Record Reviews
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  | ASSOCIATION ~ RENAISSANCE
COLLECTORS` CHOICE 380 (Barcode: 617742038026) ~ USA ~ Classic Pop
Recorded: 1966 Released: 2003
2nd album by the excellent US Pop group AssociationFind albums by this artist, a sextet of gifted songwriters, players and most importantly singers, who brought the art of vocal harmony to the highest levels known in popular music. The group enjoyed some success on the US charts in the late 1960s, (this album didn´t produce any of these), but they were way more sophisticated and creative to be considered just as hit makers. Over the years the group released a series of excellent albums, each and every one of them full of great songs, superbly performed and sung. The fact that most of their material was self penned, self played and self arranged the collective talent and ingenuity of the band members is beyond doubt. Their vocal harmonies, firmly based in the American Folk vocal tradition but cleverly adapted to the Pop / Rock climate, are a model revered and copied to this very day. There are hardly any weak songs on any of their albums, this one being no exceptions, and with six songwriters in the band they were never short of material. This is classic Pop, which still sounds perfect today! Wholeheartedly recommended!
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | ANNA GADT ~ RENAISSANCE
HEVHETIA 0143 (Barcode: 8588005258005) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion
Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017
This is the fourth album by Polish Jazz vocalist Anna GadtFind albums by this artist, which presents her interpretations of Polish Renaissance music by such composers as Waclaw z SzamotulFind albums by this artist, Mikolaj GomolkaFind albums by this artist, Jan z LublinaFind albums by this artist and Mikolaj z KrakowaFind albums by this artist, who all lived and composed music in the 16th Century. The fourteen pieces presented on this album include also three short improvisations and three original compositions by Gadt. On the album Gadt is accompanied by only two musicians: accordionist Zbigniew ChojnackiFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof GradziukFind albums by this artist (of RGGFind albums by this artist fame). The music was recorded at the fabulous Studio Tokarnia and engineered by Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist, with the usually spectacular sonic quality.
The music features mostly vocalese, with just a few fragments of lyrics, which of course means that Gadt´s voice is the centerpiece of this project. Her control of the vocal range and her improvisational abilities are astounding. The overall musical effect is not easy to be absorbed by the average listener, as it requires patience and understanding of both ancient music and Jazz, which is definitely far from being trivial. Those who can truly appreciate this highly unique undertaking will be rewarded by immense emotional and aesthetic gratifications.
The conscious decision to appear with minimal instrumental support is also an extremely courageous one, but luckily Gadt found two most sympathetic cohorts. Chojnacki is a Master accordionist and his instrument is able to create sonic vistas which move between the mighty church pipe organ to a wooden flute. His virtuosity is simply completely exceptional. Gradziuk, who is one of the most versatile and sensitive drummers on the Polish Scene, also contributes formidable support to the vocal parts. Together the three musicians are able to create a much bigger effect than just the sum of their contributions.
Overall this is a most ambitious and praiseworthy effort, which combines paying tribute to the Polish Culture from the past and its development in recent times. The obscure Renaissance Music, known only by a few selected scholars, gets an exposure, which hopefully will result in more people discovering it. Gadt´s contribution to the Polish Vocal Jazz School is fully noted and sealed by this release, being fully deserved. Well done Anna!
Kudos to Jan SudzinaFind albums by this artist and his HevhetiaFind albums on this label label for supporting Polish Jazz so enthusiastically, which is of course very neighborly of him. Keep it up!
| | Updated: 23/02/2017Posted: 23/02/2017 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | ANNA GADT ~ RENAISSANCE GESUALDO
FSR 2021/13 (Barcode: 5905279364998) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz
Recorded: 2018 - 2021 Released: 2021
This is the sixth album by Polish Jazz vocalist Anna GadtFind albums by this artist, recorded in a trio format with accordionist Zbigniew ChojnackiFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof GradziukFind albums by this artist. The 2CD album presents two separate projects, with a new studio recorded music based on her interpretations of the Italian Renaissance composer Carlo GesualdoFind albums by this artist on CD1 and a live recording by the trio from 2018, with a live and much transformed version of the music released on her fourth album called “RenaissanceFind albums with this title” on CD2. The music on CD1 was recorded at the fabulous Studio Tokarnia and engineered by Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist, with the usually spectacular sonic quality.
Gadt is the only Polish Jazz vocalist using almost exclusively vocalese and her vocal performances can be considered as “instrumental” in every respect, which makes her a bona fide member of the trio, rather than a vocalist accompanied by instrumentalists. It is truly amazing to see (hear) how a minimalist setting can produce music with such diversity, dynamics and power.
It would be quite difficult to find any quotes of the original music by Gesualdo in the pieces inspired by it, which appear here. Gadt used just partial names of the Gesualdo compositions to emphasize that distance, and the proximity is more associative, aesthetical and atmospheric than straightforwardly coloristic. The mysticism that surrounds Gesualdo’s music is taken here even further, into purely imaginary soundscapes, creating a world in itself. But despite this highly spiritual environment, the music is wonderfully embracing or even caressing, going immediately into the listener’s heart, rather than penetrating the cerebral hemispheres.
The live recording, on the other hand, is a wonderful illustration of how the music on the studio album gets transformed, both by the live performance and the fact that it was captured a couple of years after it was first recorded, and like a living creature it keeps constantly evolving. The trio’s concerts, which I was fortunate to attend, offer a magical experience, which is faithfully captured herein.
All three musicians are incredibly talented Artists, completely individual and unique, and the fact that they are able to create such a symbiotic coexistence musically is a wonderful human experience.
Overall, this is an amazing and striking album, which shows how highly ambitious, completely unconventional musical explorations can offer coherent, wonderful aesthetic experience, which has few parallels, both on the local and the entire European scene.
| | Updated: 02/02/2022Posted: 02/02/2022 | CD 2 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend |
  | GEORGE GRUNTZ ~ RENAISSANCE MAN
TCB 22162 (Barcode: 725095221627) ~ SWITZERLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1961 - 2001 Released: 2002
This is a wonderful archive album by Swiss pianist / composer / bandleader George GruntzFind albums by this artist, which presents a collection of fifteen recordings spread over a period of forty years, most of which have never been released before. The include intimate formats but mostly European Big Bands and Orchestras, like his Concert Jazz BandFind albums by this artist, WDR Big BandFind albums by this artist, NDR Big BandFind albums by this artist and others. The many participants include such legendary Jazz artists as pianist Joachim KuhnFind albums by this artist, vocalist Sheila JordanFind albums by this artist, bandoneónist Dino SaluzziFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Alan SkidmoreFind albums by this artist and Ernst-Ludwig PetrowskyFind albums by this artist and many others.
The music displays the outstanding talents of Gruntz as pianist, arranger and composer, presenting beautifully diverse music, which includes mainstream Jazz, orchestral Jazz and Jazz-World Fusion pieces, always executed with finesse and absolute charm. Therefore this album is a wonderful introduction to the many talents of Gruntz for listeners not familiar with his work but also a gorgeous collection of previously unavailable recordings for those already familiar with his achievements.
Gruntz was always the epitome of European Jazz as one of its Godfathers, perfectly combining the American Jazz tradition with the European Classical and Folklore traditions. The recordings included herein are all exquisite examples of what European Jazz is all about, stylistically and conceptually. Although the collected pieces have seemingly nothing in common, they amalgamate into a perfect kaleidoscope of modern European Jazz
Personally I can get never enough of Gruntz and his music, so this album is simply one more token of memory by this great Artist, who is sadly relatively little known to most Jazz listeners around the world. In addition his recordings are not easily available as well, which makes the task of keeping his memory alive even harder.
Overall this is a brilliant collection of excellent music, which deserves a proud place in any serious music collection. Not to be missed!
| | Updated: 26/09/2016Posted: 26/09/2016 | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | RENAISSANCE ~ RENAISSANCE
REPERTOIRE 4512 ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
1st album from 1969-1970 by the first reincarnation of the group formed by ex-Yardbirds Keith Relf & Jim McCarty with Jane Relf on vocals. Very atmospheric and deeply enchanting music, superbly played.
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
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