Filip Wojciechowski - Moments (Licomp, 2011)

Filip Wojciechowski - piano 

Gary Guthman - trumpet, flugerhorn

Marcin Kajper - tenor sax, sopran sax
Paweł Pańta - doublebass, electric bass
Cezary Konrad - drums
Oskar Wojciechowski - acoustic guitar

Polish Philharmonic Sinfonia Baltica in Słupsk
Bohdan Jarmołowicz - conductor 

Moments (Licomp, 2011)

One of my friends Adam Domagała (check his interesting blog Z dżezem lżej) has recently told me that as far as smooth jazz is concerned, its quality rests mainly in how attractive are melodies. If to appraise this disc by such a measure it is rather unconvincing. This feeling of disappointment is increased by simplified, predictable and so-many-times-played arrangements. One must feel astonished indeed why so well educated and gifted musicians decided to play so schematic notes?! No freedom, no spontaineity, no innovation. Sure it is technically decent but jazz is not classical music! In fact the idea of jazz goes quite opposite!!! Jazz is all about searching for what is unexpected, surprise, spontaneous. Few such moments if any may be found in this music.  If however, like Wynton Marsalis or his likes, you treat jazz as new classical music in which success should be measured by fidelity of copy of music of masters (Davis, Coltrane, Evans etc.) of the past, well, then it is possible that you will have quite opposite opinion to mine!!! You will be enthusiastic about musicians' technical proficiency, their discipline in playing notes distinctively and so so smooth. You may even come to conclusion that this music is beautiful as many find women after many cosmetic surgeries correcting face, breasts, legs etc. very attractive. But I cannot... sorry...

Check sample of music from this album to draw your own conclusions:

Author: Maciej Nowotny

http://kochamjazz.blox.pl/html