Krzesimir Dębski – violin, keyboards,
Tadeusz Sudnik – electronics
"Borello" (2023)
Wydawca: AudioCave
Review author: Viačeslavas Gliožeris
My interest to music is coming from my early teens, and Polish music was a huge influence during my formative period. Two years of accordion private lessons didn't impress me a lot, later I tried to become a drummer in a school band, without a significant success though. My hometown, Vilnius, in Russians occupied Lithuania wasn't a very inspiring place, with lot of people in gray military uniforms, dark blue militiamen and civilians, wearing same gray clothes, usually silent. There was quite a lot of music on state TV and radio stations (private stations didn't exist at all at that time), but it was predominantly kitsch versions of (mostly Russian) folklore and hyper-enthusiastic Soviet propaganda-pop. Plus some classics – classics sounded especially boring for my ears.
And there was a Polish Radio – one of two foreign radio stations I could listen too regularly. The other was a BBC Russian services, banned in Soviet Union. Its signal was usually weak, but time to time it was possible to listen their excellent Friday night radio shows, dedicated to rock music.
Differently, Polish Radio had a strong and high quality radio signal. There was lot of short talks in a language I didn't really understand, and lot of music between talks too. I learned my basic Polish trying to understand what the voices on radio are talking about, and my musical aesthetics were formed under the heavy influence of music I listened regularly on Polish Radio.
That music was similar to what I already knew, but different at the same time. Doesn't matter, what the genre it was – pop, rock or even r'n'b and reggae, it sounded richer, more full-bodied, brighter, much more colorful. As a teenager, I had no idea, where this difference come from. Only later I find out, that this difference in sound (and in general aesthetics too) was the result of different arrangements. It was quite often JAZZY ARRANGEMENTS, making almost any music sound such a fabulous.
Some years and decades later I found the genius of Tomasz Stanko trumpet, yazz, Polish fusion and many more. But even now, from almost half-a-century time distance, Poland for me is a land, where all music sounds jazzy. Crossing the country by car I every time impatiently wait the moment when my car's radio is able to catch first possible Polish radio station – almost always I get that very specific soulful, sometimes slightly melancholic jazzy sound of Poland, doesn't matter who plays.
It's a shame on me. I didn't know before who Krzesimir Dębski and Tadeusz Sudnik are. True, I knew Polish fusion stars from 80s The String Connection, and I knew Stanko's Freelectronic project, but never knew the names of both band's members. As a foreigner, even less I knew about Krzesimir Dębski films soundtracks and classical works.
Then, two Polish jazz seasoned artists' new work comes for me as a discovery of sort.
Listening to lot of jazz (hundreds of albums annually) for a few decades, it's not a regular situation, when you start listening to new album of seasoned artists without expectations, you are not familiar with their music and simply don't know what to expect. It's quite a good thing, history teaches us that expectations often lead to disappointments.
So, Krzesimir Dębski and Tadeusz Sudnik Borello, a comeback album after long pause. Four longish (between 9+ and almost 15 minutes long) free form compositions, recorded by duo of violinist keyboardist and live electronics wizard. The music which could be formally tagged as “jazz-electronica” has nothing in common with New Millennium jazz releated electronica, like played by Squarepusher of Flying Lotus. With absolute dominance of analog sound, album's electronics is much closer to American composer and early Moog player Richard Teitelbaum's music.
Album's opener, “Borro”, dedicated to Tomasz Stanko, sounds very much as variation of early Miles abstract fusion, with Dębski's violin soloing instead of trumpet. Warm and tuneful, this song sounds very much as if has been composed, not fully improvised. “Rebo”, album's longest piece, is of more amorphous nature, centered around vintage electronic rhythms. Quite relaxed though.
“Lerro” is mid-tempo song with violin soloing over the (warm) synth loops and bubbles, in moments quite unpolished and almost nervous. “Rero”, the closer, same way as a previous piece, sounds more improvised, freer than first two album's songs. Still, there are lot of tuneful snippets and emotively colored violin.
Not really a revolutionary album, it's an very impressive standing alone work of two masters. Maturity, knowledge of the past world without even traces of sentimental melancholy, and that soulful jazzy feel so important for Polish jazz. Bravo!
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