Artur Majewski - cornet, delay
Patryk Zakrocki - viola, mbira, ring modulator
Czas Panowania Traw
Fundacja Kaisera Söze 2018
By Maciej Krawiec
Przysłuchując się albumowi Artura Majewskiego i Patryka Zakrockiego "Czas Panowania Traw", sięgnąłem po towarzyszący temu wydawnictwu odautorski komentarz. Znalazły się w nim między innymi takie zdania: "[Muzyka] zdaje się oddychać, jest pozbawiona formy, po prostu trwa, jak szum lasu, do którego się wchodzi czy szmer strumienia, który w tym lesie płynie". To w mgnieniu oka przypomniało mi niezwykły stan, w jakim znalazłem się przed kilkoma miesiącami podczas letnich wakacji. Leżałem wówczas właśnie w środku lasu, słońce hojnie ogrzewało moje ciało. Miałem zamknięte oczy, by świadomie jak najszerzej otworzyć... uszy i jak najpełniej oddać się pasjonującym dźwiękom, intensywnie mnie otaczającym. Zastanawiałem się wówczas, jaką muzykę przyrównać do takiej improwizacji lasu. Może Meredith Monk? Może Arild Andersen? Na pewno – Majewski i Zakrocki.
Bardzo mądrze połączyli oni zajmujące muzykowanie z wykorzystaniem kornetu, altówki, mbiry oraz elektroniki z obecnym bez nachalności przyrodniczym tematem. Duet nie szuka jednak dźwiękonaśladownictwa; artystom chodzi raczej o kolektywne, subiektywne i spontaniczne odbicie pewnej organicznej brzmieniowej aury, którą natura może w sobie zawierać. Majewski i Zakrocki zapraszają do swoistego laboratorium dźwięków, gdzie – poza wyrazistą grą instrumentów – tworzą się zamglone tła, ledwie zarysowane horyzonty, barwne plamy, echa tego, co już niewidoczne. Wyobraźnia pracuje: słychać mikrokosmos ściółki leśnej, naprzykrzające się owady, klangor żurawi, szum smukłych sosen na wietrze nad schowanym pośród borów jeziorem...
Jednocześnie "Czas Panowania Traw" to po prostu bogata i sugestywna muzyka improwizowana. Budzi powyższe skojarzenia bez dosłowności, eksponuje szereg motywów i epizodów, prezentuje zarówno indywidualizm, jak i dialog. Artyści badają dźwięki, odnajdują frazy o rozmaitym natężeniu, dzielą się emocjami. Niepokój, rezygnacja, groza, melancholia, namiastka ładu, niepewna uroda – ja wyczytuję między innymi takie treści w muzyce duetu, ale wiem, że każdy, kto w skupieniu wysłucha tego albumu, odnajdzie tam odmienne myśli i emocje. I po to właśnie – by pozwolić, by w naszym wnętrzu zapanował tytułowy, intymnie przeżywany Czas Traw – warto sięgnąć po płytę Majewskiego i Zakrockiego.
This is the debut album as a
leader by veteran Polish bassist/composer Marian Pawlik, renowned as a member
of the legendary Polish Jazz-Rock ensemble Dżamble, which recorded just one
cult album "Wołanie O Słońce Nad Światem". This album, recorded in a
quartet setting, finds Pawlik in the company of the young generation Polish
Jazz players: pianist Kuba Płużek, saxophonist Bartłomiej Noszka and drummer
Michał Heller.
The album presents nine tracks, five of which are originals: two
by Pawlik and three by Płużek and four are by celebrated Jazz bassists: two by
Paul Chambers and one each by Ron Carter and Oscar Pettiford. The music was
excellently recorded and the up-front bass presence is a delight to the many enthusiast
of the instrument.
As the album's title suggests,
it is primarily a tribute to the double bass, its heroes and history, and as a
result the music is mostly within the boundaries of American Bebop tradition, albeit
the majority of it was composed by the Polish members of the quartet. There is
no doubt that the three compositions by Płużek are the most interesting musical
endeavors, even if they are still closely related to the Bebop spirit, as they
offer typical twists and turns Płużek often employs in his compositions, which
make the cognoscenti smile.
The music is executed
perfectly, with a lot of soloing space offered to the leader, who obviously
displays first-class technique and feel for the music. Noszka and Płużek solo
extensively as well, always according to what is expected in this kind of
music. Heller keeps the time like clockwork and stays mostly in the shadows. Personally I find this kind of
music uninteresting, but listeners who still listen to Bebop should be able to
enjoy this music and since this is an opportunity to listen to a legendary
musician still in great form, it is a source of joy.
This is an album by Polish Jazz
trumpeter / composer / bandleader / entrepreneur Piotr Schmidt, recorded in a
quartet setting with pianist Wojciech Niedziela, bassist Maciej Garbowski and
drummer Krzysztof Gradziuk. The album presents twelve compositions, eight of
which are credited to all four members of the quartet, two were composed by
Schmidt and one each were composed by Krzysztof Komeda and Bartek Pieszka.
The death of the Polish /
European Jazz icon, trumpeter / composer / bandleader Tomasz Stańko, in June of
2018, marked an end of a chapter, or rather an end of an era in European Jazz.
Although in recent years many of the most prominent representatives of post
WWII European Jazz sadly departed, Stanko was in many respects more than most an
epitome of modern European Jazz and his life and career exemplified the most
important characteristics of the idiom. His relentless search of uncharted
territory, complete disregard of fads and fashions, his open-mindedness and
chameleonic, often extremely dramatic changes in his stylistic approach to Jazz
and above all his aesthetics, with reminded uncompromising till the very end,
were all also often characteristic of many other leading European Jazz Masters,
who managed to create an entirely new form of the Jazz essence, completely free
of the limitations and shackles enslaving the genre in the past.
Tributes are a tricky business,
especially so in the case of iconic figures, which were active for decades and
managed to produce not only a rich legacy of recorded music, but more
importantly were constantly groundbreaking and innovative. How can a
"tribute" album express a respectful and artistically coherent
picture of an icon? It takes a lot of courage and determination to attempt a
tribute recording, which will be meaningful and offer some intrinsic value
beyond being just a reflection of the light of a Giant, with the possibility of
failure always lurking in the background.
Considering the fact that
Stanko's legacy was to a large extent involved with Avant-garde, Improvised
Music and Free Jazz, whereas Schmidt consistently dedicates his career to more
mainstream manifestations of the Jazz idiom, always emphasizing melody,
harmony, ambience and lyricism, the first reaction to the idea of Schmidt
recording a Stańko tribute might be that of disbelief and surprise. But Schmidt
already proved to be a mastermind of invention in the past and this time he has
surely outdone himself, by finding an ingredient of Stańko's legacy that fits
like a glove to his own modus operandi. As a result Schmidt, rather than
creating a "general" tribute to Stańko, decided to put the spotlight
on the gentler side of the Stańko's heritage – Stańko the charmer, the
balladeer, the weaver of heartbreakingly beautiful melodies, in short Stańko
the Gentle Giant.
The resulting concept presents
an album full of beautiful, melodic, lyrical Jazz, which strongly resembles
that gentle side of Stanko that we all love, but at the same time is completely
original as far as the music itself is concerned. The atmosphere and ambience
of the album are wonderfully coherent and the music flows serenely penetrating
directly the very soul of the listener. The decision of not using and specific
tunes composed by Stańko, but creating instead music that "might have been
composed" by him is of course brilliant in every respect.
The quartet performing the
music is ideal for the task. Garbowski and Gradziuk played with Stańko in the
recent years and know his music intimately, and their position as one of the
leading Polish Jazz rhythm sections is fully justified. They add the
ingredients of space and freedom to the quartet's playing, which is exactly
what this music needs to make it completely unwavering and related to Stańko's
musical spirit. Niedziela is beautifully romantic and expressive, with each and
every note he plays being exactly what is needed to make the overall sound
perfect. Schmidt plays delightfully as well, rather sparingly and delicately,
again exactly right for what this music needs. At times, with the eyes closed,
his trumpet sounds exactly like Stanko's, but obviously Schmidt is not trying
to imitate Stańko's playing but, as the entire album does, reproduce the very
Stańkoish ambience and spirituality.
Overall this is a wonderfully
executed and cleverly planned piece of music, which achieves the ambitious goal
assigned to it in full. It is also a textbook example of what
"tribute" albums should sound like, as well as a wonderful example of
a bridge over a chasm of the infamous generation gap, which enables a smooth
transition of the heritage from one generation to another. Polish Jazz at its
best!
This is the third album by
Danish Jazz pianist/composer Lars Fiil, this time recorded with an
international septet called Fiil Free, which features also Polish trumpeter
Tomasz Dąbrowski, Swedish guitarist Henrik Olsson and four Danish musicians:
saxophonist Henrik Pultz Melbye, vibraphonist Martin Fabricius, bassist Casper
Nyvang Rask and drummer Bjorn Heeboll. Together they perform five original
compositions, all by Fiil.
The music is a typical European
Free Jazz/Improvised Music endeavor, which in spite of its many degrees of
freedom is wonderfully well composed, organized, structured and played,
presenting a challenging yet coherent listening experience. The individual
compositions develop slowly, starting with single notes or chords, gradually
increasing in intensity and complexity, taking the listener on a ride along the
process of its development.
All the participants contribute
their personal input, playing solo passages, which often are very different
from typical Jazz solos, but play in fact a similar role. These young musicians
are amongst the finest European improvisers and can be heard on many other
recordings. This particular setting is actually very minimalistic and there is
little place to show the individual skills in a very expressive way, but this
minimalism pushes the players to their limits and makes them to reinvent their
performing techniques. Dąbrowski, as usual, plays some
stunning passages, proving again that his diversity and talent know no borders,
but as already said earlier, this album is not about individual statements, but
deals with collective improvisation and cooperative performance.
One of the pieces starts off
with the septet playing a swinging Bebop tune, which has a wonderful small Big
Band feel about it, but of course it soon disintegrates into Free Form
collective improvisation, which is sort of decomposing the initial structured
statement, only to return to it at the very end. There are many such wonderful
surprises as the music progresses and when it finally ends, one is definitely
left with a wish for more.
Overall this album is another
proof that the young European Improvising scene is alive and kicking like never
before, creating a melting pot of influences between Scandinavian, East and
West European cultures, forging a strong Jazz Culture, which hopefully will
last for a long time and keep developing in the process. Not to be missed by
any Free Jazz fans anywhere in the world!
This is the debut album by
Polish duo comprising of vocalist Jorgos Skolias and pianist Piotr Rachoń. The
album presents ten original compositions, spontaneously created during the
recording session and credited to both participants, with the "lyrics"
credited to Skolias. The album was recorded at the Monochrom Studio and
engineered by Ignacy Gruszecki, with the expected superb sound quality.
From the very onset of the
music it becomes immediately obvious that this album is unlike anything one
might have come across before. As the album's title suggests, this music is
completely free from any preconceptions and genre limitations. Skolias and
Rachoń let themselves to be led by their respective instincts and the telepathic
rapport they manage to establish during the session's duration. They are
clearly listening to each other very carefully, and yet they take turns in pushing
the music from one plane to another, moving forward and backwards and sideways
constantly.
Despite the seemingly
directionless aura, the music is perfectly coherent and even
"organized" and "melodic" most of the time, certainly in
the abstract gist of these idioms. With Skolias using almost completely
unconventional vocal techniques, Rachoń sticks to almost conventional chords
and scales, keeping the overall result "in check", which helps to
avoid havoc and confusion. Both players are of course equally inventive at all
times.
Skolias uses his voice in a
multilayered and multidirectional manner, utilizing single words and phrases,
Multilanguage and gibberish, natural and distorted vocals and harmonized vocal
effects, screams and whispers, in short an amazing array of human-produced
natural and unnatural effects, which only he is capable of creating. Rachoń skillfully and incredibly sensibly manages to insert his piano sounds to
harmonize perfectly with the barrage of sounds produced by Skolias, creating a
symbiotic whole.
In fact describing this music
in words is an a priori futile effort, and listening to it is the only proper
way to treat it. Having said that, one must admit that this music is so
extraordinary and Avant-garde that it can be considered groundbreaking,
certainly as far as Improvised Vocal Music is concerned. The Giant Step taken by
Skolias from his Rock, Blues and Jazz roots towards this revolutionary modus
operandi is astonishing in its boldness and ingenuity. Although I have always
considered Skolias as a superbly talented and multifaceted artist, this time he
truly managed to knock my socks off! Hats off to you my Friend!
Bywalcy koncertów Leszka Możdżera otrzymali właśnie niespodziewany i interesujący podarek w postaci płyty z rejestracją koncertu pianisty z Glorią Campaner, zarejestrowanego podczas Enter Enea Festival w Poznaniu w roku 2017. Możdżer dość aktywnie angażuje się w zróżnicowane projekty, cały czas pamiętając, by była to propozycja atrakcyjna dla słuchaczy. Niektórzy czynią z owej atrakcyjności zarzut, jednak większość z niemalejącą przyjemnością słucha kolejnych nagrań.
Koncert z Glorią Campaner jest materiałem wręcz idealnym na przebojową jazzową płytę. Włoska artystka skupia się głównie na muzyce klasycznej, jednak chętnie współpracuje z jazzmanami czy nawet DJ-ami. Stąd może dość oryginalny układ programu, koncentrujący się na nie jazzowych kompozytorach. Artyści mogli pójść po linii najmniejszego oporu, wykorzystując wyłącznie chwytliwe i sprawdzone w bojach utwory Możdżera. Wybrali jednak ambitniejsze rozwiązanie, sięgając między innymi po Debussy’ego, Prokofieva, Albéniza i Lutosławskiego.
Album rozpoczyna "She Said She Was A Painter" znany z ostatniej płyty tria Możdżer/Danielsson Fresco. Potem na siedem minut słuchacz zanurza się w delikatną, piękną interpretację "Clair De Lune". Bardzo oryginalnie i ciekawie wypada fortepianowy duet w "Libertango" Piazzolli, po którym artyści zabierają nas w podróż nieco bardziej abstrakcyjną. W "Lady Stoned" pojawiają się bowiem instrumenty elektroniczne oraz… śpiewające kamienie (przygotowane przez Pinuccio Sciola), z których dźwięki wydobywała Gloria Campaner. Finałowe "Paganini Variations", jak przystało na podsumowanie całości, zabrzmiały dynamicznie, miejscami z lekką nutką szaleństwa, acz niewątpliwie porywająco. Na scenie do pianistów dołączyła wówczas dwójka perkusjonalistów – Magdalena Kordylasińska-Pękala i Miłosz Pękala.
"Live At Enter" to godzina czystej radości obcowania ze świetnie wykonaną muzyką. Stanie się zapewne miłą pamiątką dla tych, którzy mieli przyjemność posłuchać duetu na żywo, ale także ostatnią deską ratunku i pocieszeniem dla osób, które na koncert nie dotarły (mnie się nie udało) i mocno tego żałują (ja osobiście żałuję bardzo).
This is a solo piano album by
Polish Jazz pianist/composer/arranger Krzysztof Herdzin, who is a highly
respected musician on the local scene, known for his professionalism and
perfectionism. The album, which is Herdzin's first solo piano venture, presents
nine improvised pieces, which as the album's title and the liner notes
describe, are highly personal reflections of his musical life's experiences,
impulsively created on the spur of the moment.
In the last few years of his
career Herdzin gradually moved away from Jazz towards other musical areas,
mostly contemporary Classical Music and stage music. This album follows the
same pattern, perhaps subconsciously, but it has very little to do with Jazz
per se, and is much closer to Classical forms of expression. Although the
melodic content is very fragmented, the overall mood is mostly lyrical and
romantic, often quite minimalist. Herdzin uses mostly single notes and chords
are being used sparingly, which creates tension and anticipation, but on the
other hand makes the music somewhat difficult to follow after a while.
Overall this is an interesting
experiment, which offers a unique glimpse of Herdzin's complex musical
personality. His customary listeners might find this music a tad too difficult
to swallow, surely in the initial attempt, but this album grows on the listener
in time. Herdzin is unquestionably a highly talented composer and performer,
but he is often more appreciated by his peers than by the general public. It is
good to see him let go of his disciplined approach and indulge in
improvisation, even if the improvisation is somewhat imprisoned by his
subliminal sense of order. I hope this album gets the exposure it deserves, and
music connoisseurs will discover another facet of Herdzin's music. Recommended!
This is an album by a Polish
Jazz trio led by drummer/composer Rafal Gorzycki, who also plays piano, with
flautist Tomasz Pawlicki and guitarist Jakub Ziołek, both of which employ also
electronics. The album presents ten original compositions, eight of which are
credited to all the trio members and two are by Gorzycki. This album is a
second part of a triptych of trio recordings by Gorzycki, continuing the
"Playing" album released a couple of years earlier. The music was
excellently recorded at the RecPublica Studios and engineered by Łukasz
Olejarczyk.
The music is an esoteric
mixture of various elements, acoustic and electronic, combining modern
Classical Music vistas with improvisation and Ambient music and creating a
magical impressionist aura of anticipation and mysticism. There are also
elements of Serialism and Minimalism, all wonderfully weaved into a coherent
but hard to pinpoint continuity, which tends to flow as if propelled by its own
will. This music is more about form and sound than about melody or harmony,
very abstract and almost involuntarily creating images of impressionist
paintings before the listener's eyes.
Pawlicki stands in the very
epicenter of this music, since his magic flute produces most of the directly
audible sound, creating short melodic threads and swirls, all of which are
simply irresistibly beautiful. In complete contrast the guitar played by Ziołek
sounds nothing like a guitar, producing a plethora of sound layers and ambient
noises in the background, which is the foundation upon which the flute parts
float, similar to a wind which carries the golden autumn leaves. Gorzycki also
hardly ever plays any straightforward rhythms and his pulses are more pointers
than actual rhythmic patterns. His piano parts are also quite atypical and
serve as accents rather than harmonies.
There is no doubt that this
album constitutes a new stage in the long and prolific career of Gorzycki,
taking him into a new realm unlike anything else he attempted earlier, although
definitely being a logical extension of his earlier works. This music is more
complex and more abstract than his earlier efforts but also much more
concentrated and expressive. It is definitely much closer to cotemporary Classical
Chamber Music than to Jazz, and will probably be received as such by the
listeners. Absurdly perhaps, it is also more accessible and universal than many
of his earlier efforts.
Overall this is a stunning
piece of music, which offers novel approach to music making, unusual usage of
the instruments and explores unchartered territory as far as improvisation and
composition are intertwined and is additionally spiced with the sensational
flute playing, altogether offering a sensational musical experience. Wholeheartedly
recommended!
This is the debut album by a
duo comprising of veteran Polish Jazz pianist / composer / bandleader /
entrepreneur Krzysztof Kobyliński and French trumpeter Erik Truffaz. The album
presents nine original compositions, all by Kobyliński.
The music is all based on the
strongly melodic themes, which are Kobyliński's trademark, full of typical
Polish melancholy and lyricism and often reflecting references to Polish
Folklore. Some of these compositions appeared on earlier recordings by
Kobyliński, but this intimate duo setting puts them in a different light and
mood, and makes them worth revisiting.
Most of the improvisational
artistry on this album is naturally performed by Truffaz, who is a proven
Master of his instrument. On this album Truffaz demonstrates a mellow, melodic
mood, as appropriate for the circumstances, but his playing is full of artistry
and sensitivity. Kobyliński stays mostly in the background, accompanying the
trumpet lead amicably, taking occasional solos as well. The duo works together
well and manages to create a full musical experience, proving that the unusual
piano / trumpet instrumentation is completely viable and artistically
convincing.
Overall this is a enjoyable
album, which emphasizes the gentle side of the Jazz idiom, well within the
mainstream tradition, but offers an unusual instrumental setting and deeply
melodic contents, which is accessible to a wide range of Jazz and Jazz related
listeners.
Tomasz Pawlicki - flet Kuba Ziołek - gitara Rafał Gorzycki - perkusja
29 listopada, godz. 20:00, COK Perełka, Gliwice
Bilety: 20 zł przedsprzedaż/25 zł w dniu koncertu
Ensemble Tuning tworzą wyjątkowi muzycy: Tomasz Pawlicki - flecista i kompozytor, jeden z największych instrumentalistów w Polsce, koncertmistrz Opery Nova w Bydgoszczy, oraz Kuba Ziołek – laureat Paszportu Polityki 2016, lider wielu ważnych projektów i zespołów z pogranicza muzyki eksperymentalnej, elektronicznej i improwizowanej – multiinstrumentalista, obsługujący tutaj elektronikę . Lider projektu i perkusista, kompozytor – Rafał Gorzycki, jest zaliczany do grona najważniejszych i najbardziej twórczych, płodnych artystów współczesnego jazzu oraz kameralistyki w Polsce. Nagrał do tej pory 22 autorskie albumy i jest laureatem wielu nagród, wyróżnień oraz stypendiów. Założeniem tria jest praca nad brzmieniem, jego transformowanie i ekspozycja jako głównej składowej muzycznej kreacji. Pierwsze koncerty formacji odbyły się jesienią 2017 roku.
