Kateryna Ziabliuk - fortepian, wokale, sampling, glockenspiel
Alex Clov - saksofon tenorowy
Łukasz Jankowski - flet, saksofon altowy, sopiłka
Filip Botor – kontrabas
Piotr Szałajko – perkusja
Wydawnictwo: Audio Cave (2025)
Tekst: Mateusz Chorążewicz
Polish Jazz Blog Editor's Choice
Polska recenzja
Debuts tend to reveal more ambition than actual substance. Sometimes they resemble the grand opening of a new neighborhood convenience store. Balloons, confetti, a hot dog promo – everything looks festive and full of promise. You walk in, and suddenly it turns out it’s still the same familiar sausage in a bun. Just a bit cheaper. In the case of Unnatural Root, however, things are different. Here, ambition goes hand in hand with substance, and the declarations are fully reflected in the music. What’s more, this is one of those debuts that doesn’t merely hint at something interesting, but delivers a fully formed artistic statement right away.
We are dealing here with a project deeply rooted in the European jazz aesthetic. And that’s a very good thing, because few things tire me more than the forced attempts to be “more American than the Americans.” Hilarious Disasters doesn’t suffer from this issue. The group’s music is local, at times even regional, but in the best possible sense. This is not folklore for folklore’s sake – rather, it is a conscious drawing from one’s own roots, filtered through a contemporary sensibility.
The range of inspirations here is so vast that it could easily be spread across several separate albums. Ukrainian folk, free improvisation, elements of traditional jazz, field recordings from Sicily, and even moments brushing up against a metal aesthetic. In theory, it sounds like a recipe for disaster – like throwing everything into one pot and hoping for a miracle. And yet, somehow, it all works remarkably well.
Improvisation seems to be the key to its success, acting as the binding force. It is what allows all these stylistic “detours” to start communicating with one another. At moments when the music could easily fall apart into separate entities, a shared narrative emerges. And suddenly, this entire patchwork begins to make sense. It’s a bit like a well-crafted film, where seemingly mismatched threads converge into a single, coherent point.
Kateryna Ziabliuk deserves special mention. Her role goes far beyond the standard “leader + pianist” framework. She is rather the person behind the entire sonic world of this project. Piano, vocals, sampling, glockenspiel – all these elements come together to form a highly distinctive sonic texture.
An interesting touch is also found in the track titles themselves, which feature Ukrainian, Polish, and Italian. At first glance, this might seem like a bit of conceptual chaos, but in reality it forms a deeply personal layer of the leader’s narrative. Her life experiences – Ukraine, Poland, Italy – find their natural reflection here. And you can feel it. This is not a marketing gimmick, but something genuinely authentic.
The rhythm section (Botor/Szałajko) functions exactly as it should – without unnecessary displays of virtuosity, but with a strong sense of form. The double bass often acts as a stabilizing force during the most extreme harmonic and stylistic excursions. The drums, in turn, can both “disappear” and take control of the narrative when the situation calls for it. Very mature playing.
The wind instruments add color to the whole, but they never dominate. They function more as equal participants in the dialogue than as soloists competing for the listener’s attention. And that’s a good thing, because with such a musical concept, any excess in this area could easily disrupt the delicate balance. In summary, Unnatural Root is a debut that is far more than just promising. It is a mature, self-aware album and, most importantly, a cohesive one despite its vast diversity. Hilarious Disasters proves that it is possible to create music deeply rooted in locality while remaining universally resonant. If this is what the starting point for this group looks like, it’s almost intimidating to imagine what comes next – in the best possible sense.
Brak komentarzy:
Prześlij komentarz