Tomasz Stanko – Twet (Polish Jazz Vol.39, 1974)

Tomasz Stańko - trumpet

Tomasz Szukalski - tenor and soprano saxophones, bass clarine

Peter Warren - bass
Edward Vesala - drums

Twet (Polish Jazz Vol.39, 1974)

This monumental album by Polish Jazz trumpeter / composer Tomasz Stanko in one of the most important releases on the legendary Polish Jazz series, which means it's a truly stellar performance. It captures perfectly the soul of Stanko's 1970s Free Jazz period, which culminated just a year later with the recording of the legendary "Balladyna" album for ECM, in almost identical lineup. 

Similarly to his Mentor, Krzysztof Komeda, Stanko always tried to work with musicians from other countries, even when the bureaucracy of the Socialist regime made it quite difficult. Like Komeda before him, he worked with musicians from the neighbor Scandinavian countries, finding a close friend and partner in the free-spirited Finnish legendary drummer Edward Vesala. Young Polish saxophonist Tomasz Szukalski was given the position previously held by such giant musicians as Zbigniew Namyslowski and Michal Urbaniak, which testifies to Stanko's high confidence in him. The quartet was completed by the great American bassist Peter Warren, who lived at the time in Europe and participated actively in the incredible European Jazz scene of that period. 

The album includes five pieces, credited to all four musicians and obviously largely improvised, with some limited preconceived melody lines barely audible under the surface. The unedited, "live in the studio" recording perfectly reflects the atmosphere of the session, with Free blowing and intense interplays, enthusiastically encouraged by Vesala's howls and cries in the background. This is definitely a magic moment, captured for posterity on this recording, which has very few parallels, and therefore is so incredibly important. Stanko's fans will of course find plenty of his superb trumpet performances here, which are second to none. Any European Jazz connoisseur, Polish Jazz enthusiast or Stanko aficionado must absolutely have this album!

Track listing:
1. Dark Awakening (Stańko/Vesala/Warren/Szukalski) [12:32]
2. Twet (Stańko/Vesala/Warren/Szukalski) [07:08]
3. Mintuu Maria (Stańko/Vesala/Warren/Szukalski) [05:17]
4. Men Of The North (Stańko/Vesala/Warren/Szukalski) [10:23]
5. Night Peace (Stańko/Vesala/Warren/Szukalski) [04:12]

By Adam Baruch
www.adambaruch.com