Olga Boczar - vocals, flute
Jan Smoczyński - piano, accordion, electronics
Andrzej Gondek - guitar
Wojciech Pulcyn - bass
Paweł Dobrowolski - drums
Tęskno Mi, Tęskno
FOR TUNE 0137
By Adam Baruch
This is the second album by
Polish vocalist/flautist/songwriter Olga Boczar, recorded with the same quartet
of Polish Jazz musicians who accompanied her on her debut album: pianist Jan
Smoczyński, guitarist Andrzej Gondek, bassist Wojciech Pulcyn and drummer Paweł Dobrowolski. The album presents eight songs, four of which are Polish Folk
songs and the other four are original compositions by Boczar, three of which
feature her lyrics (one of them in English) and one is based on a poem by
Polish poet Bolesław Leśmian.
Both the Folk songs and the
original compositions get a Jazzy arrangement (which remains uncredited), but
are not really transformed into the Jazz idiom, remaining mostly somewhere
between Pop and Folk music after all.
Boczar sings both lyrics and
vocalese, holding her ground skillfully and even gracefully at times, but her
vocal parts are somewhat low in the mix being often overshadowed by the
instrumental accompaniment. Her flute parts are only marginally featured here. All
four Jazz musicians that participate in the recording are of course highly
professional, but the music leaves little ground for them to show their skills
except for occasional solos.
Overall this is a pleasant album,
easy on the ear and well put together, mostly for listeners who prefer to be
entertained rather than challenged, but one that can be enjoyed by a wide
spectrum of music lovers.
super! :-)
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