Szymon Wójcik - guitar
Jerzy Mączyński - tenor & baritone saxophones
Marcel Baliński - piano, microkorg
Rafał Różalski - double bass
Bartosz Szablowski - drums
Romantic Alternative Schizophrenic Punk
HOWARD 4
By Adam Baruch
This is the debut album by the
Polish Jazz ensemble RASP Lovers, led by guitarist Szymon Wójcik and also
including saxophonist Jerzy Mączyński, pianist Marcel Baliński, bassist Rafał Różalski and drummer Bartosz Szablowski. However, four of the above listed
musicians (all except Baliński) appeared last year as members of the P.E.
Quartet which released their debut album "Cokolwiek" then, so one
might wonder why the change of moniker? The album presents eleven original
compositions, all by Wójcik. The music was recorded at the Monochrom Studio and
engineered by Ignacy Gruszecki, who is probably the only person on earth up to
the task.
To my surprise the music on
this album does not continue the direction of the above mentioned P.E.
Quartet's debut album, which perhaps answers the question about the name change.
It is a harsh, often conflicting amalgam of many musical elements, from
Avant-Garde, Jazz, Rock and Punk (more in attitude than musically). As a result
the music shakes the listener at first contact, which perhaps is the desired
effect. It is very difficult to find a coherent direction or concept in this
music at first, again perhaps intentionally so, with the music jumping between
rocky riffs and improvised music parts without warning and which, as a result,
can be quite masochistic for a casual listener.
But on the other hand one has
to admire the non-conformism and the courage to follow the Artistic vision,
which obviously stands behind this music. The five musicians all perform
wonderfully and imaginatively throughout this album, creating absorbing flow
and fascinating moments, given the opportunity to be heard and noticed. It
takes time and patience to create a mental bridge to this music, which probably
very few listeners are able to build eventually, and which is probably not a
primary concern of the music's creators. For hardened Improvised Music/Avant-Garde fanatics this is an obvious chaotic heaven, the rest of the world –
you have been warned.
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