Małgorzata Maliszczak – Złote Myśli Kobiety (2015)

Małgorzata Maliszczak

Lora Szafran - vocals
Mietek Szcześniak - vocals
Beata Przybytek - vocals
Agnieszka Mali - vocals
various musicians

Złote Myśli Kobiety

POLSKIE RADIO 1954


By Adam Baruch

This is a wonderful album, which presents twelve original compositions by Polish pianist/composer Malgorzata Maliszczak, based on poems (by prominent Polish poetesses and poets), which present the feminine "point of view". The beautiful texts and superb music go hand in hand, creating a gorgeous set of songs, carefully arranged and Jazzed up, performed by four vocalists: Lora Szafran, Mietek Szczesniak, Beata Przybytek and Agnieszka Mali. The vocalists are supported by a great team of instrumentalist, including many of the top Polish Jazz players, like the great pianist Pawel Tomaszewski, bassist Andrzej Swies, drummer Pawel Dobrowolski and many others. Kudos to Tomasz Kalwak for producing this gem!

The album firmly continues the Polish Jazz & Poetry tradition, which goes back to the 1960s and always has been one of the most successful expressions of the local Culture. It is good to see that it has not been abandoned so far, even though the contemporary music scene makes every effort to annihilate every sign of Culture itself. Of course the fact that these poems were written in the Polish language limits the potential audience, I'm pretty sure that even non-Polish speakers should be able to enjoy this album in full.

Personally I find Beata Przybytek to be the most striking vocalist on this album, but all four artists make a grand job, including the veteran Szafran, who seems to be still in great form. The instrumental work is perfectly suiting the lyrical atmosphere, with subtle soloing and attentive accompaniment. This album simply says "elegance and grace" minute after minute, and when it is eventually over, one longs for more.

Overall this is a splendid effort and everybody who contributed to its creating deserves to be wholeheartedly thanked and congratulated. One can only hope that it will be heard by as many people as possible, who can truly appreciate it.