Record Reviews

KUBA CICHOCKI ~ FLOWING CIRCLES BJU 076 (Barcode: 195269264673) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2021 - 2023 Released: 2023 This is an album by Polish (resident in US) Jazz pianist / composer Kuba CichockiFind albums by this artist, recorded with American musicians: saxophonist Lucas PinoFind albums by this artist, guitarist Brandon SeabrookFind albums by this artist, bassist Edward PerezFind albums by this artist and drummer Colin StranahanFind albums by this artist. Polish vocalist Bogna KicinskaFind albums by this artist (also resident in US) adds vocalese parts and in one case sings lyrics. Three musicians guest on one track and a string quartet guests on three tracks. The album presents ten tracks, all of which are original composition by Cichocki, and one includes lyrics by Polish poetess Wislawa SzymborskaFind albums by this artist. The music comes as a huge surprise, considering the fact that earlier recordings by Cichocki, which I am familiar with, were pretty straightforward Fusion, whereas this album is way more advanced musically and offers pretty radical modern Jazz, often bordering on Free, uses mostly odd meters and unconventional instrumentation. Kicinska’s vocalese parts are similar to her work on her debut album “The MazeFind albums with this title”, recorded almost a decade earlier, which was excellent, and the track, which features the lyrics, is definitely of the best ones on the album. The radical change in Cichocki’s approach is very interesting and commendable, but on the way he lost much of his melodic / romantic touch, which was pretty impressive on his earlier recordings, and as a result this new album suffers from many pretty chaotic moments, where the music seems to have lost its course. It seems that the stylistic change was tad too radical, at least to my ears. Also the recording quality lacks depth and detail, which makes the music sound detached and alienated, being quite difficult to listen to. The last track on the album, a solo piano piece, which was recorded more than a couple of years following the rest of the material, is another radical stylistic change, in a Jazz-Classical Fusion direction, which is perhaps a sign of things to come. It is the most interesting piece on this album. Overall, this is a very interesting experiment, perhaps somewhat to drastic and recorded too early, before the music had time to crystalize and settle. But it is definitely a step in the right direction, as far as making ambitious music is concerned, and one can hope the next effort should be more focused.

Updated: 26/07/2024Posted: 26/07/2024

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KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA ~ MEINE SUSSE EUROPAISCHE HEIMAT: DICHTUNG UND JAZZ AUS POLEN ANEX 401 (Barcode: 5907513047957) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 1967 Released: 2012 This is not just an album; for people who love Polish Jazz and Polish Culture, this is a monumental piece of Art and History… And for Polish Jazz this is probably the most important recording ever made, surely as far as international exposure of Polish Jazz is concerned. This album was devised, planned and eventually completed thanks to the efforts of Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist, a German writer, critic, producer (and my dear personal Friend and Mentor), one of the most important figures on the European Jazz scene during its formative years. Berendt, a devoted intellectual, was an enthusiastic supporter of early multi-media collaborations involving Jazz, especially in the Jazz & Poetry realm, fell in love with Polish Jazz from the moment he heard it during the groundbreaking second Sopot Jazz Festival in 1957, which he attended accompanying a delegation of German Jazz players. The plans to make this album were planted in his mind then and there, but unfortunately the Iron Curtain, the invisible great divide splitting Europe in two during the Cold War era, was stronger than the goodwill of the people who wanted to make it happen. It took a whole decade until Berendt was able to invite pianist / composer Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist and his group, which included trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Roman DylagFind albums by this artist and Swedish drummer Rune CarlssonFind albums by this artist, to his SWF radio studio in Baden-Baden to finally record the music. In parallel Berendt invited the German translator Karl DedeciusFind albums by this artist, who was the most important and pioneering translator of Polish and Russian literature and poetry into the German language, to select and translate the poems, which were to be combined with Komeda´s music and recited by actor Helmut LohnerFind albums by this artist. Dedecius made a brilliant job, obviously a labor of lave for him, both as a translator and editor, selecting twenty four poems by Polish poets, many of which were at the time relatively obscure and politically "problematic" for the Socialistic regime. In retrospect two of these poets: Wislawa SzymborskaFind albums by this artist and Czeslaw MiloszFind albums by this artist were eventually to be awarded the Nobel Prize in literature – not a bad guess indeed. By the time this album was recorded Komeda was of course already the undisputed Godfather of modern Polish Jazz, as well as a world-famous composer of film music, most notably those directed by Roman PolanskiFind albums by this artist, but also many others. His quintet was one of the best European Jazz ensembles at the time, which of course is clearly evident on this recording. Komeda´s themes are perfect companions to the poems, full of lyricism and deep emotions, expressive and often quite free form, enabling the soloists to expand the basic structure into improvised passages. The album was originally released in West Germany by EMI / ColumbiaFind albums on this label in 1967 and the original vinyl is a super-rare collectors´ item. This new edition adds as bonus tracks three of the themes used on the original album, recorded in extended instrumental versions by the same quintet, which are of course sensational. The album is beautifully packaged in a book-like digipak, which includes the original liner notes by Berendt and many splendid photographs. The texts (both Polish and the German translations) of the poems are unfortunately not included (except one), which is a pity, but obtaining all the copyrights was probably too much of a nightmare. An extended essay about this album should have also been appropriately written. The fact that this album was not available (at least in a proper form) for forty five years is a shame and this new edition falls under "better late than never" category. Polish Jazz connoisseurs should of course be delighted, finally being able to savor this timeless piece of Art. I can´t imagine any serious Polish Jazz enthusiast not having this album in their collection. I think I can see the late Joachim Berendt smiling, somewhere in the "higher sphere", seeing his brain-child resurrected…

Updated: 29/12/2023Posted:

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KASIA OSTERCZY ~ TRAVEL ELEGY AUDIO CAVE 2020/009 (Barcode: 5908298549070) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz vocalist / composer Kasia OsterczyFind albums by this artist recorded in a trio setting with saxophonist / clarinetist Kuba MarciniakFind albums by this artist and guitarist Piotr ScholzFind albums by this artist. It is a Jazz & Poetry project, which presents eight original compositions, all by Osterczy, two instrumentals and six songs with lyrics by Polish poetess Wislawa SzymborskaFind albums by this artist translated into English by Stanislaw BaranczakFind albums by this artist and Clare CavanaghFind albums by this artist. The album was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist. Form the first moment I took the album in my hands I was taken aback by the concept; why would a Polish singer perform Polish poetry in the English language? Tragically my worst fears turned out to be justified. For the entire duration of the album I was not able to understand a single word pronounced by the singer, that for several reasons: Firstly the usual problem of pronunciation, accent and delivery that all Polish singers have while singing in English, which is a true plague of the Polish vocal Jazz scene in particular and music scene in general. This madness has been going on for decades and sadly is only spreading. Secondly the arrangements, which call for the vocals to be accompanied unisono by the guitar or clarinet, hide the vocal parts making them in many instances hardly even audible. The shrill guitar sound and the high pitch of the vocals have a devastating result when heard together. Thirdly the very idea of singing Polish poetry in English, other than possibly popularizing Polish Culture for non-Polish speaking audiences, is truly absurd. At least a text with the translated poems should have been included in the packaging? It is, after all, not a case where this album will be heard by millions of listeners outside Poland, is it? There are of course some positive aspects to this album: the music is ambitious and interesting, the musicians are certainly able, and even the vocals are fine as long as they are vocalese only. It makes me truly sad to think that this project might have achieved a completely different result if Osterczy had stuck to the beautiful original texts in Polish and the balance / separation between her voice and the accompanying instruments was different… oh well, a great pity.

Updated: 04/09/2020Posted: 04/09/2020

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SKALDOWIE ~ WSZYSTKIM ZAKOCHANYM (EXPANDED EDITION) KAMELEON 06 ~ POLAND ~ Pop & Rock Recorded: 1972 Released: 2013 This is the sixth album by the legendary Polish group SkaldowieFind albums by this artist, one of the most influential groups during the Golden Decade east of the Iron Curtain. Founded by brothers: Andrzej ZielinskiFind albums by this artist (vocalist, keyboardist, composer, arranger and leader) and Jacek ZielinskiFind albums by this artist (vocalist, multi-instrumentalist), Skaldowie epitomized everything that was great about the Polish scene in the late 1960s / early 1970s, which struggled against all odds with economic hardships, political censorship and relative isolation from the Western centers of musical development at the time. Considering those objective adversities, their achievements were simply phenomenal and the music they created remains a symbol of human genius and creativity overcoming all limitations. This album was recorded in May 1972 just a week before the group recorded their Progressive Rock Magnum Opus "Krywan, KrywanFind albums with this title". It includes more song oriented material Andrzej Zielinski composed since the recording of their previous album two years earlier. It features the Hammond organ extensively, which the group managed to bring over from the US and its sound was about to become the group´s trademark in years to come, but also some quiet songs with almost acoustic accompaniment. The other group members are: guitarist Jerzy TarsinskiFind albums by this artist, bassist / vocalist Konrad RatynskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Jan BudziaszekFind albums by this artist. The group was about to repeat in the future the same practice of releasing two albums almost simultaneously, one with song oriented material (like this one) and the other with Progressive Rock material. Musically the album combines their earlier work in the realms of sophisticated Pop, Psychedelia and Baroque Rock and the new territory of Progressive Rock, which was exploding with creativity at the time. Zielinski´s incredible talent to compose breathtakingly beautiful melodies and his arrangement skills, which involved vocal harmonies, unexpected tempo changes and multi-themed songs, as well as catchy riffs, which made this music, in spite of its complexity and sophistication, accessible to a wide range of audiences. Skaldowie also used excellent lyrics, which were written by the great lyricists like Leszek Aleksander MoczulskiFind albums by this artist, who cooperated with the group for many years or the poetesses Agnieszka OsieckaFind albums by this artist and Wislawa SzymborskaFind albums by this artist (the future Nobel Prize Laureate). This expanded edition includes ten bonus tracks (doubling the original album´s length), partly radio recordings and partly alternate studio material. The bonus tracks all have excellent quality and are a valuable addition to the original album. This is a perfect piece of Rock music, if there ever was one. Of course the destiny placed the group at the right time at the wrong place. Had they been active in UK or US they would have been a Rock icon, no doubt, but alas it was not to be. Nevertheless they made a tremendous contribution to East European music and many of their albums are absolute gems, this one included.

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KAROLINA SMIETANA ~ ILLUSION RECART 0021 (Barcode: 5908285287206) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2015 - 2016 Released: 2017 This is the debut album by the Polish (resident in Denmark) singer / songwriter Karolina SmietanaFind albums by this artist recorded with an excellent Polish / Danish quartet comprising of Polish guitarist Rafal SarneckiFind albums by this artist and drummer Radek WoskoFind albums by this artist and Danish pianist Soren GemmerFind albums by this artist and bassist Anders FjeldstedFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine tracks, six of which are original compositions by Smietana, one is co-composed by her and Wosko and the remaining two are standards. Smietana also wrote the English lyrics to five of the songs, one is a poem by the Polish poetess Wislawa SzymborskaFind albums by this artist (and is the only case of Polish lyrics on the album) and the remaining three texts originate from other sources. The album was recorded (mostly) at the excellent RecPublica Studios and engineered by Lukasz OlejarczykFind albums by this artist with great sonic results, as expected. Smetana´s music is quite typical of the Polish Jazz vocal idiom, with solid melodies and coherent structures, which are pleasant and easy on the ear, without being trivial or boring. The songs are diverse enough to show her compositional palette and the lyrics are not an insult to the intelligence, which in today´s musical world is a success by itself. On the other hand, however, not everything is perfect; Smietana has a nice mellow voice, which she uses wisely, but her vocal range is limited and there are no virtuosic vocal performances herein. The usual problem with singing in English, when it is not the singer´s native tongue, produces the common pronunciation and accent problems. What gives the album a great boost are the great instrumental performances by the quartet, which does a superb job accompanying her. Sarnecki plays superbly and manages to create a few brilliant solos. Gemmer also proves to be a great accompanist, with a great feel for melody and excellent technique. The rhythm section does an amicable job all along and plays along with the vocals and the lead instruments with elegance and flair. In short the instrumental parts are top notch. Overall this is a nice vocal Jazz album, which exposes Smietana as an able vocalist and solid composer, marking a positive kickstart of her career. I am already looking forward to her next project!

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

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SPHERE ~ SYNESTHESIA HEVHETIA 0085 (Barcode: 8588005257268) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2014 This is the debut album by Polish trio SphereFind albums by this artist, which comprises of vocalist / composer Ania RybackaFind albums by this artist, guitarist / composer Marek KadzielaFind albums by this artist and clarinetist / composer Jakub DybzynskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven relatively short original compositions, seven of which were composed by Rybacka, one by Kadziela and three by Dybzynski. Stylistically Sphere crosses genres and styles freely from one composition to another and often even within one composition, moving from clear melodic statements to Jazzy improvisations and even a serene form of Improvised Music bordering on Avant-Garde. The unusual lineup produces a unique and quite unusual sound environment, in which the human voice is treated as an instrument, playing along with the two instruments. The trio often uses a technique where two of the three members play / sing more or less unisono and the third instrument / voice plays "against" the duo, as if on a separate plane. This allows for a multitude of different combinations, which save the album from being repetitive or monotonous. Rybacka sings wordless vocalese on all the tunes, except for the last piece on the album, which uses a poem by Polish poetesses Wislawa SzymborskaFind albums by this artist (translated into English) as spoken lyrics. She also multi-tracks her voice to create a chorus effect and uses electronics to synthesize many different vocal effects. The guitar, although electrically amplified and the clarinet stick to natural acoustic sound. The resulting harmony and sound of the trio is quite eerie at times, but does not cross the border into cacophony. The most important factor of this album is the endeavor to search for new forms of expression, in an intimate environment and without stylistic limitations. These three young musicians are all well established Artists by now and Sphere is just one of several different projects they are all involved with. They obviously share the vision of creating new musical vistas and expanding the horizons, which by itself is commendable. This is not easy music by any means, even if it is mostly intimate and low-key. It requires from the listener a certain level of attention and dedication, as well as open-mindedness, involved with both intellectual and emotional process of absorption. But since ambitious music is never easy, the effort required to listen to this music is refunded in full eventually. Definitely a worthy effort which should make the band members proud and a high quality debut album by all means!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

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KRYSTYNA STANKO ~ KROPLA SLOWA STM 004 (Barcode: 5907592141010) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2012 Released: 2012 This is the sixth album by Polish Jazz vocalist / composer / lyricist Krystyna StankoFind albums by this artist, and her most ambitious undertaking to date, as it presents her in the Jazz & Poetry setting, which is always very demanding and perilous. The album comprises of ten songs; four of which have lyrics by the Nobel Prize laureate poetess Wislawa SzymborskaFind albums by this artist (who died in 2012), two with lyrics by poetess Halina PoswiatowskaFind albums by this artist (who died in 1967 at a ridiculous young age of 32), one with lyrics by poetess Dorota SzattersFind albums by this artist (a contemporary lyricist living in Silesia, the southern part of Poland), one with lyrics by the poet Tomasz JastrunFind albums by this artist (well-known for his involvement with the underground literary movement during the Socialist regime) and the last two with lyrics by Stanko herself. Of the ten songs, seven were composed by vibraphonist / composer Dominik BukowskiFind albums by this artist, two by Stanko and one by bassist / composer Paul RutschkaFind albums by this artist, who is Stanko´s nephew. The songs are performed by Stanko, who is accompanied by a core trio, which includes Bukowski and the wonderful rhythm section of bassist Piotr LemanczykFind albums by this artist and drummer Cezary KonradFind albums by this artist. In addition several excellent musicians participate as guests adding their contributions to one or two of the songs, those being: saxophonists Maciej ObaraFind albums by this artist and Irek WojtczakFind albums by this artist, guitarist Jacek KrolikFind albums by this artist, percussionist Miroslaw HadyFind albums by this artist, Indonesian pianist Sri HanuragaFind albums by this artist and bassist Paul Rutschka. A string quartet is also utilized on a couple of songs. The presence of so many musicians creates a much diversified album, with each of the songs being quite distinct and different sounding instrumentally, which enhances the listening experience and allows for unexpected vistas. Of course the diversity does not disturb the general atmosphere of the album, which is wonderfully lyrical and introvert, as are most Polish Jazz & Poetry albums. For listeners familiar with the Polish scene, this album immediately brings on a need to match it up against the recent work by Polish Jazz vocalist Aga ZaryanFind albums by this artist, which is conceptually and spiritually in the same aesthetic sphere of influence. In fact this album is incredibly akin to Zaryan´s latest album. One can only speculate as to how much of this proximity is intentional, but probably very little. It is more likely a result of the characteristics of both Polish Jazz and Polish Poetry being so dominant, with the distinctive rhythm of the language, its "playability" and inherent musicality, which contributed to this close encounter. Of course these albums are also wonderfully different, which creates a joyous opportunity to love them both. Stanko should be praised for sticking with her mother tongue, against the temptations of "international potential", which brings many Polish singers to try their luck with texts in English. Every music connoisseur understands that vocalists are at their best when singing in their natural language, and of course even more so in case poetry is used. Stanko´s interpretation and articulation of the poems is warm and wonderfully round, expressing her deep engagement with this project. The music is also excellent, and although melodic, it proves to be quite challenging at times, with twisted progressions and unusual harmonic structure. Listeners, who are not familiar with the Polish language, will still be able to enjoy this album immensely, just listening to Stanko´s vocals as another instrument in the ensemble, carrying the melody. The overall level of performances is truly amazing. The vibraphone and marimba are difficult instruments, especially for the less experienced listeners, but Bukowski manages to use them subtly, often staying low-key and wonderfully supportive towards the vocalist. Lemanczyk plays absolutely stunningly, with his virtuosic bass lines carrying the music like wind over water. Konrad, a well-respected veteran, is the ensemble´s chronometer, without actually playing the beat, masterfully ornamenting the music with his percussive touches. The guest musicians all contribute in their relative fields of expertise. The leading Lady is firmly expressing the lyrics and yet creating a brilliant atmosphere of fragility and insecurity, as appropriate in such context. A job well done indeed! I admit falling in love with this album immediately. Those sensitive, intelligent and brilliantly talented women always capture my musical heart filling it with passion and sweet delight. Age, experience and cynicism simply melt away. The only gentlemanly thing left is to thank Stanko for creating this heartwarming peace of musical delight and wish her God´s speed. I´m already longing for the next one!

Updated: 23/03/2024Posted:

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TOMASZ STANKO ~ WISLAWA ECM 2304/05 (Barcode: 6025371377256) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2012 Released: 2013 I always try to write about albums as soon as possible after they arrive on my desk and then dwell a while in my CD player. Usually these immediate reflections about music turn out to be accurate, as far as I am concerned, and when I read them later, sometimes years later, my initial opinion remains unchanged. This album is a very special and unusual case, as I´ve let almost a year pass by since I´ve heard this music for the first time, holding my tongue. Polish trumpeter / composer Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist has been (and still is) one of my absolute top Artists for decades and my admiration towards his music lasted unshaken for all that time… until this album. When I heard it for the first time my initial reaction was a kind of disappointment, which of course I found quite shocking and improbable. Therefore I decided not to write a review for the time being. In the time that passed since, I´ve listened to the album repeatedly and also heard this music live. During the three years that passed between the time he recorded his previous album ("Dark EyesFind albums with this title") with a Scandinavian band and the recording of this album, Stanko deepened his ties with New York, taking a permanent residence there and establishing a new quartet, which he calls the New York Quartet. It comprises of himself and three American musicians: pianist David VirellesFind albums by this artist (aged 29 at the time of the recording, of Cuban origin, who arrived in NY in 2009), bassist Thomas MorganFind albums by this artist (aged 31, an upcoming bass player who took part in recording of no less than five albums for ECMFind albums on this label in 2012 alone) and drummer Gerald CleaverFind albums by this artist (aged 49, an established artist on the US scene). This is the first time for Stanko, to play with an all-American band, as all his previous recordings involved either Polish musicians or other European (mostly Scandinavian) musicians. This new direction, which was obviously deliberate, made s tremendous impact on the music of course. The album is dedicated to the memory of the great Polish poetess and Nobel Prize Laureate Wislawa SzymborskaFind albums by this artist, who sadly passed away shortly before this album was recorded. Stanko knew Szymborska personally and even worked with her on occasion, accompanying the readings of her poetry. Her poetry inspired much of the music present on this album, as Stanko states in the liner notes. The album´s music, which consists of twelve original compositions, all by Stanko, fills two CDs, with six tracks on each CD, and the album was recorded in NY. Stanko´s aficionados will find the music pretty much familiar; brief beautiful melodic themes, which are Stanko´s trademark, are usually stated at the beginning of each tune and than the quartet explores these themes via a series of lengthy improvised passages, featuring individual solos and returning back to the melody either by mid-time or just at the very end of each piece. This formula works for Stanko (and numerous other Jazz players) since many decades and one does not change horses in the middle of a race. Of course this formula works fine only if the musicians involved have a statement to make; otherwise the improvised passages tend to get somewhat less exciting. One must admit that Stanko plays superbly on this album, definitely as good as he always did. His tone can be piercing like a spear, or delicate as a butterfly´s wings, lyrical and even romantic. More importantly he plays a lot, which of course is a benevolent treat, since on some of his recordings his net input is much more modest. Several of his passionate solos on this album are some of his best ever. His melodies are also simply brilliant, as always, but the duration of the entire album tends to create a feeling of sameness, sort of a déjà vu, as if the same melodic theme was already used more that once earlier on, which is definitely a very weird feeling. The American quartet members are all fine musicians, no question about it. But their contributions on this album are honestly extremely limited. None of them, especially the pianist, rise in the slightest to the statue of the Master, even if the potential is there. Virelles is a splendid player, as evident live and on his other recordings, and in retrospect it is a great pity his contribution here is quite pale. The rhythm section does the job, but none of their efforts are exciting for the entire duration of the album, which takes some of the joy out of the potential pleasure of listening to this album. One might speculate that if this album was recorded a year later, after this material was performed repeatedly live by the quartet, the results might have been quite different. The big question hidden behind this album is: does Jazz have a Nationality? Stanko´s music has been a symbol of European Jazz for decades. It impersonates the European individuality, elegance, sophistication, thousands of years of Cultural heritage and (for good and for bad) the European singularity. Is it that Stanko wishes to leave all that behind him and try something else, i.e. play American Jazz? Or perhaps he hopes to teach the Americans to play European Jazz? Or may be he wants to create a Euro-American Jazz amalgam? Or simply he thinks that Jazz is completely unrelated to geography? Surely only he can answer any of these questions. Recording an album involves a series of decisions, and obviously some decisions ware made when this album was recorded. The result is simply the effect of these decisions. For anybody else recording an album of such quality would have been a momentous occasion, but sadly for Stanko this is just a very good album, or a magnificent failure, if I may say so. Nevertheless my love and admiration towards Stanko and his music remain unshaken.

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WISLAWA SZYMBORSKA / TOMASZ STANKO ~ HERE ZNAK 9788324019250 (Barcode: 9788324019250) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2009 Released: 2012 This phenomenal album presents a live recording of a momentous occasion, which pairs the Polish Nobel Laureate, poetess Wislawa SzymborskaFind albums by this artist and Poland´s most renowned Jazz musician, trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, which took place on the 27th of January, 2009 in Krakow Opera. During the concert Szymborska recited poems from her last book of poetry published while she was still alive (she died almost exactly three years later) entitled "Here" ("Tutaj" in Polish). In between the poems Stanko improvised on solo trumpet a series of themes, inspired by her poems. Of course the seeds of Stanko´s album "WislawaFind albums with this title", dedicated to Szymborska and her poetry, recorded three years later, were planted right there and then during this concert. In 2012 the Polish publishing house Znak published a bilingual edition of "Here", with Polish and English versions of the poems, translated by Clare Cavanagh. That edition includes also this CD with the recording of the concert. This CD is not available separately and is only available with the book. Polish Jazz and Polish Poetry have been closely related since many decades. Polish poets, musicians and other Artists and Intellectuals always constituted the fertile soil of Polish Culture, even during the dark days of the Socialist Regime, or perhaps especially then. The Jazz & Poetry phenomenon has been documented on Polish Jazz records many times over the last decades, and this album is a significant addition to that splendid tradition. As Szymborska teasingly states at the opening of the concert, she was there on the stage entirely by mistake, since she came simply to listen to the trumpet… This is not the place to write extensively about Szymborska´s poetry, which of course is absolutely marvelous and perhaps the most intelligently minimal piece of Polish poetry ever. Her poems, which I adore for so many years, have always been pearls of wisdom, which reveal new layers of perception every time I read them. It takes time for these poems to sink deeply into one´s psyche, and therefore hearing them being recited by the author is a shattering experience. Sadly this experience is only available to listeners who speak the Polish language, although the book which comes with this CD does, as stated above, includes also the English translations of these poems. Stanko´s music does not need any translation of course, and speaks clearly and universally. These solo trumpet improvisations, which are all absolutely brilliant, have a life of their own, regardless of the fact that they were created vis-a-vis the recitation. Stanko is focused, powerful and yet lyrical and mystical, playing brilliantly as only he can, leaving the listeners simply breathless. Of course this is also an extra-rare opportunity to hear Stanko perform on his own, which reveals new facets of his complex artistic persona. This album is something way beyond being just a piece of plastic, which contains a frozen memory of an event. It symbolizes the epitome of Polish Culture and is a National Treasure in every respect. If it was up to me, a copy of this book and the CD would have a place in every Polish household; alas these are just poetic dreams… If you can get a copy of this, don´t dare to think twice!

Updated: 16/02/2016Posted: 02/01/2016

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IGNACY JAN WISNIEWSKI ~ KANTATA JAZZOWA WOOD AND MOOD 0011 (Barcode: 5907222681077) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the second album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Ignacy Jan WisniewskiFind albums by this artist, recorded with the same trio he used to record his debut, which includes bassist Adam ZuchowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Pawel OsickiFind albums by this artist. In addition the album features also vocalist Kamil DominiakFind albums by this artist. Together they present eight "songs", all composed by Wisniewski to the lyrics written specifically for this project by Polish Poet Michal RusinekFind albums by this artist. The entire song cycle is called a "Jazz Cantata" and of course firmly belongs to the marvelous Polish Jazz & Poetry tradition. The album was beautifully recorded at the now legendary Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist. The music presents an ambitious amalgam of cross-genre modern Jazz, with roots in contemporary Classical music, melodic mainstream Jazz and Avant-Garde improvisation, all tastefully put together with the lyrics, creating an impressive and powerful statement. Wisniewski, who concentrates mainly on composing music for theatre, has definitely a very strong theatrical "streak" as a composer, which comes to full bloom herein. The music is wonderfully executed, both on the instrumental and the vocal layers. Dominiak, who is not a Jazz singer, stands up to the challenge with flying colors, using his vocal abilities and more importantly theatrical expressionism to the max. The piano trio offers some excellent instrumental passages, shifting between melodic / rhythmic statements and Free Improvised moments with grace and elegance. The album offers a perfect balance between the instrumental and vocal contents, without one or the other being dominant, which is a rare quality in such projects. The poetry, which sadly is only accessible to native Polish speakers, is a wonderful example of the thriving contemporary Polish Poetry scene. Rusinek (well-known as the private secretary of the great Polish Poetess Wislawa SzymborskaFind albums by this artist) is an accomplished writer / translator / poet and his brilliant plays on words are a true delight. Overall this is another valuable addition to the Polish Jazz & Poetry legacy, which is being kept alive by the new generation of Polish Jazz composers / musicians, with the same passion and dedication as that of the pioneers of the genre six decades earlier. Definitely highly recommended!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 16/03/2019

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