O.N.E. Quintet - One (2020)

O.N.E. Quintet

Monika Muc - saxophone
Dominika Rusinowska - violin
Paulina Atmańska - piano
Kamila Drabek - double bass
Patrycja Wybrańczyk - drums

One

AUDIO CAVE 2020/007


By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album by Polish Jazz ensemble O.N.E. Quintet comprising of five female representatives of the young generation of the local scene: saxophonist Monika Muc, violinist Dominika Rusinowska, pianist Paulina Atmańska, bassist Kamila Drabek and drummer Patrycja Wybrańczyk. The album presents seven pieces, three composed by Muc, two by Atmańska, one traditional tune and one composition by Krzysztof Komeda.

The music is quite characteristic of the young Polish Jazz scene; full of melancholy and folkloristic influences, strictly melody based but with open space for improvisation and soloing. The rather unusual instrumental lineup (see violin) creates a particular sound, which takes time to get used to. These Ladies have of course perfect schooling and a lot of playing experience behind them, which results in spotless execution, both by the front line and the rhythm section.

The original compositions are well structured, albeit a bit hesitant in their nature, which results in a certain lack of focus, as far as the album as a whole is concerned. But considering the fact that this is a debut offering, this is a minor point and can be easily forgiven.

This album offers a perfect opportunity to exam the timeless issue of "Women's Jazz", which always annoys me. I'd rather leave gender out of music the same way we should avoid dealing with race or religion. We should concentrate on giving woman equal opportunity instead. As this album proves, women can be certainly as creative, adventurous and clever as men in every aspect of life. Overall this is an important debut, which hopefully will open a recording continuance for this gathering of Jazz Amazons (daughters of Harmonia), for the years to come. Definitely worth investigating!