Record Reviews

KUBA BANASZEK ~ BAND OF BROTHERS SOLITON 0692 (Barcode: 5901571096926) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz pianist / composer Kuba BanaszekFind albums by this artist recorded in a classic quartet setting with saxophonist Marcin KonieczkowiczFind albums by this artist, bassist Tymon TrabczynskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Maksymilian OlszewskiFind albums by this artist – all three already with some recording experience on the young Polish Jazz scene (the lineup was sadly omitted from the album´s artwork). The album presents eight compositions, seven of which are by Banaszek and one is a standard. The music is excellent modern Jazz, with remarkable original compositions, full of typical Polish melancholy and lyricism, which make Polish Jazz what it is, but also clever usage of unusual time signatures and intrinsic cool, which sets them immediately apart from most of the competition. Even the unusual treatment of the standard is outstanding. The performances do not stay behind and these young Lions show superb skills despite their young age and relative lack of experience. Banaszek´s compositions are very open and allow unlimited freedom of expression both for the leader and the entire crew. Piano solos are the obvious centerpiece of the album, but the saxophone parts are no less impressive and the rhythm section is outstanding, playing the difficult odd time signatures, which seems to be the composer´s natural habitat, with ease and elegance. Trabczynski offers some really impressive bass support and Olszewski, who stays mostly in the shadows, shows some sublime drumming minimalism, which is way more effective than obsessive banging. Overall this is definitely one of the most impressive Polish Jazz debuts for 2020, especially since it is able to take the classic Jazz quartet so far away from its much ragged banality. It has been a while since I have been so deeply impressed with a piano quartet recording, simply playing Jazz – no shticks and no tricks – just pure music. This album certainly immediately makes the listener want to hear more, which hopefully won´t have to wait long to take place. This is brilliant stuff and I am grateful to its makers for keeping my desire for good music to prevail, as it often gets pretty desperate under the barrage of mundane bullshit. Respect!

Updated: 02/01/2021Posted: 02/01/2021

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AGA DERLAK ~ FIRST THOUGHT HEVHETIA 0090 (Barcode: 8588005257329) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2014 This is the debut album by a young Polish Jazz trio led by pianist / composer Aga DerlakFind albums by this artist with bassist Tymon TrabczynskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Bartosz SzablowskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents five lengthy original compositions, all by Derlak. It takes a lot of courage to take the bold step of recording a debut album in the classic piano trio format and play one´s original compositions, like Derlak and her cohorts do on this album. Piano trio is a "naked" environment, where every note, every nuance, even every touch of the keyboard is perfectly audible with absolutely nothing to hide behind. Such endeavors are often quite risky and perilous and therefore I´m happy to say that in this particular case the courage pays off big time. The music is mostly very lyrical and melancholic, almost meditative, even on the mid / up tempo compositions. The melodic statements played as the usual at the entry point of each track develop into lengthy improvised passages, which feature extensive dialogues between the piano and the rhythm section, which gets much more exposure on this album that usually accepted on piano trio albums. Trabczynski and Szablowski both perform wonderfully throughout, using the almost universal approach in today´s young piano trios, where the bass is actually playing the rhythm and the drums are allowed to play "around", often polyrhythmically. There is an obvious empathy and comradeship between the trio members, which is always the best glue which turns musicians into one harmonious entity. Of course not everything is perfect, which is quite understandable considering the age of these young Lions and a Lioness. The extensive improvisations, which last on three of the tracks well over ten minutes, are honestly a bit over the top. It takes a lifetime of playing Jazz to be able to keep an audience on the edge for ten continuous minutes… Perhaps inclusion of at least a couple of additional tunes and shortening the timings considerably would have produced an even more impressive album? But of course these are just my personal musings. Overall this is a most impressive debut, which hopefully will be followed by many more mature albums in the future. I intend to follow the careers of these youngsters, as they are surely a promising bunch. Well done Lady and Gentlemen!

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AGA DERLAK ~ HEALING HEVHETIA 0149 (Barcode: 8588005258104) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017 This is the second album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Aga DerlakFind albums by this artist, recorded again in a classic piano trio format, this time with bassist Tymon TrabczynskiFind albums by this artist, who also played on the debut, and drummer Szymon MadejFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Derlak. Musically the album continues exactly from where the debut left off. The long, contemplative themes, introvert and full of silent breaths are still here, but they are much more condensed and compressed, which works all for the best. This music is very minimalistic, hinting more that it is actually saying, hiding more than it is actually disclosing. This clever game of hide and seek keeps the attentive listener on the edge at all times, trying to guess the next move. Derlak manages to define her very personal style on this album much more fluently and precisely that on her debut, which is quite understandable. The performances are extremely hard to judge, as they are fragmented into short passages, which limit the possibility of displaying technical fluency. But perhaps the ability to play a myriad of fragments rather than a steady flow of notes is the true challenge here. If I might use a metaphor from another field of Art, Derlak´s music is like impressionist pointillist painting, which in music is called divisionism. I have no idea if Derlak is at all aware of these terms, but that what her music is really all about. Of course in painting, as in music, the individual dots of paint / sound dots create a complete picture of uniquely structured beauty. The rhythm section faces the same difficulties as the leader, with the music being introvert and constantly intervallic, which of course makes the traditional role of keeping time and pulse devilishly difficult. These young players stand up to the challenge bravely, supporting the pianist amicably, elegantly and with superb cohesiveness and harmony, which is nothing short of being brilliant. Derlak and her fellow musicians mange to overcome the proverbial second album jinx with flying colors, producing a brilliant piano trio album, which is not only elegant and intelligent, but also completely innovative and unique. Even on the incredibly busy and productive Polish Jazz scene albums like this one are an exception. As a result Derlak becomes a talent worth watching, and considering her achievements in such early stages of her career, God only knows where she intends to take us in the future. Mon plus profond respect Milady!

Updated: 08/05/2017Posted: 08/05/2017

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SZYMON KLEKOWICKI ~ A DAY IN THE BUS AUDIO CAVE 2019/001 (Barcode: 5905669566698) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz trombonist / flugelhornist Szymon KlekowickiFind albums by this artist, recorded in a sextet setting with saxophonist Jakub LepaFind albums by this artist and Marcin DabrowskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Adam JarzmikFind albums by this artist, bassist Tymon TrabczynskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Michal DziewinskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, five by Klekowicki and two by Jarzmik. The music is conventional melody based contemporary European Jazz, with solid compositions and arrangements, which create ideal opportunities for the members of the sextet to show their chops. The two compositions by Jarzmik are more rounded and mature, similarly to his excellent work presented on his two earlier album releases. Klekowicki´s music is somewhat Bebop oriented, but by no means outdated and full of great ideas. All the compositions are coherent and interesting, creating a wonderful musical flow that seems to be over way too soon, leaving the listener wishing for more. The level of execution is of course nothing short of excellent all the way through and these "youngsters" sound like Jazz veterans, which never ceases to amaze. The saxophone unisono parts are a neat and effective arrangement trick, which produces a "big" sound of the entire sextet and wonderful harmonic "colorization". Klekowicki seems to be proficient both on trombone and flugelhorn, thus adding sonoric diversity to the entire album. Jarzmik is of course also a terrific piano player and his superb melodic phrases ale balsam on the ears. The rhythm section plays exactly what is expected of them, keeping strict time and not being obtrusive, which is what this music needs the most, being already dense enough, but they get an opportunity to shine as well. Overall this is a first class debut effort, which gives Klekowicki a solid head start of his career. He joins the ranks of the young generation of European Jazz musicians, who proudly keep the idiom alive and kicking, making us, the elders, smile with hope that not all is lost. Albums like that one are heartwarming and obviously highly recommended. Already waiting for the next one!

Updated: 21/02/2019Posted: 21/02/2019

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LUDO KOTLAR ~ HANGIN` HUDOBNY FOND 8588006417197 (Barcode: 8588006417197) ~ SLOVAKIA ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017 This is the debut album by young Slovak pianist / composer Ludo KotlarFind albums by this artist, recorded with his trio: Polish bassist Tymon TrabczynskiFind albums by this artist and already established Slovak drummer Marian SevcikFind albums by this artist. Slovak trumpeter Lukas OravecFind albums by this artist and American (Born in London) saxophonist Wayne EscofferyFind albums by this artist guest on four tracks, transforming the classic trio into a classic quintet. The album presents eight compositions, five of which are original compositions by Kotlar, two are by Oravec and one is a standard. The music is all melodic mainstream Jazz, with solid compositions but very little challenge as far innovation and contribution to the idiom is concerned. The way the music is performed is also very conventional and although highly professional, it lacks inspiration or flair. The album is very similar to thousands of American mainstream Jazz albums, which were all made as if from one mold. The music lacks any European aesthetic or Folkloristic influences, and is therefore just a copy of the American tradition, which stopped developing since the days of Bebop. The individual statements by the musicians are all flawless of course and Kotlar plays very well technically, but lacks originality. Of course this is just my opinion and many mainstream Jazz lovers could probably enjoy this album immensely. For me it is all just déjà vu.

Updated: 10/04/2018Posted: 10/04/2018

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MARTYNA SABAK ~ BYLAM JESTEM BEDE NOT ON LANEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 2023 Released: 2023 This is the debut solo album by Polish vocalist / songwriter Martyna SabakFind albums by this artist recorded with a quintet of young but experienced Polish Jazz musicians: pianist Adam JarzmikFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Ignacy WendtFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Jakub LepaFind albums by this artist, bassist Tymon TrabczynskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Piotr BudniakFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten songs, all co-composed by Sabak and Jarzmik, with lyrics by Sabak, three of which are in English and the rest in Polish. The music is an amalgam of quality Pop, Soul and mainstream Jazz genres, excellently arranged for the accompanying quintet and a great fun to listen to from start to finish. Although definitely on the lighter side of the Jazz idiom, it is well put together and offers a pleasant musical experience. Sabak has an expressive, soul oriented vocal technique, which fits the material perfectly. The arrangements and the accompanying musicians set the songs into an attractive framework, which can be enjoyed by a wide audience. I am not a great fan of Polish vocalists singing in English, but since the majority of the songs are in Polish, this is not a major hurdle. My advice is to avoid this in the future. Overall, this is a very nice debut effort, which offers great contributions both in the vocals and songwriting departments, showing a lot of potential. Sabak needs to find her personal style, which will be more stylistically refined than what she presents here, but she is surely on the right path. All the best with your future projects, young Lady!

Updated: 14/12/2023Posted: 14/12/2023

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