Agata Kuliś – wokal Adam Jarzmik – instrumenty klawiszowe Maciej Nieć – gitara basowa Filip Mozul – instrumenty perkusyjne Jakub Łępa – saksofon Michał Zwierniak – gitary
Tytuł: "Liberty & Identity"
Wydawca: SJ Records
Autor tekstu: Maciej Nowotny
Jak wskazuje Kuliś w jednym z wywiadów jej drugi album jest owocem tyleż lat spędzonych w Ameryce m.in. na studiach w Berklee College of Music (element wolności, czyli „liberty”), co powrotu do Polski (tu tożsamość, czyli tytułowa „identity”), gdzie artystka zamieszkała w Krakowie i podjęła się pracy edukatorki. Jeśli ta muzyka to jeden z pierwszych kroków Kuliś na naszej scenie muzycznej, to warto zadać pytanie: co Agata obiecuje wnieść do naszej muzyki jazzowej?
Martyna Sabak – wokal Adam Jarzmik – fortepian, aranżacje Tymon Trąbczyński – kontrabas Piotr Budniak – perkusja Jakub Łępa – saksofon Ignacy Wendt – trąbka Michał Zwierniak – gitara Kinga Moczydłowska, Katarzyna Motyka-Dziedzic, Adam Jarzmik, Martyna Sabak – chórki
Tytuł albumu: "Nic nie trzeba"
Wydawca: SJ Records
Tekst: Maciej Nowotny
"Nic nie trzeba" to album nagrany przez Magdalenę Sabak z towarzyszeniem naprawdę dobrych muzyków, dzięki którym w najlepszych momentach ta muzyka przypomina trochę uwielbiane przeze mnie płyty Gretchen Parlato.
„A Piece of a New Day” można byłoby opisać bardzo prosto: pandemia, wojna za wschodnią granicą, narodziny dziecka, osobisty przełom. Wszystko to pojawia się w materiałach towarzyszących płycie i ustawia słuchacza wobec konkretnych zdarzeń. Sam Adam Jarzmik pisze o kompozycjach powstałych w czasie napięć, skrajnych emocji i narodzin syna, a także o płycie jako zapisie osobistej drogi.
Ale najciekawsze w tym albumie jest chyba coś innego. Nie to, że układa się w opowieść od jednego wydarzenia do drugiego, lecz to, że takiego porządku właściwie nie ma. Każdy nowy dzień składa się z fragmentów, które nie muszą do siebie pasować. Obok wojny może pojawić się narodzenie dziecka. Obok zmęczenia – czekanie na piątek. Obok snu – zwykła nocna aktywność. Zdarzenia nie ustawiają się w kolejce. Po prostu dzieją się tego samego dnia.
This is the debut album by
young Polish Jazz quintet co-led by vocalist Patrycja Michalska and pianist
Adam Jarzmik, which also includes saxophonist Jakub Łępa, bassist Mateusz Szewczyk
and drummer Stefan Raczkowski. The album presents seven Jazz arrangements by
Jarzmik of songs from the "Home Songs" collections composed by Polish
Classical composer Stanisław Moniuszko, with texts by different Polish poets.
Moniuszko published twelve volumes of "Home Songs", which contained
altogether 268 songs, meant to be sung by people at home, rather that be used
for performances in concert halls. They include some of Moniuszko's most
beautiful melodies and are full of the typical Polish melancholy and lyricism.
The album was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by
Ignacy Gruszecki with the usual excellent sound quality.
2019 is Moniuszko's birth
bicentenary, which resulted in quite a few new recordings of his music, but
this album is certainly one of the most successful modern interpretations of
his music, full of respect and deep understanding of his credo, especially the
lyrical streak, which was superbly captured by Jarzmik's arrangements and the
delicacy of Michalska's vocal delivery.
The music is splendidly
executed, as expected. Jarzmik is an excellent pianist, with an established
reputation and his playing is always a source of great pleasure. Lepa, who
played with Jarzmik on all of his albums so far, is perfect for the job, adding
ably to the ensemble sound. The rhythm section, although very young, does
exactly what is expected, with precision and taste. Michalska delivers the
lyrics with sensitivity and respect, avoiding unnecessary theatrics, which
could have spoiled the desired result.
Overall this is an intelligent,
very well played piece of music, which treats the legacy of Moniuszko's music
with respect and love, adding a contemporary point of view, which might be
instrumental in bringing this music to younger generations of listeners. A
splendid debut effort by all means – well done!
This is the debut album by
young Polish Jazz trumpeter Paweł Palcowski recorded in a quintet setting with
saxophonist Jakub Łępa, pianist Bogusław Kaczmar, bassist Maciej Kitajewski and
veteran drummer Arek Skolik. Trombonist Szymon Klekowicki guests on one track.
The album presents seven original compositions, all by Palcowski.
As the album's title suggests,
it pays tribute to the classic mainstream Jazz period of the 1950s and 1960s,
when Bebop, Hard Bop and Cool Jazz ruled and the foundations and most
mannerisms of modern Jazz were "carved in stone". Palcowski
deliberately tries to reconstruct not only the typical compositions of the era
but also the sound and feel of the period, utilizing the most popular setting
of the time – the classic Jazz quintet.
Although re-visiting that
period, especially among the young generation of European Jazz musicians, is
definitely less popular these days, and often even considered less ambitious,
Palcowski manages to create a wonderful piece of music, which offers not only a
nostalgic trip down the memory line but a bona fide mainstream Jazz album,
which sounds as if it was a "lost" Blue Note treasure, found in the
vaults.
All the compositions on this
album as every bit as solid, coherent and spirited as anything that can be
heard on the albums recorded at the time, which is truly remarkable. A young
musician, decades later and thousands of kilometers away is able to crack the
genetic code of this music perfectly and make it his own, not copying but
creating new tunes which have the same magic feeling. The performances are also
perfect and ideally suiting this particular music. There is no spectacular
soloing but a series of well structured solo performances by the trumpet, saxophone
and piano, supported by the entire quintet and the steady rhythm section which
does a perfect job.
Overall this is a splendid
debut album, which proves that the young generation of European Jazz musicians
is not only aware of the tradition and the history, but is also able to embrace
it lovingly. I had the pleasure to hear Palcowski many times live during his
student years at the Katowice
Music Academy
and it was obvious that he is going places. Well done Sir!
This is the third album by young
Polish Jazz pianist/composer Adam Jarzmik recorded with the same quintet that
accompanied him on the two previous albums: saxophonist Jakub Łępa, trumpeter
Paweł Palcowski, bassist Maciej Kitajewski and drummer Piotr Budniak, but
expanded to a sextet by the presence of the American guitarist Mike Moreno. The
album presents six original compositions, all by Jarzmik. The music was
recorded at the Monochrome Studio by Ignacy Gruszecki, and offers the expected
excellent sound quality.
The music is again kept
strictly within the mainstream Jazz idiom and although the compositions are
solid and well developed, they seem to be stuck in the same mold that created
the two earlier recordings. Usually by the third album young Polish Jazz
composers come up with a more open formula, which allows them to spread their
wings and move into new territory, but this does not happen on this album. This
does not mean that the music is not valuable, but it does not fulfill the high
hopes that were expected.
Of course the musicians
involved are all highly professional players, with slick licks and polished
technique, and the music is definitely very well performed, but remains
somewhat mechanical and lackluster. Moreno, albeit his experience and
reputation adds very little, if anything at all to the album's contents, and
the music would have sounded about the same without him. Overall this is a relatively
less successful effort by Jarzmik and his excellent team, definitely not up to
par with his earlier work, but still offering highly professional original
mainstream Jazz. Better luck next time I hope.
This is the debut album by young
Polish Jazz trombonist/flugelhornist Szymon Klekowicki, recorded in a sextet
setting with saxophonist Jakub Łępa and Marcin Dąbrowski, pianist Adam Jarzmik,
bassist Tymon Trąbczyński and drummer Michał Dziewiński. The album presents
seven original compositions, five by Klekowicki and two by Jarzmik.
The music is conventional melody
based contemporary European Jazz, with solid compositions and arrangements,
which create ideal opportunities for the members of the sextet to show their
chops. The two compositions by Jarzmik are more rounded and mature, similarly
to his excellent work presented on his two earlier album releases. Klekowicki's
music is somewhat Bebop oriented, but by no means outdated and full of great
ideas. All the compositions are coherent and interesting, creating a wonderful
musical flow that seems to be over way too soon, leaving the listener wishing
for more.
The level of execution is of
course nothing short of excellent all the way through and these
"youngsters" sound like Jazz veterans, which never ceases to amaze. The
saxophone unisono parts are a neat and effective arrangement trick, which
produces a "big" sound of the entire sextet and wonderful harmonic
"colorization". Klekowicki seems to be proficient both on trombone and
flugelhorn, thus adding sonoric diversity to the entire album. Jarzmik is of
course also a terrific piano player and his superb melodic phrases ale balsam
on the ears. The rhythm section plays exactly what is expected of them, keeping
strict time and not being obtrusive, which is what this music needs the most,
being already dense enough, but they get an opportunity to shine as well.
Overall this is a first class
debut effort, which gives Klekowicki a solid head start of his career. He joins
the ranks of the young generation of European Jazz musicians, who proudly keep
the idiom alive and kicking, making us, the elders, smile with hope that not
all is lost. Albums like that one are heartwarming and obviously highly
recommended. Already waiting for the next one!
Adam Jarzmik - piano
Jakub Łępa - tenor saxophone
Paweł Palcowski - trumpet
Jakub Mizeracki - guitar
Maciej Kitajewski - double bass
Piotr Budniak - drums
This is the second album by young Polish Jazz pianist/composer Adam Jarzmik, recorded with the same quintet as his debut album released just a few months earlier, this time recorded "live in the studio". The quintet includes trumpeter Paweł Palcowski, saxophonist Jakub Łępa, bassist Maciej Kitajewski and drummer Piotr Budniak. Guitarist Jakub Mizeracki guests on one track. The album presents five original compositions, all by Jarzmik, all different from the compositions featured on the debut album, which proves that Jarzmik is a very prolific composer. Considering the rather short playing time of the album (about thirty five minutes) this is rather an EP than a full album.
The music is kept within the
contemporary mainstream Jazz, but the compositions on this album are more
ambitious and focused than those on the debut, which means that the music flows
flawlessly from one track to another, serving as a vehicle for the individual
improvised parts. The ensemble sound is very well defined and kept in check,
with the saxophone and trumpet stating the melodic themes unisono, before the
music is "released" to the soloists to state their parts.
The individual performances are
all perfectly executed, considering the fact that this is a live recording and
the young age of the musicians involved, and are a faithful testimony of the
overall high level of the young Polish Jazz musicians. The track which features
the guitar takes off in a slightly different direction, emphasizing the Fusion
approach, which might be interesting for future ventures by Jarzmik. Overall a solid effort, with
great music and excellent playing, which should keep most mainstream Jazz fans
happy. The album offers nothing groundbreaking or extraordinary, but is
definitely worth checking out.
This is the debut album by Polish Jazz pianist/composer Adam Jarzmik, recorded in a classic quintet setting with trumpeter Paweł Palcowski, saxophonist Jakub Łępa, bassist Maciej Kitajewski and drummer Piotr Budniak. The album presents seven original compositions by Jarzmik and one arrangement of a standard.
The music is all within the
mainstream Jazz idiom, with solid compositions and sleek execution, not very
innovative but definitely worth hearing, especially in view of the age of the
musicians involved. It is amazing how young Polish Jazz musicians are able to
achieve a level of professionalism at an amazingly young age, which often takes
musicians elsewhere twice the time.
Jarzmik's compositions are his
true forte and their quality and imaginative themes are the focus of this
album. Although they are mostly rather atypical as far as the Polish Jazz scene
is concerned, being more inclined towards the American Jazz tradition with the
post Bebop dominance, they are still interesting enough to save the day. The
lyrical ballads, like the title track, are more characteristic of Polish Jazz,
and are the best pieces on the album by far.
Overall this is a very
presentable debut album, which shows a lot of potential both as far as the
leader/composer is concerned and as far as the musicians in the quintet, some
of which already have a recording history, especially the drummer, are
concerned. For many musicians some decades ago, albums like this one were the pinnacle
of their career, and since this is after all a debut, it definitely shows the
level of extraordinary musicianship these young people already posses at their
early age. These musicians are definitely worth listening to and watching for
their future achievements, which are sure to be even more accomplished.
Adam Jarzmik - piano
Paweł Palcowski - trumpet
Kuba Łępa - tenor saxophone
Maciej Kitajewski - double bass
Piotr Budniak - drums
Euphoria
AUDIO CAVE 2017
Premiera debiutanckiej płyty pianisty Adama Jarzmika - "Euphoria" - odbędzie się 29.04 podczas Festiwalu „Starzy i Młodzi, czyli Jazz w Krakowie”. Wydawcą albumu jest krakowska wytwórnia Audio Cave.
Adam Jarzmik Quintet to młoda, rozwijająca się formacja, która pomimo niedługiego czasu swojego istnienia, została już nagrodzona na festiwalach takich jak Jazz nad Odrą, RCK Pro Jazz czy Blue Note Competition. Muzyka, jaką wykonują, to głównie kompozycje lidera oraz standardy jazzowe w zupełnie innych aranżacjach. W autorskiej twórczości najwyżej stawiają ekspresję, dzięki czemu podczas występów na pierwszy plan wysuwa się improwizacja. Najświeższym osiągnięciem kwintetu jest pierwsze miejsce na Bielskiej Zadymce Jazzowej i wręczony z tej okazji Aniołek Jazzowy.
Członkowie zespołu mają za sobą udział w licznych festiwalach jazzowych w kraju i za granicą. Nagrody: 2016 – II Nagroda na 52. Festiwalu Jazz Nad Odrą. 2016 – I Nagroda na VII RCK Pro Jazz Festiwal w Kołobrzegu. 2016 – II Nagroda na Zilina INTERNARIONAL Jazz Contest. 2016 – I Nagroda na Blue Note Competition w Poznaniu.
Adam Jarzmik - pianista, kompozytor, aranżer. Urodził się 10 Lipca 1990 roku. Absolwent Akademii Muzycznej w Katowicach na wydziale Jazzu i Muzyki Rozrywkowej w klasie fortepianu pod okiem pianisty Wojciecha Niedzieli. Obecnie Student III roku Kompozycji i Aranżacji. W 2008 roku debiutował na festiwalu "Starzy i Młodzi czyli Jazz w Krakowie" z zespołem Jarzmik & Dzioboń Quartet. Finalista licznych konkursów jazzowych m.in: 2008 - finalista Old Jazz Meeting w Iławie - Adam Jarzmik Trio; 2014 - I Nagroda w konkursie zespołów jazzowych w Rudnikach - Łukasz Knapik Quintet; 2015 - Nagroda Publicznośći na II Międzynarodowym Konkursie na Kompozycje Jazzową w Katowicach - utwór "Noche De Luna"; 2015 - III Nagroda na Międzynarodowym Konkursie Kompozytorskim Krzysztofa Komedy w Słupsku - utwór „The Someone Of The Thought"; 2016 - Finalista Bielskiej Zadymki Jazzowej - Paweł Kamiński Quartet. 2016 - II Nagroda na 52 Festiwalu Jazz Nad Odrą - Adam Jarzmik Quintet; 2016 - I Nagroda na VII RCK Pro Jazz Festiwal - Adam Jarzmik Quintet; 2017 - I Nagroda na 19. Lotos Jazz Festiwal w Bielsku-Białej.
This is the debut album by the young Polish Jazz quintet led by drummer Maciek Wojcieszuk, which also includes trumpeter Paweł Palcowski, saxophonist Kuba Łępa, pianist Paulina Atmańska and bassist Adam Tadel. Together they perform seven original compositions (presumably by the leader), while the album's packaging gives no information whatsoever as to the authors of these compositions, which is careless not to mention unwise.
The music is all pretty
conventional, well within the Jazz mainstream and the Bebop tradition. The compositions
are solid and mature, serving the quintet members well as vehicles for their
ensemble parts and their individual solos. Considering the age of these
musicians, this is definitely a very fitting display of their talents. The
personal abilities of the quintet members might be a bit hesitant at times, but
show a lot of promise, and again considering that these are their early professional
steps, they deserve a lenient criticism.
It is difficult to point out
anyone specific from the quintet's lineup, as they all perform formidably. Personally
I think Atmańska stands out due to her unusual approach to the piano, which
uses hard vamping a la McCoy
Tyner and displays more freedom in her playing than her
colleagues. Tadel also deserves a special mention, as his sold bass lines and
beautiful solos are some of the album's highlights. But again this album is
overall an impressive debut, which can make the leader and his cohorts proud of
themselves. The sound quality of the album, recorded at the excellent
RecPublica Studios and engineered by Maciej Stach is another of this album's
strong points.
Since I had the opportunity to
hear these young musicians during their studies at the Jazz Department of the Katowice Music Academy,
I am not surprised by their abilities, a phenomenon which characterizes the
students at all the Polish Music Academies, where a young generation of Polish
Jazz musicians is currently being groomed. The amount of talent among these
young musicians is simply staggering, thus making sure that Polish Jazz is destined
to flourish in the future as much as it does already now. Definitely an album
worth investigating!
