Michal Zygmunt - Muzyki (Port Bankok, 2011)

I owe this CD to Adam Domagała who described it gracefully on his blog Z dżezem lżej and without his note it would most probably slipped out of my focus. Not surprisingly since "Muzyki" places itself on a very fringes of jazz music to the same extent as for example Bill Frisell's "Nashville". Similarities to great American guitarist do not end on strong folk element present in Michał Zygmunt music, they extend further to things much more important because they share similar sensivity, musicality, creativity. As Frisell Zygmunt creates open structures in which he blends folk, jazz, classic, pop and electronic music, all spoken in language entirely his own, because his affinities to Frisell are only in ideas not in style.

Another record of Frisell that comes to my mind when I think about Muzyki is his famous "History, Mystery" which is intimate travel to his own cultural origins, somewhere in deep blue grass of American Mid-West. Michał Zygmunt on the other hand explores dream-like landscapes of sounds so similar to black and white old family photos: deep, resonant and yet impossible to grasp, as elusive as water running in a swift stream, full of memories, phantasies, nightmares. Musically speaking we find here Polish folk tunes trasformed, all these sweet melodies (kujawiaks, oberkas, polkas)  of our childhood, so moving and so dear to any Polish musician since Frederic Chopin times.

From this short review you may easily see that I am under spell of this music in creation of which Michał Zygmunt (acoustic guitars) was assisted by Roli Mosimann (drums, percussion, responsible also for mixing) and special guest: Zdzisław Jamborski (accordion). Album was meticulously published, sound is very well mixed and I would also like to underline a role played in financing this project by Mirosław Wróbel Foundation, a private fund raised to support cultural projects by daughter of this recently deceased businessman from Wrocław. Recommended!

Check samples of music from this album:


Michal Zygmunt "Musics" ("Muzyki") - Live at Saraswati from Patryk Kizny on Vimeo.



Michał Zygmunt, "Musics" ("Muzyki") - "Na Kujawach Pięknie Graja" - a music video from Patryk Kizny on Vimeo.

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