Marek Pędziwiatr - piano, fender rhodes, minimoog, korg, roland
Olaf Węgier - tenor saxophone
Tenderlonious - flute, saxophone
Jakub Kurek - trumpet
Vojto Monteur - electric guitar
Paweł Stachowiak - bass guitar
Marcin Rak - drums
Spisek Jednego - percussion
Slavic Spirits
By Adam Baruch
A couple of years ago (in 2017)
a young Polish Jazz ensemble from Wrocław, called EABS, released their debut
album "Repetitions (Letters To Krzysztof Komeda)" which created quite
a stir in the local jazz swamp. Subsequently the ensemble released a couple of
LPs with material still connected to Krzysztof Komeda's music, which together with
the debut they call the "Komeda Triptych". The original septet lineup:
keyboardist Marek Pędziwiatr, drummer Marcin Rak, guitarist Vojto Monteur,
bassist Paweł Stachowiak, trumpeter Jakub Kurek, saxophonist Olaf Węgier and
percussionist also in charge of sound fx Spisek Jednego (a.k.a. Piotr
Skorupski) was expanded to an octet with the inclusion of British flautist/saxophonist Tenderlonious (a.k.a. Ed Cawthorne), which released their genuine
second album. It presents original compositions by the band members, two by
Pędziwiatr, one each by Stachowiak and Monteur and three collective
compositions; altogether seven tracks lasting just under forty four minutes.
More about the music later…
Similarly to the debut, the
Limited Edition of this album includes an extensive essay by Sebastian Jóźwiak,
the executive producer of the album, who is an organic member of the ensemble,
their spokesman and sort of spiritual guru. The almost 300 pages long massive essay
(in bilingual Polish/English version) printed in a book form is in fact an
integral part of the release and presents the intellectual / historic / philosophical aspects of the subject matter, complimenting the musical content
of the album, which as the title suggests tries to explore the "Slavic
Spirit" in a multi-plane analysis attempt. More about the book later…
My reaction to the debut album was somewhat reserved but
overall encouraging. I clearly stated my subjective pros and cons but I
obviously misjudged the hysterical/hyperbolical/fanatical hype that was
created around that album at the time of its release by what can be
collectively called the Polish Jazz media and beyond. I refused, as always, to
follow the crowd and pay allegiance to vox populi that claimed the album was a
Godsend and a monumental event on the Polish Jazz scene, which I found overtly
exaggerated. The predicted wave of internet hate that followed was a small
price to pay for my intellectual liberty. Considering the average level of
professionalism in contemporary Polish Jazz musical journalism and criticism,
which is sadly inversely proportional to the level of the music itself, and the
omnipresent herd mentality which dominates it, I have always proudly maintained
an independent point of view, helped by the geographical distance and total lack
of dependence on the social/economic/political and even religious
constrains acting upon people living in Poland. Therefore I admit that I was
quite surprised to find a copy of the album in my daily heap of albums arriving
in the mail - which I interpret as a sign of trust in every case when someone
asks for my opinion.
Whenever I write a review of an
album recorded by Polish musicians and/or composed by Polish composers there
is a high probability that the phrases "Polish lyricism" or
"Polish melancholy" might appear within the text, which is only
natural since Polish Music generally across all genres, but especially so within
the Polish Jazz idiom, offers a spirituality which is probably indescribable in
words (see "Dancing about Architecture"), but is very easily recognizable
while listening to it. With this album EABS go on a journey of discovery of
this particular musical Polishness, which they expand into musical Slavic
Spirituality. Although Poles and the various ethnic Polish minorities are of
course part of the Slavic peoples, they are in fact a minority within the Slavic
global identity and therefore perhaps this generalization is slightly overstretched.
Nevertheless the idea is to define the Slavic Spirituality musically, by the
music on this album, as well as by the text which examines its other aspects.
The music is diametrically
different from what the ensemble offered on their debut. It does not include
any vocal parts, no Hip Hop, almost no electronics except for some limited sound
effects, in short it makes an almost complete about-face towards mainstream melodic
Jazz, which features extended soloing by the keyboards, the saxophones and the trumpet.
The three short collective improvisations serve as introductions to the
extended main compositions that follow. The four main compositions are developed
slowly towards a final climax featuring group improvisation. The melodic themes
are undoubtedly lyrical and melancholic, well structured and admittedly beautiful.
That said the question arises
if this music is an epitome, a classic/archetypical example of Polish Jazz,
which defines its Slavic Spirituality? In all fairness I feel that such a lofty
ambition would be beyond the true scope of this music. I'd even say that any
attempt to define an entire Cultural aesthetics by one piece of music,
regardless how ingenious it might be, is a priori futile.
The text accompanying the album
is however much closer to the goal it sets before the reader. It is by no means
a scholarly, academic research, impeccably organized and proposing a deterministic
outcome. It is a complete opposite; a collection of personal (or rather
collective) reflections on the subject of ethnic spirituality, historic
processes, religious believes and myths, Paganism and Christianity and many
others. The development of contemporary Polish music and its connection to the
Slavic Spirituality is approached via an examination of the key personalities that
shaped its fate, most extensively Czesław Niemen (a deeply spiritual person) in
the chapter entitled "Inspirations". The opening track and each of
the four main compositions on the album has a chapter dedicated to it, which
explains in depth the Slavic believes, cults and deities connected to the names
of the tracks.
Although reading the entire
text is challenging, it is also intellectually rewarding and highly
educational, full of facts and ideas which probably never occurred to most
people before coming across it. The chapter dealing with the Slavic aspects of
Polish music is a must read to all connoisseurs, especially the younger ones
who did not experience that music during their lifetime. The most important
aspect of the text is that is does not try to indoctrinate or impose any views
or ideologies on the reader. It presents an impressive collection of facts and
views, but leaves the interpretation of the above to the reader himself.
If anybody got finally here, it
is time to summarize; this is a very ambitious project, which combines
excellent music with well written text related to the subject the music and the
text are dedicated to. The music is enjoyable and accessible, superbly
performed and offering a rewarding listening experience, which many listeners
might enjoy repeatedly. Probably fewer people will have the stamina required to
read the entire test attentively, although it is most highly recommended. Overall a splendid piece of
dedicated work, which hopefully this time will be appreciated for what it is
but not unnecessarily overhyped, which can only case grief and damage in the
long term. Well done Gentlemen!
