Record Reviews

HIGH DEFINITION QUARTET ~ DZIADY ANAKLASIS 007 (Barcode: 5907795208732) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Ambient Fusion Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is the third album by Polish Jazz ensemble High Definition QuartetFind albums by this artist, which comprises of saxophonist Mateusz SliwaFind albums by this artist, pianist / composer Piotr OrzechowskiFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. PianohooliganFind albums by this artist), bassist Alan WykpiszFind albums by this artist and drummer Grzegorz PalkaFind albums by this artist (each of the three albums features a different drummer). On this album the ensemble collaborates with five electronic music composers: Polish veteran / pioneer of the idiom Krzysztof KnittelFind albums by this artist, Igor BoxxFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Igor PudloFind albums by this artist), Americans William BasinskiFind albums by this artist and Robert RichFind albums by this artist and Austrian Christian FenneszFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten original compositions, five of which are performed by the ensemble and were composed by Orzechowski and five shorter pieces, each composed and performed by one of the above listed electronic music composers (except for the Knittel piece which was co-composed with Orzechowski and co-executed with the ensemble), which are sandwiched between the ensemble pieces. The album´s title "Dziady" ("Forefathers´ Eve") refers of course to the epic poetic drama by the Polish national poet Adam MickiewiczFind albums by this artist, considered as one of the greatest works of European Romanticism and a source of controversial interpretations throughout the convoluted Polish political history, famous for its role in the 1968 Polish Political crisis, but retaining its prophetic actuality to this very day. The drama was staged many times over the years of course and one could speculate that this music could be considered as a possible soundtrack / stage music to an imaginary / future spectacle. Combining Jazz with electronic / ambient music is of course quite fashionable these days and this year´s (2019) Polish Jazz recording harvest offers several such outings. In most cases the electronic / ambient music is closely amalgamated with the Jazzy content, whereas on this album, with the exception of the opening Knittel / Orzechowski track, the rest of the electronic / ambient tracks stand on their own musically, which raises a basic speculation as to their integration within the album´s musical fabric and its continuity. Personally I feel that their absence would not have changed the album´s overall effect dramatically. The Jazz part of the album is however absolutely brilliant, as one might expect. Orzechowski´s dramatic music, rich in texture and full of imagination, is delightful from start to finish. The five seemingly separate themes constitute a coherent whole, which is perfectly executed by the quartet. Orzechowski´s piano playing is radiant as always, and he proves to be on top of the heap, in spite of the fact that his recording output is sadly way too infrequent for my liking. Sliwa manages to keep his unique personal style, which sets him apart from most contemporary young Polish Jazz saxophonists, and who sadly also does not record frequently enough. Big Bear Wykpisz is amazing as always, a monster bass player in every bone and muscle of his body – he does play constantly and is omnipresent on the local scene, being probably the most sought after bassist around these days. Palka integrated with the three founding members without a hitch, which is completely natural in view of his achievements lately. Together they are able to carry a tune as well as open up and improvise, supporting each other amicably and offer a superb listening experience. The album was released by a new record label on the Polish market called AnaklasisFind albums on this label Records. I must admit that I was quite taken aback by the primitive / simplistic cover design; perhaps this is some kind of new sophisticated graphic aesthetics, but it looks plain ugly to me. This music surely deserves a better packaging. The album includes an extensive booklet, which offers a bilingual version of an essay by Polish music journalist Jaroslaw SzubrychtFind albums by this artist. Overall this is a brilliant piece of music, ambitious and searching, which stands up to the highest echelon of contemporary European Jazz and which is consistent with the earlier work by High Definition. Hopefully the listeners won´t be discouraged by the cover and reach out to embrace this exquisite music, as it truly deserves it. Well done Gentlemen!

Updated: 12/12/2019Posted: 12/12/2019

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KUBA STANKIEWICZ ~ INSPIRED BY ROMAN STATKOWSKI ANAKLASIS 008 (Barcode: 5907795208749) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is an album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Kuba StankiewiczFind albums by this artist, recorded in a classic quartet setting with Israeli saxophonist Daniel RotemFind albums by this artist, Polish (resident in US) bassist Darek OleszkiewiczFind albums by this artist and American drummer Tina RaymondFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven tracks, which are arrangements of music by the Polish Classical composer Roman StatkowskiFind albums by this artist, based on the motives from his opera "Maria". This album is a logical follow up to the three albums by Stankiewicz, recorded and released between 2014 and 2017, which were dedicated do commemorate the three great Polish / Jewish composers, who achieved fame and glory in the US and together created a huge part of the repertoire, which is now considered as "Jazz standards": Victor YoungFind albums by this artist, Bronislaw KaperFind albums by this artist and Henryk WarsFind albums by this artist. I had the immense pleasure to belong to the "inner circle" of people behind creating this spectacular tribute, by writing the liner notes to the "The Music Of Victor YoungFind albums with this title" (the first of the three albums) and consistently presenting the music as part of the Singer Jazz Festival, of which I am the Music Director. Last year (2019) I also had the pleasure to present the music on this album as well. During his background research on Young, Kaper and Wars, which was done with incredible seriousness, dedication and commitment, Stankiewicz discovered that both Young and Wars studied composition with Statkowski at the Warsaw Music Academy, which led him to discover the music of Statkowski, who sadly was almost completely forgotten in time. Not surprisingly the decision to pay tribute to that fabulous music was born and resulted in recording of this album. Polish Jazz fans familiar with the achievements of Stankiewicz know exactly what to expect form this album, as his proven record can be equaled by only very few of his contemporaries. The music is full of elegance, grace and above all deep sensitivity, which proves that the transformation of Classical music into the Jazz idiom can be done without compromising any of its components. Stankiewicz touches the piano keys as if making love with the instrument and his inner aesthetic is simply astounding. As expected, the rest of the quartet members are all first rate players, who prove to be ideal partners in creating this wonderful piece of music. Piano Jazz lovers, serious music connoisseurs and Stankiewicz fans will love this music to bits and many probably already bought this album (despite the unattractive cover art). Ideal listening in times the world is being quarantined, since music knows no limitations!

Updated: 21/03/2020Posted: 21/03/2020

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KRZYSZTOF HERDZIN ~ IMPRESSIONS ON PADEREWSKI ANAKLASIS 011 (Barcode: 5907795209722) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is an album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Krzysztof HerdzinFind albums by this artist, recorded live in a solo piano setting. The album presents five interpretations (impressions) of compositions by the Polish Classical pianist / composer Ignacy Jan PaderewskiFind albums by this artist. The album was released by the prestigious Polish AnaklasisFind albums on this label label as part of its “Revisions” series. Despite Herdzin’s highly successful career as a Jazz musician, he obsessively returns to his Classical Music alter ego, mostly as a composer of his own music, but sometimes, as in this case, as an interpreter of Classical Music composed by others. It seems that some Jazz musicians / composers, especially those with Classical Music education and training, are caught in a duality conflict between these two streams of artistic musical expression. After all, the European musical tradition cultivated Classical music for centuries as a lofty and superior cultural form, leaving other kinds of music, like Folklore, Pop and later also Jazz to the masses. Since the late 20th Century Jazz managed to achieve some recognition from the Classical music elite, but is hardly commonly accepted on equal terms. Herdzin is a classic (pun intended) case of this dichotomy and sadly, as much as I like his Jazz facet, I often find his Classical facet difficult to swallow. To my surprise and delight, this adventure by Herdzin with Classical Music is quite enjoyable. He does show off with his technique, playing as many arpeggios as possible, but his “impressions” are creative and even innovative, which summa summarum turns out to be a very nice piece of music, which is enjoyable and easy on the ear, but avoids being a schmaltzy chaltura. Perhaps the wonderfully melodic music by Paderewski is a more suitable medium for being Jazzed up, but whatever the reason, the end result works out fine (assuming that the composer is not turning in his grave). Overall, this is another highly successful album in this wonderful series, and certainly something worthy of pursuing by the Jazz-Classical Fusion enthusiasts. It is probably the most approachable album in the entire series, as far as wide audiences are concerned, but definitely stands up to the standards of excellence set up by the Anaklasis label. Grab a copy and enjoy!

Updated: 30/03/2023Posted: 30/03/2023

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BESTER QUARTET ~ BAJGELMAN. GET TO TANGO ANAKLASIS 013 (Barcode: 5907795209739) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is an album by Polish Jazz ensemble Bester QuartetFind albums by this artist, led by accordionist / composer / bandleader Jaroslaw BesterFind albums by this artist, with violinist Dawid LubowiczFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej AdamczakFind albums by this artist and drummer Ryszard PalkaFind albums by this artist. The ensemble was expanded for this album to include three top Polish Jazz vocalists: Grazyna AuguscikFind albums by this artist, Dorota MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist and Jorgos SkoliasFind albums by this artist. Trumpeter Michal BylicaFind albums by this artist and cellist Krzysztof LenczowskiFind albums by this artist guest on most of the tracks. The album presents ten tracks, one instrumental and nine songs, all composed by the Jewish / Polish violinist / composer / songwriter / bandleader Dawid BajgelmanFind albums by this artist, with words (originally in Yiddish, except for one in Polish) by himself and other lyricists. This studio recording is a documentation of a special concert originally performed in 2018 as part of the anniversary commemorating the liquidation of the Lodz Ghetto in 1944, with was devised and produced by Miron ZajfertFind albums by this artist. The album was released by the prestigious Polish AnaklasisFind albums on this label label as part of its “Revisions” series. Jaroslaw Bester was one of the first Polish musicians to accept the challenge of treating seriously the Jewish Music created in Poland during the centuries of Jewish presence on the Polish soil. Sadly, most of the attempts to deal with Jewish Music border between kitsch and chaltura, but Bester managed consistently to avoid falling into this trap over the years. He founded the Cracow Klezmer BandFind albums by this artist in 1997, which later morphed into the Bester Quartet, with a long series of successful recordings to his credit. Following the initial period of focus on the Klezmer tradition, he expanded his vision to include other musical traditions, especially the tango, which became his passion in more recent years. Jewish Music and tango come together hand in hand on this album, since the secular Jewish Music in Poland, during the period between the two great wars, was fascinated with the tango as well. The life’s story of Dawid Bajgelman is easily divided between his meteoric career before WWII, which found him as a highly successful composer and songwriter, with his songs performed by the most popular Polish singers at the time, but in parallel his massive composing legacy for local Jewish cultural life in Lodz, at the time the second biggest urban Jewish community after Warsaw, and of course his activity in the Lodz Ghetto during the Holocaust period, which came to the end with his tragic death in Auschwitz, cynical and absurd, just a few days after the camp’s liberation. His songs, written in the ghetto, are some of the most expressive manifestations of the horror and misery of that time. Although Bester’s role on this album seems somewhat less illustrious than on his other recordings, limited to arrangements and leadership of the project, he does an absolutely splendid job herein. The music is brilliantly executed by all the participants, the recording offers a high quality sound and the entire project offers a deeply moving aesthetic experience. The vocalists are amongst the finest Polish Jazz Artists, quite different from each other in every possible sense, and yet they manage to cooperate perfectly when singing duets or trios, in addition to their solo parts. They also manage to handle the Yiddish lyrics reasonably well, but the four texts translated into Polish and the original Polish lyrics are of course as perfect as one might expect from such pros. The vocalese, although used sparingly, is also just right. The instrumental parts are all superbly done, with the new lineup of the Bester Quartet reaching a level of coherence higher than ever before. The trumpet is a nice touch, building an imaginary bridge to the original sound of these songs. Overall, this is a beautiful album, full of heartbreaking nostalgia and a proper, wonderfully conceived and executed tribute to the great contribution of the Polish / Jewish composer Dawid Bajgelman to the Polish Culture, one of so many so often forgotten Polish Jews, who shaped contemporary Polish identity, whether one likes it or not. My personal thanks to Miron Zajfert, who shares my passion of exposing our proud legacy, and of course to all the participants, who are amongst my favorite Polish musicians. May the Force be with you!

Updated: 17/02/2023Posted: 17/02/2023

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ADAM BALDYCH ~ LEGEND ANAKLASIS 020 (Barcode: 5907795211855) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022 This is an album by Polish Jazz violinist / composer Adam BaldychFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quintet setting with saxophonist Marek KonarskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Lukasz OjdanaFind albums by this artist, bassist Michal BaranskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Dawid FortunaFind albums by this artist, and Polish Classical violinist Agata SzymczewskaFind albums by this artist. The album presents compositions inspired by the music of Polish Classical violinist / composer Henryk WieniawskiFind albums by this artist, nine of which are original compositions by Baldych and one is variation on a composition by Wieniawski. The album was released by the prestigious Polish AnaklasisFind albums on this label label as part of its “Revisions” series. I have followed Baldych’s career closely since his arrival on the scene over a decade ago and even had the pleasure of writing the liner notes for one of his early albums, always believing in his extraordinary talent and proudly watching his amazing achievements over time. His participation in this prestigious series is therefore not surprising at all. The meeting of Jazz and Classical violins is not a completely novel idea of course, but in the past this happened mostly on the lighter side of the music spectrum (see kitsch), whereas here we witness a true connubiality of the two with no concessions whatsoever to the aesthetic meritum of the entire concept. Baldych’s compositions are sublimely melodic, absolutely soaked in the Polish lyricism and melancholy, not far in spirit from the music of this album’s patron. Therefore, the “inspired by” relationship is perhaps the most vivid of all the albums in this series. Even when the music ventures into a more Avant-Garde territory, it still firmly relates to the subject matter, not losing any of its melodicism of even lyricism. The members of the quintet stand up to the challenge with flying colors, providing a full-fledged harmonious base for the two violinist to play solos and duets at lengths. Ojdana, a brilliant Jazz pianist by any standard, is absolutely instrumental to the success of the whole project, showing wonderful restraint and profound understanding of his supportive role, but soloing with class and exceptional fluidity. Konarski adds his saxophone parts also extremely carefully and delicately, sounding somehow like another violin, as outlandish as this might sound. The highly proficient rhythm section is also completely enlisted to the cause, providing the ever so delicate Jazzy heartbeat to the proceedings. Almost anything said about the two violinist might sound completely superfluous, as they are both already established as Masters of their Art. It is very comforting that the initial fears and reservations proved to be completely baseless and everything worked out magnificently well. One can only hope that this duet will meet again soon, and judging by Baldych’s love of the duet idiom, my hopes are high. Overall, this is an absolutely marvelous album, one of the most natural amalgamations of Jazz and Classical Music I have encountered over the years. Everything here breathes music, elegance, dedication, good taste and impeccable performances. What a coincident that I should write these words on Valentine’s Day, as this album is so Romantic it simply melts one’s heart away. Thank you my Friends for another sublime gift of Music!

Updated: 14/02/2023Posted: 14/02/2023

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PIOTR ORZECHOWSKI / KUBA WIECEK ~ THEMES OF DRACULA ANAKLASIS 021 (Barcode: 5907795211893) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022 This is a duo album by two of the most prominent representatives of the young contemporary Polish Jazz scene: pianist / composer Piotr OrzechowskiFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. PianohooliganFind albums by this artist) (born 1990) and saxophonist / composer Kuba WiecekFind albums by this artist (born 1994). The duo performs their take on the music composed by the Polish Classical Music / Cinematic Music composer Wojciech KilarFind albums by this artist, which served as the soundtrack of Francis Ford CoppolaFind albums by this artist film “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”, hence the title. The album was released by the prestigious Polish AnaklasisFind albums on this label label as part of its “Revisions” series. The music was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist, with the usual subline sound quality. Although Kilar’s music received already quite a few Jazz readings over time, this album goes far beyond just interpreting the original notes, and offers an entirely new musical universe, way beyond the source. Both Orzechowski and Wiecek are able to add their very personal and highly unusual / unique vistas, both as composers of the newly created music and performers, often applying novel / innovative techniques utilized on their relative instruments. The level of the performances by both musicians is absolutely phenomenal. The resulting music is completely fascinating and totally unexpected, even for listeners familiar with earlier recording by these two musicians. It becomes a wonderful example of the “Art of the Duo”, not only on the physical / audible plane and even more importantly on the metaphysical plane, which drives them to play they was they do. Although the music is complex and demands total submission from the listener, it rewards the audience by inspiring the intellectual processes it manages to invoke and the aesthetic pleasures generated it stimulates. Overall, this is another excellent addition to the “Revisions” series and an important step forward in the recording legacy of both these young and highly talented musicians, who are open to new vistas and don’t shun difficult challenges. This is not stress-free music, but a highly rewarding visit to new musical worlds, which does not happen that often these days. Beautifully done – hats off my young Friends!

Updated: 02/02/2023Posted: 02/02/2023

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ADAM PIERONCZYK ~ SZYMANOWSKI / X-RAY ANAKLASIS 022 (Barcode: 5907795211923) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022 This is an album by Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Adam PieronczykFind albums by this artist, recorded in a trio setting with Brazilian guitarist Nelson VerasFind albums by this artist and Polish pianist Dominik WaniaFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven pieces inspired by the Etudes Op. 33, composed by Polish Classical Music pianist / composer Karol SzymanowskiFind albums by this artist in 1916 and first performed in Paris in 1922. At the time the music was highly innovative and expressionist, marking the birth of the new era in European Classical Music with the dawn of the 20th Century. The album was released as part of the “Revisions” series on the prestigious AnaklasisFind albums on this label label, which present cross-genre experiments between Classical Music and other genres, like Electronic, Jazz or Improvised Music. As Pieronczyk explains in the booklet accompanying the album, the music the trio performs is not an attempt to interpret the original music by Szymanowski, but a completely new music composed by him, while looking at the music by Szymanowski as if under an X-Ray examination. Despite the fact that this music is freely improvised, and highly abstract, there is a strong, albeit fragmented, melodic presence, which serves as a catalyst for the three musicians to cooperate. Although the Etudes were written for piano solo, Pieronczyk decided to invite the two partners to share with him the burden of the re-examination and re-creation, sharing the duties among the three instruments equally. Obviously all three musicians are virtuosi on their respective instruments, but the essence of this album is the trialogue they are able to create intuitively between them, rather than the individual performances. Obviously this music is very demanding and might prove to be difficult both for Classical Music listeners and Improvised Music connoisseurs. Hopefully patience and open-mindedness will prevail and many music lovers will be able to discover this highly interesting effort. Overall, this is a challenging cross-genre adventure, which builds a bridge between early 20th Century Classical Music and contemporary Improvised Music, and which offers an intimate trialogue, which is fascinating and challenging as one. It is encouraging to see that such highly non-commercial and Artistic music is still able to find a home and be respectfully released.

Updated: 23/01/2023Posted: 23/01/2023

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KUBA STANKIEWICZ ~ INSPIRED BY LUDOMIR ROZYCKI ANAKLASIS 027 (Barcode: 5907795212241) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2019 - 2022 Released: 2023 This is an album by Polish pianist / composer Kuba StankiewiczFind albums by this artist, which presents eight (one in two versions) interpretations of music composed by the Polish Classical Music composer Ludomir RozyckiFind albums by this artist. The music is mostly performed in a solo piano setting, except one track (recorded in the US) in a classic piano trio setting with bassist Darek OleszkiewiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Tina RaymondFind albums by this artist, two more piano trio tracks with bassist Jakub OlejnikFind albums by this artist and drummer Przemyslaw JaroszFind albums by this artist, and finally one track, which features vocals by Grazyna AuguscikFind albums by this artist. The album was released by the prestigious Polish AnaklasisFind albums on this label label as part of its “Revisions” series, and is the second album by Stankiewicz in that series. The music is stunningly beautiful, full of typical Polish lyricism and melancholy, which pours out of Stankiewicz like a sound painting, deeply touching the listener’s heart, despite the fact that it is all extremely delicate and fragile. As usual in his case, the recording was preceded by years of study and research of the music by Rozycki, before these personal inspirations were formed and eventually recorded. Since I have witnessed this modus operando by Stankiewicz during the many years of our acquaintance, I am of course hardly surprised by the method, but as usual greatly surprised by the result, which in his case is always unpredictable. Stankiewicz is definitely the most expressive, refined and romantic pianist among his Polish colleagues, many of which are of course piano Masters of international fame. Every delicate touch of his fingers on the keyboard is always absolutely right not only melodically and harmonically, but most importantly emotionally. This album presents him both in the solo piano and piano trio environments, the latter his most natural habitat, and proves again that he is simply an extraordinary musician in a class of his own. Listeners of this album might as well try and explore some of the fascinating music by Rozycki, which is sadly rather neglected these days. He was an extremely prolific composer and much of his work, especially in the Neo-romantic style, is definitely worth getting familiar with. Overall, this is another brilliant album by a great Polish Jazz Artist, which consistently expands his remarkable recorded legacy. His many admirers won’t hesitate before grabbing a copy and for those people, who never heard any of his recordings, this is a wonderful gateway to his musical world. Congratulations go also to the Anaklasis label for doing such a remarkable job with this series!

Updated: 02/11/2023Posted: 02/11/2023

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BALDYCH / HERDZIN / PIERONCZYK / SZTABA ~ GREAT ENCOUNTERS ANAKLASIS 075 (Barcode: 5907795210841) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2020 - 2021 Released: 2021 This is an album produced to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the PWM Edition (Polish music publishing house), which also owns the prestigious AnaklasisFind albums on this label record label. The album collects five musical pieces, which represent the cross-genre projects released by the label as part of its “Revisions” series. Those are mostly Jazz-Classical Fusion or Pop-Classical Fusion explorations, which were inspired by Polish Classical Music composers: Frederic ChopinFind albums by this artist, Stanislaw MoniuszkoFind albums by this artist, Ignacy Jan PaderewskiFind albums by this artist, Karol SzymanowskiFind albums by this artist and Henryk WieniawskiFind albums by this artist. Three Polish Jazz instrumentalists / composers: violinist Adam BaldychFind albums by this artist, pianist Krzysztof HerdzinFind albums by this artist and saxophonist Adam PieronczykFind albums by this artist, as well as pianist / composer / arranger / conductor Adam SztabaFind albums by this artist, mostly associated with Polish TV and entertainment industry, were selected to create the music for this album. Herdzin is the author of two of these pieces and the others authored one piece each. The music is performed by Baldych, Herdzin, Pieronczyk and additional musicians: vocalist Igor HerbutFind albums by this artist, Moldovan cimbalom (hammered dulcimer) player Marcel ComendantFind albums by this artist, pianist Krzysztof DysFind albums by this artist and the AUKSO Chamber OrchestraFind albums by this artist conducted by Marek MosFind albums by this artist. The music offers quite a diverse stylistic amalgam, dominated by the two pieces by Herdzin, which comprise almost half of the album’s duration, ranging from romantic easy listening Classical music to Jazz Avant-Garde and Avant-Pop. The level of the performances is absolutely superb and the music offers intelligent and highly aesthetic listening experience. Overall, this is another highly successful album in this wonderful series, and certainly something worthy of pursuing by the Jazz-Classical Fusion enthusiasts. Since these pieces do not appear on any of the albums released in this series, it is absolutely worth getting as well. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 31/03/2023Posted: 31/03/2023

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