Record Reviews

CEZARY KONRAD ~ ONE MIRROR… MANY REFLECTIONS SELLES 0182 (Barcode: 5908260401825) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1999 Released: 2000 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz drummer / composer Cezary KonradFind albums by this artist, one of Poland´s top drummers since many years, recorded with a core trio consisting of himself, bassist Piotr ZaczekFind albums by this artist and guitarist Darek KrupaFind albums by this artist, which is extended by additional players up to a quintet on some tracks with the addition of saxophonist Marek PodkowaFind albums by this artist and two keyboardists: Zbigniew JakubekFind albums by this artist and Leszek MozdzerFind albums by this artist. The album includes nine original compositions, all by Konrad. Most of the music on this album is closely associated with Jazz-Rock Fusion, obviously influenced by the work of Allan HoldsworthFind albums by this artist and his groups. The electric fretless bass and synthesizers and of course the sound of the guitar imitate almost exactly the sound of European Fusion popular during the 1990s. The compositions are all quite interesting, with nice melodic themes and interesting harmonic approach, but overall the music is not remarkable enough to leave a deep impression, certainly not leaving a lasting impression. The personal contributions are all quite excellent, with all the participants obviously being highly skilled musicians. There are some impressive solos and the overall level of playing is certainly satisfactory. Surprisingly the highlight of the album is the acoustic piano performance by Mozdzer on the only track, which is actually not a Fusion piece. In retrospect, the album definitely sounded better at the time of its recording than now and does not withstand the tides of time well. This is unfortunately the fate of most Fusion albums, which proved to be mostly repetitive and derivative, with a very few exceptions.

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

NOYA / JAKUBEK / MASELI ~ LIVE NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock-World Fusion Recorded: 2009 Released: 2012 This album presents a live recording of a trio, which comprises of world famous Indonesian (living in Netherlands) percussionist Nippy NoyaFind albums by this artist and two veteran Polish Jazz musicians: keyboardist Zbigniew JakubekFind albums by this artist and vibraphonist Bernard MaseliFind albums by this artist. The album includes six original compositions, four of which were composed by Maseli and two by Jakubek. Three of these compositions receive extended treatment and carry on for twelve and up to seventeen minutes, while the other three last the usual six / seven minutes. The sound quality is excellent and every detail of the music is perfectly audible, even though it was recorded live. The music is mostly ambient and atmospheric, with a strong Jazz-Rock orientation, although much more fragile and delicate than the usual output of the genre. A strong World Music influence is also evident. The melodies are stated clearly and are the basis of the extended improvised passages. Jakubek often plays the bass lines using his instruments, so at times the music sounds like being performed by a quartet. The overall atmosphere is reminiscent of several Pat MethenyFind albums by this artist recordings with his group featuring keyboardist Lyle MaysFind albums by this artist. The music is relaxed and flows gently from one track to another, but manages to stay inside the creative limits of the Jazz parameters, without spilling over into the muzak territory, which is usually where such undertakings eventually arrive at. Both Jakubek and Maseli play some truly great solos here and keep the music interesting, with Noya sticking to his percussive background. This is obviously an album, which belongs to the "lighter" side of Jazz, but it is does neither compromise the participating musicians nor insult the listener. Not exactly my cup of tea, but I suspect that many listeners will love this album to bits, which is perfectly fine with me. This album is definitely recommended to those folks, who love melodic and well played music, which does not make your teeth ache.

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VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ TRIBUTE TO ZBIGNIEW JAKUBEK AFRO VIBE 006 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2013 - 2023 Released: 2023 This is a 2CD album paying tribute to Polish Jazz keyboardist / composer / arranger Zbigniew JakubekFind albums by this artist, a prominent figure on the Polish Jazz scene for many decades and member of such ensembles like Walk AwayFind albums by this artist, Young PowerFind albums by this artist and others. Jakubek recorded many albums with the groups he was a member of, as well as a sideman in numerous projects with other top Polish Jazz musicians, but sadly never managed to record a solo album as a leader. Following his death in May 2023, guitarist / composer Marek RaduliFind albums by this artist, who was a close friend of Jakubek, undertook this splendid project to record an album with original music by Jakubek, with the help of many of the musicians Jakubek played with, such as bassists Michal GrottFind albums by this artist, Tomasz GrabowyFind albums by this artist, Robert KubiszynFind albums by this artist and Krzysztof ScieranskiFind albums by this artist, drummers Michal DabrowkaFind albums by this artist, Wojciech FedkowiczFind albums by this artist and Cezary KonradFind albums by this artist, vibraphonist Bernard MaseliFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Adam WendtFind albums by this artist, guitarist Damian KuraszFind albums by this artist and others. The album presents ten tracks (five on each CD), nine of which are original compositions of Jakubek and one is composed by Raduli, with lyrics by Bartlomiej SkubiszFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. EskaubeiFind albums by this artist). Seven of the tracks are based on tracks left by Jakubek, recorded as sketches / preparations for his solo album and other sources, two are taken from Walk Away albums and the last one, was written (see above) especially for this album. The music is all brilliantly melodic, with typical Polish melancholy and lyricism, excellently performed by all the participants and offers an excellent sound quality. Raduli’s guitar playing is absolutely sensational and his emotional involvement with this project is evident and his dedication to carry it out is exceptional. Overall, this is a brilliant tribute album to a great musician / composer, warmly remembered by his peers and friends, and the music offers some of the finest guitar oriented Jazz / Fusion music recorded in Poland. For the lovers of the genre, this album is an absolute must, but all Jazz lovers around the world should be able to appreciate the superb compositions by Jakubek and enjoy the music wholeheartedly. Hats off to those who contributed to make this project a reality!

Updated: 09/04/2024Posted: 09/04/2024

CD 2 Slipcase Recommend To A Friend