Record Reviews

JAROMIR HONZAK ~ A QUESTION TO ALL YOUR ANSWERS ANIMAL MUSIC 005 (Barcode: 8594155996551) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz Recorded: 2006 Released: 2007 This is the fourth album as a leader by Czech Jazz bassist / composer Jaromir HonzakFind albums by this artist and his first release on the excellent Czech label Animal MusicFind albums on this label. The album was recorded by a Czech / Polish quartet which also included Czech guitarist David DoruzkaFind albums by this artist and Polish pianist Michal TokajFind albums by this artist and drummer Lukasz ZytaFind albums by this artist, both of which played with him on this album´s predecessor "Present PastFind albums with this title". Clarinetist Tomas CisteckyFind albums by this artist, flautist Lucie CisteckaFind albums by this artist and pianist Vojtech ProchazkaFind albums by this artist appear as guests. The album presents eight original compositions, all by Honzak. Seven of the tracks were recorded at the excellent Studio Tokarnia and engineered by Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist, with the usual superb sound quality. The last track was recorded at the Czech Radio and features the a.m. guests. Honzak, whom I have been watching closely since many years, proudly continues the Czech Jazz Bass tradition, established by internationally known bassists like George MrazFind albums by this artist (really Jiri MrazFind albums by this artist) and Miroslav VitousFind albums by this artist, but also less known outside of their homeland like Ludek HulanFind albums by this artist, Frantisek UhlirFind albums by this artist, Karel VejvodaFind albums by this artist, Petr KorinekFind albums by this artist and others. His beautifully round notes and chronometric pulsations are always a guarantee of a perfect rhythm section anchor in the numerous recording he took part in. But on this album Honzak great forte are his wonderful compositions, which are beautifully woven, versatile and most importantly open enough to be stretched and explored by the quartet members, often towards unexpected directions. As a result this album is a superb ride into the unforeseen, with each track taking the listener on a new adventure. Not losing the sense of melody and coherence, the music has so much freedom and breathing space that the flexibility is endless. Of course the leader gets fantastic support from the quartet members; Doruzka, here fourteen years younger than today, is already a bright star on the European scale, while Tokaj and Zyta, despite their relatively young age at the time were already seasoned veterans, capable of playing virtually anything. Together the quartet sounds like an organic unit and in retrospect I´d love to hear this experience repeated again. Overall this is a brilliant album from start to finish, a perfect reflection of 21st Century European Jazz at its best. Fourteen years later it still sounds perfectly fresh and sparkling with ingenuity, like a gem it is. Absolutely not to be missed!

Updated: 14/11/2020Posted: 28/08/2020

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VERTIGO ~ DALEKO ANIMAL MUSIC 081 (Barcode: 8594155999545) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the seventh album by Czech / Slovak Jazz ensemble VertigoFind albums by this artist, which comprises of saxophonist / clarinetist / vocalist Marcel BartaFind albums by this artist, trumpeter / vocalist Oskar TorokFind albums by this artist, cellist / vocalist Dorota BarovaFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Vojtech ProchazkaFind albums by this artist, bassist Rastislav UhrikFind albums by this artist and drummer Daniel SoltisFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven original compositions; five by Barta, three by Prochazka and one each by Barova (with her lyrics), Torok (with lyrics by Slovak poet Ivan KraskoFind albums by this artist) and Soltis. The music is a highly interesting mixture of contemporary Jazz, Chamber Classical music and some Fusion elements, a wonderfully weird, almost Zappaesque concoction, which offers a superb balance of composed and improvised music and should leave no open-minded listener indifferent. Since I am exposed on a daily basis to huge quantities of new music, it is not surprising that it is very difficult to surprise me ;) However this music is definitely a breath of fresh air with its chutzpah and seemingly complete disregard of conventionalism or populism. As a result the listener gets exposed to something different with each track on the album and yet the entire continuity preserves an aesthetic coherence, despite the diversity. The modus operandi of the ensemble is definitely focused on group performance, with the soloing being rather secondary, which does not however limit the superb individual contributions by all the members, which can be distinctly heard by an attentive listener. The intense ensemble sound dominates the proceedings and interestingly the usage of the human voices as instruments empowers the total result and adds another dimension. This music might require more than one listening session in order to penetrate the complexity and intricacy, but is definitely worth the effort. Personally it´s time for me to dig into the earlier recordings by the group, which are hopefully bearing gifts of the same nature. Overall this is a heck of an album, completely innovative and stunning by its chest of musical treasures, which is wholeheartedly recommended. My respect towards Czech / Slovak Jazz is well justified again and if you are bored by the mundane Jazz albums that clutter our life, this is definitely a fountain of youth ;) Enjoy and well done people (of the universe without plastic)!

Updated: 12/10/2020Posted: 12/10/2020

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VERTIGO ~ NIC ANIMAL MUSIC 107 (Barcode: 8594211850100) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2022 Released: 2022 This is the eighth album by Czech / Slovak Jazz ensemble VertigoFind albums by this artist, which comprises of saxophonist Marcel BartaFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Oskar TorokFind albums by this artist, cellist Dorota BarovaFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Vojtech ProchazkaFind albums by this artist, bassist Rastislav UhrikFind albums by this artist and drummer Daniel SoltisFind albums by this artist. The album presents fourteen original compositions; eight by Barta, two by Prochazka, one by Uhrik and three collective improvisations. The music was recorded at the Sono Records studio and engineered by Milan CimfeFind albums by this artist, with the usual stunning sound quality. The music is a sublime amalgam of cross-genre explorations, including contemporary Jazz, Chamber Classical Music, some Rock / Fusion elements and everything in between, completely shunning any simplistic definitions. Perfectly melodic at one moment, it becomes almost Improvised Music at the next, taking the listener on a see-saw journey of epic proportions. This music remains definitely a breath of fresh air with its chutzpah and seemingly complete disregard of conventionalism or populism. As a result, the listener gets exposed to something different with each track on the album and yet the entire continuity preserves an aesthetic coherence, despite the diversity. The emphasis on creating an ensemble sound rather than featuring expressive soloing is typical of contemporary European music, and Vertigo functions perfectly within that realm. The ominous title (“nothing” in English) reflects well the emptiness of the contemporary non-culture, which dominates our lives, and perhaps suggests how the void can be filled by something else, with a tinge of pessimism attached. Overall, this is a brilliant album from start to finish, which continues the Vertigo legacy, now twenty years in existence, filling our hearts with hope for the future. As long as European music has ensembles like Vertigo creating music, not all is lost. This album is well beyond recommendation; it is an absolute must to every true music connoisseur anywhere on this planet, as are in fact all their earlier recordings. This is bloodcurdling (in the best meaning of the word) stuff!

Updated: 05/10/2022Posted: 05/10/2022

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