ASAF - Silent Prayer (2020)

ASAF

Joanna Gajda - piano
Maciej Sikała - tenor & soprano saxophones
Franciszek Pospieszalski - bass
Piotr Jankowski - drums
Michał Bąk - bass (5)
Barbara Pospieszalska - vocal (7)

Silent Prayer


SOLITON 669

By Adam Baruch

This is the second album by the Polish Jazz quartet ASAF, following a sixteen years break in its activity. The current lineup includes saxophonist Maciej Sikała, pianist Joanna Gajda, bassist Franciszek Pospieszalski (who replaced the original bassist Michał Barański) and drummer Piotr Jankowski. Bassist Michał Bąk and vocalist Barbara Pospieszalska guest each on one track.

The album presents seven original compositions, four recorded in studio and three recorded live on various occasions. Sikała and Gajda composed two of pieces each, Pospieszalski and Bąk composed one piece each and the last is by Polish Jazz bassist/composer Andrzej Cudzich, who sadly departed at a tragically young age in 2003. The debut album by ASAF from 2004 was dedicated to the memory of Cudzich.

The music is strictly mainstream Jazz oriented, with solid melodic themes and straightforward arrangements, which offers little innovation or challenge but is excellently executed by the participating musicians, who are all highly professional. The superb saxophone parts by Sikała, who is after all one of the top Polish Jazz players, are especially impressive. Despite the fact that the album mixes studio and live recordings, the overall sound quality is very good and the album offers a coherent sound and stylistic continuity.

The nature of the music is rather contemplative and as the album's title and individual track titles (as well as the album's liner notes) suggest, the music is an attempt to offer a spiritual message with the music serving as a medium. The atmosphere of some of the compositions is definitely soaked in deep melancholy, which of course every listener can interpret in his own way. Overall this is a good mainstream Jazz album, which should make fans of music closer to the American rather than European Jazz aesthetic very happy. Great compositions and perfect execution is exactly what the doc prescribed. Definitely worth checking out!

Kormorany - Miasto (2008)

Kormorany (band)

Krzysztof "Konik" Konieczny - viola, git. elektryczna
Jacek "Tuńczyk" Fedorowicz - git. el., bass, bass bezprogowy
Piotr "Bluesman" Jankowski - gitary elektryczne
Artur "Gaja" Krawczyk - perkusjonalia, melodyka

Miasto (2008)

Although I am living in Warsaw for more than 25 years I was born and still feel in my heart to be from the city of Wrocław. Located in south-west of Poland, former German Breslau, Wrocław is one of the most beautiful places in Poland. Most importantly it has unique character unlike any other city in Poland: people are merry, open and they cherish all forms of cultural life. Among them no least important is music which in Wrocław fluorishes in every possible form. 

The history of band called Kormorany is good example of that. It was created mid-80ties in direst hours of post-martial law times as kind of reaction to the feeling of seclusion and hopelessness which dominated those times. It was less a band but more kind of movement of very young people (I was one among them) who share the same feeling of absurdity of world as created by communist government. It was therefore at the date of its conception free, rebellious and yet self-ironic. It also had a social nature which is rather rare in Poland, country of individualists.

All these features ensured that music played by Kormorany became creative enough to develop itself over the course of so many years and well after political system has changed as well as whole reality which surrounds us. Perhaps the lasting feeling of absurdity which still lingers in Poland regardless it is now fully capitalist helped Kormorany to survive? In any event their personnel and music evolved from its punk rock roots to modern European improvised music which draws as much from folk as from free jazz and any other source of fresh ideas in world of soundz. Thanks to such attitude it remains one of most inspiring bands on Polish scene for years...

Tracks Listing: 1 Budzik 3:47; 2 Majaki 4:13; 3 Pierwsze kroki 4:03; 4 Miasto 4:51; 5 Trójkąt bermudzki 3:24; 6 Po godzinach 1:38; 7 Dziennik 12:10; 8 Kanaliza 2:18; 9 Wojna 5:37; 10 Zgliszcza 0:49; 11 Na drugi dzień po końcu świata 5:31

By Maciej Nowotny
http://kochamjazz.blox.pl

Maciej Sikała - ASAF (2004)

Maciej Sikała (saxophone)

Michał Barański (double-bass)

Piotr Jankowski (drums)

Joanna Gajda (piano)

mmcd, 2004

One of the most beautiful mainstream albums ever in Polish jazz is completely unknown not only abroad but also in Poland. Moreover it was recorded spontaneously and almost by accident during jazz workshops Missio Musica organized in August 2003. Like another sax man of note Piotr Baron's albums ("Salve Regina") Maciej Sikała (saxophone), the leader of the band called ASAF, is inspired by his Christian faith and treats music as way of expressing his love to God. Check for example the cover of CD where in shapes of upright and bent reed you can perhaps find the shape of fish.

But regardless of religious message the music on this album is simply overwhelmingly beautiful. Anchored strongly in mainstream jazz it's attractiveness lays not in form but in emotions that are pure, intensive and contagious. They easily spread onto listeners due to massive amount of space, silence and depth as created by artists. Maciej Sikała is accompanied by musicians of the same highest rank he himself belongs to. Michał Barański's line on double-bass is as subtle and refreshing as spring shower in the evening. Piotr Jankowski hustling and shimmering on drums is perfect addition to Joanna Gajda sensitive and elegant support to excellency of rhythm section. Joanna Gajda last year splendid "Heaven Earth Earth Heaven" is clearly influenced by this magnificent recording.

Seldom I drool over clearly mainstream music but this music breaks out of all boundaries and since first notes put me under its spell. Go and check by yourself how powerful its magic really is!!!

Author of text: Maciej Nowotny (http://kochamjazz.blox.pl/html)