Angielskie słowo "Everywhen" nie jest właściwie używane w języku potocznym, chociaż pojawia się niekiedy w kontekstach literackich. Kiedy zauważyłem je użyte jako tytuł najnowszego albumu gitarzysty Przemka Borowickiego było dla mnie jak nowe i od razu zachwyciło mnie swoim nie tylko pięknem, ale i potencjałem. I oczywiście zacząłem się zastanawiać jak je przetłumaczyć i co właściwie może ono oznaczać?
Jeśli ich szukacie, to trafiliście w dobre miejsce. Bo odsłonię przed Wami pewną tajemnicę. Nie musicie wcale jechać daleko. Nie musicie bynajmniej wydać góry pieniędzy. Rezerować biletów na samoloty, załatwiać wiz, miejsc w hotelach, łapać taksówek. Wystarczy wygodny fotel. Dobre słuchawki. Chwila spokoju. Może kieliszeczek wina. I koniecznie, niezbędnie, obligatoryjnie: dużo dobrej muzyki, A jeśli już w tym zakosztujecie, w tym celebrowaniu czasu poświęconego sobie, to gdziekolwiek byśmy byli, okaże się, że Wyspy Szczęśliwe są blisko, nawet bliżej, tam gdzie nasze własne serce.
Ale skoro wspomniało się muzykę, to jaka muzyka pasowałaby do takich filozoficznych poszukiwań spod znaku Epikura? A właśnie miałem okazję słuchać płyty wręcz idealnej na taką okazję i chętnie się nią z Wami podzielę. To album "Rituals" Łukasza Borowickiego. Nie słyszeliście tego nazwiska, prawda? To nic dziwnego. Dobrej muzyki nie da się dzisiaj znaleźć nawet w dobrych sklepach muzycznych, bo te się już prawie wszystkie pozamykały. Pozostało kulturalne podziemie, tworzone przez niedobitki inteligencji i w ogóle ludzi wrażliwych na piękno, którzy podają sobie te i inne kulturalne wieści z ust do ust, w tajemnicy, szeptem, jak jakąś nową dobrą nowinę.
A tymczasem Łukasz Borowicki, chociaż młody, jest już artystą z dorobkiem, i to niemałym. Debiutował jeszcze w 2014 roku albumem "People, Cats and Obstacles" wydanym w renomowanej polskiej wytwórni For Tune, a potem było sporo innych bardzo ciekawych nagrań tak w trio, jak w kwartacie, sekstecie czy nawet oktecie! O wszystkim możecie poczytać na naszym blogu, a przede wszystkim posłuchać. Zapewniamy, że warto, zwłaszcza że wiele z tych nagrań powstało we współpracy z wyśmienitymi duńskimi muzykami, bo Łukasz podobnie jak m.in. Tomasz Dąbrowski, Maciej Kądziela, Tomasz Licak i wielu innych kształcił się w Danii i razem z kolegami wniósł do polskiego jazzu zupełnie nowy smak. Wreszcie ostatnio głośno się o Łukaszu zrobiło, bo w 2020 roku wrócił na scenę z bardzo lubianym, a przez lata nieaktywnym, zespołem Jazzpospolita, gdzie na gitarze zastąpił wyśmienitego Michała Przerwę-Tetmajara (skadinąd krewnego słynnego Kaziemierza).
Wracając do płyty "Rituals", to wydaje się ona jaby stworzona do medytacji, wypoczynku, oddechu, z dala od zgiełku, a blisko natury. Materia muzyczna ma delikatny, niemal satynowy charakter, przypominając nieco muzyczne fale jakie wzbudzać uwielbiają tacy wirtuozi gitary jak Ralph Towner, John Abercrombie czy Eivind Aarset. Mamy tu zatem delikatne jak muśnięcia piórem strzępki melodii, eleganckie rytmy w sposób nieokreślony taneczne, dające muzyce pewną lekkość w słuchaniu, ale przede wszystkim muzykę definiuje podążąjące za rytmem natury pulsowanie. Wdech i wydech. Dur i moll. Ying i yang. Harmonia. Równowaga. Body and soul. Dla niektórych to może być zbyt banalne, zbyt oczywiste, zbyt słodkie nawet. Nie zgadzam się z tym. Rytułów nie pownno się oceniać przez pryzmat ich oryginalności. Liczy się ich skuteczność. A te są skuteczne. Przynajmniej w moim przypadku. A dla Was? Najlepiej przekonajcie się sami...
This is the seventh album by Polish
ensemble Jazzpospolita, led by bassist Stefan Nowakowski, which also includes keyboardist
Michał Załęski, guitarist Łukasz Borowicki and drummer Karol Domański. The
album, recorded following a period of hiatus, personnel changes and inactivity,
seems to find the ensemble back in full form. It presents eight original
compositions, four composed by Nowakowski, three by Borowicki and one by
Załęski, which is a change as on the earlier albums the music was always co-credited
to the entire lineup.
The album is dominated by the
beautiful sound of Borowicki's guitar, who recorded four splendid albums as a
leader before joining Jazzpospolita. Stylistically the music is somewhat more
Jazz oriented than the earlier albums by the ensemble, but preserves both the
Rock and Ambient subtext, which dominated the early releases and which brought
them the popularity they enjoyed for an entire decade. Załęski provides a rich
harmonic background for the guitar front lines and the rhythm section keeps the
music flowing steadily.
The music is difficult to classify,
as it easily belongs to a wide range of sub-styles of Fusion and even Progressive
Rock on one hand and at the same time is pretty unique. Beautiful melodic riffs
repeated over energetic rhythmic patterns are hypnotic enough to engulf the
listener and keep him enchanted as long as the music is playing and leaves him
wishing for more.
It is great to see
Jazzpospolita back on the scene and I hope to catch them live again soon, as their
live shows are always a remarkable experience. For their many fans this album
is a solid continuation of their earlier efforts, but it is also a great
opportunity for new listeners to get exposed to their music, which never fails
to satisfy.
This is the second album by Danish
Jazz trombonist / composer / arranger / bandleader Rasmus Henriksen, this time
recorded in an octet setting with musicians associated with the Odense Music
Academy, including two
Polish participants: guitarist Łukasz Borowicki and bassist Michał Nienadowski.
The octet also includes vocalist Amanda Lagoni. The album presents nine
original compositions by Henriksen, which are based on poems by the Danish poet
Herman Bang, which together construct a suite of two three-part cycles, separated
by another three poems serving as prelude, entr'acte and epilogue. As such this
is of course a splendid example of the Jazz & Poetry idiom.
The music is beautifully
lyrical and melancholic, with a strong Nordic tinge, flowing gently from one
melody to another, perfectly matched together. The arrangements are classic big
ensemble Jazz formats, featuring the vocals in the centre of the attention, but
allowing short instrumental soli to appear as well. Sadly the lyrics in
Danish are accessible only to listeners who understand the language, but even
if one is not a native Danish speaker, the vocal parts are still impressive in
their melodic/theatrical delivery. The performances are all perfect and
although executed by student, under the watchful supervision of Henriksen they
are simply excellent.
Overall this is a very delicate
and wonderfully put together project that offers the essence of Scandinavian /
European Jazz, which is highly aesthetic and intelligent and combines music and
poetry in order to enhance the splendor of both these elements of Art. Warmly
recommended!
This is the fourth album by Polish
(resident in Denmark) Jazz guitarist/composer Łukasz Borowicki recorded this
time with a sextet, which also features three Danish musicians: trumpeter Mads la Cour, pianist Soren Gemmer
and drummer Anders Mogensen and two Polish musicians: saxophonist Bartłomiej
Wawryniuk and bassist Mariusz Praśniewski. The album presents eight original
compositions, all by Borowicki.
The music on this album takes a
step back towards more structured/composed modern European Jazz, with
emphasis on composition and ensemble effort. In contrast to the typical albums
produced by young Polish Jazz musicians these days, this album is much closer
in spirit to Scandinavian Jazz, not only due to the fact that half of the
sextet's members are Danish, but mainly due to the character of the compositions,
which offer typical Nordic open space and "windy" ambiance. The music
is relaxed, and offers a lot of breathing space for all the musicians to solo
and interplay extensively, with every single note being perfectly clearly
audible.
Borowicki plays the guitar with
wonderful minimalist, almost completely acoustic touch, shunning flashy
displays of egocentric show-off. All the rest of the sextet members follow his
lead in this respect, and the album is a wonderful example of mutual respect
and understanding between the musicians, as well as a display of the elegance,
restraint and artistry that characterizes European Jazz.
The sextet members are all superb
instrumentalists, and they all contribute equally to this album's success.
Wonderfully "cool" trumpet parts by la Cour, beautifully melodic
solos by Gemmer and spirited saxophone parts by Wawryniuk are kept in check by
the solid and yet creative work by the rhythm section, which is fully up to par
with the front line players.
Overall this is an excellent
album in every respect, clear evidence that the prolific work of Borowicki is
consistently excellent and has a lot to offer in a long term. Full of great
compositions and excellent playing, this album is an indicator of how young
European Jazz is exploding with talent and extraordinary quality, which never
ceases to amaze. Well done Gentlemen!
This is the debut album by Danish composer / arranger / conductor / bassoonist Rasmus Henriksen, recorded with an international Big Band comprising of musicians associated with the Odense Music Academy, which includes twelve musicians, several of which are from Poland, like trumpeters Tomasz Dąbrowski and Wojciech Morelowski, guitarist Łukasz Borowicki and bassist Mariusz Praśniewski. The album presents eight pieces, six of which are original compositions by Henriksen and two are standards. Fours of the pieces feature vocals performed by Amanda Lagoni.
The music is well within the
mainstream Jazz idiom, with excellent compositions by the leader and of course
the wonderful sound of a Big Band that melts my heart every time. The
arrangements are very elegant and interesting, typical of European Big Band
approach, which treats the Big Band as a complex instrument. In view of the
fact that there are so few Big Band albums released each year these days, every
one of them is a blessing.
The Big Band performs
excellently, obviously well rehearsed and including gifted instrumentalists.
There are plenty of superb, albeit short, solos by the band members, testifying
to the generally high level of the players. The vocal tracks are also
first-rate, much to my surprise, as singing with a Bing Band requires a special
talent, but Lagoni handles the task splendidly.
The overall sound and
atmosphere are at times a bit too "retro", mimicking the great Swing
orchestras of times long gone, but that does not spoil the great fun one can
have with this music. This is pure pleasure from start to finish and mainstream
Big Band/Orchestral Jazz should enjoy this effort to the max. Very impressive
for a debut album and definitely worth getting!
This is the third album by Polish Jazz guitarists/composer Łukasz Borowicki and his second recording with a trio he recorded his debut with, which also includes bassist Mariusz Praśniewski and Danish drummer Kasper Tom Christiansen. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Borowicki and is beautifully recorded with wonderful aural atmosphere.
The music on this album is
meant to present the acoustic side of Borowicki's guitar playing and as a
result is indeed very delicate, intimate and low volume. The rhythm section
offers a remarkable support to this acoustic effort, playing also very subtly,
but clearly in sync with the leader and most inventively. Therefore as a trio
effort, this album is absolutely fascinating and one of the best of its kind I
have come across lately.
However, Borowicki evidently steps
here towards much more Free Jazz and Improvised Music than on his earlier
recordings. In my review of his debut album I mentioned that his playing
reminds me of early John McLaughlin recordings; the music here is much closer
to what Derek Bailey had to offer. Nothing wrong with that of course, except
for the fact that Borowicki is stepping away from the majority of Jazz
listeners and entering the Avant Garde niche, with everything that such a move
implies. As a result there are almost no
melodic themes here, at most some melodic fragments, which is a pity
considering Borowicki's fine composing talent, which he displayed on his
earlier recordings.
Overall this is a bold step for
this young and talented musician, which is obviously a part of his search
towards his musical self-discovery. People expecting traditional guitar playing
will be definitely disappointed, but Improvised Music/Free Jazz lovers should
find this album an exquisite example of trio cooperation and elegant European
non-aggressive and yet completely individualistic music creation.
This is the second album by young Polish Jazz guitarist Łukasz Borowicki. Following the debut album recorded in a trio format, this album presents a quartet effort, with Danish flugelhornist Mads La Cour and Polish bassist Mariusz Praśniewski (who also appears on the debut) and drummer Karol Domański. The album includes ten original compositions, eight of which are by Borowicki and two are improvisations credited to the quartet members.
In
contrast to the debut, this album is much more relaxed and organized, probably
since there is no pressure to prove anything this time. The compositions are
lyrical and much closer to the European Jazz idiom, with breathing space and
freedom being the most important ingredients in addition of course to the
personal abilities of the participants. The addition of the flugelhorn expanded
the ensemble's possibilities considerably and Borowicki could have hardly find
a better partner for his musical explorations that the amazing Dane, who has
caught my ear already and who is definitely worth following carefully.
The
quartet is very tight together, which is quite remarkable considering the
complex, both harmonically and rhythmically, music they perform. The rhythm
section truly supports the soloists as well as builds up the platform on which
the entire structure securely advances in time. As the result the instrumental
work is nothing short of amazing. It is hard to believe that this album was
recorded by such young musicians.
Borowicki
also presents an impressive compositional palette and the overall level of his
tunes is very notable. His compositions serve as ideal vehicles for the
musicians to play their best. The interplay between the guitar and the flugelhorn is especially exciting, as are their respective solo parts. Both Borowicki and La Cour have a distinctive sound
and approach and on this album they simply complete each other perfectly.
It is a
joyful feeling to hear music of such quality, especially when it comes from
musicians who are at early stages of their careers. The maturity and talents
displayed here are all exemplary. As a result this is another great album
released by the For Tune label, and certainly one of the strongest releases
this year on the Polish Jazz scene. Congratulations!
This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz guitarist/composer Łukasz Borowicki, recorded in a trio format with Polish bassist Mariusz Praśniewski and Danish drummer and frequent collaborator with Polish musicians Kasper Tom Christiansen. Both Borowicki and Prasniewski studied at the Academy of Music in Odense (Denmark), as did many of Poland's young Jazz musicians in recent years. The album presents nine original compositions recorded by the trio and a bonus track which is a solo guitar piece, all composed by Borowicki.
The music is a surprising
amalgam of many different elements, which create a unique musical perception,
fascinating and absorbing right from the onset. Borowicki has a distinctive
guitar sound, which is raw and distorted, somewhat similar to early John
McLaughlin's efforts. The melodies, or rather melodic fragments, are quirky and
unstable, changing rapidly and continuously, and yet producing an overall
coherent compositional whole. The same applies to the frequent tempo changes
and improvisational approaches, which move within one piece between tightly
knit interplay and completely free form, spacey improvisation. The overall
effect of this unusual music is definitely fascinating and completely fresh.
Considering the fact that guitar is the most popular instrument on this planet,
it takes a truly ingenious musician to create something new with it, such as
Borowicki manages to do in this case.
The leader gets a most
sympathetic support from his cohorts; Praśniewski is a wonderfully melodic
player, who against all odds manages to keep the surreal paste of change this
music demands, supporting the guitar every inch of the way. Christiansen, who
is already a well seasoned musician and a superb composer on his own, is an
ideal partner completing the trio. He plays sparingly and unobtrusively, but is
right where he is needed at all times.
In conclusion, this is a first
class debut effort, which shows an enormous potential and talent that Borowicki
represents which hopefully will mature and develop further in time. As a result
of this album, he immediately becomes a worthy candidate to become one of the
top Jazz guitar players in his country, a position which at the moment is
rather sparingly populated.
