Dys/Fortuna/Ostrowski - The Holly Gomon Crucade (2019)

Dys/Fortuna/Ostrowski

Krzysztof Dys - piano
Maciej Fortuna - trumpet
Cezary Ostrowski - granular synthesis, synth, samples

The Holly Gomon Crucade

PRIVATE EDITION



By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album by the Polish experimental trio comprised of Jazz pianist Krzysztof Dys and trumpeter Maciej Fortuna and ambient/electronics composer Cezary Ostrowski. The album presents five original pieces based on compositions by Ostrowski with added on improvisations by Dys and Fortuna.

The music sounds like a contemporary soundtrack of a Science Fiction movie, with the ambient background serving as a base plane and the improvisations flowing in the air like autumn leaves in a park. The piano serves as sort of melodic pointer whereas the trumpet ornaments the proceedings with short almost Funky pulsations. Both Dys and Fortuna are first class improvisers and their contributions here are all top notch.

The question as to the purpose of this music and its aesthetics is purely up to the listener. Ambient music lovers might find the Jazzy improvisations a tad too complex and the Jazz enthusiasts might complain about the improvisations being too short and ragged. However, when embraced for what it is, this music offers a fascinating listening experience for open minded and patient listeners, who are not looking for instant gratification. This music takes time to sink and get digested, but is definitely worth the effort.

Overall, since experimentation is the essence of Art, projects like this one are potentially interesting and worthwhile, which in this case happens to work out in favor of the musicians involved. Although modestly packaged and offered as a CD-R, this is definitely worth investigating for enthusiasts of the Jazz-Ambient Fusion explorations.