Atom String Quartet - Fade In (Jazz Forum, 2011)

Atom String Quartet

Dawid Lubowicz - violin

Mateusz Smoczyński - violin

Michał Zaborski - viola

Krzysztof Lenczowski - cello

Jazz Forum, 2011

Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa has risen in recent years to a status of one of the most renown jazz festivals in Poland which is partly due to contest for young jazz musicians which quickly become as famous as much older Jazz Nad Odrą competition. There are many great bands among winners of this contest among whom perhaps the most illustrious is RGG trio. Their album "Scandinavia" recorded in 2002 as an award for winning in 5th contest was a springboard for their great career making them eventually one of the most recognized jazz combos in Poland.

However when in February (Zadymka=Blizzard) this year news came that winner is Atom String Quartet I made long face. Why did jury choose classic-sounding quartet from 18 fantastic bands and artist among whom were such great talents as (my personal favorites) Michał Wróblewski Trio ("I Remember") or Kuba Płużek Zkwintet ("Lilla Chezquiz" or "Detour Ahead")? But I remained critical only as long as I was not able to listen to their debut album.

Titled aptly "Fade In" and recorded live in Radio Katowice this album is a very rare example when so called "third stream", that is a blend of jazz and classical music, sounds neither secondary or duplicate. In language this is typical string quartet but in heart this is pure jazz: played meticulously, minutely, smoothly but with free and adventurous spirit. Although as typical for debut recording it is uneven yet it announces a band that may in future bring new and original voice not only to Polish but also to European scene. Whether they play Polish (Komeda's "Svantetic" and "Sleep Safe And Warm") or world jazz standards ("Beautiful Love" by Victor Young) but most of all in their own, very lively compositions as inspired by jazz (like for example in wamp "Too Late" by Michał Zaborski) as by classical music (for example marvelous "Fugato & Allegrina"), it sounds fresh, it brings something new, both for jazz and classical music lovers. Hard task rarely successfully accomplished even by more famous artists..

Summarizing, this is definitely very succesful debut of Atom String Quartet, that is Dawid Lubowicz (violin), Michał Zaborski (viola), Krzysztof Lenczowski (cello) and Mateusz Smoczyński (violin) whose excellent "Simultaneous Abstractions" I also strongly recommend to you...  

Courtesy of Atom String Quartet you are able to listen to two tracts from this fantastic album:

Atom String Quartet - Fade In (promo) by Mateusz Smoczynski

Author of text: Maciej Nowotny
http://kochamjazz.blox.pl/html