Oskar Torok - trumpet
Marek Pospieszalski - saxophone
Joanna Duda - piano
Wojtek Mazolewski - double bass
Qba Janicki - drums
Michał Bryndal - drums
Sara Brylewska- voice
Polka
AGORA 9788326813801
By Adam Baruch
This is the third album by
Polish Jazz bassists/composer Wojtek Mazolewski and his quintet, which also
includes Slovak trumpeter Oskar Torok, saxophonist Marek Pospieszalski, pianist
Joanna Duda and drummers Qba Janicki and Michał Bryndal. The album presents
twelve compositions (one repeated twice), six of which are originals by
Mazolewski, two are originals by Duda, one is credited to the entire quintet
and three are covers.
The music on this album was
written over a long period of time and reflects the personal life of the leader
and the touring experiences by his quintet, as well as their musical
preferences. It is a mixed bag of various influences, including Jazz but not necessarily
strictly connected with Jazz, as usual with Mazolewski's albums. His tap-dance between
Jazz and more popular Pop & Rock idioms seem to work miracles during the
quintet's live shows, which are extremely well attended by enthusiastic audiences,
but it does not translate that well into albums, like this one, which are a
mixed, unfocused bag.
Of course these are top-notch
players, especially Duda, who displays a remarkable ability to adopt her
playing to the various musical environments present herein and sets her own
voice in her compositions. The sound is smooth and likeable as is the music and
overall this album is a lot of fun to listen to, but leaves very little of an
afterthought.
The album is beautifully
packaged in a fancy digibook format, with great photos and Mazolewski's
reflections about the music. BTW the work "Polka" has a double
meaning: a Folk dance (of Czech origin) and a Polish female person; a dichotomy
Mazolewski explores in detail.
I had a lot fun listening to
this album but at the same time, as with all albums by Mazolewski, I feel a bit
cheated, always getting a bit less than I hoped for. Some music simply does
sound better live…
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