Kamil Szuszkiewicz - Prolegomena (Slowdownrecords, 2011)

Kamil Szuszkiewicz - trumpet
Marcin Ułanowski - drums
Kuba Cichocki - upright piano
Wojtek Traczyk - double bass
Marcin Gańko - baritone saxophone
Tomasz Duda - baritone saxophone

Prolegomena (Slowdownrecords, 2011)

That Kamil Szuszkiewicz is great talent in Polish music I've been convinced for a long time. Unlike many critics is this country who obviously are excellent in establishing crucial (and well-paid) positions in Polish media & show business I am simple blogger and my main focus is music. I look for good music, all other issues are secondary. So I've seen Szuszkiewicz being like "crouching tiger, hidden dragon" among Polish young musicians and I've been waiting patiently when his time will come. The snow ball has been growing slowly which is evidenced even on this blog by albums like "Kapacitron" (2009), "Be Like A Child" (2009) or recently outstanding "Chopin Chopin Chopin" (2011) in which he took (significant) part as a sideman.  And now we have his debut under his own name so it is the time to ask a question whether all these promises are fulfilled...?...

Music on the album may be called free but not in form but in spirit. This overall form is well though-out, planned, carefully prepared but at the same time there is enough place left for musicians  to display spontaneity, creativity and bravery of the highest caliber. Moreover regardless its refined form the music remains communicative and relatively easy to listen! Rooted as well in free jazz idiom as in avantgarde classics of XXth century and... in indie pop or rock... it is as much continuation as something completely new... Moody, brooding, bluesy it has all coarse beauty of good modern art, be it painting, sculpture, photography, film or literature. It will fit perfectly as musical commentary to crazy politics of year 2011 with its bankrupting states, compromised politicians, crumbling traditions.
When we look at the cast we discover that along with the leader playing on trumpet, we find here creme-de-creme of young musicians responsible for sudden renaissance of jazz avantgarde in Warsaw in recent years: Wojtek Traczyk (double bass), Marcin Ułanowski (drums), Kuba Cichocki (upright piano), Tomasz Duda  and Marcin Gańko on baritone saxophones. These new wave of young, creative, open and very well educated musicians will alter completely what is the landscape of Polish jazz in years to come...

Promo - Kamil Szuszkiewicz "Prolegomena":

 
Author: Maciej Nowotny
http://kochamjazz.blox.pl/html

Projekt Grzegorza Rogali - Enthuzjazzm (Soliton, 2011)

Adam Baruch (his music boutique www.jazzis.com) sheds light on some of the most interesting projects in ethnojazz in Poland this year:

The incredible Renaissance of Jewish Culture, which erupted in recent years in Poland, the country which hosted Jews for centuries and then witnessed their extermination during the Holocaust, is truly wondrous and unprecedented. The renewed interest in Jewish Culture and Tradition has its musical sides of course, like Jewish Music Festivals and smaller, more intimate projects like this one - a Jazz quartet which brings together three Polish and one Israeli Jazz musicians: trombonist Grzegorz Rogala, bassist Lukasz Borowiecki, drummer Michal Bryndal and female saxophonist Sagit Zilberman. An oud player and a rapper guest on one track each. Together they perform seven compositions, which combine Jazz with Jewish folklore (and Polish folklore as well) – not a new concept, but certainly one which is able to produce very interesting results. Of the seven compositions three are by Rogala, two by John Zorn (the legendary pioneer of the Radical Jewish Jazz movement), one by Zilberman and one is a standard arranged by Zilberman. The overall sound and musical approach of the quartet is very original and unique, with the two soloists improvising on top of a very solid rhythmic background provided by the rhythm section. In fact the bass player holds the music together in a truly admirable way. The quartet is not trying to play another version of Klezmer / Chasidic Jazz mixture, which has already been explored by many other ensembles, but creates their own stylistic approach, which although not completely Free, has a lot of freedom and space, which allows individual expression. Overall the album sounds fresh, interesting and unique, which doesn't happen too often these days. Definitely worth investigation!

Sample of music (more can be found on Grzegorz Rogala web page http://www.rogala.art.pl/):

Author of text: Adam Baruch 

http://www.adambaruch.com/

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