POLSKIE RADIO 1665
By Adam Baruch
This is the fifteenth installment
in the new series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents
archive Jazz recordings. Radio recordings are always a fabulous source of remarkable
material, and as far as Polish Jazz history is concerned, the Polish Radio,
which was a state monopoly for 45 years, recorded over time a plethora of invaluable
material, which apart from the albums released by the Polskie Nagrania record
company (also a state monopoly), is the only available additional source of
Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented
during Poland's
most important Jazz venues, including the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and
many other festivals as well.
The material collected here
presents the second volume of recordings made in 1961 and 1962 by Polish Radio
in several Polish cities, presenting Polish Jazz ensembles performing American
Jazz standards. Although played well, this music presents very few challenges as
far as Jazz development is concerned, but from a historical perspective that
stage of development was an important step towards a the creation of a new
voice in modern Polish Jazz, which was just around the corner. Playing
standards prepared these musicians for the challenges that were in store for
them when the music made a decisive leap forward towards the new Polish /
European Jazz.
The album includes sixteen
tracks, by two ensembles, playing as mentioned earlier standards, in a manner
still very similar to their American models. The ensembles are: Zbigniew
Namyslowski (saxophone) Jazz Rockers with saxophonist Michal Urbaniak, pianist Krzysztof
Sadowski, bassist Adam Skorupka and drummer Andrzej Zielinski (thirteen tracks)
and Andrzej Trzaskowski (piano / trumpet) quintet with saxophonists Jan Ptaszyn
Wroblewski, pianist Wojciech Karolak, bassist Roman Dylag (bassist Jan Byrczek
plays on one track) and drummer Andrzej Dabrowski (three tracks).
Stylistically the music is based
on mostly Bee Bop and Hard Bop standards, played with obvious talent and
affinity, but lacking any originality. Of course this is still an important
document of the era and fans of mainstream Jazz and Polish Jazz history should
be happy with it.
The beautifully restored sound
quality is excellent and the warm ambience of the analog recording is a true
joy. As usual with this series, which is very reasonably priced, I miss the
presence of "in depth" liner notes / booklet, which should convey the
circumstances at which this music was recorded and its importance to the
development of Jazz in Poland.
Nevertheless this is an absolutely essential piece of Jazz history which every
Jazz fan will surely consider an absolute must.
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