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wtorek, 22 września 2020

Zbigniew Lewandowski - Zbigniew Lewandowski (2020)

Zbigniew Lewandowski

Andrzej Przybielski - trumpet
Piotr Baron - saxophone
Andrzej Olejniczak - saxophone
Paweł Ścierański - guitar
Krzysztof Ścierański - bass guitar
Mieczysław Jurecki - bass guitar
Jose Torres - percussion
Zbigniew Lewandowski - drums, synth

Zbigniew Lewandowski

GAD 121

By Adam Baruch

This is a reissue of the debut album by Polish Jazz drummer / composer / bandleader Zbigniew Lewandowski, originally released on the legendary Poljazz label. The music was recorded in 1983 during two sessions separated by several months, with two lineups. The first lineup was a quintet which included alongside Lewandowski also iconic trumpeter Andrzej Przybielski, saxophonist Piotr Baron, guitarist Paweł Ścierański and bass guitarist Krzysztof Ścierański. The second lineup was extended to an octet and included also saxophonist Andrzej Olejniczak, second bass guitarist Mieczysław Jurecki and percussionist Jose Torres. The original LP presented six tracks but this remastered edition was expanded by two additional tracks from the first session, previously unissued. All the compositions were by the musicians participating in the recording except for one standard.

The music, influenced by the revolutionary work of Miles Davis, has a distinct Fusion tinge, but is very far from an attempt to copy the great Master. Przybielski, aged thirty-nine at the time of the recording, was already Poland's most idiosyncratic Jazz musician and trumpet Genius. He displays the full range of his abilities, and the fact that the music is Fusion oriented, offers a rare opportunity to hear him in that specific idiom, rather than within his "usual" Avant-Garde environment. His performances on this album are amongst the most extensive documents of his playing, including his weird sense of humor. In retrospect this album emphasizes the devastating loss Polish Jazz suffered with his untimely death in 2011. I had the immense luck and pleasure to produce the album "The Book Of Job", just a couple of years after this recording was made, which also featured Przybielski at his absolute best.

Baron, only twenty-two years old at the time, also contributes wonderfully to the album's overall ambience, offering his compositions, most of the arrangements and excellent soloing. The rest of the players were already more experienced and their professionalism and obvious talents are clearly evident in the resulting music. Overall this is a momentous recording, perhaps one of the most important Polish Jazz albums from the 1980s, and beyond. Polish Jazz/Fusion fans should be grateful to GAD Records for resurrecting this gem and saving it from oblivion. Brilliant stuff!

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