Lora Szafran – Lonesome Dancer (Polish Jazz Vol.76, 1989)

Lora Szafran - vocal

Wojciech Niedziela - piano
Jacek Niedziela - bass
Piotr Wojtasik - trumpet, fluegelhorn
Adam Czerwiński - drums

Lonesome Dancer (Polish Jazz Vol.76,  1989)

This is the excellent debut album by female Polish Jazz vocalist Lora Szafran, the best new arrival on the local scene in the 1980s in the vocal department. She was blessed with great musicality, versatility and superb vocal abilities, which are rare and precious. On this album she is accompanied by an exceptional quartet called New Presentation, consisting of the best young Polish Jazz musicians at the time: pianist / composer / leader Wojciech Niedziela, his brother bassist Jacek Niedziela, drummer Adam Czerwinski and the excellent trumpeter Piotr Wojtasik. Together they perform nine songs, two of which were composed by Wojciech Niedziela, two others are by other Polish composers and the rest are Jazz standards. The overall level of performance is truly excellent from start to finish and for people who love mainstream Jazz delivered with taste and virtuosity, this is a must.

Side Note: This is the last album released under the "Polish Jazz" series, and as the volume number suggests the entire series consists of 76 albums released between mid-1960s and late 1980s. Some of the best European Jazz ever recorded can be found in this exceptional collection of recordings, which is often collected by Jazz fans around the world. A giant box set with all the 76 albums in mini-sleeve replicas would be a "dream come true" for true lovers of Polish Jazz. Hopefully soon!

Track listing: 1. Summertime; 2. Sweet Love To Keep; 3. New York Lament; 4. New York Lament; 5. My Funny Valentine; 6. Lonesome Dancer; 7. Kiss Me Right; 8. Sleep Safe And Warm; 9. A melancholy 

By Adam Baruch

http://adambaruch.com/