Tfaruk - Love Communication (Multikulti, 2011)

Tfaruk

Tomasz Ballaun - percussion, electronics
Michał Fetler - saxophones
Piotr Mełech - bass clarinet
Krzysztof Kaliski - bass guitar
Daniel Karpiński - drums

guests:
Kuba Jankowiak - trumpet
Franiu Frank - rhodes, rattle
Tymon Tymański - bass guitar (only on "Dla Taty")
Wojtek Mazolewski - bass guitar (only on "Miłość zwycięża kiełbasę")

Multikulti 2011

Free Jazz Alchemist (check his site) reports on one of newest issues from excellent Polish Multikulti label:

Polish listener will smile just from seeing the name of this band ("Tfaruk" being as incorrect as possible way of spelling "cottage cheese") and I guess this form of anarchic absurd humour (that shows up also in the titles) is easily associated with the yass scene - polish jazz revolution movement of the 90's. Both Tomasz Ballaun, the founder of the band, and one of the guests - Tymon Tymanski are strongly connected with yass movement indeed (Tymon being in fact its spiritus movens). Still there's a lot of fun for non-polish listeners here too.

The band kicks right into an old-school groove and tight horn arrangements with the first track, with a Latin-funk twist to it. The hard hit rock groove catches on with the "Mistrz kierownicy ucieka" (Polish title for the cult car-chase movie "Smokey and the Bandit") and there's more fun rhythm chasing coming with "Miłość zwycięża kiełbasę" ("Love Wins Over Sausages"). The catchy and driving grooves pair nicely with the tight horn riffs and make a nice platform for some nasty soloing by the horn players (fat saxophone sound, crisp trumpet, round and sensual bass clarinet).

The latter half of the album explores less retro, more nu-jazz territory, with more electronic effects, some loops and samples, fast drum'n'bass drum breaks (as in "Dla Taty") working more on the idea of creating improvised music with a steady and trance rhythmic base ("Lhasa 2008" is more or less in the same vein). Much less satisfying in my ears but it's no surprise really - I love funk but don't appreciate nearly enough the electronica-club scene to get a kick out of this kind of jazz (although the tracks have their moments - like a nicely done horns arrangement in the "Lhasa 2008").

The band gets back on the acoustic and groovy track with the last track of the cd "Gdynia" that starts with the gentle bass clarinet intro, follows into a klezmer tune with a slow beat (baritone sax gives the riff a great kick) and delivers the most adventurous and opened solos of the album, and ends with the short and frenzy car chase (police siren in there). 

I have my mind split in half about this cd really - the more acoustic playing is fun and have the right punch, to it, the electronica is more pensieve and somehow less exciting. Still this is a nice listening, great for the summer, very accessible, quite energetic, keeps your feet tapping. Would be great for an action movie soundtrack.

you can check out some of the tracks on their website http://www.tfaruk.art.pl/ or/and watch this video:

Author of text: Bartek Adamczak 

http://jazzalchemist.blogspot.com/ 

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