Record Reviews

MARCIN OLES ~ ORNETTE ON BASS NOT TWO 747 ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2002 Released: 2003 This is a solo bass album by Polish Jazz bassist / composer Marcin OlesFind albums by this artist. It presents twelve pieces, four of which are original compositions by Oles and eight are his interpretations of Ornette ColemanFind albums by this artist compositions. The album was recorded without any overdubbing and offers a wonderful sound quality. Marcin Oles is familiar to Polish Jazz connoisseurs as half of the Oles BrothersFind albums by this artist team, which also includes his twin brother drummer / composer Bartlomiej OlesFind albums by this artist. Together they are considered as one of the most creative and artistically fulfilling duos in European Jazz, way beyond just a role of a rhythm section. This album can be considered as a "twin album" to Bartlomiej´s solo drums album recorded a couple of years later, called "Freedrum SuiteFind albums with this title", also released on the excellent Polish Not TwoFind albums on this label Records label. A solo bass album is one of the most difficult projects within the Jazz idiom, and although some such recordings have proved to be iconic in the genre´s history, many others sadly became quite forgettable. Despite his relatively young age at the time of the recording (just under thirty years old), Marcin Oles manages to present a convincing, well balanced and obviously virtuosic set of performances, which flow smoothly from one piece to the next keeping the listener completely mesmerized. For the Coleman cognoscenti, following the Master´s compositions becomes a fun game of sorts, with the original material by Oles being every bit as interesting. It takes a lot of courage and determination to face projects like this one, as the risk is quite challenging. Nevertheless Marcin Oles proves that there is nothing he can´t handle, and more importantly he is able to turn Coleman´s music into his own realm of European Free Jazz / Improvised Music, by adding the European sensitivity and aesthetics to the American roots. As such this music goes beyond the limited Jazz mainstream context and should be of interest to all connoisseurs of ambitious, challenging contemporary music. For lovers of bass and Polish Jazz hardcore collectors, this album is an absolute must. It took me a few years to find a copy of this album at last, but do not despair – dedication and patience pay off eventually. Now a copy of this album finally makes my collection of Oles Brothers recordings complete, which is a joyous occasion.

Updated: 01/10/2018Posted: 01/10/2018

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