Marek Konarski - Konarski & Folks (2021)

Marek Konarski

Marek Konarski - tenor saxophone
Artur Tuźnik - piano
Damian Kostka - double bass
Kuba Gudz - drums
Ania Rybacka - vocal (8)

Konarski & Folks

PRIVATE EDITION 2021

By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album as a leader by Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Marek Konarski, recorded in a quartet setting with pianist Artur Tuźnik, bassist Damian Kostka and drummer Kuba Gudz. Vocalist Ania Rybacka guests on one track. The album presents nine tracks, seven of which are original compositions by Konarski and two are his arrangements of Polish Folk songs.

Konarski spent several years studying and playing in Denmark and Finland and upon his return to Poland he formed this quartet with musicians he met over the years, all of which are by now experienced representatives of the young Polish Jazz scene.

The music is all well within the strict Jazz mainstream idiom, with some Folkloristic influences. As expected, it is highly melodic and offers beautiful themes, which ideally suit Konarski’s saxophone performances, which feature a wonderful sweet, soulful tone. The rhythm section supports the leader superbly, with Tuźnik excellent piano playing supplying the continuity and flow that keeps the music tightly together.

I find Konarski’s treatment of the Polish Folklore motives rather dated, to be honest, somewhat similar to what Zbigniew Namysłowski already perfected over five decades earlier, and many other Polish Jazz musicians handled way more successfully and innovatively over the, but of course it still has a lot of charm.

Overall this is a very pleasant and wonderfully performed Jazz album, with excellent playing by all the participants and a wide appeal to Jazz listeners across the entire range of the genre. It firmly proves the strength of the local scene and is definitely worth to be explored. 

Thomas Kolarczyk Ensemble - Halbträume (2018)

Thomas Kolarczyk Ensemble

Viktor Wolf - clarinet, bass clarinet

Otto Hirte - alto saxophone, flute, alto clarinet

Sławek Pezda - tenor saxophone

Thomas Kolarczyk - double bass

Kuba Gudz - drums

Halbträume

DOUBLE MOON 71194

By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album as a leader by Polish, resident in Berlin, Jazz bassist/composer Thomas Kolarczyk, recorded in a quintet setting with clarinetist Viktor Wolf, saxophonist/flautist Otto Hirte, saxophonist Sławomir Pezda and drummer Kuba Gudz. Kolarczyk and Gudz were members of the excellent Tone Raw quartet, which recorded a superb single album back in 2012. The album presents nine compositions, seven of which are originals by Kolarczyk, one is by Gudz and one is an arrangement by Kolarczyk of a traditional tune.

The music is a wonderful modern European Jazz, mostly based on melodic themes, but very open to improvised passages and folkloristic, mostly Middle Eastern and Balkan influences. The quintet's lineup, which features three woodwind instruments and a rhythm section and no harmonic instrument, creates w beautifully transparent sound with each and every note perfectly audible. The music reflects perfectly the European Jazz esthetics, which has grown infinitely beyond the American Jazz tradition over time, preserving the basic convention of improvisation, but expanding the barriers of the musical possibilities and amalgamating European values and World traditions, revitalizing and constantly pushing the idiom further into the unknown.

The individual performances are all stellar and the album is a constant source of amazement and discovery. The unique and daring music making presented herein is way beyond what one can find on "standard" Jazz recordings, and reflects the specifics of the new, Berlin based Jazz school, which managed in the last decade or so to build a Jazz sub-culture, which is reflected by numerous recordings made by Berlin based musicians, producing definitely some of the most interesting contemporary European Jazz.

The sublime balance between melody and Free Form, straight time and no time, soloing and group improvisation are all present on this album, and add up to an irresistible sonic and intellectual experience, which has but a few equals. As such it is a must have for all modern European Jazz connoisseurs, who are open-minded and embracing enough to face and enjoy the challenge. Overall this is a tremendous debut album, which marks a giant step in the leaders career and hopefully will be followed by many more recordings, as music of such beauty and sophistication is always a revelation. Stunning stuff!

Michał Martyniuk – Nothing To Prove (2018)

Michał Martyniuk

Michał Martyniuk - piano
Jakub Skowroński - saxophone
Jakub Mizeracki - guitar
Bartek Chojnacki - bass
Kuba Gudz - drums

Nothing To Prove




SJ 031

By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album by Polish (resident in New Zealand) Jazz pianist/composer Michał Martyniuk, recorded with a core quintet setting with saxophonist Jakub Skowroński, guitarist Jakub Mizeracki, bassist Bartek Chojnacki and drummer Kuba Gudz. Three guest artists: drummer Sebastian Skrzypek, percussionist Miguel Fuentes and vocalist Tama Waipara appear on selected tracks. The album presents eight original compositions, all composed by Martyniuk.

The music is very melodic mainstream Jazz that stays almost completely within the conventional Smooth Jazz idiom, which is relatively atypical of young Polish Jazz and resembles recordings from across the pond - lush saxophone, dreamy guitar (with very strong Fusion tendencies) and romantic piano are the dominant characteristics. Having said that, the tunes are very well crafted and the music is excellently performed, arranged and recorded, so the listening experience is definitely very pleasurable.

Perhaps the idea of this album was indeed that the leader has nothing to prove and decided to record an album easy on the ear, which can be liked by a wide range of listeners mostly from outside the strict Jazz circles. I have already read several very flattering reviews of this album by some Polish "critics", which proves that Martyniuk achieved his goal in full.

Thomas Kolarczyk Ensemble - Halbträume (2018)

Thomas Kolarczyk Ensemble

Viktor Wolf - clarinet, bass clarinet

Otto Hirte - alto saxophone, flute, alto clarinet

Sławek Pezda - tenor saxophone

Thomas Kolarczyk - double bass

Kuba Gudz - drums

Halbträume



DOUBLE MOON 71194

By Maciej Nowotny

Kiedy przed laty dodawaliśmy na blogu kategorię przeznaczoną specjalnie dla debiutantów mieliśmy wątpliwości, czy w ogóle będą dla niej wartościowi kandydaci. Obawy te okazały się płonne. Kolejne lata przyniosły prawdziwe tsunami wartościowych debiutów na blogu, wśród których wymienić można nazwiska tej miary co Sebastian Zawadzki, Nikola Kołodziejczyk, Maciej Kądziela, Grzegorz Tarwid, Michał Ciesielski, Franciszek Pospieszalski, Kasia Pietrzko i wielu innych (pełną listę wyróżnionych przez nas debiutów możecie znaleźć pod tym linkiem). Dzisiaj chcemy odnotować kolejny dojrzały artystycznie debiut, tym razem kontrabasisty Thomasa Kolarczyka.

Urodzony w Niemczech, ale mający polskie korzenie, muzyk należy do kohorty tych naszych młodych artystów, dla których granice państwowe, polityczne, etniczne są podobnie jak te między muzycznymi gatunkami po to, by je przekraczać. Studiuje, pracuje i muzykuje w Berlinie, który w ostatnich latach stał się magnesem dla wielu polskich młodych niespokojnych duchów. Z tego, co przeczytałem w jednym z wywiadów, nie zamyka się wcale w jazzowej wieży z kości słoniowej, lecz aktywnie penetruje bogatą berlińską scenę muzyczną, grając nie tylko w formacjach jazzowych czy też improwizujących, ale też rockowych, folkowych czy nawet tych z pogranicza muzyki klasycznej.

Co najważniejsze, wszystkie te zasymilowane wpływy słychać w muzyce. Może nawet nie tyle w warstwie narracyjnej, bezpośrednio melodyjnej czy rytmicznej, lecz bardziej w złożoności kompozycji, w ich dojrzałym ujęciu, a także w jakości wykonania. Oczywiście sekcja rytmiczna jest bardzo silnym punktem tego zespołu, a tworzy ją współpracujący od wielu lat z Thomasem perkusista Kuba Gudz. Pamiętam ich z wydanej w 2012 roku płyty "Tone Raw", którą recenzował Adam Baruch, już wtedy przepowiadający tym muzykom dużą przyszłość.

Siłą rzeczy jednak o obliczu tego zespołu stanowią instrumenty dęte: Sławek Pezda na saksofonie tenorowym,  Otto Hirte na saksofonie altowym i Viktor Wolf na klarnecie. To wszystko świetni instrumentaliści potrafiący dobrze wpasować się w stworzoną przez lidera koncepcję. Szczególnie charyzmatyczny jest Wolf, który swoją osobowością odcisnął wyraźne piętno na tym albumie, chociaż niekiedy jego quasi klezmerskie wstawki mnie drażniły. 

Generalnie najbardziej na tym albumie podobały mi się kompozycje i te momenty, gdy muzycy czujnie się słuchając, to podążali za liniami wytyczonymi przez Kolarczyka, to odchodzili od nich improwizując. Złożoność tej muzyki, świeżość, nawiązania stylistyczne do legendarnego Art Ensemble Of Chicago (kompozycja "Berlin Is Full Of Lonely People") i ich licznych europejskich permutacji, szczególnie brotzmanowskich, skutecznie przykuwały moją uwagę. Brakowało mi może tak bliskich sercu nut słowiańskich: emocjonalności, entuzjazmu, melancholii posuniętej do szaleństwa i przekształcającej się w ekstazę. Tylko że to więcej mówi o piszącym te słowa niż o Thomasie, który nagrał obiecującą płytę i któremu bardzo życzę, by podążając tak wytyczoną ścieżką, w pełni zrealizował swój bez wątpienia duży potencjał.

Igor Osypov Quintet - I (2015)

Igor Osypov Quintet

Igor Osypov - guitar
Logan Richardson - alto saxophone
Elias Stemeseder - piano
Martin Buhl - double bass
Jesus Vega - drums
Kuba Gudz - drums

I

UNIT 4582

By Dave Wayne

A native of Ukraine currently studying at Jazz Institute Berlin under Kurt Rosenwinkel, guitarist Igor Osypov was initially drawn to the guitar as a pre-teen via rock and punk-rock. Osypov's debut album I is, on the surface, the type of sunny, moderately complex, indie-rock inflected jazz that's the stock-in-trade of guys like Brian Blade, David Binney,Torben Waldorff, and, of course, Rosenwinkel himself. Happily, there's a lot of blood and guts evident in Osypov's playing and in his tunes. Dark undercurrents and traces of Osypov's formative rock energy and punk anarchy turn up on I in the oddest places, which only add to its overall charm. 

For example, there's a brief moment towards the end of "Options" where Osypov and saxophonist Logan Richardson seemingly go microtonal in the middle of a phrase, only to return to the melody without missing a beat. On "Key For Every Door," Osypov, Richardson, and pianist Elias Stemeseder pepper their improvised 16-bar exchanges with odd and off-kilter phrases that either don't resolve at all, or do so in an odd way. It's the jazz equivalent of a bunch of kids daring each other to do something crazier than the last. The album-closing "Travel of a Lonely Ghost" is perhaps the album's most striking and visceral tune. Built on a disjointed rapid-fire rhythmic phrase, excellent boom-bap drumming, and a snaky ethnic-inspired melody, the piece elicits spectacular solos from Richardson and Osypov. 

Osypov's original compositions are quite good and give a good idea of the author's artistic range. Richardson, the featured soloist throughout this engaging disc, has a velvety-smooth sound, much like Loren Stillman's, but his phrasing and note choices are bold and mercurial, a bit like Eric Dolphy. Richardson waxes soulful over brushes and thoughtful bass on "That Will Happen," a sweet'n'sour jazz ballad. Even more unusual is "Advisor," a downtempo piece that sounds like a blues that's been put into a blender with Eastern European ethnic music. The result is a seamless and quite flavorful hybrid that, harmonically speaking, never seems to go where you think it is going to go. Fortunately, Richardson, Stemeseder and Osypov are able to make sense of it all. A decided rock influence comes to the fore on the mournful "Red Parade," a moderate tempo, minor-key excursion that sizzles with restrained energy. Quicker tempos and some creatively realized odd time signatures crop up on "Dario" and "Options," both handled crisply by Osypov's nimble rhythm section. Somewhat less interesting is "Colorless," a samba-derived piece that seems like an afterthought when compared to the rest of tunes on I. 

The one unsettling thing about I is its resemblance to the work of Osypov's mentor, Kurt Rosenwinkel who is, without question, a hugely influential jazz guitarist. And that's the risk inherent in working with a teacher who is also a hugely influential artist in one's chosen field: one may wind up being highly influenced. That said, I is an impressive debut that does far more than merely impress. There's some great music on offer here, and Osypov and his young bandmates are definitely names to keep an eye on in the future.

Igor Osypov Quintet – I (2015)

Igor Osypov Quintet

Igor Osypov - guitar
Logan Richardson - alto saxophone
Elias Stemeseder - piano
Martin Buhl - double bass
Jesus Vega - drums
Kuba Gudz - drums

I


UNIT 4582

By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album by Ukrainian (resident in Berlin) guitarist/composer Igor Osypov, recorded in a quintet setting with American saxophonist Logan Richardson, Austrian pianist Elias Stemeseder, Danish bassist Martin Buhl and alternating drummers: American Jesus Vega and Polish Jakub Gudz. All these musicians, except for Richardson, are students at the Jazz Institute Berlin. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Osypov.

The music is typical modern Jazz, basically pretty mainstream, with some unusual rhythmic patterns, but other than that quite straightforward. The melodies are a bit thin and forgettable, but the idea here is to play as many notes as possible by everybody on board, so the improvisation and soloing are at the centre.

These are very talented, but also very young players, which becomes immediately apparent. The quintet has some sync/timing problems and everything starts to sound a bit alike after the third tune or so. The guitar sound is a bit to sharp and Pat Metheny like, the pianist seems to live in a separate universe and the only thing that sounds truly coherent is the bass. In short parts of this album are really difficult to listen to.

Overall this album was perhaps recorded a bit too early, before the music and the quintet matured enough, to be able to achieve the effect they deserve. Better luck next time!

Polish-Jazz blog provides media patronage for new album by Tone Raw !!!

Tone Raw

Marek Konarski - saxophone
Sebastian Zawadzki - piano
Thomas Kolarczyk - bass
Kuba Gudz - drums

Tone Raw (2012)

Tone Raw is a band formed in 2012 by young instrumentalists who study in Academies of Music in Berlin and Odense in Denmark. Their music is based in traditional European jazz inspired by ethnic sounds from Germanic, Scandinavian and Slavic nations. Musical heritage and new compositions results in unique mixture of tradition and modernity. Marek Konarski's spontaneous saxophone and lyrical harmony of Sebastian Zawadzki's piano meets rhythm section of drummer Kuba Gudz and Thomas Kolarczyk on the double bass who played with each other in many bands in Berlin. Tone Raw instrumentalits have been awarded in many contests and festival, such us European Jazz Contest in Rome, Novum Jazz Festival and Jazz Juniors in Cracow, Tarnów Jazz Contest or Young Jazz and Blues Bands Contest in Gdynia. Despite the young age, musicians who formed Tone Raw have played concerts throughout the whole world (Poland, Denmark, Germany, Italy Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, USA, Russia etc.).

Their first album, named after the band Tone Raw, is a result of winning Jazz Debut Album program subsidized by Institute of Music and Dance in Poland and financial help from Office of the Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship. It was recorded in Tokarnia Studio in Nieporęt in August 2012. Before the recordings band was played the tour in Poland during which spontaneous improvisations turn into the tunes that are included in this album full of enthusiasm and energy coming from the new experience. Besides new compositions by the band, Tone Raw includes Svantetic by Krzysztof Komeda in Sebastian Zawadzki's interpretation.

"The real substance of that music came from looking for the truth about ourselves. Whole concept was born in the distanced Fyn island in Odense where we had met to express our need to create. Monotony and rawness of that place influenced us so much that it resulted in our music. It's peaceful and balanced without exaggeration but with tempestuous character. We think that the biggest beauty lies in the simplicity".

Tone Raw - Tone Raw (2012)

Marek Konarski - saxophone
Sebastian Zawadzki - piano
Thomas Kolarczyk - bass
Kuba Gudz - drums

SOS 12012






By Adam Baruch

This is a phenomenal debut album by a young (very young) Polish Jazz quartet Tone Raw, which consists of saxophonist Marek Konarski, pianist Sebastian Zawadzki, bassist Thomas Kolarczyk and drummer Kuba Gudz. All four are music students, two of them in Berlin and two others in Odense, Denmark (where many Polish young musicians set out to study Jazz at the local Academy of Music). The album consists of nine tracks, five of which were composed by the pianist, one each by the saxophonist and the drummer, one by a fellow Danish student and one by the godfather of Polish Jazz Krzysztof Komeda, which is performed solo by the pianist. The album was recorded at the Studio Tokarnia and engineered by Jan Smoczynski, with the usual spectacular sonic result.

It is truly impossible to guess the age of these musicians just from listening to the album, as they project incredible maturity both as performers and composers. The music, which although is based on solid melodic themes, is full of space and freedom, allowing the players and the listener to float willingly somewhere in the vicinity without being constrained in any way. The melodies have a subtle, but recognizable ethnic influence, which encompasses such diverse (culturally) areas as Eastern Europe, Middle East or Scandinavia. But in spite the different influences, the music presents quite a recognizable stylistic unity, which is extremely rare among young ensembles. Zawadzki, who is the most prominent composer on this album, and who also plays the solo piano piece, is perhaps at the focal point herein, but it seems that the teamwork and mutual respect shift the focal point towards the cooperative effort rather than individual statements.

The overall effect of the album is typical European Jazz aesthetics, which not only refuses to be forgotten, but keeps pushing the envelope of the genre further and further away from its 20^th Century sources, traditions and limitations. These youngsters understand subconsciously that Jazz, Classical Music and Folklore are simply different manifestations of the same Cultural asset, a resource, which one can explore at will, guided only by one's intrinsic sense of beauty, intelligence and above all talent. And there is certainly a lot of talent on this album.

These players and their music deserve the attention of Polish Jazz enthusiasts, as they certainly have a lot of potential, which they have just started to explore. If this is their starting point, one might only wonder what they are capable of creating in the not too distant future. Definitely a striking debut effort!