EABS - "Reflections Of Purple Sun"

EABS
 
Olaf Węgier - Tenor Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Percussion;
Jakub Kurek - Trumpet, Sequential Take 5;
Paweł “Wuja HZG” Stachowiak - Bass guitar;
Marcin Rak - Drums, Drum Machine;
Marek “Latarnik” Pędziwiatr - Nord Stage 3, Moog Voyager, Upright Piano;

album's title : "Reflections Of Purple Sun"

Astigmatic Records (2024)

Review author: Viačeslavas Gliožeris

„Right a decade ago New Yorkers "Mostly Other People Do the Killing" made a lot of noise releasing their "Blue" album - a note-for-note reiteration of Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue". One of the well-known abroad Polish bands, Electro-Acoustic Beat Sessions (EABS) started their career five years ago deconstructing the renowned music of the best Polish artists like Krzysztof Komeda and international jazz greats from the past as well. Today on "Reflections of Purple Sun" they play the early Tomasz Stanko album "Purple Sun" in full.

Quite often (partially in Polish media) Stanko's "Purple Sun" is qualified as avant-garde jazz work. For my ears, this album, released in 1973, is heavily influenced by early Miles Davis jazz-rock/fusion ("Silent Way" and "Bitches Brew") but sounds less American (or less groovy). Recorded in Germany (and with a German bassist on board), "Purple Sun" incorporates a lot of kraut-rock aesthetics and repetitive mechanistic rhythms instead.

EABS take on Stanko's material is very much in the spirit of today. "Reflections of Purple Sun" is a very rhythmic album, just the rhythms are different. Renowned by their love of hip-hop and electronics, EABS transforms Miles' classic fusion to quite tuneful dance-able electronic music, with some free improvisations and a noticeable touch of Polish tradition - slightly melancholic and emotionally colored.

Probably there is no sense in comparing Stanko's original work with EABS' new release. First, "Purple Sun" was quite a rare album and was mostly known and popular among Stanko's hot followers. Second and more importantly - a few new generations of music listeners have already grown up during that half of a century, separating these two releases, so for many and many younger jazz fans EABS album sounds just like new music.

There are no guests here on "Reflections of Purple Sun" as on some band's more current albums. As usual, band members demonstrate a high level of interplay with great keys and sax soloing, imaginative electronic loops, and in general produce music of the highest level. What else do we need from our jazz?