Andrzej Przybielski - Sesja Open (2011) by Maciej Nowotny

 

Andrzej Przybielski - trumpet, flugelhorn

Yuriy Ovsyannikov - alto & soprano saxophones

Grzegorz Nadolny - double bass
Grzegorz Daron - drums

Sesja Open (2011)

Freedom! Is that what so many people crave for? Yet already Soren Kierkegaard when referring to so few true followers of Jesus doctrine noticed that most of us when offered freedom shade from it. Avoid it. Escape it. I see it as well-proven fact that when it comes to freedom the closer it approaches the stronger becomes its avoidance. Majority cannot stand its "shine" as if they sensed that once they go for it nothing will be the same again. Therefore if such a free soul happen to live nearby you may be pretty sure that it will be despised and in contempt. First of all she or he will be walking remorse of others' cowardice or indecisiveness. Secondly such a person is indeed usually very difficult to live on since every rule must be broken, no prisoners are taken, there is only all or nothing...

I wrote those few words when contemplating over personality and art of trumpeter Andrzej Przybielski. I will not repeat basics about his extraordinary and saddening biography, about his immense talent, equal among Polish trumpetres only to Tomasz Stańko, about his madness and his exclusion. This album is only one more proof of all what was said before. Recorded in 2005 and released this year  after untimely death of Przybielski in 2011 it is the SOLE recording which this genius of avantgarde trumpet EVER made under his own name  in his WHOLE life! It doesn't mean that we have no other excellent recordings by him, it is enough of them described even on this humble blog (pls check following: "Abstract", "De Profundis" or "Stirli People In Jazzga") but they are far too few, far from being able to document musicial searchings of this adventourous and unrestrained soul, far from what he COULD accomplish if he got more opportunity to work on his own ideas and not on ideas of others, ideas sometimes doubtful, sometimes simply far from matching his great talent.

The history of this session is as erraneous and chaotic like whole personal and artistic life of Andrzej Przybielski. Leading boheme life of artistic vagabond he wandered as a sideman through countless projects but managed actually only ONCE to set up his own band called Asocjacja. Coming to existence in early nineties 90ties it played significant role in Polish rejunaviting yass movement but its role was limited to concert scene of provincial city of Bydgoszcz and its formula resembled that of workshop bands. It took almost 15 years (!!!) untill Przybielski was able to arrange a regular recording session and put some of his musical ideas forward to wider public. And even then it was just an inch from becoming inconclusive because one of the regular members of the band, vibraphonist Karol Szymanowski, dropped out unexpectedly in last moment out of the roster. Fortunately it was possible to find quick replacement for him in person of saxophonist Yuriy Ovsiannikov who together with double bassist Grzegorz Nadolny and drummer Grzegorz Daroń completed the personnel for this session. So finally in 2005 they recorded this music but it was still impossible to find any label ready to publish it!!! It happened only after another six years of waiting and was spurred by Andrzej Przybielski death on 9th February 2011. However eventually no more than just 500 copies were printed making this issue sure candidate for one of future "rara avis" among Polish jazz albums. Speaking shortly, such is twisted and unbelievable chaotic story behind arguably one of best recordings in history of Polish jazz...

Author: Maciej Nowotny
http://kochamjazz.blox.pl/html