Jerzy Milian – Milianalia (Polish Jazz Extended Vol.88 , 2005)

Jerzy Milian  - vibraphone], marimba, percussion, strings, harmonium, voice

Milianalia (Polskie Nagrania, 2006)

This is a beautiful solo album by the virtuoso Polish vibraphonist / composer Jerzy Milian, one of the godfathers of modern Jazz in Poland, which was recorded to celebrate his 70th Birthday. Milian started to play in the 1950s and was a member of the legendary sextet led by Krzysztof Komeda, who persuaded him to move from piano to vibraphone. In time Milian became one of the top vibraphone players in Europe as well as an excellent composer with highly personal style. His music was always quite sophisticated and unusual, quite ahead of its time. The early Komeda influence was replaced later on by his own original compositional direction, which flirted with Cool, Third Stream, contemporary Classical and World Music. This album presents eight of his original compositions performed solo on a variety of instruments including vibraphone, marimba and various percussion and string instruments. Not an easy listen, this music requires attentive listening and concentration, since the melodic motifs are quite elusive at times. But altogether this is a charming album, which I enjoy listening to very much. Highly recommended!

Track listing:  A1 Sheik of Urology (2:04); A2 Go down Felix (8:22); A3 Moon Hustler (3:23); A4 Salam-Talam (5:26); B1 Needful Sounds (2:37); B2 Kamikadze - Divine Wind (10:50); B3 Mother-In-Law Pranks (1:08); B4 Blues Holzbein Waltz (4:24)

(Editor) Not from this album but representative for Milian style:

By Adam Baruch

http://adambaruch.com/