Szymon Klima/Dominik Wania - Fantastico (2020)

Szymon Klima/Dominik Wania

Szymon Klima - clarinet, bass clarinet
Dominik Wania - piano

Fantastico

HV 0209-2-331

By Alek Jastrzębski

Najbardziej niesamowita w muzyce improwizowanej jest według mnie jej ulotność. Trudno tak naprawdę określić, w którym momencie zaczyna istnieć. Czy przemierzała krańce podświadomości instrumentalisty na długo przed zamiarem jej zagrania, czy zrodziła się dopiero w chwili wydobycia dźwięku z instrumentu, inspirowana bieżącym splotem okoliczności? A może to bez znaczenia? Najważniejsze, że tę ulotność udało się uchwycić Szymonowi Klimie i Dominikowi Wani na płycie "Fantastico".

Jak przyznaje Wania w jednym z wywiadów, ten duet jest logiczną konsekwencją współpracy w ramach Improvision Quartet. Pomimo dobrego odbioru płyty "Free-Folk-Jazz", nie było zbyt wielu okazji do grania w kwartecie, pojawiały się za to propozycje występów w duecie. Skończyło się to blisko pięćdziesięcioma minutami improwizacji, zawartej w dwunastu utworach. Pomysł był obarczony niemałym ryzykiem, ponieważ przed rozpoczęciem pracy w studiu muzycy nie przygotowali żadnego materiału, poza "Litanią" Krzysztofa Komedy. Reszta miała być czystą improwizacją.

W moim odczuciu ryzyko jak najbardziej się opłaciło, ponieważ "Fantastico" okazało się z wielu względów płytą niezwykle intrygującą. Już samo odejście od tradycyjnego podejścia akompaniator - solista oraz potraktowanie klarnetu i fortepianu jako równorzędnych głosów, nadało muzyce specyficznego charakteru i żywiołowości. Słychać to już w otwierającym płytę "Miner Forty-Niner", będącym znakomitym wprowadzeniem w gąszcz dźwięków. Poza tym już na pierwszy rzut ucha słychać wpływy wykształcenia klasycznego muzyków, co w połączeniu z ich muzyczną wyobraźnią i wzajemnym zrozumieniem, doprawionymi szczyptą jazzu, daje słuchaczom naprawdę smakowity kąsek.

Kolejną mocną stroną "Fantastico" jest bogactwo pomysłów, przekładające się na duże zróżnicowanie utworów. I tak usłyszymy niemal szaleńcze popisy w niezwykle dynamicznych "Insect" czy "Are You For Real? (Pig Milk)", piękną melodyjność, okraszoną równie piękną harmonią w "Forklod" i "Melt", a nawet kojący i pełen wdzięku minimalizm w zamykającym płytę "Nothing". Dzięki tym nieraz skrajnym emocjom, kryjącym się między dźwiękami, muzycy zwinnie wymknęli się monotonii i sprawili, że trudno przewidzieć, co wydarzy się za chwilę, dzięki czemu z niecierpliwością wyczekuje się kolejnych zwrotów akcji. Momentami wręcz trudno uwierzyć, że to czysta improwizacja - z jednej strony mamy niesamowity i nieobliczany żywioł, z drugiej zgranie i sposób, w jaki Klima i Wania reagują na swoje poczynania, z refleksem pilota myśliwca, tworząc intrygujące współbrzmienia i osadzone w ciekawej harmonii melodie. Świadczy to o znakomitym warsztacie obu muzyków, ale i o bezgranicznym muzycznym zaufaniu, bez którego granie takiej muzyki byłoby niemożliwe. 

"Fantastico" to pasjonująca podróż po ulotnych momentach i chwilach, w których drzemią nierzadko skrajne uczucia i nieszablonowe pomysły, ożywiane kolejnymi dźwiękami ryzykownych i burzliwych improwizacji. Jednocześnie słychać, że muzykom udało się okiełznać ten szaleńczy żywioł, dzięki czemu słuchacz nie zostaje zasypany lawiną przypadkowych dźwięków. Dostaje za to możliwość uczestnictwa w niezwykle wyważonej improwizacyjnej przygodzie, która przy odpowiedniej dozie poświęconej uwagi, potrafi wciągnąć bez reszty, co w połączeniu z jej abstrakcyjnością sprawia, że w chwili słuchania poza dźwiękami nie liczy się już nic.

Szymon Klima Quintet - Folwark (2018)

Szymon Klima Quintet

Szymon Klima - clarinet
Dariusz Rubinowski - tenor saxophone
Jakub Mizeracki - guitar
Adam Kowalewski - double bass
Jakub Miarczyński - drums

Folwark



HEVHETIA 0166

By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album by a Polish Jazz quintet led by clarinetist/composer Szymon Klima, which also includes saxophonist Dariusz Rubinowski, guitarist Jakub Mizeracki, bassist Adam Kowalewski and drummer Jakub Miarczyński. The album presents six pieces, which are all interpretations of Polish Folklore in the widest meaning of the idiom, including even Polish Hassidic music, and also include some improvised and inspired motifs created by the quintet members.

In 2017 Klima, as a member of the Improvision Quartet, released one of the best Polish Jazz albums of that year, the fantastic "Free-Folk-Jazz", and this album is in many respects a continuation of the same approach, although the sound is somewhat different. Instead of the wonderful piano parts, which placed the music closer to the Free Jazz milieu, on this album the guitar takes the music more into Free Rock direction. But the basic characteristics of the previous album, which are above all about the intimate conversations between the musicians and the mutual development of ideas, are still here.

The individual contributions by all the quintet members are all superb, and the virtuosic statements chase each other as the music moves forward. Solos, duos, trios and full quintet parts move in and out in a magical flow, which is unstoppable. There is accord and contrast, harmony and discord, all making perfect sense. The "sweet" mellow clarinet sound and the harsh distorted guitar din are able to coexist in perfect coherence and musical logic. The rhythm section is brought up to the level of the other instruments and becomes an integral part of the music, especially in the heat of the group improvisation parts.

It seems that Polish Jazz manages time after time to create innovative and challenging statements when re-examining and re-approaching the Polish Folklore musical tradition, which is broad and rich, probably more successfully that similar attempts on other Jazz scenes around the world. This album is another example of the inspiration that Polish Folklore is able to arouse, stimulate and inspire, taking the amalgamated result into unpredicted and previously uncharted territory.

Overall this is yet another highly successful and rewarding musical experiment by Klima and his cohorts, which delivers excellent music and challenging, but highly rewarding listening experience. For Polish/European Jazz connoisseurs this is a golden nugget and a must have in every serious/advanced Jazz-World Fusion collection. Hats off!

Improvision Quartet - Free-Folk-Jazz (2017)

Improvision Quartet

Szymon Klima - clarinet
Dominik Wania - piano
Adam Kowalewski - double bass
Przemysław Jarosz - drums

Free-Folk-Jazz

HEVHETIA 0159



By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album by Polish ensemble called Improvision Quartet, which comprises of clarinetist Szymon Klima, pianist Dominik Wania, bassist Adam Kowalewski and drummer Przemysław Jarosz. The album presents six improvisations based on Polish musical Folklore, arranged by the quartet. The album offers an unprecedented high quality recording sound, definitely one of the best I came across this year (2017).

The music, as already mentioned above, consists of Free Form improvisations based on Polish Folklore songs, some of those being well known and others completely obscure. The quartet offers a remarkable ensemble work, which presents a coherent and clear artistic vision, consistently developed throughout the album, deeply rooted in Free Jazz/Improvised Music tradition, but also astonishingly minimalistic, focused and full of breathing space. There is a beautiful atmosphere of relaxation and complete lack of pressure to state anything beyond the necessary. In some respects this album is the continuation of the "Lutosławski Retuned" album recorded three years earlier, but the statements are much bolder and refined this time.

The individual contributions by these virtuosi musicians are all absolutely brilliant from start to finish. The minimalistic approach allows for many solo/duo/trio and eventually also quartet statements, which expose each of the participants in complete "nakedness". Not surprisingly they all manage to come victorious from the challenging circumstances, which present to the listener some of the best moments these musicians ever put on record. Wania's contributions are definitely stellar and for me personally probably they are his best playing ever so far. His wondrous ability to say so much with just a few touches of the keyboard is simply miraculous. But Klima, Kowalewski and especially Jarosz also contribute amazing moments, with the latter producing some of the most amazing percussive effects I had the pleasure to hear.

This is definitely one of the finest hours of Polish Jazz in 2017, although it will probably not achieve the praise it deserves, as usual on the Polish scene, where often some pretty dismal albums get all the distinctions, prizes and attention. Well, life is not fair and people are stupid and deaf.

This is an amazing album from start to finish, which redefines the contemporary Free Jazz idiom, again emphasizing the fact that sublime things in Jazz happen only in Europe. One needs to be born in Poland and suck the Polish Culture from one's mother's breast, to be able to play like that and create music like this one. Luckily the Art aesthetic is universal and anybody on this Earth of ours, with some soul and musical ears should be able to enjoy this music on the deepest level. Absolutely brilliant!

Klima/Wyleżoł/Kowalewski - Lutosławski Retuned (2015)

Klima/Wyleżoł/Kowalewski

Szymon Klima - clarinet
Piotr Wyleżoł - piano
Adam Kowalewski - double bass
Piotr Baron - bass clarinet (6)

Lutosławski Retuned

HEVHETIA 0114



By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album by a Polish Jazz trio comprising of clarinetist Szymon Klima, pianist Piotr Wyleżoł and bassist Adam Kowalewski. Veteran Polish Jazz musician Piotr Baron guests on one track playing bass clarinet. The album's music was all composed by the contemporary Classical Polish composer Witold Lutosławski, and includes his five dance preludes (composed in 1954 as a five-parts suite) and a sixth unrelated composition, which was initially published under a pseudonym.

What prompted to rearrange (or retune) these composition for a Jazz environment was probably the Lutosławski Year celebrations in 2013 (his 100 Birthday), which were a big cultural event in Poland and brought the composer to the attention of a much wider audience, including many young Jazz musicians. As a result a long list of Polish Jazz albums, like this one, paid tribute to the great composer; for example "Inspired By Lutosławski" by Grażyna Auguścik, "Bukoliki" by High Definition Quartet, "Atomsphere" by Atom String Quartet and many others.

The dance preludes suite, which was originally composed for clarinet and piano, was later twice (1955 and 1959) re-orchestrated for larger ensembles, but Klima based his Jazzy approach on the original intimate version, which remains intimate under the new arrangement. As almost always with Lutosławski, his music is deeply rooted in the Polish Folklore, and these "dances" all bear resemblance of the characteristic folklore melodies and harmonies, at least to people who are acquainted with that music.

Klima, both as arranger and player, oscillates between the Classical and the Jazz idioms, as his clarinet tone and phrasing are almost completely Classical whereas his improvised parts are of course Jazz related. Of course Wyleżoł and Kowalewski are bona fide Jazz musicians, and their contributions have a decisive weight to turn this music into a wonderful Jazz-Classical Fusion.

The intimacy of this music, the virtuosi performances, the elegant and respectful treatment of the original inspirations all add up to a superbly balanced and delightful musical adventure, which should prove pleasing and satisfying to all connoisseurs of good music. Hopefully some of the listeners will try to find out how the music sounds in its original Classical incarnations, and perhaps venture into more fabulous music created by Lutosławski, other might wish to explore other recordings by Wyleżoł and Kowalewski, also released by the excellent Hevhetia label. If so everybody wins, both of the Classical and the Jazz enthusiasts. This album is a great example of a cross-genre exploration, which treats the origins with respect and love, creating a new, perfectly valid amalgamation, which manages to preserve the aesthetics of its origins. Wholeheartedly recommended!