Record Reviews

KRZYSIA GORNIAK ~ MOMENTS POLSKIE RADIO 1851 (Barcode: 5907812248512) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016 This is the seventh album by Polish Jazz guitarist / composer Krzysia GorniakFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quartet format with keyboardist Zdzislaw KalinowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Lukasz MakowskiFind albums by this artist and drummers Grzegorz GrzybFind albums by this artist or Gniewomir TomczykFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine compositions, five of which are originals by Gorniak, one is co-composed by her, two are by the Greek bassist / composer Evangelos TzimkasFind albums by this artist, who played on Gorniak´s debut album, and the final one is by Makowski. The music is all melodic mainstream Jazz, on the easy side of the spectrum, with excellent compositions which present a wide spectrum of emotions and moods. The sound of the guitar dominates the proceedings, playing clear single notes and harmonic chord structures, which basically need only limited support from the rhythm section and the keyboards. Gorniak clearly developed a mature sound and style over the years and this album is coherent and professional to the max. Some nice World Music influences are also incorporated into the music on some of the tunes. All the musicians involved play excellently from start to finish and are given an opportunity to show their chops in solo parts, but Gorniak is obviously the leader in charge and dictates the terms. Her guitar sound is sleek and demonstrates her absolute charge of the instrument. She is definitely different from all other guitar players on the Polish scene, and her unique approach to the instrument puts her in a class of her own. It seems that this album is somewhat more Fusion oriented than I expected, which is not that much evident in the guitar playing but more so in the parts played by the band behind. Luckily there is still enough of the Jazz feel on this album, to make it work within the Jazz framework. Gorniak´s solos are kept carefully in check and don´t enter the typical race with the notes, which makes many Fusion albums hard to bear. Overall this is a wonderful guitar album, which should make guitar lovers wet their lips with delight, and which is also very accessible to a wide range of listeners, without making any compromises as far as the quality of compositions and performances are concerned. Combined with the superb sound quality the album offers, this is an album music lovers should not miss!

Updated: 13/05/2017Posted: 13/05/2017

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KRZYSZTOF PUMA PIASECKI ~ CIEPLY KRAJ NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2022 Released: 2022 This is an album by veteran Polish guitarist / composer Krzysztof Puma PiaseckiFind albums by this artist, recorded in a tight quartet setting with keyboardist Zdzislaw KalinowskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Filip HornikFind albums by this artist and drummer Olek GasiorFind albums by this artist. Several guest musicians appear on selected tracks as well as five guest vocalists, each appearing on a different track, including the Jazz singer Grazyna AuguscikFind albums by this artist and Krzysztof’s daughter Katarzyna Puma PiaseckaFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten original compositions, all by Piasecki. The music is very diverse and covers a wide stylistic spectrum, from Rock via Fusion, Blues and Jazz and even Rap in one case, but this diversity offers a completely coherent portrait of an experienced musician / composer, who feels confident in any genre. The fact that half of the album features vocals is an attempt to reach a new audience, beyond the pigeonholed Blues / Fusion guitar dominated music, that most listeners associate Piasecki with, which hopefully will eventually reach some of the music lovers of the younger generation. But despite the fresh approach, the magnificent guitar playing is still very much present here, and Piasecki’s wonderful tone and phrasing are absolutely intact and his soloing is completely brilliant as always. He remains one of my favorite Polish guitarist in the long run. The performances of all the musicians involved is also excellent and all this combined with the clear and well balanced sound quality offers a refreshing and highly entertaining listening experience. Overall, this is a superbly woven collection of songs and instrumentals, all excellently executed by highly skilled musicians, with some exemplary guitar playing, which knows very few competitors and serves as the proverbial cherry on top. Definitely oriented towards a wider audience, which of course does not mean any quality compromise whatsoever. Just grab a drink and enjoy, which of course is much easier in the warm climate countries ;)

Updated: 30/01/2023Posted: 30/01/2023

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GNIEWOMIR TOMCZYK ~ PIECES OF MY JOURNEY SOLITON 1038 (Barcode: 5903684230389) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is the third album by Polish Jazz drummer / composer Gniewomir TomczykFind albums by this artist, recorded with a core quartet including vocalist MIN tFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Martyna KubiczFind albums by this artist), saxophonist Maciej KadzielaFind albums by this artist and keyboardist Zdzislaw KalinowskiFind albums by this artist. A long list of guests appears on selected tracks. The album presents nine original compositions, eight composed or co-composed by Tomczyk and one by Kadziela. There are also six bonus tracks which are either remixes or radio edits of the album’s tracks. The music shows clearly the path Tomczyk has been following since the start of his career, moving gradually away from the traditional concept of Jazz into contemporary Pop. Although his music still carries some marginal Jazz accents, the emphasis is on production, contemporary sound and highly melodic contents. Although not exactly my cup of poison, the music is professionally put together and Tomczyk knows exactly what he is doing. Make no mistake, he is quite an accomplished Jazz drummer is he wants to be, but obviously his current desire is to produce elegant and quite sophisticated Pop music, which is every iota as good as the best accomplishments in this area over the pond and anywhere else around the globe, without being disgusting and plainly primitive, as most Pop productions are these days. Large parts of this music are instrumental and there are some nice solo parts by Kadziela and the guest artists, with makes the music shift between Jazz-Pop Fusion and Smooth Jazz, with a bit of Avant-Garde touch for good measure, which awaits the listener just when he is blissfully floating towards the horizon. As already said earlier, this is not “strictly” Jazz, but at least it does not pretend to be so. It operates within clearly defined cross-genre borders, offering its own rules and production values, which are highly effective. I really enjoy this music, here it is, I admit it! It has its time and its place and does not replace my love for Jazz or Classic Rock or anything else, but I do appreciate the effort and talent put into it and completely non-snobbishly enjoy it. And as usual I don’t give a damn what others think ;) Well done!

Updated: 30/03/2021Posted: 30/03/2021

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GNIEWOMIR TOMCZYK / PROJECT LIVE ~ QUALITY JAZZ LIVE SJ 034 (Barcode: 5912596066672) ~ POLAND ~ Smooth Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the second album by Polish drummer / composer Gniewomir TomczykFind albums by this artist, this time recorded live and presenting some of the compositions included on the debut album recorded with keyboardist Andrzej MikulskiFind albums by this artist and new original compositions by Tomczyk intended to appear on the next studio album. The album consists of seven tracks recorded live and five additional bonus tracks recorded in various locations either live or in studio. Tomczyk is accompanied by an impressive group of young Polish musicians, which includes keyboardist Zdzislaw KalinowskiFind albums by this artist, cellist Anna FurkalowskaFind albums by this artist, violinist Robert SeniutaFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Maciej KadzielaFind albums by this artist and others, with several people providing the rap and vocal parts. The music is a sophisticated amalgam of Jazz roots with contemporary Pop / electronic / Avant Rock / Rap excursions, melody based but allowing plenty of space for improvisation and individual statements by the participating musicians, which works quite well and definitely explores new horizons as far as Jazz music is concerned, bringing it much closer to contemporary popular music trends, without loosing any of the intellectual and artistic quality. The album is a very refreshing listening experience and although it is a compilation of available recordings rather than a coherent and well planed album, it still works out well and offers plenty of diverse and at times even fascinating music. For the young generation of Jazz musicians and listeners, such cross genre excursions sound completely natural. For the Jazz purist my advice is to take the stick out of their rectum and let go – this is fun music and is to be treated as such. Personally I am already waiting to hear the next album by Tomczyk, which promises to be an exciting journey.

Updated: 11/01/2019Posted: 11/01/2019

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