Ad Shave – Ad Complementum (2018)

Ad Shave

Maciej Sikała - tenor & soprano saxophones
Marcin Gawdzis - trumpet (7)
Michał Ciesielski - piano, keyboards
Cezary Paciorek - piano, synth, accordion
Krzysztof Paul - guitar (9,10)
Piotr Lemańczyk - double bass
Paul Rutschka - bass (9,10)

Piotr Gierszewski - bass
Adam Golicki - drums

Ad Complementum

SOLITON 880

By Adam Baruch

This is an album by Polish Jazz drummer/composer Adam Golicki, which compliments (as the title suggests) his debut album entitled "Ad Shave", released this time under the Ad Shave moniker rather than under his own name. It was recorded with an excellent team of Polish Jazz musicians which include saxophonist Maciej Sikała, trumpeter Marcin Gawdzis, pianist/accordionist Cezary Paciorek, bassist Piotr Lemańczyk and several other musicians appearing on selected tracks. The album presents ten tracks, seven of which are composed or co-composed by Golicki, one each is composed by Paciorek and Lemańczyk and one is a Classical piece.

The music is a wonderful collection of beautiful melodies, arranged mostly in a smooth Jazz-Rock Fusion mode and superbly performed by all the musicians involved. Although not innovative as such, the music is simply perfect in what it stands for and a schoolbook example of contemporary Fusion, which concentrates on excellent compositions and skillful arrangements rather than exploring endless instrumental doodling.

The album is a most enjoyable ride, full of excellently weaved melodies, exciting soloing and a coherent "good time" approach, which is a breath of fresh air as far as most contemporary Fusion is concerned. Personally I had a great time listening to this music, which although seemingly pretty straightforward, does not make any compromises as far as aesthetic values are concerned and is an example of good taste and first class craftsmanship both on the compositional and performing platforms. Warmly recommended to Jazz-Rock Fusion fans, which prefer depth to flashy showmanship!