Jan Ptaszyn Wroblewski - saxophone / leader
and orchestra
Studio Jazzowe Polskiego Radia 1969-78
POLSKIE RADIO 2327-2331
By Adam Baruch
This is an iconic archival album documenting the recorded legacy of one of the Godfathers of Polish Jazz, saxophonist / composer / arranger / bandleader Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski. The first four CDs in this 5CD set present recordings by the Polish Radio Jazz Studio Orchestra led and conducted by Wróblewski between late 1968 and early 1978, and the last CD presents recordings by his quartet and sextet, recorded between 1979 and 2017.
The entire crème de la crème of the Polish Jazz scene in the crucial decade of its development (late 1960s to late 1970s) can be heard on these recordings, including such celebrated names like Tomasz Stańko, Andrzej Trzaskowski, Zbigniew Namysłowski, Włodzimierz Nahorny, Bronisław Suchanek, Janusz Stefański, Jerzy Milian, Zbigniew Seifert, NOVI Singers and many others. Almost all the music on these CDs was composed and arranged by Wróblewski and the members of the orchestra. Wróblewski (born 1936), who is nearing his eighty fifth birthday, is still active today and he wrote the liner notes accompanying this release, reminiscing about the decade during which he fronted the orchestra.
The artistry of the Big Band idiom and the sophistication of the arrangements are of course the focal points of the music and although the American Big Bands are an obvious inspiration, the result reaches way beyond the basic model, creating the European Big Band approach, which looks for inspiration in way more complex compositions (like the music of Krzysztof Komeda in this case) and experimental soloing, bordering on Free Jazz, which can be heard extensively here. The fact that the members of Komeda’s ensembles play on these recordings speaks for itself and the contributing composers are all pioneers of modern Polish Jazz.
The music is, as expected, absolutely brilliant from start to finish, and in retrospect glorifies the level of the Polish Jazz musicianship and talent at the time. It is "criminal" that this music was locked down in the vaults of the Polish Radio for so long, and hopefully the rest of it (at least twice as much as was released now) will be released in the future. The damages made by limitations of the Polish music industry at the time and the monopoly of State owned music enterprises, which controlled and censored the output of recorded music for decades, should be all made right in time, preserving the Cultural treasures hidden from public access.
Polish Jazz enthusiasts all over the world should find this album an absolute must have in their collection. The list of participating musicians and the quality of the compositions is certain to satisfy the most demanding listeners and the historical importance is unprecedented. Essential listening!
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