Record Reviews

DIXIE WARSAW JAZZMEN ~ CHINA BOY NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2012 Released: 2012 This delightful album presents the Polish Traditional Jazz ensemble Dixie Warsaw JazzmenFind albums by this artist, which comprises of musicians who used to play with other Polish Trad ensembles like HagawFind albums by this artist, Vistula River Brass BandFind albums by this artist, Gold WashboardFind albums by this artist and others: trumpeter Stefan WozniakowskiFind albums by this artist, clarinetist and vocalist Andrzej BigolasFind albums by this artist, bass saxophonist Wlodzimierz HalikFind albums by this artist and banjoist and vocalist Zygmunt JagodzinskiFind albums by this artist. They invited the violinist Maciej StrzelczykFind albums by this artist as a special guest and finally added the Fuerte String QuartetFind albums by this artist to play with them, creating a most unusual Trad ensemble with a new approach and rich sound texture. The music includes seven classic Dixieland compositions mostly dating from the early 20th Century, newly arranged to include the string quartet parts and featuring Polish lyrics on some of them. The overall effect is quite surprising and fresh, which should please many listeners, even those who usually don´t listen to Trad Jazz. It is great to see Trad Jazz still being performed vigorously and with such obvious dedication. Many younger Jazz listeners, who are unaware of the early history of the music, should find this most educational on top of being highly enjoyable. Strzelczyk plays some wonderful solos here and all the rest of the musicians perform spotlessly and with inspiration. This is a great opportunity to take a peek at the less serious, demanding and often over-intellectual Jazz by visiting the historic sources of the music and simply having fun! Very nice indeed!

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend

HAGAW ~ DO YOU LOVE HAGAW? (POLISH JAZZ VOL.12) POLSKIE RADIO 0544 (Barcode: 5901448115446) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1967 Released: 2005 The Polish traditional Jazz ensemble HagawFind albums by this artist was one of several excellent groups formed in the 1960s, when traditional Jazz enjoyed an enormous revival in Poland, especially among students, co-existing peacefully with modern Jazz, which flourished in parallel. This is their debut album on which the ensemble plays a set of fifteen wonderful original compositions, most of all written by their primary composers: leader / banjoist Grzegorz BrudkoFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Wlodzimierz CiukFind albums by this artist. Other band members include violinist Henryk KowalskiFind albums by this artist, trombonist Jerzy KowalskiFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Ryszard KulaFind albums by this artist, bassist Wlodzimierz HalikFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof AdamekFind albums by this artist. Their music is a unique mixture of early Jazz; New Orleans, Dixieland and Swing, mixed with Eastern-European influences and spiced with a great sense of humor. The group enjoyed enormous success in their country and all over the world, and they continued to tour for many years. Any true Jazz fan, even if his musical preferences lie elsewhere, should be able to appreciate how good this music is, how well it withstood the tides of time, and how enjoyable it is, transcending artificial categorization by genre. Wholeheartedly recommended!

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