Marcin & Bartłomiej Oleś Duo - Alone Together (2019)

Marcin & Bartłomiej Oleś Duo

Marcin Oleś - double bass
Bartłomiej Oleś - drums

Alone Together

AUDIO CAVE 2019/013





By Adam Baruch

I can hardly think of a more appropriate way to wrap up (well almost) the Polish Jazz releases for the year 2019 than by writing about this album by two of the most prominent Polish Jazz musicians: bassist/composer Marcin Oleś and his twin brother, drummer/composer Bartłomiej Oleś (collectively known as Oleś Brothers), who also happen to be my friends. The album consists in fact of two separate mini-albums (on two separate CDs), each presenting a solo album: "Lapidaria" by Marcin with six original solo bass compositions and "The Drum Tower" by Bartłomiej with a five-parts suite for solo drums composed by him. The album celebrates the twentieth anniversary of their activity on the European Jazz scene and was recorded at the MaQ Records Studio and engineered by Michał Rosicki with spectacular sonic quality.

In the early days of their musical journey Marcin and Bartłomiej already released solo albums ("Ornette On Bass" and "Free Drum Suite" respectively), which makes this album into a symbolic closing of a creative circle. In spite of the extremely difficult naked environment, their solo music is full of intrinsic melody even if not explicitly articulated. They are always able to tell a "story" with their music, which keeps the listener mesmerized for the duration.

Anybody listening attentively to these two mini-albums should be easily convinced that the Oleś Brothers turned their skills and experience in time into an Art Form. Their essence outgrew the basic rhythm section role they so splendidly demonstrated on the many records they took part in during the last two decades, and eventually produced a couple of visionary musicians, who, whether separately or together, are always able to achieve the highest levels of spiritual and emotional expressionism.

The intimate music that this album offers is obviously less spectacular than most other albums released this year, but its depth easily defends its importance and significance. Minimalism is so much more difficult to be understood and appreciated, and yet alone or together Oleś Brothers are iconic musicians and their statements, individually and collectively, remain the core of European Jazz aesthetics. It makes me happy to hear a new album by the Oleś Brothers after a period of relative inactivity, as it is able to fill my heart with joy and my mind with gratitude for their music and the inspiration it generates. Thank you, as always!