Robert Jarmuzek - piano
Adam Kabacinski - bass
Wojciech Bulinski - drums
with
Artur Lesicki - guitar
Jacek Zamecki - vocals
LUNA 337
By Adam Baruch
This is the debut album as a leader by Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Slawek Dudar, recorded by his quartet, which also includes pianist Robert Jarmuzek, bassist Adam Kabacinski and drummer Wojciech Bulinski. A couple of guest musicians: vocalist Jacek Zamiecki and guitarist Artur Lesicki participate on selected tracks. The album presents seven original compositions, all by Dudar.
Musically the album presents
the lighter side of the Jazz spectrum, somewhere between mainstream, Jazz-Rock Fusion
(when the guitar is present) and Smooth Jazz, but in contrast to most albums
released with such characteristics it is a solid and valuable contribution,
especially due to the excellent compositions, which are all surprisingly
diverse, melodic and far from being trivial or banal. Actually some of these
tunes are truly outstanding to be honest.
Dudar has a nice tone and plays
with self-confidence and a lot of feeling. He manages to sty within the Jazz
framework and not cross over to the Smooth Jazz vocabulary (or lack of it),
which is often the case. Jarmuzek plays some splendid piano parts, very
supportive and always displaying great taste. His contributions keep the album
solidly on the Jazz ground. The rhythm section, especially the drums, although
perfectly executed and technically fine, is a bit too Rocky for my taste, but
that is a minor point.
The album has a very good sound
quality, balance and ambience, which in addition to the fine music makes it a
most pleasant listening voyage. For me this music is "sunny" and
perfect for a ride on a shore in our kind of weather. Sometimes the morose
Polish melancholy is simply too much, and this album manages to avoid it almost
completely, except for the last tune, which is a beautiful ballad dedicated to
the EST trio – not surprisingly. Very well done gentlemen!
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