Piotr Domagała & Marek Toporowski - "Music for Jazz Guitar and Harpsichord"

Piotr Domagała & Marek Toporowski

Piotr Domagała - acoustic guitar, electric guitar, electronics
Marek Toporowski - harpsichord, clavichord, Roland c-50
Patryk Zakrzewski - riq, zarb, percussion

"Music for Jazz Guitar and Harpsichord"

Wydawca: Dux 

Autor tekstu: Maciej Nowotny

Piotr Domagała jest rzadkim w polskim jazzie typem gitarzysty-wirtuoza, który najlepiej się czuje wędrując po mniej uczęszczanych ścieżkach. Ja zawarłem z nim znajomość niedługo po jego debiucie, przy okazji albumów wydanych odpowiednio w 2009 roku - "Slavonic Tales", a następnie w 2013 - "Pnącza". W nagraniach tych Piotr Domagała w nowoczesny, lecz przystępny sposób wykorzystywał dziedzictwo polskej muzyki ludowej do kształtowania własnego, oryginalnego języka wypowiedzi na swoim instrumencie. Warto podkreślić, że te nagrania o mniej więcej dekadę antycypowały obecny rozkwit zainteresowania muzyczek i muzyków jazzowych tym dziedzictwem. 

W 2016 roku Domagała wydał kolejną ważną dla siebie płytę "Chowańce" nagraną ze światowej sławy Kwartetem Śląskim, laureatami prestiżowej Gramophone Classical Music Awards, która znamionowała nowy etap jego kariery. Tym razem dokonał zwrotu od muzyki ludowej ku współczesnej muzyce klasycznej, a także zaczął odważniej stosować element improwizowany w swojej muzyce. Jego najnowszy album "Music for Jazz Guitar and Harpsichord" wpisuje się dokładnie w ten trend, stawiając Domagałę obok takich innych jazzmanów jak - tylko ostatnio - Możdżer i Masecki, którzy w absolutnie dowolny, a przy tym wysoce indywidualny i kreatywny sposób, żonglują estetykami jazzu, muzyki klasycznej i innymi, aby dotrzeć do stęsknionego ambitnej muzyki słuchacza.

Na swoim nowym krążku Domagała proponuje nam wyjątkowe muzyczne spotkanie, bo do współpracy zaprosił wirtuoza klawesynu Marka Toporowskiego. Nie muszę pisać, że płyt nagranych w takiej kombinacji - jazzowa gitara i klawesyn - jest jak na lekarstwo. Pozostaje pytanie, ilu chętnych jest na takie lekarstwo! Bo słuchanie muzyki nagranej w duecie dwóch instrumentów strunowych "szarpanych" jest wyzwaniem dla słuchacza, który jest konfrontowany z bardzo nietypowymi spotkaniami dźwięków. Wszakże w mojej ocenie z tego trudnego zadania muzycy wyszli zwycięsko, głównie dzięki trzem cechom tego nagrania.

Po pierwsze, dawno już skończyły się czasy, gdy muzycy jazzowi i klasyczni patrzyli na siebie z nieufnością: klasyczni lekce sobie ważąc umiejętności techniczne jazzowych, a jazzowi niezdolność klasycznych do improwizacji. To  nagranie zadaje całkowity kłam tym stereotypom. Obaj muzycy z równym stopniem dezynwoltury eksperymentują z brzmieniem, energicznie, z dowcipem traktując zarówno kompozycje napisane na ten album jak i fragmenty, które są  w pełni improwizowane (jak w utworze "Seria FC"). Ta partnerska relacja dwóch wirtuozów, kompletnie nie oglądających sie na to z jakich  światów się wywodzą, a skupiających się z pasją na muzyce jest jednym z najprzyjemniejszych zaskoczeń na tej płycie.

Po drugie, Piotr Domagała napisał świetne kompozycje na ten album (jedną dodał Ryszard Borowski). Doskonale wyczuł możliwości instrumentów, ich możliwe współbrzmienia, stąd w ogóle nie brakuje nam tu elementu legato, a finezyjna rytmika, nieraz bardzo złożona,  całkowicie pochłania naszą uwagę. Jakby tego było mało, muzycy doprawiają tę już znakomitą potrawę, zmianami w obszarze instrumentarium, gdzie oprócz gitary klasycznej słyszymy nieraz elektryczną, a klawesyn bywa zastępowany przez klawikord lub Rolanda. Ta gotowość do elektronicznych przetworzeń dźwięków, połączona z jazzową improwizacją i kultem brzmienia charakterystycznym dla "muzyki dawnej", byłaby nie do pomyślenia jeszcze dekadę temu, nie mówiąc o czasach wcześniejszych.

Po trzecie, i podsumowując, esencją współpczesnego jazzu jest - zgodnie z powszechnie znaną definicją - umiejętność zaskakiwania słuchacza, a muzyki klasycznej - perfekcja wykonania. Do niedawana chcieć najlepszego z obu tych światów było jak żądać połączenia ognia i wody. Ale płyty takie jak ta udowadniają, że muzyka dzisiejsza jest immanentnie eklektyczna, że nie liczą się etykietki, lecz wirtuzeria opanowania instrumentów, odwaga w mówieniu swoim językiem, entuzjazm i wiara w uniwersalność języka muzycznego. Tylko i aż tyle. 

AccepDance Collective - A Handful Of AccepDance (2019)

AccepDance Collective

Martin Wesely - guitars, mandolin
Piotr Domagała - guitars
Flo Hupfauf - double bass
Oleg Dyyak - accordion, duduk, percussion
Andreas Schiffer - drums

A Handful Of AccepDance



SESSION WORK 115

By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album by the Austrian/Polish quintet AccepDance Collective comprising of Austrian guitarist Martin Wesely, bassist Flo Hupfauf, drummer Andreas Schiffer, Polish guitarist Piotr Domagała and multi-instrumentalist Oleg Dyyak. The album presents ten original compositions, four by Wesely, three by Domagała, two by Schiffer and one by Wesely/Schiffer.

The music is strongly influenced by various World Music themes, including Flamenco, Middle Eastern, Balkan and many other atmospheres, primarily very lyrical and delicate, spiced by extended Jazzy improvisations by Wesely, Domagała and Dyyak (mostly on accordion). The rhythm section adds a steady support and harmony, with excellent bass parts by Hupfauf and delicate but firm drumming by Schiffer and percussion ornamentations by Dyyak.

The double guitar front line offers of course plenty of excellent soloing both individually and as a duo, and considering the excellent recording quality, which allows each and every note to be heard perfectly, this album offers a true musical feast

Overall this is an excellent debut effort by seasoned musicians, which combines great compositions and virtuosic performances offering a rich tapestry of sounds and emotions. Connoisseurs of Jazz-World Fusion should find this album as an ideal listening experience, but this music should be appealing to a wide spectrum of music lovers, across any genre borders. Warmly recommended!

Piotr Domagała – Pnącza (2013)

Piotr Domagała

Piotr Domagała - guitar
Adam Kawończyk - trumpet
Sławek Berny - percussion

Pnącza

KAAN 003




By Adam Baruch

This is the third album by Polish guitarist/composer Piotr Domagała, recorded in an intimate trio format with trumpeter/flautist Adam Kawończyk and percussionist Sławomir Berny. The same lineup recorded also Domagała's previous album called "Slavonic Tales". The album presents nine original compositions, all by Domagała.

The music is a wide amalgam of influences, including World Music form Far and Near East and Domagała's domestic Polish Folklore, obviously Jazz but also some Classical Music hints, in short a cross-genre offering, which sounds absolutely brilliant from start to finish. The music is serene and relaxed, based on exquisite melodies, which serve as a basis for extensive improvisations and elaborate expansions. Even the up-tempo numbers sound perfectly peaceful and focused.

The guitar is of course at the center of the listener's attention, often multi-tracked to achieve a richer and more spacey sound, but the trumpet/flute and the superb percussion work all add up to make this album an unforgettable experience. In addition the music is beautifully recorded, with excellent detail and separation, which allows every singe note and tone to be perfectly audible.

Domagala's guitar playing is nothing short of virtuosic and his technique allows him to express the depth of his aesthetics and the beauty of his compositions. When talent, experience and dedication come together, like on this album, the result is simply overwhelming and the minimalism of this music works in its favor, creating a superb result in which every single note counts.

Overall this is an album of rare beauty, which every guitar connoisseur on this planet should absolutely fall in love with. Although recorded a few years before it arrived on my desk (courtesy of the creator) it is definitely way too good to be ignored and I hope some people will discover this gem now; better late than never. An absolute must!

Piotr Domagała/Kwartet Śląski – Chowańce (2016)

Piotr Domagała/Kwartet Śląski

Piotr Domagała - guitars
Szymon Krzeszowiec - violin
Arkadiusz Kubica - violin
Łukasz Syrnicki - viola
Piotr Janosik - cello
Sławek Berny - percussion

Chowańce



GAP 5905669506014

By Adam Baruch

This is the fourth album by Polish Jazz guitarist/composer Piotr Domagała, recorded in an unusual setting with the Kwartet Śląski String Quartet (violinists Szymon Krzeszowiec and Arkadiusz Kubica, violist Łukasz Syrnicki and cellist Piotr Janosik) and percussionist Sławomir Berny. Together they perform eleven original compositions, all by Domagała.

The music is an interesting amalgam of Jazz, Fusion, Classical Music and World Music, a true cross-genre voyage, based on beautiful melodic themes and featuring interesting and unique arrangements. The compositions are full of typical Polish/Slavic melancholy and mysticism, expressed both by the melodic/harmonic setting and the complex arrangements, fabulously executed by the string quartet, which often sounds like layers of synthesizers rather than violins, viola and cello. In that respect this is one of the most unique projects I came across in 2016 not only on the Polish scene, but worldwide.

Domagała is a very accomplished guitarist and plays many breathtaking passages on this album. Most of the guitar work is acoustic and uses a plethora of different guitar techniques. A few electric parts are also present, but those are overall less significant as the album presents mostly a serene, intimate atmosphere, which is best served by the acoustic approach, which of course also corresponds well to the string quartet.

The string quartet, as already mentioned, is absolutely superb, playing completely originally and free of any Classical Music conventions, which often limit classical musicians and cause their cooperation with Jazz musicians to fail miserably. In this case the cooperation works out perfectly and the string quartet contributions are equally important to those of the leader. Berny is an ideal choice for this album, where his great sensitivity and rhythmic proficiency suit the music perfectly. Berny's experience with World Music and Jazz oriented projects is very extensive and his contributions here emphasize the rhythmic qualities of the music gracefully.

Overall this is a striking album, which presents ambitious and innovative music, superbly executed by the participating musicians. It is a wonderful example of intelligent music, which can also be very emotional and aesthetically pleasing. The album, which was recorded in the excellent RecPublica Studios, offers a stunning sound quality, which should satisfy even the sternest Hi-Fi connoisseurs. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Piotr Domagała - Pnącza (2013)

Piotr Domagała - acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 12-string guitar

Adam Kawończyk - trumpet, flugelhorn, flute

Sławek Berny - tabla, udu, cajon, bongos, djembe, electric tampura, chekere

Pnącza (2013)

By Maciej Nowotny

Piotr Domagała as a guitarist stands alone among other musicians playing on this instrument in Poland. Not only he is a true virtuoso but his mature artistic vision encompassing as much jazz, as Slav folk and world music, unites all these influences into one unique language unmistakably his own.

This is only his second disc after outstanding debut "Slavonic Tales" released in 2009. Unlike others musicians, especially of younger generation, Domagała is neither prolific nor he changes projects and partners like gloves. Inversely he has focused on one enterprise and same musicians to be able to dug deeper into the matter of music.

The effect is fully satisfactory. I should perhaps do not use any labels to describe this music as they would all be misleading. But if forced I would prefer to call it "free mainstream" as it is as close to orthodox jazz as to classical music but first of all free in spirit. 

The success of this venture would be impossible without excellent partners of Domagała: trumpeter Adam Kawończyk and percussionist Sławek Berny. They are both well known and established musicians on our jazz scene. Together they form a trio like no other in Polish jazz and one of very few on European scene. Bound to the highest standards of performance, faithful to jazz and classical music heritage, at the same time they are brave enough to experiment and search for new lands. What else is necessary to make a listener happy? Perhaps one more thing should be mentioned as the sound on this CD is extremely well recorded and mixed which makes the rehearsal of this music even more enjoyable.

Piotr Domagała - Slavonic Tales (Kaan Studio Jazz, 2009)

Piotr Domagała  - guitar

Adam Kawończyk - trumpet, kalimba

Sławek Berny - perkusja

Kaan Studio Jazz, 2009

With great surprise I discovered that this album not only has no reviews in English but also in Polish just a handful and not as good as they should be. Mine also would not be perfect but I can do at least one thing and assure you that this disc contains very gracious music indeed!

The leader - Piotr Domagała - is one of big wave of strong and creative flock of guitarists coming in recent years to our market. Moreover his voice is individual and like no other player on Polish scene and can be described as having roots in tradition of great virtuoso classical guitarists but speaking in language of jazz with strong blues and cool jazz accents.

On this album he is accompanied by musicians perfectly matching his cool and relaxed style. On trumpet Adam Kawończyk, one of those players in Polish jazz that though unknown and underrated is indeed first class instrumentalist. He produces sound so filigree, delicate and minute that I cannot imagine better complement to Domagała poetic style. Rhythm background is pictured by Sławek Berny drums who succeeded in making his instruments sound sensitive enough not to even for a moment overshadowing refined lines produced by his companions. 

Very strong side of this album are compositions: all originals by Piotr Domagała, very, very melodic, merry, yet far from being superficial or trivial. Summarizing I can only wholeheartadly recommend this album to any lover of mainstram jazz.

Finally please listen to the only tune not written by Piotr Domagała on this album, a famous standard by Eden Abhez titled "Nature Boy":

More music from this album is available on Piotr Domagała web page: http://www.piotrdomagala.eu/slavonictales.html

Author of text: Maciej Nowotny 

http://kochamjazz.blox.pl/html

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