Record Reviews

GRZEGORZ LESIAK ESSENCE / PIOTR DAMASIEWICZ ~ ON THE WAY L.A.S. 006 ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2022 Released: 2022 This is an album recorded live by the trio EssenceFind albums by this artist, led by Polish guitarist Grzegorz LesiakFind albums by this artist with Spanish bassist Alex ReviriegoFind albums by this artist and drummer Vasco TrillaFind albums by this artist, which was expanded to a quartet with the addition of Polish trumpeter Piotr DamasiewiczFind albums by this artist. The album presents four lengthy tracks and was released on the L.A.S.Find albums on this label label, owned by Damasiewicz. The music is completely improvised and offers a sonic / atmospheric experience, excluding any conventional melodic continuity, which of course is not unusual for Improvised Music. However, for listeners familiar with such intense sound explorations, it proves to be highly fascinating. The musicians utilize unconventional approach to their instruments, which often sound completely not as they are “supposed” to sound, especially so in case of Lesiak and Damasiewicz, who also adds some vocal layers. For Damasiewicz this recording is a step aside from his “back to nature” sonic excursions, which he developed in the last few years, taking him back to his Free Jazz / Improvised Music period from a decade or so ago, but with a much more introvert and intimate approach, with the “less is more” attitude in the helm. Lesiak is the biggest surprise herein, leaving the role of the Fusion guitarist and leader of the excellent TatvamasiFind albums by this artist ensemble if favor of this highly improvisational environment, although early signs of the forthcoming transformation were already evident on the last (so far) album by the ensemble “The Third Ear MusicFind albums with this title”. Overall, this is a fascinating piece of Improvised Music, strictly for the connoisseurs of the idiom, but full of great ensemble playing and striking individual contributions by all four participants. This is “something else” by every standard, and fearless explorers of the sound space are wholeheartedly invited to take a plunge!

Updated: 10/09/2023Posted: 10/09/2023

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TATVAMASI ~ AMOR FATI OBUH 33 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock-World Fusion Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 This is the fourth album by Polish ensemble TatvamasiFind albums by this artist, which undoubtedly is one of the most fascinating and totally unpredictable ensembles on the local scene. The core quartet of the ensemble, led by guitarist / composer Grzegorz LesiakFind albums by this artist, which also includes saxophonist Tomasz PiatekFind albums by this artist, bassist Lukasz DownarFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof RedasFind albums by this artist, is expanded by a string trio: violinists Anna WitkowskaFind albums by this artist and Michal OstrowskiFind albums by this artist and cellist Malgorzata PietronFind albums by this artist. Legendary musician / producer and ObuhFind albums on this label label owner Wojcek CzernFind albums by this artist is also featured on electronics. The album presents six original compositions, all composed by Lesiak. The music is, as usual, quite beyond classification. The addition of the strings and electronics expends the usual ingredients, such as Jazz and Rock, to include also contemporary Classical, Folklore and Ambient elements. This time the Free Improvisation parts are much more dominant and the music is more Avant-Garde oriented in comparison to their earlier recordings, with the distinct Rocky guitar element almost completely gone. As already stated, the music of Tatvamasi is completely unpredictable and every track brigs entirely different sounds and emotions. Such diversity has of course its advantages and is very interesting intellectually, but on the other hand lacks certain focus and coherency and is very difficult for "conventional" listeners. In some respects this lack of stability and jumpiness is somehow reminiscent of Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist´s approach, which of course is commendable, but might create a barrier between the music and the audiences. For a studio recording, the sound quality of the album is somewhat muddy and does not allow the small, delicate details of the music to be easily audible; perhaps purposely recorded / mixed this way, but the result is (for me) somewhat problematic. Overall this is a very interesting album, living up to the ensemble´s already established reputation, although personally for me it is not their best work to date and I enjoyed more their earlier recordings. Still this is definitely more ambitious than the vast majority of albums recorded on the Polish scene and anywhere else for that matter. I am sure they will return triumphantly again!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 09/01/2018

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TATVAMASI ~ DYLIZANS SIEDMIU AUDIO CAVE ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2014 Released: 2016 This is the third album by Polish ensemble TatvamasiFind albums by this artist, led by guitarist / composer Grzegorz LesiakFind albums by this artist. On this album the quintet lineup, which also included trumpeter Jan MichalecFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Tomasz PiatekFind albums by this artist, bassist Lukasz DownarFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof RedasFind albums by this artist, was expended to a septet with the addition of Brazilian saxophonist Yedo GibsonFind albums by this artist and Spanish percussionist Vasco TrillaFind albums by this artist. The album presents just three expanded original compositions (two lasting over twelve minutes and one over sixteen minutes), all composed by Lesiak. The album was recorded shortly after the recording of their previous album a couple of years back and released only now. The music is as unexpected as one might expect from Tatvamasi, presenting a wonderful amalgam of Rock, Funk, Free Jazz, Psychedelia, World, Electronic and Ambient influences. The three tracks are extended jams, which basically provide a platform for all the participants to play extended solos over a steady beat. Most of the solos by brass instruments are pretty Free Jazz oriented, while the guitar playing is more Rocky and Ambient. Several musicians solo simultaneously, conversing between themselves and getting involved into group improvisation. The guitar solos take the music back on track and serve as a buffer between the multilayered Jazzy parts. As usual this music simply shuns classification. To listeners familiar with the work of Miles DavisFind albums by this artist, this music is conceptually similar to the Miles "electric period", which featured electric guitar as a centerpiece of his ensembles. It seems that this album is more of an experimental recording of a pre-planned jam session rather than a full-fledged new studio album by the ensemble, which is hopefully following soon. Nevertheless it is a superb piece of music, which has very few equals in its category in Poland or anywhere else for that matter. The music, being pretty esoteric, might not be easily accessible to a wide audience and is definitely way to open and Jazzy for the average Fusion fans, but on the other hand it offers so much more intellectual stimuli that an effort to listen to it open-headedly is definitely worthwhile. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 31/10/2016Posted: 31/10/2016

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TATVAMASI ~ HALDUR BILDUR AUDIO CAVE 2019/010 (Barcode: 5905669566827) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the fifth album by Polish quartet TatvamasiFind albums by this artist, led by guitarist / composer Grzegorz LesiakFind albums by this artist, which also includes saxophonist Tomasz PiatekFind albums by this artist, bassist Lukasz DownarFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof RedasFind albums by this artist. On this album the quartet is expanded to a septet with the addition of violinist Anna WitkowskaFind albums by this artist-Piatek, cellist Malgorzata PietronFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Jan MichalecFind albums by this artist (all three participated on earlier albums of the quartet). The album presents just four extended tracks, all composed by Lesiak. As usual with Tatvamasi´s music, it manages to stay beyond conventional categorization, which is obviously its strength and magic. These long expanded sonic vistas are explorations of melodic themes, riffs, groove, beat and World Music influences, completely intertwined within each other. The best strategy is simply to let go of any attempt of analyzing this music intellectually and let it take you wherever it goes by itself, trusting the musicians submissively. The music is considerably less Avant-Garde oriented this time (except for the last piece), with way more melodic contents, which obviously serves the group´s ability to communicate with the listener. Whereas the previous album by Tatvamasi ("Amor FatiFind albums with this title") left me somewhat cold / confused, they returned with vengeance this time producing a condensed, fully focused and better recorded piece of superb music, which takes no prisoners. The strings are this time completely integrated within the fabric of the group´s sound and add another important dimension. Michalec, who already appeared on two earlier albums by the group, seems to be an integral part of the improvising tour de force. Overall this is an excellent album, probably the group´s best offering to date, which finds the group in top form and takes the listener on a hypnotic and unstoppable ride through a kaleidoscope of sounds, rhythms and melodies, which are continuously changing and chasing one development after another and yet manage to stay focused and coherent for the entire duration. Regardless if you are into Rock, Prog, Jazz or Fusion, this album offers plenty of all of those and more. Hats off!

Updated: 26/10/2019Posted: 26/10/2019

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TATVAMASI ~ PARTS OF THE ENTIRETY CUNEIFORM 371 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock-World Fusion Recorded: 2013 Released: 2013 This is the debut album by Polish quartet TatvamasiFind albums by this artist, led by guitarist Grzegorz LesiakFind albums by this artist, which also includes saxophonist Tomasz PiatekFind albums by this artist, bassist Lukasz DownarFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof RedasFind albums by this artist. The album comprises of seven original instrumental pieces, all composed by the leader and was released by the prestigious US CuneiformFind albums on this label label, one of the world´s leading labels specializing in new cross-genre music, with an impressive catalogue of releases. This makes Tatvamasi one of the very few young Polish groups to earn international attention already with their debut album, which is quite impressive. Although the leader´s background and personal history spin a fascinating tale, the listener should judge the music as it presents itself herein. A cross-genre creation indeed, this music escapes classification and easy categorization, which is actually quite a common phenomenon, especially among the young Polish ensembles, which surprisingly pop up on the local scene with astounding vitality and incredible talent. Tatvamasi are no different and again it´s almost impossible to believe that this is a debut recording and a work of such young artists. The music shows traces of what started many decades ago as British Jazz-Rock Fusion, amalgamating Jazzy improvisation and Rocky rhythmic patterns. Of course this music is as contemporary as it gets, standing firmly within today´s music as far as the overall ambience and dynamics are concerned, paying respectful tribute to its origins. But beyond Jazz–Rock there are plenty of other influences present, often very diverse from each other, like Punk, World Music, Ambient, Minimalism and of course Free Jazz and Improvised Music. Considering the fact that this music was recorded practically live in the studio with no overdubs and other studio wizardry, what we hear is what happened, with the creative flow being captured on the fly. The personal contributions by the four musicians are all commendable; the leader weaves some truly beautiful melody lines and memorable riffs; the saxophonists manages to float high above during his improvisations and the rhythm section keeps the often difficult music in check, driving the dynamics and leading the way securely through the many twists and turns. The album is a breeze of fresh air and a great fun to listen to. The diversity of the pieces, which are mostly quite extensive, keep the listener on his toes at all times. There is so much happening here that several listening sessions are necessary to really "get" this music at its full bloom. Of course listeners used to improvised music will be able to appreciate this music instantly. This is a most impressive debut release, promising interesting future and establishing once more the Polish scene as one of the leading sources of new and fascinating music. Very well done indeed!

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TATVAMASI ~ THE HOUSE OF WORDS REQUIEM 103 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock-World Fusion Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015 This is the second album by Polish ensemble TatvamasiFind albums by this artist, led by guitarist Grzegorz LesiakFind albums by this artist, which also includes saxophonist Tomasz PiatekFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Jan MichalecFind albums by this artist, bassist Lukasz DownarFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof RedasFind albums by this artist. The album consists of four lengthy compositions, all by Lesiak. Although not entirely unambiguous, it seems the music was recorded "live in the studio" as it includes applause, but the sound has all the characteristics of a studio recording, contrary to the statement that it was recorded during an open air concert. Following their sensational debut album released on the American CuneiformFind albums on this label label, Tatvamasi continue their tale of success and manage to produce another piece of music, which is fascinating and highly original. The lineup, extended to quintet with the addition of the trumpeter, has more instrumental possibilities and skillfully uses that advantage on this album. All members of the ensemble contribute superb solo parts and participate in the group interplay amicably and intelligently. The music, as usual with Tatvamasi, is quite beyond classification stylistically and merges many different cross-genre elements, mostly World Music melodic lines and repetitive chant-like progression, Rocky rhythmic patterns and Jazz improvisation. Lesiak´s guitar playing also uses electronic and ambient sound effects. The amalgamated sound produces a trance inducing environment, which allows the soloists to spread their wings and extrapolate into their personal dimensions. Hypnotic and absorbing, this music is simply irresistible. In contrast to the three soloists, the rhythm section shows a remarkable restrain, simply driving the music skillfully ahead, but not drawing the listener´s attention away from the centerpiece. Nevertheless their contribution is an absolutely essential piece of the music, which would have been impossible without it. Tatvamasi successfully pass the "second album" test with flying colors and hopefully will continue to produce more of their unique music in the future. As usual in such cases I can´t wait to hear their next album and in the meantime I invite every connoisseur of unusual, challenging music to get hold of a copy of this gem. Well done!

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TATVAMASI ~ THE THIRD EAR MUSIC AUDIO CAVE 2020/013 (Barcode: 5908298549186) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2018 - 2019 Released: 2020 This is the sixth album by Polish quartet TatvamasiFind albums by this artist, which documents a series of music meetings held under the slogan of the album´s title, recorded over a period of couple of years by the four members of the ensemble: guitarist Grzegorz LesiakFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Tomasz PiatekFind albums by this artist, bassist Lukasz DownarFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof RedasFind albums by this artist and a plethora of guests from Poland and abroad, including Avant-Garde drummers Vasco TrillaFind albums by this artist from Spain and Peter OrinsFind albums by this artist from France. The album presents seven compositions, all uncredited and assumed to be a result of improvisations by the participating musicians. The music, as expected from the underlying concept, is a series of extended improvisations, based on sketchy melodic fragments and rhythm patterns, which characterizes Improvised Music. It preserves to some extent the usual Jazz-Rock Fusion modus operandi of Tatvamasi that was dominating their earlier recordings, but expands the horizons and embraces Free Improvisation, basically letting things happen on the fly as they develop. The three pieces recorded by a quartet, with vocalist Marta GrzywaczFind albums by this artist (and without Piatek) are definitely the high point of the entire album pointing to a direction worth pursuing. To be perfectly honest, as much as I like Tatvamasi, this stuff just doesn´t work for me as well as I expected it would. I admit to being somewhat fed up with the Improvised Music recordings that the Polish scene produces en mass and often without any selective process on one hand, and the fact that throwing a group of unrelated musicians in one room and let them play whatever comes to mind very rarely guarantees a spectacular result on the other hand. I appreciate the will to explore and search, and the courage to try something new, but hope this is a one time extravaganza, and the music will return to more productive exploration in the future. Overall this is an interesting experiment, and as such worthy of appreciation, but the resulting music, stripped of the circumstantial excitement, is rather pale summa summarum, with just occasional interesting moments. Sorry guys, it´s just me.

Updated: 12/01/2021Posted: 12/01/2021

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