Record Reviews

ARTUR DUTKIEWICZ ~ MAZURKI PIANOART 5907760035035 (Barcode: 5907760035035) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2011 Released: 2012 This is the firth album by the veteran Polish Jazz pianist / composer Artur DutkiewiczFind albums by this artist. Recorded on solo piano, the album includes nineteen relatively short pieces, all composed by Dutkiewicz, and beautifully recorded in a church located in a Warsaw suburb. Contrary to what one might expect, judging by the album´s title, this is not one more Polish Jazz album, which contains Jazz interpretations of music by Frederic ChopinFind albums by this artist, a subject that has been completely exhausted in the last two decades, producing a plethora of such albums of very unstable quality. Chopin of course perfected the musical form of the mazurka (Polish folk dance) and composed 69 mazurkas for piano solo, which are today an integral part of the Polish / European Classical music heritage. Dutkiewicz decided to approach the subject completely differently by composing a series of pieces, which have been largely influenced by Chopin´s work, but are also quite different. In a manner similar to Chopin, Dutkiewicz incorporates other Polish folk motifs, like the oberek and the kujawiak, and on top adds the Jazz and Blues touches, which of course have nothing to do with the original inspiration. The resulting amalgam is truly charming and wonderful, providing the listener with a continuous listening pleasure. Composing this music and performing it with such flair and elegance place Dutkiewicz again amongst the top Polish Jazz pianists. One can only hope for more such displays of his many talents in the future. This album is a must for solo piano buffs and Jazz-Classical Fusion connoisseurs, providing repeated discoveries with each listening session. Warmly recommended!

Updated: 08/05/2017Posted:

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MARCIN MASECKI ~ MAZURKI FOR TUNE 0051 (Barcode: 5902768701555) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015 This is a solo piano album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Marcin MaseckiFind albums by this artist, dedicated, as the title suggests, to the Polish folk dance, the mazurka, which is often used in Polish Classical Music, especially by the Polish National composer Frederic ChopinFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten original compositions, all by Masecki, which are more or less associated with the mazurka. A radio edit of the opening track is added as a bonus track. Masecki, the enfant terrible of Polish Jazz, is one of the most unconventional musical personalities on the local scene. A recognized brilliant Classical pianist, he completely disregards all conventions and does only what he considers is worth pursuing, recording a series of bold, unconventional and often plainly insulting albums, slaughtering holy cows like there is no tomorrow. Obviously his music is often at the epicenter of heated discussions between his fans and supporters and his critics. On this album Masecki continues his interest in Polish musical folklore, having previously recorded an album dedicated to another Polish folk dance, the polonaise. It is also worth to mention that other Polish Jazz pianists, like Piotr OrzechowskiFind albums by this artist, also recorded solo piano albums dedicated to Polish folk dances, like the oberek in Orzechowski´s case. Although I usually like Masecki´s music very much, I find this project less convincing. The ten pieces present here, clearly linked to the mazurka, sound quite mechanical and unnatural to me, simply not connecting the dots. Obviously Masecki had a clear idea behind what he wanted to achieve here, but I fail to see what it might be. There are numerous transformations and variations on the basic mazurka form, but they sound to me as if a computer program was generating these variations given some basic parameters. This is definitely an intellectual exercise, but I fail to find any emotional involvement or the reasoning behind it. Of course it is quite possible that it is only my personal shortcoming being unable to enjoy this music, but so far this is the weakest Masecki´s project as far as I am concerned. Of course he´ll surely surprise us all shortly with another of his brilliant ideas.

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