Record Reviews

JAZZPOSPOLITA ~ JAZZPO! POSTPOST 01 (Barcode: 5903240397013) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2014 Released: 2014 This is the fourth album by Polish group JazzpospolitaFind albums by this artist, which consists of guitarist Michal Przerwa-TetmajerFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Michal ZaleskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Stefan NowakowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Wojciech OleksiakFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten original compositions (eleven tracks with one tune repeated twice), all assumedly co-composed by all four band members. The music was recorded at the legendary Studio Tokarnia with Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist presiding at the knobs, which naturally results in excellent sound quality, as usual. This album is the first new music Jazzpospolita reveals since their second album, i.e. in over two years, which kept the many fans of the group in suspense. The fact is that this is new music but there is not so much new in the music itself, as if the group simply glided over time doing more or less the same thing they have been doing more or less since they started. Nothing wrong with that of course, but in a long range even the most loyal followers might loose interest. But innovation aside, Jazzpospolita is still a very unique voice on the Polish scene, filling a niche for the young generation of music lovers, who are not really into Jazz proper on one hand, but who are bored with the contemporary Pop and Ambient scenes on the other hand. The group manages to produce nice melodic riffs, stretched over extended ambient passages and featuring some impressive guitar lead lines, which are overall quite hypnotic and engaging. This music has a chameleonic quality of fitting into many different listening environments, from background music while driving to intensive direct involvement with the music. The four individual musicians make a remarkable contribution to the overall group sound and feel of the entire ensemble. The guitarist carries most of the leading voice, but his role would have been impossible without the rich background created by the keyboards and the superb rhythm section. Rhythmically the music is mostly Rocky, with steady bit and pulse, while the keyboards and the guitar create the improvisational dimension, which associates the music with the Jazz idiom. Combined with the Ambient sound the Rock and Jazz ingredients amalgamate into a unique mixture, which is distinctly Jazzpospolita. Of course this is the best album the group created so far, and the most fun to listen to, but the group should be aware of the danger of stretching this formula for one more album. Hopefully they will reinvent themselves for the next one, leaving us in the meantime having a good time with this one. Thank you Gentlemen!

Updated: 25/03/2017Posted:

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

JAZZPOSPOLITA ~ JAZZPO! LIVE MADE IN CHINA AUDIO ANATOMY 001 (Barcode: 5906660083009) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 This is the fifth (and first live) album by Polish Jazz-Rock Fusion group called JazzpospolitaFind albums by this artist, which comprises of guitarist Michal Przerwa-TetmajerFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Michal ZaleskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Stefan NowakowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Wojciech OleksiakFind albums by this artist. As the title suggests, the album was recorded live during the group´s tour in China and presents two CDs, each with seven original compositions, all composed and arranged collectively by the members of the group. The album includes live versions of all the nine compositions presented on the group´s fourth album ("Jazzpo!Find albums with this title") and five compositions from their earlier recordings. The music was mixed and mastered by Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist at the Studio Tokarnia with superb sonic result as usual. Although these expanded live versions of the Jazzpospolita´s material don´t present any new facets of the group´s superb live act, which I had the pleasure to experience at first hand several times, they do affirm their positions as one of the most successful young European groups that emerged in 2010s, with a strong appeal to the young generation of listeners, apparently across the globe. The highly melodic and hypnotic compositions, which create a trance-like and ever surreal atmosphere are very communicable and appealing. All four members of the group manage to compliment their individual instrumental abilities and create a unique sound and even style, which is immediately recognizable. The sterile sound of the guitar, which is the leading instrument in most cases, brings memories of the instrumental Rock groups from the early 1960s, but modernized of course and supported by electric piano, create together a surprisingly convincing effect, when supported by the highly skillful rhythm section. Silence and breaks are an integral part of the Jazzpospolita magic, again quite unusual in comparison to what is happening in contemporary music. This album is an ideal entry point into the Jazzpospolita world, especially for listeners unfamiliar with their earlier albums and therefore highly recommended as such. But overall it is a beautiful stretch of great instrumental music, which manages to create an atmosphere of mystery and anticipation, keeping the listeners in suspense from start to finish. Connoisseurs of atmospheric melodic improvised music should have a field day with this album, which I warmly recommend!

Updated: 08/05/2017Posted: 25/03/2017

CD 2 Digipak Recommend To A Friend