Pink Freud - Alchemia (2007)

Pink Freud consists of Wojtek Mazolewski (b), Tomasz Ziętek (tr) and Kuba Staruszkiewicz (dr) who on this live recording in famous Alchemia jazz club in Cracow are accompanied by Tomek Duda (s) and Marcin Masecki (p). If you look for what is best but unknown in polish jazz you should run for this album.The music first repelled me, I was astonished by its intesity and density. So I decided not to buy it. But it remained in my mind and haunted me day by day so in the end I returned to the shop and bought it. Since then I cannot help but return to it and listen to it over and over again. It works like sirens call on me! 

Why I was repelled is that this music is inspired as much by jazz as by funsion and punk rock. I also rather disliked previous discs of Pink Freud that were even more rock-like, progressive and ironic. I like irony very much in life as well as in music but if there is too much of it I found myself bored because I feel like artists play game with me, having nothing to say on their own. But with this record these musicians go wholeheartedly jazz which in my opinion shows that they became mature and treat listerners seriously. In effect we are served the dish cooked with excellent ingredients: top rate, young musicians, vamp compositions but with a lot space for improvisation, live recording in legendary location. And it tastes good, really gooood!

I attach video of Police Jazz composition of Wojtek Mazolewski giving the glimpse of how the play and what is the atmosphere on their concerts:



And interpretion of Nirvana's Come As You Are in the style characteric for their previous recordings: