Grzegorz Karnas – Power Kiss (2017)

Grzegorz Karnas

Grzegorz Karnas - vocals
Elchin Shirinov - piano
Alan Wykpisz - double bass
Grzegorz Masłowski - drums

Power Kiss

HEVHETIA 0150/0151



By Adam Baruch

This is the seventh album by Polish Jazz vocalist Grzegorz Karnas, this time recorded live during his 2016 concerts in China. The enclosed CD presents ten tracks, five of which are original compositions/improvisations by Karnas, one song (repeated twice) is by Joni Mitchell, another song (also repeated twice) is by Laurie Anderson and one is a Michał Tokaj composition. Karnas is accompanied by a piano trio, which consists of Azerbaijani pianist Elchin Shirinov and Polish bassist Alan Wykpisz and drummer Grzegorz Masłowski. The enclosed DVD presents mostly the same material included on the CD with a couple of alternate takes.

Karnas is of course the most unique Polish Jazz vocalist and his music presents a completely individual approach, which is basically incomparable with anything else in the vocal department, not only in Poland but in the whole world for that matter. He hardly ever uses words (lyrics) and most of what he utters is virtuosic vocalese unrelated to any "real" language (although here he seems to make an effort to communicate with his audiences in Chinese). His inventive use of his vocal cords and his unearthly timbre, combined with superb instrumental work by his band members always create epic results, which are beyond what one might expect within the vocal Jazz idiom.

It is absolutely amazing what these four musicians are able to achieve on stage, live and "naked". Karnas chose some of the absolutely best young musicians on the European scene, with the brilliant Shirinov creating all the melodic/harmonic background (and soloing spectacularly) and the rhythm section simply carrying the music all along on a rock-steady foundation and with exquisite inventiveness.

Overall this is a stunning piece of music, which deserves to be taught in music schools not only for its musical qualities, but primarily for the freedom of creation it symbolizes like only very few other recordings do. Every true music connoisseur should find this album enchanting, even if not immediately likeable. Music of such quality requires total involvement, nothing less.

It is great to see Karnas still able to move mountains, especially in view of his relatively sparse release schedule lately. All his albums deserve an honorable place in any serious Polish/European Jazz collection, and they are all a chronicle of an Artist, who does not rest for one moment, constantly searching for new territory and new forms of expression; a rare and precious quality for which he deserves all praise. Thank you for the gift of music!

Grzegorz Karnas Trio feat. Miklós Lukács - Vanga (2014)

Grzegorz Karnas Trio feat. Miklós Lukács

Grzegorz Karnas – voice
Michał Jaros – double bass
Sebastian Frankiewicz – drums
Miklós Lukács - cimbalom

Vanga

BMC CD 199

By Mateusz Magierowski

Polska jazzowa wokalistyka jest ostatnimi czasy jak Chińczycy z "Wesela" Wyspiańskiego - trzyma się mocno, zarówno za sprawą utalentowanych debiutantów (ELMA), jak i muzyków już bardziej doświadczonych, którzy dotychczasowymi płytami przyzwyczaili nas do wysokiego poziomu swojej twórczości. Do tej ostatniej grupy należy niewątpliwie Grzegorz Karnas, który sumptem węgierskiego BMC Records wydał swą kolejną po "Audio Beads" płytę, będącą tym razem zapisem kwartetowego koncertu, który miał miejsce 1 lutego br. w budapesztańskim Opus Jazz Club. 

"Vanga" to esencja muzyki śląskiego wokalisty, w której prócz straceńczych, porywających groove'ów odnaleźć można liczne przejawy subtelnej, ale wciąż bardzo męskiej wrażliwości (niekiedy - jak chociażby w "Sinsuoid" te dwa idiomy bardzo udanie wzajemnie się przenikają). Szczególnej lekkości, dynamiki i orientalnej melodyki przydaje temu pierwszemu obliczu Karnasowego jazzu gra węgierskiego cymbalisty - Miklósa Lukácsa, znanego polskiemu słuchaczowi nie tylko z "Audio Beads", ale i z ubiegłorocznej współpracy z samym Charlesem Lloydem w ramach realizowanego dla Festiwalu Jazztopad koncertowego projektu "Wild Man Dance Suite". Równie pasjonujące są na "Vandze" chwile, w której cymbały i perkusja cofają się do drugiego planu, a głównym towarzyszem charakterystycznego głosu wokalisty staje się głębokie, surowe brzmienie kontrabasu Michała Jarosa - jak chociażby w końcowych fragmentach 'Słodkiej" czy "Nie płacz Ewka". 

Karnas klasykę polskiego rocka odczytał po swojemu: odzierając ją z elektronicznego sztafażu pozostawił więcej przestrzeni dla wokalnej ekspresji, nasycającej znany chyba każdemu z czytających te słowa tekst emocjami, których nie sposób znaleźć w kanonicznym wykonaniu Markowskiego. Ekspresja ta przyjmuje często również inne, mniej oczywiste formy bezsprzecznie dowodząc, że Karnas to wokalista, któremu w kategorii improwizacyjnej wyobraźni w Polsce dorównać może naprawdę bardzo niewielu, a "Vanga" to płyta, której nie tylko po prostu dobrze się słucha.

Grzegorz Karnas – Karnas (2011)

Grzegorz Karnas - vocals
Michal Tokaj - piano
Adam Oles - cello
Michal Jaros - bass
Sebastian Frankiewicz - drums

HEVHETIA 0050




By Adam Baruch

This is the fourth album by Polish Jazz vocalist / composer / arranger Grzegorz Karnas, one of the most unique and talented representatives of the young generation of the local Jazz scene. Separated by five years from its predecessor "Ballady Na Koniec Swiata", this album is significantly different from his earlier work and presents several novelties as far as his recording career is concerned, for example the inclusion of songs not composed by him, usage of lyrics in several different languages, a new instrumental concept, etc. The singer is accompanied by a splendid quartet, which features pianist Michal Tokaj, cellist Adam Oles, bassist Michal Jaros and drummer Sebastian Frankiewicz. Except for the bassist the other three musicians are long time collaborators on his earlier recordings. The presence of a bassist allows Oles to play his cello more in the way it was originally intended, as opposed to the earlier recordings, where it was mostly playing the bass parts.

The album comprises of no less than nineteen tracks, some quite short (under a minute) and other fully developed and lasting around seven minutes. One song (Laurie Anderson's "Langue D'Amour") appears four times in different incarnations and two other songs are reprised. Karnas composed or co-composed six of the pieces, four other pieces are credited to the band accompanying him, one is an instrumental composed by Tokaj and three are songs from the canonic Rock repertoire like Sting's "Roxanne", Joni Mitchell's "Black Crow" and the a.m. song by Laurie Anderson.

It is immediately obvious that this is Karnas' most ambitious album to date. The complexity and versatility of the material is overwhelming and music moving from one theme to another creates a charming flow, which makes the listener whish for it never to stop. Instrumentally this album, with Tokaj taking over the role of the main soloist, is finally perfect and Tokaj's beautiful tango is the best original piece of music on the album. Oles finally shows what he's made of and plays some amazing sounds. The vocal performances are also excellent, obviously more mature and relaxed than ever before. This time Karnas is pretty minimalistic, not trying to overemphasize his part and treating the entire project as a whole rather than another solo album. The group effort is definitely what makes this album tick so wonderfully and takes it a few notches up the scale.

Overall this is a truly amazing vocal Jazz album, which plainly stands out as an artistic achievement, leaving most other albums of its kind way behind. Suffice to listen to the vocalist's interpretations of the three well known songs, in order to appreciate his originality. Add to this the strength of his original material and Karnas emerges as an artist worth following and already leaving his mark on the contemporary scene, with very few contenders. An absolute must!

Grzegorz Karnas – Ballady Na Koniec Swiata (2006)

Grzegorz Karnas - vocals, composer, lyrics
Adam Oles - cello, co-composer
Radoslaw Nowicki - saxophone
Tomasz Kalwak - electronics
Bogusz Wekka - percussion
guests:
Michal Tokaj - piano
Damian Kurasz - guitar

NINTH FLOOR 1002


By Adam Baruch

This is the third album by Polish Jazz vocalist / composer / arranger Grzegorz Karnas, one of the most unique and talented representatives of the young generation of the local Jazz scene. Born in the southern Polish province of Upper Silesia, Karnas graduated form the Jazz Institute at the Katowice Academy of Music, where a large percentage of the young Polish Jazz musicians get their initial graduate education. His debut album "Reinkarnasja", released in 2000, created quite a stir on the local scene and immediately established him as one of the most significant newcomers.

Stylistically this album is a direct continuation of its predecessor "Sny", except for the fact that all the music was co-composed by Karnas and cellist Adam Oles (who also plays on the album) with lyrics by Karnas. The thirteen pieces are all relatively low-key, hence the reference to ballads in the title, although they have little in common with what is considered a ballad in classic Jazz other than the slow tempo. The accompaniment is also more subtle than on the previous album, with more ambient background sounds and less typical Jazz solos. Oles, who plays his cello mostly as if it was an acoustic bass, sets much of the overall sound and atmosphere. Other participants include saxophonist Radoslaw Nowicki, keyboardist and electronic sounds creator Tomasz Kalwak, and congas player Bogusz Wekka. In addition two guest artists also participate: pianist Michal Tokaj and guitarist Damian Kurasz.

Karnas apparently found in Oles an ideal partner in his search for a decisive stylistic crystallization, which is quite apparent here. His vocal explorations are less chaotic and outrageous, with spontaneity replaced by self-control and moderation, which of course does not make his music any less exciting. But this album is somewhat less accessible and immediately likeable that his earlier work, perhaps due to the depressing lyrical subject matter (end of the world), which is apparent not only in the lyrics but also in the somewhat gloomy melody lines. All in all this is definitely another excellent piece of musical artistry.

Karnas is a unique voice and everything he recorded is worth the listeners' attention, especially since vocal Jazz is such a neglected area dominated by mediocrity if not worse. Therefore this album stands out as a beacon of hope that not all is lost and the end of the world will have a wait for a while. Exciting stuff!

Grzegorz Karnas – Sny (2004)

Grzegorz Karnas - vocals, composer, arranger
Michal Tokaj - piano
Damian Kurasz - guitar
Robert Kubiszyn - bass
Sebastian Frankiewicz - drums
guests:
Tomasz Szukalski - saxophone
Jerzy Malek - trumpet
Adam Oles - cello

DEBIES 002

By Adam Baruch

This is the second album by Polish Jazz vocalist / composer / arranger Grzegorz Karnas, one of the most unique and talented representatives of the young generation of the local Jazz scene. Born in the southern Polish province of Upper Silesia, Karnas graduated form the Jazz Institute at the Katowice Academy of Music, where a large percentage of the young Polish Jazz musicians get their initial graduate education. His debut album "Reinkarnasja", released in 2000, created quite a stir on the local scene and immediately established him as one of the most significant newcomers.

He is accompanied on this album by a superb team of excellent players: pianist Michal Tokaj (who plays the Fender electric piano here rather than his usual acoustic piano), guitarist Damian Kurasz, bassist Robert Kubiszyn and drummer Sebastian Frankiewicz. In addition several guest artists also participate: legendary veteran saxophonist Tomasz Szukalski, trumpeter Jerzy Malek, cellist Adam Oles (a future close collaborator, who also hails from Silesia), vocalist Patrycja Gola and congas player Bogusz Wekka.

The album consists of twelve pieces, ten of which were written (music & lyrics) by Karnas, one was co-written by Karnas and Oles and one is a standard. Karnas wrote all the arrangements, which are quite unusual and beautifully atmospheric. Of course Karnas' vocal performances are the focal point of the album, but his ability to involve all these wonderful players to become an integral part of the overall result is absolutely astounding. Szukalski plays wonderfully here, but for me Tokaj and his incredible electric piano phrasing are the cherry on the cake.

Karnas is a unique vocalist, a power of Nature. Although many of the tricks of the trade he so skillfully utilizes can be traced back to other great vocalists, like the great Bobby McFerrin and the Polish diva Urszula Dudziak, but he is truly original. First and foremost he completely disregards any conventions, allowing himself a total freedom as far as his vocal expressions are concerned. Regardless if he sings lyrics, vocalese, scat or just utters sounds from his throat, there are no rules involved. His pronunciation of the lyrics is completely off the wall and probably would give his primary school Polish language teacher a heart attack, but the effect is overwhelming. He also twists the melody any way he wants and his disregard of "proper" timing is simply scandalous; and yet all these elements put together create an amalgam, which is just so beautiful and intelligent, that any experienced music connoisseur simply melts away.

Vocal Jazz or more exactly interesting and challenging vocal Jazz is unfortunately a rarity on contemporary Jazz scene and therefore any Artists of the level presented by Karnas is a most welcome addition. People who truly love music will love this music immediately and unconditionally. Not to be missed!

Grzegorz Karnas – Audio Beads (2012)

Grzegorz Karnas - vocals
Adam Oles - cello
Michal Miskiewicz - drums
with
Miklos Lukacs - cimbalom

BMC 199




By Adam Baruch

This is the fifth album by Polish Jazz vocalist Grzegorz Karnas and his first live recording. Recorded in Hungary and released on the excellent Hungarian BMC label, the album captures Karnas accompanied by cellist Adam Oles, drummer Michal Miskiewicz and guest artist Hungarian cimbalom player Miklos Lukacs. Together they perform just five extended pieces, one of which is a Joni Mitchell song and the rest are originals co-credited to Karnas and Oles. The sound quality of this live recording is absolutely superb, which every single note being perfectly audible.

Karnas presents a unique approach to Jazz vocals, which amalgamates lyrics, vocalese, scat, wordless chanting and spontaneous improvisation. He is always full of surprises and completely unconventional. His vocal modus operandi is based on techniques developed earlier by American Jazz vocalist Bobby McFerrin and sounds similar to McFerrin's early work, but of course is inventive enough to avoid being considered simply a replica of the original. Karnas is experienced and talented enough to keep his audiences mesmerized and his extended improvisations manage to sustain tension for prolonged periods of time, which of course is extremely difficult. As this live recording proves, he is a fascinating live performer and listening to him live is perhaps the best way to benefit from his many abilities.

The accompanying musicians are all splendid players and provide excellent support for the vocalist all the way through. The cellist uses his instrument mostly as if it was an upright bass, almost never playing arco. He displays fantastic musicality and virtuosic control of the cello, being the primary partner of the vocalist and complementing him superbly. The drummer plays delicately, often using his hands and brushes, with of course is suitable for this intimate music-making experience. The cimbalom player sounds remarkably like a pianist, which although works well in this situation, is a pity, as it loses the wonderful "original" sound of the instrument, which surely might have added another interesting dimension to this already multifaceted music.

Considering the fact that male vocalists are a rarity on the Polish Jazz scene (and in general), Karnas definitely deserves to be praised for filling this difficult gap. Constantly developing and expanding his vocabulary and technique he is definitely a talent to be watched and enjoyed. This album is certainly a splendid addition to his recorded legacy and a source of immense listening pleasure. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Grzegorz Karnas - Karnas (Hevhethia, 2011)

Grzegorz Karnas - vocal, voices

Michał Tokaj - piano
Adam Oleś - cello
Michał Jaros - bass
Sebastian Frankiewicz – drums

Guests:
Edi Sanchez – bass (19)
Piotr Wyleżoł – piano (19)
Marek Podkowa – tenor sax (19)
Jean Paul Garces – percussion (19)

• Karnas (Hevhethia, 2011)

After years of hearing close to nothing interesting from Polish male jazz singers I must admit that recently I am discovering some interesting projects from them at last! One of the albums I am waiting most impatiently for in Polish jazz is one planned by Oleś Brothers and vocalist Jorgos Skolias (check this link for more info) for Tzadik Records. But this one, released just couple of days ago by Hevhetia, Slovak record label, though unexpected brings pleasant surprise indeed. All due to vocalist Grzegorz Karnas who managed to record album intriguing, forward-thinking and challenging.

Grzegorz Karnas, born in 1972, graduated from well-known Jazz Faculty at Katowice Music Academy and has already recorded three albums starting in 2000 with "Reinkarnasja" for Not Two followed by "Dreams" in 2004 and "Ballads For The End Of The World" in 2006 issued by his own Ninth Floor Production. Honestly I cannot say much about his previous CDs since I simply got no opportunity to listen to them. But basing on this album I find his voice mature, his conceptions daring, his taste refined. He strives to imitate nobody, he is searching for his own sound and he succeeds in this not least through excellent choice of his fellow-workers. Mikołaj Tokaj is one of best pianist in Poland and permanent partner of allegedly the best Polish female jazz singer Aga Zaryan (check her "Looking Walking Being" and "A Book Of Luminous Things"). But Adam Oleś on cello, Michał Jaros on bass (very good on recent debut disc "I Remember" by pianist Michał Wróblewski) or Sebastian Frankiewicz (very active and present on recent albums by Przemek Strączek, Dominik Bukowski, Joanna Gajda or very interesting "Hendrix Piano" by Artur Dutkiewicz) are equally good support. 

Going back to music, this is nothing close to typical jazz singing, though we find here marvelous version of Sting immortal cover "Roxanne" but otherwise it is laborious search for what is "new land" in jazz singing. Although sometimes irritant (as any avantarde effort usually are), I do not want to hide it, sometimes it is simply breathtakingly beautiful like on "Fin d'ete" but always free in spirit and thus earning my respect. Worth-checking!

Check tune "Spytaj milicjanta" (tranls. Ask a policeman) from this album: 

Author of text: Maciej Nowotny

http://kochamjazz.blox.pl/html