Record Reviews
1 Review Found. Use search to find more reviews or follow the links in the review text.
  | ADAM MAKOWICZ ~ THE NAME IS MAKOWICZ (MA-KO-VITCH)
SHEFFIELD LAB 21 (Barcode: 014391002123) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1983 Released: 2003
This is a reissue of the album by Polish pianist / composer Adam MakowiczFind albums by this artist, recorded and released in the US by the prestigious Hi-Fi record label Sheffield LabFind albums on this label. The music was recorded in a quintet setting with saxophonist Phil WoodsFind albums by this artist, vibraphonist Gene EstesFind albums by this artist, bassist Marc JohnsonFind albums by this artist and drummer Bill GoodwinFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight tracks, seven of which are original compositions by Makowicz and one is a standard.
Makowicz left Poland in 1977, settling first in NY and later moving to Toronto, Canada. He is the only Polish Jazz musician, who managed to develop a significant career on the American scene, where he is highly respected. Over the years he recorded with some of the best American Jazz musicians. In recent years he regularly visits Poland and again releases albums on Polish labels.
In many respects Makowicz often sounds more American than genuine American Jazz players, embracing the traditional approach to mainstream Jazz, which is an ideal vehicle to expose his virtuosity and technique as a pianist. This explains perhaps his success in US, where European Jazz is often looked at with suspicion. This album proves just that, with mostly original compositions by Makowicz, which are fully compatible with straightforward mainstream Jazz, in contrast to his compositions recorded in Poland, before he left for the greener pastures.
The famous Sheffield Lab sound quality and recording technique of direct to disc vinyl cutting and using just one single stereo mike, might have been something quite interesting at the time, but in time proved to be just another hype, and the sound of this CD, which is taken from the original tapes, sounds definitely dated today to my ears.
Overall, this is a nice document of the early days of Makowicz career in the US. The CD is quite difficult to find these days, not to mention the original LP and I am happy to finally close the gap in my collection. Polish Jazz completists will definitely want a copy of this in their collections as well!
| | Updated: 29/05/2023Posted: 29/05/2023 | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
|
