Krzysztof Herdzin - Chopin (Polonia Records, 1996)

Krzysztof Herdzin - piano

Piotr Wojtasik - trumpet, fluegelhorn
Maciej Sikala - tenor sax
Jacek Niedziela - bass
Marcin Jahr - drums

 Chopin (Polonia Records, 1996)

Although K. Herdzin is a classically trained pianist, his "Chopin" is the most jazzy and universal of all jazz renditions of Chopin's music published to date. All of the compositions are based on motifs and fragments of reworked Chopin phrases. One cannot accuse Herdzin of misusing or abusing Chopin's music because of the sheer fact that Herdzin has ventured very far from the original. He does not quote Chopin directly but uses variations of the motifs. He never cites the original, never borrows (or as some would say - never steals). Herdzin's Chopin-like tunes are his own original creations and in themselves testify to his substantial talent. This is one of the most interesting albums released in Poland to date.



Tracklisting: 1. Etiuda E-dur op.10 nr.3; 2. Walc cis-moll op.64.nr.2; 3. Mazurek F-dur op.68 nr.3; 4. Walc h-moll op.69 nr.2; 5. Preludium A-dur op.28 nr.7; 6. Grande Valse Brillante As-dur op.34; 7. Preludium Des-dur op.28 nr.15; 8. Zyczenie

By Ryszard Borowski Jazz Magazine