Record Reviews

BREAKOUT ~ KAMIENIE MUZA 944 (Barcode: 5907783499449) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1974 Released: 2005 7th album by brilliant Polish ensemble BreakoutFind albums by this artist formed and led by guitarist / vocalist / composer Tadeusz NalepaFind albums by this artist. Breakout was formed in 1968 after Nalepa decided to change the name of his previous group BlackoutFind albums by this artist and reformed it under the new name. This new lineup of the group also included guitarist Winicjusz ChrostFind albums by this artist, bassist Zdzislaw ZawadzkiFind albums by this artist and drummer Wojciech MorawskiFind albums by this artist. Nalepa´s musical background was deeply rooted in Blues, and much of the group´s material was in fact Blues-Rock based, but Prog and Psychedelic influences turned Breakout into one of the most formidable East European groups ever, with a broad range of cross-genre musical activities. Breakout had an immense influence on the Polish, as well as the entire East European music scene, serving as a beacon to generations of musicians living behind the Iron Curtain. In their native country Breakout was often criticized by the Socialist regime for idealizing Western culture and their music was banned from the media during the peak of the "dark age" repressions in the late 1960, which eventually only increased the following the group enjoyed among the young generation. Nalepa, who composed all of the group´s music, worked closely with lyricist / poet Bogdan LoeblFind albums by this artist, who supplied the band with highly intelligent and often controversial lyrics, way above the usual level of Rock lyrics used in Rock at the time. This album, taking them back to the basic quartet lineup, was their most successful release in their native country. In retrospect this is a timeless classic and any connoisseur of East European Rock / Prog will find it phenomenal. Brilliant stuff!

CD 1 Digipak Oversampling Remastered Recommend To A Friend

PIOTR FIGIEL ~ GDZIES, KIEDYS GAD 103 (Barcode: 5903068120428) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 1977 - 1979 Released: 2019 This is a reissue of an album by Polish keyboardist / composer Piotr FigielFind albums by this artist, recorded with his ensemble which included guitarists Winicjusz ChrostFind albums by this artist and Slawomir PiwowarFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Wlodzimierz WinskiFind albums by this artist, drummer Tomasz PilewskiFind albums by this artist and others, whose names disappeared into the void of history. Legendary vocal group NOVIFind albums by this artist and vocalist Krzysztof CugowskiFind albums by this artist contribute some background vocal parts. The album presented eleven original compositions, most of which were composed by Figiel, except one which was co-composed with Andrzej JanuszkoFind albums by this artist and another one composed by Januszko. This reissue adds eight previously unreleased tracks, which were intended as a soundtrack to a TV film. The music is a collection of stylistically diverse instrumentals, mostly Soul and Funk oriented, with a Jazzy feel. Several of these tunes were used in soundtracks by contemporary Polish movies and overall this album represents well the Polish incidental music of the late 1970s. Figiel plays electric piano and analog synthesizers, which he does excellently of course, but this music was not created to reflect the instrumental abilities of the musicians involved in its making but rather create certain specific moods and atmospheres. Overall the album is first and foremost a tribute to Figiel´s abilities as a composer and his instrumental performances are only secondary, in contrast to his debut alum "Piotr". However it is still a wonderful example of ambitious incidental music and a great document of Polish popular music history.

Updated: 10/03/2020Posted: 10/03/2020

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

ANDRZEJ KORZYNSKI ~ WIELKI SZU (SOUNDTRACK) GAD 061 (Barcode: 5901549197815) ~ POLAND ~ Soundtracks Recorded: 1982 - 1983 Released: 2017 This is an archival release of the previously unreleased soundtrack to the cult Polish movie "Wielki Szu", scored by one of the most prolific Polish cinematic composers Andrzej KorzynskiFind albums by this artist. This is the third album on the excellent Polish GADFind albums on this label Records label, which presents a soundtrack scored by Korzynski. This expanded edition includes the eighteen pieces that were included in the movie and three bonus tracks, one of which is an outtake and two are taken from another movie filmed at the same period, called "Dzien Kolibra", also scored by Korzynski. The music is performed by an ensemble which features some of the top instrumentalists of the time, including guitarist Winicjusz ChrostFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Henryk MajewskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Arkadiusz ZakFind albums by this artist, drummer Adam LewandowskiFind albums by this artist and others. The music is an amalgam of synthesizer based instrumental music, which originates from Korzynski´s studio ensemble Arp LifeFind albums by this artist days and a more up to date groove, disco, blues, funk and what have you, which somehow work together even in this stand-alone version outside of the movie´s framework. In retrospect the Polish Funk of the 1980s, which is now a thought after commodity and a source of many compilations, is well represented here. The instrumental work, although limited by the time restrictions of soundtrack music, is really interesting, especially so the bluesy guitar parts by Chrost and superb drumming by Lewandowski. The sound quality, intelligent liner notes, photographs, graphic design and the meticulous attention to details, which characterize all GAD releases, is an example of how reissues are supposed to look like and what they are all about. Preservation of Polish National Cultural Heritage is a work of love and dedication, and happens even without the support of the Polish Ministry, which is supposed to support it. Well done, as always!

Updated: 29/01/2019Posted: 26/01/2018

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

KRZYSZTOF SADOWSKI ~ THREE THOUSANDS POINTS (POLISH JAZZ VOL.47) GAD 031 (Barcode: 5901549197396) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1974 - 1997 Released: 2015 This is a reissue (first time on CD) of the third album by Polish Jazz keyboardist / composer Krzysztof SadowskiFind albums by this artist recorded with an ensemble called Organ GroupFind albums by this artist, which also included flautist / vocalist Liliana UrbanskaFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Vesselin NikolovFind albums by this artist and Tomasz SzukalskiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Winicjusz ChrostFind albums by this artist, bass guitarist Wojciech BruslikFind albums by this artist, drummers Zbigniew KitlinskiFind albums by this artist and Wojciech MorawskiFind albums by this artist and finally percussionists Andrzej ZielinskiFind albums by this artist and Bozena BruszewskaFind albums by this artist. The reason for the long lineup is the fact that the album was recorded during two separate sessions with two different lineups. This album was released at the time as part of the legendary "Polish Jazz" series (as Vol.47) and included originally only four tracks, the first of which gave the album its title and was a twenty one minutes long suite originally found on side A of the LP. The three tracks on side B were shorter and spanned between three to nine minutes in duration. Two of the compositions were originals, both composed by Sadowski; one was a Keith JarrettFind albums by this artist tune and one was a Classical piece. This remastered reissue adds three bonus tracks recorded at the Polish Radio. The music on this album shows Sadowski at full swing as a Jazz-Rock Fusion musician, firmly based in the Fusion idiom, which was pretty well established by then both on the Polish scene and abroad. He expands his arsenal and uses electric piano and early synthesizer (ring modulator) gadgets. The flute parts are more daring and the vocalese more developed, clearly following the work of Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist. Nikolov adds a tinge of Balkan spice and Szukalski blows away like only he could, touching upon Free at times. The rhythmic support is very Rock oriented and the overall sound and feel of the music resembles to some extent the best Fusion ensembles active in the West but maintains an East European identity both harmonically and melodically. In retrospect the album is a great document of the time at which it was recorded, proving that in spite of the relative separation from what was happing beyond the Iron Curtain, Polish Jazz was responding rapidly to the changes in the Jazz idiom, often with ferocity and ingenuity, which were impossible to hold back by the political regime. The grammar mistake in the English version of the title (preserved for historic consistency) is a nice reminder of Socialist bureaucracy (an insider´s joke). As usual it is my duty to thank GADFind albums on this label Records for taking care of the Polish Jazz heritage, who is sadly a lonely rider on that trail. This superb music definitely needs to be fondly remembered and discovered by new generations!

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend