Wojciech Jachna & Ksawery Wójciński – Night Talks (2015)

Wojciech Jachna & Ksawery Wójciński

Wojciech Jachna - trumpet
Ksawery Wójciński - double bass

Night Talks

FSR 03




By Adam Baruch

This is a "live in a studio" recording of spontaneously composed Improvised Music performed by two prominent Polish Jazz musicians: trumpeter Wojciech Jachna and bassist Ksawery Wójciński. The album presents eleven pieces "carved out" from the music recorded during a night session, hence the album's title.

I have been following the development of Wojciech Jachna for over a decade now, closely watching his recordings and inviting him to play at the concerts I organize simply for the reason that he is a symbol of the new generation of the Polish Jazz scene and a wonderful person: immensely talented, always searching, unconventional, open minded and above all modest and unpretentious. Such qualities are very rarely found in one individual, which makes Jachna a true phenomenon.

Jachna can be a bit timid when playing with musicians he is not familiar with, and therefore it is very constructive that he and Wójciński played together before this session was recorded. Consequently there is no timidity or hesitation here whatsoever and these two musicians play as if they played together for ages.

Wójciński is a wonderful bassist and even if I criticized severely his solo album a while ago it does not mean that I don't admire his talent and virtuosity. On this album he not only serves as a part of the duo but assumes the role of "master of ceremonies", gently pushing the music forward and suggesting the next move, with Jachna responding swiftly and amicably. His arco work is absolutely stunning here.

The music is lyrical and melancholic, developing slowly and delicately moment after moment. Obviously nobody is in a rush to just make a statement, and the long lasting tones little by little evolve spontaneously. Although Jachna is obviously the "leading" voice here, it is nevertheless a duo album from beginning to end and the contributions are simply inseparable. After listening to the album a few times it definitely emerges as one of the best Polish Jazz albums released so far this year. Another "Art of the Duo" masterpiece of international scale!