906485781005) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2010 Released: 2010 This is the debut album by Polish group JazzpospolitaFind albums by this artist, which consists of guitarist Michal Przerwa-TetmajerFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Michal ZaleskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Stefan NowakowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Wojciech OleksiakFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original compositions (ten tracks with one tune repeated as a remix), all assumedly co-composed by all four band members. As it sometimes happens, I listened to this album after being already familiar with the band´s later work, therefore I can only imagine what my reaction would have been if I listened to it at the time of its release a few years earlier. Speculations aside, it still is a pretty amazing piece of music and a stunning debut. Arriving on such a busy scene as the Polish Jazz and alternative Rock with a spectacular, fresh and innovative album, which is completely different from almost anything that is already there, is truly remarkable. This album defines the musical "language", which the group follows since its inception, which is quite difficult to define verbally. It is a mixture of melodic Ambient Music with Jazz improvisations, Rock rhythmic patterns and alternative Rock sonorities, which sounds simply different from anything else. For people desperately in need of known references from the past, it is somewhat comparable to the music released on the legendary "Buddha Bar" series, with many of the Chill-out and Lounge elements present but with the World Music references replaced by Jazzier vibes. Regardless of the similarities, which might serve as points of reference, this music is fresh, exciting and sophisticated, which by itself is already quite rare. Combined with delicate melodic themes and first-class execution this album is by all means a very important step on the local music scene, proving that excellent music can be accessible to a large population of listeners, without even a hint of compromise and selling out. In the last few days I have listened to this album repeatedly and I´m pretty sure it´s there to stay on my short playlist for a while. Anybody not familiar with Jazzpospolita should definitely seek this little gem out ASAP and follow with their later albums. As far as I am concerned there is absolutely no "almost" involved herein; Splendid indeed!

Updated: 25/03/2017Posted:

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JAZZPOSPOLITA ~ HUMANIZM NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 5907796319956) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017 This is the sixth album by Polish ensemble JazzpospolitaFind albums by this artist and the last one to feature the original lineup of bassist Stefan NowakowskiFind albums by this artist, drummer Wojciech OleksiakFind albums by this artist, guitarist Michal Przerwa-TetmajerFind albums by this artist and keyboardist Michal ZaleskiFind albums by this artist. Vocalist Paulina PrzybyszFind albums by this artist is featured on one song and another vocalist NovikaFind albums by this artist is featured on another song. The album presents eleven original compositions, all co-composed by the ensemble members, except the song featuring Przybysz, which was composed and written by her (lyrics in English) and the song featuring Novika that includes her lyrics (in Polish). Stylistically the music preserves the unique qualities characterizing all the earlier albums by the ensemble, but is somewhat more Pop oriented, not only because of the presence of vocals but primarily due to the melodies being more "tame" and well organized and the instrumental passages being less expressive and searching. In retrospect it might seem that they ran out of steam, being enslaved within a formula, which stopped to "lay the golden eggs". Nevertheless this music is still a slick aesthetic experience and the atmosphere of dreamy, mysterious and repetitive soundscapes did not lose its magic touch entirely. Przerwa-Tetmajer still produces long, lazy guitar solos that seem to flow on the wind in slow motion, and are easy to impress. The keyboards remain mostly in the background in a supportive role and the rhythm section keeps the music moving ahead gently, with little rhythmic variety. The two songs don´t really belong with the rest of the music and as far as I am concerned don´t contribute anything in the big picture. Overall this is still Jazzpospolita, and these guys are masters of ambient Jazz / Fusion, so the album is still very enjoyable altogether, although it created little reverberation on the scene at the time of its release. For dedicated fans of the group this album is of course a must, but their next album with a new lineup and new musical direction proves to be much more rewarding. Still definitely worth investigating!

Updated: 27/06/2020Posted: 27/06/2020

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JAZZPOSPOLITA ~ IMPULSE AMPERSAND 26 (Barcode: 5906485781715) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2011 Released: 2012 This is the 2nd album (not counting their early EP) by the young Polish ensemble JazzpospolitaFind albums by this artist (Jazz Republic in Polish), one of the many very interesting ensembles emerging recently on the local scene. The current lineup of the group includes guitarist Michal Przerwa-TetmajerFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Michal ZaleskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Stefan NowakowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Wojciech OleksiakFind albums by this artist. The album consists of eight tracks, which are all original compositions (no compositional credits are given on the album´s packaging). Although obviously deeply rooted in the Jazz tradition (as their name suggests), the group expands their influences into other areas as well, including Rock, electronic and ambient. The music includes plenty of improvisation, but the overall sound is pretty metallic and electronic, which is quite innovative on one hand but often difficult to swallow on the other. They are clearly cross-genre, still searching for a unique identity, but their path of experimentation and reaching beyond the obvious is commendable. In the more "conventional" pieces they sound pretty much Jazz-Rock, but on the more advanced / experimental pieces their sound could be called Psychedelic and even Spacey. Obviously there is a lot of versatility herein and listeners, who like to be surprised and kept in suspense, will enjoy this immensely. The nature of the music makes it quite difficult to estimate the individual talents and abilities of the ensemble members; well perhaps it is for the best, as the ensemble sound is exactly their forte. Whatever one thinks about this music, one thing is sure: these young musicians do their thing, which is more that most of their contemporaries do. This album is highly recommended to the more adventurous listeners, who are not afraid to struggle with first impressions and harsh sounds, and are willing to give this music a second chance. Eventually there is a high probability this will become some of their favorite music in the long term. Impressive stuff!

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JAZZPOSPOLITA ~ JAZZPO! POSTPOST 01 (Barcode: 5903240397013) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2014 Released: 2014 This is the fourth album by Polish group JazzpospolitaFind albums by this artist, which consists of guitarist Michal Przerwa-TetmajerFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Michal ZaleskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Stefan NowakowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Wojciech OleksiakFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten original compositions (eleven tracks with one tune repeated twice), all assumedly co-composed by all four band members. The music was recorded at the legendary Studio Tokarnia with Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist presiding at the knobs, which naturally results in excellent sound quality, as usual. This album is the first new music Jazzpospolita reveals since their second album, i.e. in over two years, which kept the many fans of the group in suspense. The fact is that this is new music but there is not so much new in the music itself, as if the group simply glided over time doing more or less the same thing they have been doing more or less since they started. Nothing wrong with that of course, but in a long range even the most loyal followers might loose interest. But innovation aside, Jazzpospolita is still a very unique voice on the Polish scene, filling a niche for the young generation of music lovers, who are not really into Jazz proper on one hand, but who are bored with the contemporary Pop and Ambient scenes on the other hand. The group manages to produce nice melodic riffs, stretched over extended ambient passages and featuring some impressive guitar lead lines, which are overall quite hypnotic and engaging. This music has a chameleonic quality of fitting into many different listening environments, from background music while driving to intensive direct involvement with the music. The four individual musicians make a remarkable contribution to the overall group sound and feel of the entire ensemble. The guitarist carries most of the leading voice, but his role would have been impossible without the rich background created by the keyboards and the superb rhythm section. Rhythmically the music is mostly Rocky, with steady bit and pulse, while the keyboards and the guitar create the improvisational dimension, which associates the music with the Jazz idiom. Combined with the Ambient sound the Rock and Jazz ingredients amalgamate into a unique mixture, which is distinctly Jazzpospolita. Of course this is the best album the group created so far, and the most fun to listen to, but the group should be aware of the danger of stretching this formula for one more album. Hopefully they will reinvent themselves for the next one, leaving us in the meantime having a good time with this one. Thank you Gentlemen!

Updated: 25/03/2017Posted:

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JAZZPOSPOLITA ~ JAZZPO! LIVE MADE IN CHINA AUDIO ANATOMY 001 (Barcode: 5906660083009) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 This is the fifth (and first live) album by Polish Jazz-Rock Fusion group called JazzpospolitaFind albums by this artist, which comprises of guitarist Michal Przerwa-TetmajerFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Michal ZaleskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Stefan NowakowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Wojciech OleksiakFind albums by this artist. As the title suggests, the album was recorded live during the group´s tour in China and presents two CDs, each with seven original compositions, all composed and arranged collectively by the members of the group. The album includes live versions of all the nine compositions presented on the group´s fourth album ("Jazzpo!Find albums with this title") and five compositions from their earlier recordings. The music was mixed and mastered by Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist at the Studio Tokarnia with superb sonic result as usual. Although these expanded live versions of the Jazzpospolita´s material don´t present any new facets of the group´s superb live act, which I had the pleasure to experience at first hand several times, they do affirm their positions as one of the most successful young European groups that emerged in 2010s, with a strong appeal to the young generation of listeners, apparently across the globe. The highly melodic and hypnotic compositions, which create a trance-like and ever surreal atmosphere are very communicable and appealing. All four members of the group manage to compliment their individual instrumental abilities and create a unique sound and even style, which is immediately recognizable. The sterile sound of the guitar, which is the leading instrument in most cases, brings memories of the instrumental Rock groups from the early 1960s, but modernized of course and supported by electric piano, create together a surprisingly convincing effect, when supported by the highly skillful rhythm section. Silence and breaks are an integral part of the Jazzpospolita magic, again quite unusual in comparison to what is happening in contemporary music. This album is an ideal entry point into the Jazzpospolita world, especially for listeners unfamiliar with their earlier albums and therefore highly recommended as such. But overall it is a beautiful stretch of great instrumental music, which manages to create an atmosphere of mystery and anticipation, keeping the listeners in suspense from start to finish. Connoisseurs of atmospheric melodic improvised music should have a field day with this album, which I warmly recommend!

Updated: 08/05/2017Posted: 25/03/2017

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JAZZPOSPOLITA ~ OBIEKT AUDIO CAVE 2023/010 (Barcode: 5908298549704) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Ambient Fusion Recorded: 2022 Released: 2023 This is the 8th album by the Polish ensemble JazzpospolitaFind albums by this artist, led by bassist Stefan NowakowskiFind albums by this artist, with a new lineup including guitarist Michal MilczarekFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Milosz OlenieckiFind albums by this artist and drummer Wojciech SoburaFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight tracks, all original compositions co-credited to the members of the ensemble. The music is an interesting cross-genre amalgam of Jazz, Ambient and other influences, which continues the convoluted path of Jazzpospolita over the last decade and a half, with their chameleonic ability to constantly transform their musical direction. Nowakowski is the only remaining founding member, but the ensemble, despite the constant personnel changes, always managed to offer some exciting and innovative music over time. I followed them since their early days and they never disappointed, despite some turbulent times they went through. This album is quite different, even radically different from the earlier albums, with a much stronger Ambient, meditative and melancholic presence, with a dash of Avant-Garde, obviously influenced by the presence of Milczarek, who showed similar tendencies on his earlier recordings with his trio. Oleniecki confirms his talent as keyboard player, as evident from his previous recordings. I am sadly not privy to any recordings by Sobura. Overall, it is great to see Jazzpospolita rise as a phoenix from the ashes again, offering some new music and searching for new directions. This lineup probably needs to refine their stylistic approach some more, which I am sure they will do before their next recording.

Updated: 21/10/2023Posted: 21/10/2023

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JAZZPOSPOLITA ~ PRZYPLYW AUDIO CAVE 2020/001 (Barcode: 5905669566988) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is the seventh album by Polish ensemble JazzpospolitaFind albums by this artist, led by bassist Stefan NowakowskiFind albums by this artist, which also includes keyboardist Michal ZaleskiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Lukasz BorowickiFind albums by this artist and drummer Karol DomanskiFind albums by this artist. The album, recorded following a period of hiatus, personnel changes and inactivity, seems to find the ensemble back in full form. It presents eight original compositions, four composed by Nowakowski, three by Borowicki and one by Zaleski, which is a change as on the earlier albums the music was always co-credited to the entire lineup. The album is dominated by the beautiful sound of Borowicki´s guitar, who recorded four splendid albums as a leader before joining Jazzpospolita. Stylistically the music is somewhat more Jazz oriented than the earlier albums by the ensemble, but preserves both the Rock and Ambient subtext, which dominated the early releases and which brought them the popularity they enjoyed for an entire decade. Zaleski provides a rich harmonic background for the guitar front lines and the rhythm section keeps the music flowing steadily. The music is difficult to classify, as it easily belongs to a wide range of sub-styles of Fusion and even Progressive Rock on one hand and at the same time is pretty unique. Beautiful melodic riffs repeated over energetic rhythmic patterns are hypnotic enough to engulf the listener and keep him enchanted as long as the music is playing and leaves him wishing for more. It is great to see Jazzpospolita back on the scene and I hope to catch them live again soon, as their live shows are always a remarkable experience. For their many fans this album is a solid continuation of their earlier efforts, but it is also a great opportunity for new listeners to get exposed to their music, which never fails to satisfy.

Updated: 20/03/2020Posted: 20/03/2020

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JAZZPOSPOLITA ~ REPOLISHED JAZZ AMPERSAND 29 (Barcode: 5906485782422) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2009 - 2012 Released: 2012 This is the third album by Polish group JazzpospolitaFind albums by this artist, which consists of guitarist Michal Przerwa-TetmajerFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Michal ZaleskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Stefan NowakowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Wojciech OleksiakFind albums by this artist. In fact this album hardly counts as another stage in the group´s recorded legacy, as technically in includes no new contributions by the group per se. The first CD of this double CD release includes six remixes (one of the tunes is included in two different remix versions) of their material from the previous two albums, created by other artists, while the second CD is a reissue of their early EP from 2009, which was not formally released previously. As usual there are no composition credits anywhere on the album´s artwork, so the assumption is that the group members share the credits. Considering that both CDs are about 25 minutes in duration, it seems that this album is one huge ego trip, which hardly justifies the lavish (and obviously expensive) packaging and the entire hullabaloo about it. The music could easily fit on one CD and a much modest packaging would have done the job. A numbered limited edition is a luxury artists have first to earn by producing some viable product. It is nice to have the "legendary" EP finally released, but the group did move ahead since it was released and in retrospect it does not really hold the ground that well. Yes it was innovative at the time, but also very amateurish in many respects. Nevertheless, regardless of the many labels the "critics" stick to their music, Jazzpospolita was quite unique and interesting from the very start, which is already a great achievement. The remixes, on the other hand, are a complete waste of time, completely unattached to the original music and make no sense whatsoever. Aesthetically there is nothing exciting about the way they are done, not is there any innovation in it. Personally I think that they do injustice to the original music, which is interesting enough and does not need to be transformed into other musical planes. Overall life is, as experienced people know, a game of Hit or Miss, and this album is somewhat on the miss side, which of course is quite normal and happens to the best. The road to hell is paved with good intensions...

Updated: 25/03/2017Posted:

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NIECHEC ~ NIECHEC WYTWORNIA KRAJOWA 12 (Barcode: 602547867445) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 This is the second album by Polish ensemble NiechecFind albums by this artist, which comprises of saxophonist Maciej ZwierzchowskiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Rafal BlaszczakFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Tomasz WielechowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej SzczepanskiFind albums by this artist (who replaced Stefan NowakowskiFind albums by this artist, who played on the debut album) and drummer Michal KaczorekFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original instrumental pieces, composed four each by Zwierzchowski and Wielechowski. Stylistically the music continues the direction offered by the debut, which is an amalgam of many different sub-genres, and moves between Jazz-Rock Fusion, Electronic & Ambient, Alternative Rock, etc. but manages to avoid being placed in a narrow niche and proposes a unique path. Less dominated by the saxophone front line than the debut, this album allows the other members of the ensemble to make their own statements as well, especially the keyboards. Although perhaps less surprising (obviously) than the debut album, which was truly shocking, this one offers a more mature, developed material, which captivates the listener with its hypnotic repetitive riffs and dark sound. The Free Form saxophone parts are the most fascinating expressions of the album, but those are kept in check, balanced my melancholic melody lines. The extreme dynamics this album proposes, from soft subdued passages to fierce instrumental screams is the most distinctive feature of this music. Whichever way one wants to look at Niechec as a group and this album as their statement, it is obvious they are definitely one of the most interesting young Polish groups on the scene, with this album sealing their position securely. Hopefully they will get international recognition soon, as they deserve it by all means. Their live show, which sadly I have still not had the pleasure to attend, should be a most vibrant experience. There´s nothing left for me to do other than recommend this album wholeheartedly, hoping the listeners won´t miss this splendid opportunity to discover fascinating and highly original music, which happens rarely these days. Well done!

Updated: 16/03/2025Posted: 21/05/2016

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NIECHEC ~ SMIERC W MIEKKIM FUTERKU WYTWORNIA KRAJOWA 04 (Barcode: 5099946461025) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2011 Released: 2012 This is the debut album by the Polish ensemble NiechecFind albums by this artist ("Animosity" in Polish), which is a quintet comprising of five young musicians: saxophonist Maciej ZwierzchowskiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Rafal BlaszczakFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Tomasz WielechowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Stefan NowakowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Michal KaczorekFind albums by this artist. The album includes nine instrumental tracks, five of which were composed by Zwierzchowski, three by Nowakowski and one comes from outside the ensemble. Before this debut album the ensemble released a five-track EP, which included some of the material present here. The album´s unusual title ("Death In A Soft Fur Coat" in Polish), is the first hint as to the album being quite unusual, which is confirmed by its musical content. It is a completely new amalgam of Jazz tradition with contemporary sound and Rock heritage and could be roughly described as Jazz-Rock (for the lack of a better label), but as it crosses genres in every way imaginable, labeling this music is futile. What is important is the fact that the album is quite stunning and fresh, which is such a rare phenomenon these days. The source of the sonic side of Niechec could be perhaps tracked back to the early 1980s and the great British band MadnessFind albums by this artist, with its distinctive saxophone front-line created by Lee ThompsonFind albums by this artist. Niechec also place the saxophone right up front, and with the lack of vocals it becomes the group´s primary voice. Although the rest of the group provides mostly the background, upon which the sax parts are based, they are all great instrumentalists and they do a splendid job indeed. The acoustic piano parts by Wielechowski are especially impressive, but the rhythm section is also truly excellent. Zwierzchowski is of course the front man here and his big, strong and impressive saxophone sound dominates the music. At times the sax is multi-tracked and the sound becomes even more massive. He uses an extensive vibrato, which is rarely used these days in Jazz and surprisingly (or not) parts of his solos are quite free form, surely not what one would expect from a Rock oriented album. He is perhaps not as technically proficient as other pure Jazz players at his age, but he has a unique voice and style, which are deadly effective and stunningly fitting for this king of music. Stylistically the music is somewhere in between Jazz-Rock and Progressive Rock, with hints of contemporary cinematic music and alternative Rock. But all these labels are simple inadequate and listening in this case is the only alternative. Expect the unexpected! Overall this is one hell of a debut album and one of the best albums released so far this year on the Polish scene. If this is the opening statement by these young lads, one can hardly imagine what the future has in store for them. Kudos and good luck! Music connoisseurs should grab this at their earlier convenience.

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