Record Reviews

TOMASZ CHYLA ~ CIRCLESONGS POLSKIE RADIO 2208 (Barcode: 5907812244033) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the second album by young Polish Jazz violinist / composer Tomasz ChylaFind albums by this artist, recorded with his quintet which also includes saxophonist Piotr CheckiFind albums by this artist, pianist Szymon BurnosFind albums by this artist (also in charge of the electronic effects), bassist Krzysztof SlomkowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Slawomir KoryznoFind albums by this artist. The album presents fifteen relatively short original compositions, all of which were collectively composed by the quintet members, grouped into three "circlesongs". In complete contrast to the debut album, the music on this album is a cosmic jump into Avant-Garde, Free Jazz and Improvised Music, which comes as an overwhelming and complete surprise. One can expect development and progression, sometimes gradual and in other cases quite rapid, but taking such a dramatic and drastic step, like in this case, is almost unheard off. As a result the music almost completely shuns any effort to be described. "Making love via telephone" comes to mind in this case, as words are simply inadequate to express the essence of this music, surely not adequately. So what can be said? There is almost no melody, at most short bursts of a few consecutive notes, no steady rhythm, but rather drone like passages, little dynamics and no soloing in the traditional sense. At times the music sounds like contemporary minimalist music, at others like Free Jazz group improvisation, and yet at others like Avant-Garde soundscapes of cinematic or theatre music. But enough of trying to describe the music; which is an a priori futile attempt anyway. The most important thing is that this innovative and courageous approach works out amazingly well and the music is simply astounding. It manages to drown in the listener completely and entangle his attention like a spider´s web. The continuity and constant development creates a natural flow, which when succumbed to, takes the listener on a phantasmagorical journey into the unknown. Listening to the music for the first time is a shocking experience but consecutive listening sessions have the power of addiction. It makes no sense to write about the individual contributions by the quintet members, as this album is a classic team effort. My praise goes to the leader, who keeps his playing on the same level, and perhaps even more modest, that his cohorts, which in this case is the most sensible decision. These players have already proved their chops on numerous other recordings, and this music is all about unison. It is not often that a new genre / idiom / form is created in music, especially so in Jazz (in its broad meaning), but this album definitely is an eye (ears) opener in many aspects. Many of the elements used here have been tried out earlier on, but placing them together in this specific climate, order and context is completely innovative, even for the Polish Jazz scene, which bursts with innovation. One can not predict the future of course, but this album is definitely a Giant Step as far as Polish / European Jazz are concerned and only future will tell of its influence on the genre. It epitomizes everything that European Jazz stands for: innovation, inventiveness, boldness, open-mindedness, elegance and beyond all musical aesthetics, which exists only in Europe. To put things boldly: this is a fucking great album (excuse my French) and you better believe it! As far as I am concerned, this album is already the winner of the best Polish Jazz album for 2018 and it will take a miracle to change my mind. I am not so sure if the usual bunch of Polish Jazz "critics" will be able to swallow this music so easily, but who gives a damn. Hopefully they will, as usual, follow my lead, even when they hate the music.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 21/10/2018

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TOMASZ CHYLA ~ DA VINCI ALPAKA 014 (Barcode: 308175527842) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is the third album by Polish Jazz violinist / composer Tomasz ChylaFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quintet setting with trumpeter Emil MiszkFind albums by this artist, guitarist Krzysztof HadrychFind albums by this artist, bassist Konrad ZolnierekFind albums by this artist and drummer Slawomir KoryznoFind albums by this artist. A vocal octet, called Art `n` VoicesFind albums by this artist participates on four tracks. The album presents nine original compositions, all co-credited to the quintet members. Following two excellent albums, which offered an extraordinary musical imagination and intellectually challenging concepts, this album offers again a completely different approach from its predecessors, this time being almost completely removed from any Jazz elements, and venturing into contemporary minimalist music, with some elements of Rock Avant-Garde and Industrial Music, dark and alienated, almost atonal at times, and almost completely devoid of melody lines, which at its most intense moments knocks the listener on his head like a sledgehammer. Having said that the music is extremely potent and original, with obvious carefully planned aesthetics and conceptual approach, which challenges the listener for the entire duration. The use of the vocal octet is especially effective, close to modern Classical Music practices. The prominent presence of the electric guitar influences dramatically the intense crescendo moments, emphasizing the proximity to Rock, but within the kaleidoscopic wealth of other elements, it does not dominate the entire approach of this album. Chyla is obviously a musician of great scope, who is still developing his vocabulary and stylistic language. It is fascinating to watch his development, as documented by his recordings so far, and he always leaves his listeners waiting impatiently for more. This album is perhaps the most difficult one to “enjoy”, but repeated listening might remedy this condition. I’d say the album offers a bit too much of everything for my liking, but I still appreciate the ideas and the imagination, as well as the excellent playing by all members of the quintet, which was invested in creating it. Overall this is an important document of the fascinating Polish Jazz scene, which refuses to stay within the preconceived guidelines, slaughtering holy cows by the dozens. For listeners who liked the two earlier albums this is a must and for open-minded seekers of unusual sound vistas, this is a worthy challenge!

Updated: 27/05/2021Posted: 27/05/2021

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TOMASZ CHYLA ~ ETERNAL ENTROPY POLSKIE RADIO 2033 (Barcode: 5907812241988) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz violinist / composer Tomasz ChylaFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quintet setting with saxophonist Piotr CheckiFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Szymon BurnosFind albums by this artist, bassist Krzysztof SlomkowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Slawomir KoryznoFind albums by this artist. These four players are also members of the quintet called AlgorhythmFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original compositions, three of which were composed by Chyla, three were co-composed by him and other members of the quintet, one was co-composed by him and his teacher at the Gdansk Music Academy Witoslawa FrankowskaFind albums by this artist and two were composed by Slomkowski. The music is mostly modern mainstream Jazz, but allows a lot of freedom to the quintet members to spread their wings. The melodic themes are very solid, mostly lyrical, with strong ties to Polish Folklore and typical Polish melancholy, felt even on the up-tempo numbers. The level of the compositions is surprisingly mature and coherent for such young musicians / composers, and again emphasizes the incredible strength of the young Polish Jazz scene. All three soloists play some amazing solo parts on this album and the rhythm section manages to support them amicably all the way through. Slomkowski deserves special mention as his bass pulsations are a stronghold of stability on which this entire music rests. Koryzno also plays exceptionally well, proving that drumming can be creative and atypical and at the same time fulfill the role assigned to the instrument. All five musicians are superb instrumentalists and they perform the music with passion and obvious mixture of talent and professionalism. Chyla has a surprisingly original tone and stylistic approach, quite different form other violinists active on the Polish violin scene. His playing is much closer to Polish Folklore than to classical music, which is usually the starting point for violinists and he is more open to less constrained improvisation, which at time borders with Free. He is definitely the most interesting new arrival on the crowded Polish Jazz violin scene, and a most welcome one due to his divergence. Overall this is an outstanding debut offer, one of the strongest on the Polish Jazz scene so far this year. The creativity and inventiveness of these young musicians simply never ceases to amaze. Hats off!

Updated: 09/06/2017Posted: 09/06/2017

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JAZZ FORUM TALENTS ~ JAZZ.PL VOL.1 POLSKIE RADIO 2382 (Barcode: 5907812242411) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022 This is the debut album by a septet of young Polish Jazz musicians collected under the auspices of the veteran Polish Jazz magazine Jazz Forum and called appropriately Jazz Forum TalentsFind albums by this artist. It includes pianist Katarzyna PietrzkoFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Maciej KadzielaFind albums by this artist, guitarist Jakub MizerackiFind albums by this artist, violinist Tomasz ChylaFind albums by this artist, harmonica player Kacper SmolinskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Roman ChraniukFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam ZagorskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, one each by all the septet members. The album was recorded live by Polish Radio during a series of concerts entitled Jazz.pl, hence the title. Despite the relatively young age of the members of the septet, each of them has already gained significant experience on the local scene, as well as recording legacy as a leader and / or sideman. Therefore, the septet has more of a representative significance of the young Polish Jazz scene than an artistic collaboration. As a result, this CD is exactly that, a calling card presenting the individual talents of the septet members rather than a coherent artistic effort by the ensemble. The compositions vary significantly in quality and style, all deeply rooted in mainstream Jazz and / or Fusion, but sadly hardly representative of the typical Polish Jazz qualities of lyricism and profound introspection. Overall, this is a sort of a “sampler” meant to introduce listeners to explore the contemporary Polish Jazz scene, which presents the lighter / more conventional facet of the incredibly varied and gorgeous phenomenon called Polish Jazz, which encompasses everything from traditional Jazz to experimental Avant-Garde. The music is very well performed by able musicians and is certainly entertaining.

Updated: 08/12/2023Posted: 27/02/2023

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