Record Reviews

WOJCIECH GOGOLEWSKI ~ SKOK NR 8 GAD 094 (Barcode: 5903068120275) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1976 - 1977 Released: 2019 This is an archival album, which presents radio recordings by a quartet led by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Wojciech GogolewskiFind albums by this artist, which also included flautist Mieczyslaw WolnyFind albums by this artist, bassist Zbigniew WegehauptFind albums by this artist and drummer Czeslaw SzymanskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents six original compositions, all by the leader, all previously unreleased except for the title track which appeared on a compilation in "live" version. The music is modern Jazz mainstream, with a touch of Fusion, somewhat similar to the first version of Return To ForeverFind albums by this artist sans the vocals of course. The compositions are all solid and suit the unusual lineup of the quartet perfectly. The balance and the delicate sound created by the electric piano / flute front line results in serene, but beautifully expressive melodic tunes. The superb rhythm section provides the perfect frame for the music with the virtuosic bass lines by Wegehaupt, who despite his young age at the time was already one of the leading Polish Jazz bassists, and the delicate, melodic percussion ornamentation by Szymanski. It is a great pity that this fabulous music had to wait over forty years to be released. Michal WilczynskiFind albums by this artist, the owner of GADFind albums on this label Records, states on the album´s liner notes that this music deserved to be a part of the legendary "Polish Jazz" series, probably more than some of the albums that managed to be released as part of that series, and I wholeheartedly agree. This album is also a wonderful tribute to Wegehaupt, who was a dear friend of mine and whose tragic and untimely death was a shock to the entire Polish Jazz community, and is a testimony of his great talent, as clearly audible here. His soli are simply breathtaking. For Polish Jazz fans, flute lovers and European Jazz enthusiasts this album is an absolute must, a true gem finally seeing the light of day. Brilliant stuff!

Updated: 07/03/2020Posted: 07/03/2020

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

WOJCIECH GOGOLEWSKI TRIO ~ GOGOLFONIA PABLOBASSO (Barcode: 5904653979735) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2022 Released: 2023 The Polish Jazz scene has plenty of hidden secrets, and pianist / composer Wojciech GogolewskiFind albums by this artist is certainly one of them. The previous album, recorded with the same excellent trio, is already seven years old, which is way too long for a new infusion of his beautiful music, if you ask me. The more recent archival album (“Skok Nr 8Find albums with this title”) presenting his recordings from the mid-1970s eased the anticipation a bit, but it is a true joy to hear some new music from such esteemed representative of the scene. The only link on this album to its predecessor is a word pun in one of the composition titles, as the music this time is all original, composed by Gogolewski, who is a formidable melody weaver, not only in strict Jazz universe, but also as a cinematic music composer. His melodies flow elegantly and coherently, with a somewhat nostalgic wink towards times long passed, when melody was the crux of the biscuit. The classic Jazz piano trio format, which this album utilizes, is the ultimate weapon of choice for pianists, especially when the rhythm section is as supportive and telepathically synchronized with the leader, in addition to being technically brilliant. It is a true delight to listen to this music, using more of one’s heart that one’s intellect, which can often be deceiving. This is a true gift of music, for which I thank all of its creators. Side Note The above are my liner notes included on this album's artwork. I am honored when asked by the Artists to write liner notes for their albums, always hoping that my words reflect the true spirit of the music. This is also a symbol of our mutual respect and friendship developed over the years. The same is also true when Record Labels ask me to write liner notes for their releases, mostly in the case of reissues of archival albums, which is a symbol of their appreciation of my knowledge and historical perspective and my recognition of their dedication to the preservation of the history of recorded music and the effort to keep human Culture and Aesthetics alive.

Updated: 28/03/2023Posted: 28/03/2023

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

WOJCIECH GOGOLEWSKI TRIO ~ MEDYTACJE WIEJSKIEGO LISTONOSZA JAZZOWEGO NOT ON LABEL 9788365344007 (Barcode: 9788365344007) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2015 Released: 2015 This is an album by Polish Jazz piano trio led by veteran pianist / composer Wojciech GogolewskiFind albums by this artist, with bassist Pawel PantaFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam LewandowskiFind albums by this artist. As the album´s title suggests, at least to those familiar with the Polish music scene, this album is dedicated to the music by the legendary Polish Rock group SkaldowieFind albums by this artist and pays tribute to their extraordinary talents. The album presents ten songs Skaldowie created during their heyday, all composed by Andrzej ZielinskiFind albums by this artist (one of the two Zielinski brothers who led the group) and arranged for Jazz trio by Gogolewski. It is of course completely impossible for someone like me, who grew up listening to the music of Skaldowie, to be in any way objective while listening to this album, and indeed I don´t intend to be objective at all. This is a marvelous piece of music in every respect, even without the tsunami of nostalgia, which floods my brain while listening to it, since it perfectly holds water just by being what it really is, i.e. an excellent piano trio album playing some superbly crafted music, beautifully recorded and perfectly executed. Of course the music of Zielinski presents some of the most incredibly weaved melodies on this planet, full of "impossible" chord changes and weird harmonies, tempi shifts and other musicological mumble-jumble, which most people have absolutely no idea about, but which simply work wonders and create some of the most beautiful songs ever written, which made our childhood and then adolescence so incredibly beautiful. Comparing Skaldowie to the BeatlesFind albums by this artist would have been mostly unfair to the Polish group, as they were light-years ahead musically. The fact that their music transfers so gracefully into the Jazz idiom is a great proof of its quality, whereas most Jazz arrangements of Beatles songs never really rise above pastiche. I am pretty sure this album should be universally appealing to every Jazz connoisseur around, even those who can´t find Poland on the map. This music is simply universal and its elegance and typical European sophistication is irresistible. I can only wholeheartedly thank the people involved in creating this masterpiece for the immense pleasure it has bestowed upon me. Perhaps some listeners, happy with what they find here, will reach out for the original Skaldowie albums, where this music originates from, to take another step on the path of exploration. Bless you all!

Updated: 11/09/2017Posted: 11/09/2017

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

METRUM ~ ZIELONY DACH GAD 070 (Barcode: 5901549197952) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 1977 Released: 2018 This is an archival album documenting the recordings by the Polish studio ensemble MetrumFind albums by this artist directed by Zbigniew KalembaFind albums by this artist, the founder of the Jazz Institute of the Academy of Music in Katowice. Kalemba invited his best students at the time to play in the ensemble and compose original music and three sessions from 1977 are presented here, almost entirely never previously available in any form. The lineup reads like the who´s who of the Polish Jazz scene and includes such luminaries like guitarist Jaroslaw SmietanaFind albums by this artist (sadly not with us any more) pianist Wojciech GogolewskiFind albums by this artist, flautist Jerzy JarosikFind albums by this artist (the current director of the Jazz Institute) and many others. The album presents fourteen original compositions, all by the leader and members of the ensemble, recorded at Polish Radio Katowice and offering a spectacular sound quality. Although on the lighter side of the Jazz spectrum, this music offers an incredible level of compositional ability, which always characterized Polish Jazz. The execution does not leg behind by an iota and the overall effect of a Jazz Orchestra is simply stunning. There is so much sophistication, European aesthetics and good taste in this music, that one wonders how Popular music degraded in time to the level we experience today. This album is a classic example of Jazz-Pop Fusion, which proves that accessible Jazz can be ambitious, original, classy and perfectly executed and the stigma associated with playing seemingly simpler material is completely unjustified. It offers numerous perfectly structured solos by the participants and the artistry of arrangement and orchestral sound. Nobody plays this kind of music any more today and therefore this album is a candle in the window for people who are searching to learn from the past and absorb forgotten ways of musical expression. This music is perfect in every sense and completely timeless and listening to it is joyous experience. GADFind albums on this label Records were again able to uncover treasures form the vaults, for we can only be grateful, as always.

Updated: 14/04/2018Posted: 14/04/2018

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

ZBIGNIEW NAMYSLOWSKI ~ POLISH RADIO JAZZ ARCHIVES VOL.28 POLSKIE RADIO 2060 (Barcode: 5907812245849) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1983 Released: 2017 This is the twenty-eighths installment in the series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings from the radio vaults. Radio recordings are always a fabulous source of remarkable material, and as far as Polish Jazz history is concerned, the Polish Radio, which was a state monopoly for 45 years, recorded over time a plethora of invaluable material, which apart from the albums released by the Polskie Nagrania record company (also a state monopoly), is the only available additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland´s most important Jazz venues, including the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well. The tracks presented here were recorded live in October 1983 during the twenty-fifth edition of Jazz Jamboree Festival in Warsaw and present the quintet led by one of the Godfathers of Polish Jazz, saxophonist Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist, called Air ConditionFind albums by this artist, which also included pianist Wojciech GogolewskiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Marek BlizinskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Jan CichyFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam LewandowskiFind albums by this artist. The quintet performs seven original compositions, all composed by Namyslowski. Namyslowski is one of the very few Polish Jazz musicians who have appeared consistently on the local scene since the 1950s and kept their music up to date over time, pioneering trends and new developments. Over the years his many groups featured the ever young talents of the heart and soul of the Polish Jazz community. This recording is a great document of that phenomenon, showing Namyslowski´s Air Condition group, which was active in the early 1980s, recorded several excellent albums and toured worldwide. Although the group changed its lineup quite often, it was always excellent. This particular lineup recorded only one studio album, which was only released in Greece, which makes this recording especially valuable. For Namyslowski´s many fans around the world and Polish Jazz enthusiasts this is an absolute must! The beautifully restored sound quality is excellent and the warm ambience of the analog recording is a true joy. As usual with this series, which is very reasonably priced, I miss the presence of "in depth" liner notes / booklet, which should convey the circumstances at which this music was recorded and its importance to the development of Jazz in Poland. Nevertheless this is an absolutely essential piece of Jazz history which every Jazz fan will surely consider an absolute must.

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

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend