Double Bass, Vocals, Guitar, Flute, Percussion – Wojtek Mazolewski
Electronics – Wojtek Urbanski
Voice – Matylda Sokołowska (track B7)
Harp – Marysia Osu (track B9)
Percussion – Józef Rusinowski (track B11)
Album's title: "Solo"
Label: NoPaper Records (2025)
Video: https://youtu.be/ZS8aXYrW4KE
Review author: Viačeslavas Gliožeris
For seasoned jazz-heads, the mention of a “solo bass album” is usually associated with Barre Phillips' “Journal Violone”(1968) – the first-ever jazz bass solo album, or at least Dave Holland's “Emerald Tears”(1978). In all cases, the listener expects some free, probably not easily accessible, improvisations, twisted structures, and a lot of space. Bassist Wojtek Mazolewski's “Solo” album is miles away from all that.
Mazolewski's musical roots come from the phenomenal success of Pink Freud - his first project in the late 90s. As one of the first Polish nu jazz bands, it attracted thousands of new listeners. Influenced by Nordic musicians, who developed an accessible blend of folk simplicity, rock-song structure, and hip urban minimalism with a touch of electronic, nu jazz introduced jazz music to listeners who had never been interested in the genre before. Wojtek's solo career grew from Pink Freud roots, developing and widening the same concept. In fact, nu jazz is often the new millennium’s equivalent of previous-century pop-jazz. The music relies on catchy tunes, simple song structures based on rock-music formulas, and emotions over virtuosity. Unlike other jazz sub-genres, nu jazz collectives are often “bands”, not “trios” or “quartets”. Sometimes the leaders of these “bands” have a “rock-star” image, and the “bands” play gigs in stadiums, not in smoky jazz clubs.
“Solo” album (which isn't really solo at all since other artists participate, most notably plenty of Wojtek Urbanski's electronics) continues Mazolewski's work on the soundtrack for Stary Teatr in Lublin (OK.NO play). Not strange; all music has a strong cinematic feel (the original track, titled “OK.NO,” can be heard on the digital album's edition, as a bonus).
The opener, “Monada”, sounds like an energetic and almost harsh piece with “shamanistic” vocalizations. Some years ago, I witnessed how energetic and explosive Wojtek can be when he plays live during an open-air annual summer jazz fest in the seaside city of Klaipėda. Still, on the album, the music deviates towards something more meditative and tuneful. “La Cancion De La Liberacion” and “Rodeo Spirit” are both electro-acoustic ballads, emotionally colored and tuneful. “Sylfy” sounds groovy and pulsating, combining funky bass and gentle electronics. “La Mar”, an ambient piece, is a bit dreamy, with tasteful electronics and slightly ethnic back-vocalizing. “Friendship Heights” mixes a bass-led melody over the background electronics, rich in nuances. “My Works Of Art” contains Matylda Sokołowska recitation. “For Marysia“ is a semi-sweet ballad. “Home Of The Warrior - Sil Daw Ba Nyu Wa“ stands a bit apart from the album's aesthetics, offering Far Eastern flavor (and adding Marysia Osu's harp). “Slavic Forest” is one of the less successful songs, with no memorable tune and average arrangements. On “Dawn of Wolves“ a guest percussionist, Józef Rusinowski, somehow shifts the common album's ambient atmosphere more towards acoustic, aerial, and almost tribal. Still, “Dark Ecology”, the album's closer, returns electronic ambiance, providing almost danceable rhythms.
Nu jazz popularity in Poland was limited, even if some artists were really well known. In the genre's most successful scene, England’s cities, it was almost a decade of glory, when leading bands such as Portico, Phronesis, or The Comet Is Coming enjoyed rock idol-like stardom. Now the genre experienced a renaissance of sorts there. Then, no surprise, Wojtek Mazolewski's activities on the English scene were noticed and received positively.
Wojtek Mazolewski's “Solo's” music is much closer to Jon Hassell's “Fourth World” or former EST bassist Dan Berglund Tonbruket's music than to some past bassists’ virtuoso solo albums. Probably, some jazz purists will have difficulty accepting his simple, ambient songs as “jazz”, but the world around us is changing fast, and the music understandably reacts, so who are we to judge?
Brak komentarzy:
Prześlij komentarz