Kulpowicz Quartet - Expression (2019)

Kulpowicz Quartet

Sławomir Kulpowicz - electric piano
Piotr Cieślikowski - tenor & soprano saxophones
Wojciech Pulcyn - double bass
Kazimierz Jonkisz - drums
Tomasz Dąbrowski - trumpet (2,3,5)

Expression

FOR TUNE 0145

By Adam Baruch

This is an archive release of music recorded by the legendary Polish Jazz pianist/composer Sławomir Kulpowicz and his quartet shortly before his untimely death in 2008. Following a long period of inactivity on stage Kulpowicz reformed his ensemble called simply The Quartet in 2006 with saxophonist Piotr Cieślikowski, bassist Wojciech Pulcyn and drummer Kazimierz Jonkisz. They recorded this album in 2007 but it remained unreleased following the havoc of his death. This album presents six tracks selected from the studio tapes, all original compositions by Kulpowicz. Trumpeter Tomasz Dąbrowski added (overdubbed) trumpet parts to three tracks of the original recording in 2018.

Kulpowicz, who was one of the most talented Polish Jazz composers/pianists and a fascinating personality, was a devoted follower of John Coltrane´s music and his own compositions followed stylistically and spiritually the legacy of the great Master, which the music on this album reflects beautifully. The material recorded by Kulpowicz constitutes one the absolute peaks of the Polish interpretation of American Modern Jazz, avoiding mimicking and replication and adding a fresh, independent approach, and this album beautifully solidifies this approach, being a valuable addition to the legacy Kulpowicz left behind him. 

I was somewhat taken aback by the idea of overdubbing the original recordings, which at first glance looks quite sacrilegious, but upon further examination it looks like the original material was intended to be overdubbed by guest musicians, with obvious rhythm section only gaps left within the music waiting to be filled. The musical producer Ryszard Wojciul couldn´t have found a more appropriate musician to create the missing pieces of the puzzle than Dabrowski, who stood up to the challenge outstandingly. Sometimes doing the unthinkable is simply the right thing to do.

Overall this is an absolutely brilliant piece of music, an outstanding addition to the legacy of Kulpowicz in particular and Polish Jazz in general. For Tune managed to create another must have item for the Polish Jazz connoisseurs and the release of this album is of the same level of importance for Polish Jazz like the releases of previously undiscovered material by John Coltrane for global Jazz scene. An absolute must!

Stol Panski – Gadajace Drzewo (1997)

Stół Pański

Zbigniew Kunkowski - guitar
Andrzej Przybielski - trumpet
Sławomir Kulpowicz - keyboards
Janusz Smyk - flute & Saxophone
Krzysztof Ścierański - bass
Michał Zduniak - drums
and others

Gadające Drzewo

ZBIG 001

By Adam Baruch

This is the only album by Polish Jazz ensemble Stół Pański, led by guitarist/composer Zbigniew Kunkowski, which also featured trumpeter Andrzej Przybielski, flautist/saxophonist Janusz Smyk, keyboardist Sławomir Kulpowicz, bassist Krzysztof Ścierański, drummer Michał Zduniak, vocalist Joachim Janko, violinist Henryk Gembalski, saxophonist Aleksander Korecki and several other players. Some of these players used to be a decade earlier members of the legendary ensemble Free Cooperation. The album presents seven original compositions, all composed by Kunkowski and arranged by Kulpowicz. There is also a hidden/undocumented track, which follows the seven tracks, which is a free improvised piece.

Musically the album presents a fascinating amalgam of Jazz with Groove, Funk and World Music. Most of the music consists of a simple melody line played over a repetitive groove and serving as a background for extensive improvisations by the soloists. The main and most impressive soloist is of course the legendary trumpeter Andrzej Przybielski. Who plays on this album some of the most coherent and beautiful solos in his entire career, which bridge between his free improvising tendencies and the melodic approach he uses here. Especially impressive are his muted trumpet parts, which easily compare to those played by Miles Davis. Since every note of the Przybielski legacy is utterly sacred, this album is an absolutely must to every follower of the Polish Jazz trumpet heritage.

Overall this album is one of the hidden gems in the Polish Jazz discography, which disappeared from the shelves shortly after being released almost two decades ago and never reissued. True Polish Jazz fans should make every effort to get hold of a copy, at all costs.

Slawomir Kulpowicz – Three Etudes / Prasad In Mangalore (2009) ***1/2

Slawomir Kulpowicz - piano

Jarooslaw Smietana - guitar

Witold Szczurek - bass

Krzysztof Przybylowicz - percussion

Jerzy Bartz - percussion

Jose Torres - percussion

ANEX 319

By Adam Baruch

Following the demise of The Quartet, Polish Jazz pianist / composer Slawomir Kulpowicz founded a new ensemble, which he called In-Formation. Over time several different versions of In-Formation existed, including a duo, a piano trio, quartet and even sextet. In-Formation recorded two albums and later took part in the recording of this album, which was eventually released as a Kulpowicz solo album. The album consists of three solo piano pieces recorded for the Polish Radio and three pieces recorded live by In-Formation during the Jazz Jamboree Festival with guitarist Jaroslaw Smietana, bassist Witold Szczurek (a.k.a. Vitold Rek) and percussionists Krzysztof Przybylowicz, Jerzy Bartz and Jose Torres.

All the music was composed by Kulpowicz and is a direct continuation of his John Coltrane / McCoy Tyner influenced style presented earlier by The Quartet. But in time the music becomes more contemplative and also more personal, as evident mostly on the solo piano pieces. In parallel the Indian and other World Music influences are trickling in steadily and can be already clearly heard herein. The In-Formation pieces are truly superb and present the group as a great vehicle for the Kulpowicz compositions. They also expose Smietana as the first rate player he always was, regardless of the setting.

In retrospect this is a great document of the Polish Jazz scene in the early 1980s and an important part of the legacy Kulpowicz left behind him, which should serve as an endless source of inspiration to new generations of Polish Jazz players. Definitely worth investigating!

Side Note: The Poljazz label, which originally released this album, was active for 20 years (between 1972 and 1991) and was owned by the Polish Jazz Society. Considering the fact that the music industry in the Socialist State was centralized and totally controlled, with just one State owned music company producing all the albums, the possibilities to record and release Jazz albums were extremely limited. Poljazz was conceived and founded in order to allow for many more Jazz (and other) albums to be released independently from the State owned Polskie Nagrania / Muza and as such revolutionized the music industry at the time, being the only such enterprise in Eastern Europe. The Polish label Anex reissued many of the original Poljazz albums on CD, bringing this fabulous music back to life.

Quartet – The Quartet (2009) ****1/2

Tomasz Szukalski - saxophone
Slawomir Kulpowicz - piano
Pawel Jarzebski - bass
Janusz Stefanski - drums

ANEX 302






By Adam Baruch

The Quartet was formed by the rhythm section of Zbigniew Namyslowski's so called "third quartet", i.e. pianist Slawomir Kulpowicz, bassist Pawel Jarzebski and drummer Janusz Stefanski, with the addition of saxophonist Tomasz Szukalski, one of Poland's all-time greatest Jazz musicians and a spectacular player of rare quality. Although Szukalski naturally dominated the sound of the ensemble, it was Kulpowicz who was the spiritual leader and the sole composer of all the original material they performed. Spiritually the music was soaked in the John Coltrane legacy, with Szukalski playing lengthy "wall of sound" solos, supported passionately by the rhythm section, with Kulpowicz vamping a la McCoy Tyner, Jarzebski delivering virtuosic bass parts and Stefanski raising all hell behind it all, which engulfed the overall effect with incredible power and overwhelming strength of expression, similar in character to the Coltrane late period recordings.

In spite of the fact that The Quartet was undoubtedly the most important Polish Jazz ensemble in the late 1970s, their recorded legacy is truly pitiful and includes this live album recorded in 1978 and their sole studio album, recorded in Finland in 1979 and released by the tiny independent Finnish label Leo Records (which released also two albums by Tomasz Stanko from the same period). Therefore the double CD full of superb archival radio and concert recordings by this ensemble, also entitled simply "The Quartet", released in 2013 by Polskie Radio is an absolute marvel and a must have for every Polish / European Jazz connoisseur.

Following the ensemble's breakdown in mid-1980, the Polish Jazz scene will never again experience this kind of music, so close in spirit, sound and emotion to the epicenter of Modern Jazz created by Coltrane. The Quartet's brief three and a half years period was the closest ever moment in which Polish Jazz would become very close to American Jazz of a decade earlier, both in spirit and in practice. The Quartet somehow managed to put aside the omnipresent Polish melancholy and lyricism, which dictates most of the unique music created under the Polish Jazz banner. Usually, when Polish Jazz musicians try to imitate their idols from across the pond, they fail rather miserably, with The Quartet being the only exception, which proves the rule.

Young Polish Jazz musicians should study this music note by note – this is universally sublime document of human expression, freedom and power of creation, which happens rarely. Inspired by Coltrane's music, this creation sparks a life of its own, which stands shoulder to shoulder with the original, without any inferiority complexes whatsoever. It is not a copy of the source; it is a thankful gratitude for the inspiration itself.

Side Note: The Poljazz label, which originally released this album, was active for 20 years (between 1972 and 1991) and was owned by the Polish Jazz Society. Considering the fact that the music industry in the Socialist State was centralized and totally controlled, with just one State owned music company producing all the albums, the possibilities to record and release Jazz albums were extremely limited. Poljazz was conceived and founded in order to allow for many more Jazz (and other) albums to be released independently from the State owned Polskie Nagrania / Muza and as such revolutionized the music industry at the time, being the only such enterprise in Eastern Europe. The Polish label Anex reissued many of the original Poljazz albums on CD, bringing this fabulous music back to life.

Slawomir Kulpowicz / Shujaat Khan – Live (2013) ****1/2

Slawomir Kulpowicz - piano

Shujaat Khan - sitar

Arunangshu Chaudhury - tabla

Krzysztof Scieranski - bass

POLSKIE RADIO 1250

By Adam Baruch

This is the fourth installment in a series of releases documenting the recorded legacy of the great Polish Jazz pianist / composer Slawomir Kulpowicz, most of which is released for the first time. Kulpowicz, who died prematurely in 2008 at the age of 56, was a victim of cancer. He was a member of groups led by the top Polish Jazz players like Zbigniew Namyslowski and Tomasz Stanko and led / co-led his own ensembles like The Quartet, In-Formation and also cooperated with many other musicians over the years. He was an avid follower of John Coltrane's music and kept in touch with Coltrane's wife Alice Coltrane. Following his visit to India, Kulpowicz discovered Indian music and the spiritual aura of India, which became his own.

Kulpowicz visited India for the first time in 1978, when he was a member of the Zbigniew Namyslowski quartet, which played at the Jazz Yatra in Bombay. At the time he met and befriended a young sitar player Shujaat Khan, a descendant of the legendary Khan dynasty of sitar players since hundreds of years. That friendship lasted for almost thirty years as long as Kulpowicz was alive. They played together many times in Poland and abroad. In 1984 Khan visited Poland and recorded a live album with Kulpowicz for the Poljazz label. The last time they played together was in 2006, when Khan visited Poland again, bringing with him the tabla player Arunangshu Chaudhury. Kulpowicz invited the legendary Polish electric bassist Krzysztof Scieranski and the four played together the music presented on this album, which was recorded live at Warsaw Philharmonic Hall.

Considering the fact that European (including Jazz) and Indian music exist on almost completely separate planes, the amalgamation of the two is extremely difficult to achieve. Except for a very few earlier attempts, most importantly the John Mayer / Joe Harriott Indo-Jazz Fusions from the late 1960s / early 1970 and the John McLaughlin's Shakti a decade later, which were groundbreaking and musically just right, most of the other attempts resulted in failures. The music included on this album proves again, that the power of music transcends not only cultural borders but also thousands of years of musical tradition, enabling conversations between musicians originating seemingly from worlds apart.

The album comprises of just three extended pieces, two of which are about half an hour long and the third a quarter of an hour in duration. Named simply "songs", they are improvisations on melodic themes composed by Kulpowicz, performed wonderfully and in perfect harmony by all four musicians. Khan voices the melody at the onset of each piece and then the musicians take extensive solos in turn, with the full quartet returning to the melodic theme several times between the solos. Kulpowicz plays superbly and his solos are simply outstanding statements in the John Coltrane tradition, emphasizing the close relationship between Coltrane's music and the Indian influences, which are often difficult to be discovered in his music, but come to wonderful realization when performed by Kulpowicz. There is so much passion in his playing that one suspect that his premonition as to his fate was already hunting him.

Khan, who since the early meeting with Kulpowicz achieved a Masterly status in Indian music, is an obvious sitar virtuoso and his solos are also breathtaking. Chaudhury and Scieranski, although a priori destined to fulfill a less dominant role in this music, perform both splendidly and their contributions are invaluable. Scieranski especially is to be prized, as his elegant and delicate bass tones manage to keep a perfect balance with his partners and the music which usually exist without the bass foundation so typical in European music.

The music is beautifully recorded and has an outstanding sound quality, especially in view of the fact that it is a live recording. Musically it is one of the finest examples I have ever come across of cross-cultural amalgam that work naturally as "God intended". An absolute must to World-Music enthusiasts and all connoisseurs of great music, regardless of genre, geography or cultural affiliation. Respect!

Slawomir Kulpowicz – Private Balet Music (2013) ****

Slawomir Kulpowicz - piano

POLSKIE RADIO 1249

By Adam Baruch

This is the third installment in a series of releases documenting the recorded legacy of the great Polish Jazz pianist / composer Slawomir Kulpowicz, most of which is released for the first time. Kulpowicz, who died prematurely in 2008 at the age of 56, was a victim of cancer. He was a member of groups led by the top Polish Jazz players like Zbigniew Namyslowski and Tomasz Stanko and led / co-led his own ensembles like The Quartet, In-Formation and also cooperated with many other musicians over the years. He was an avid follower of John Coltrane's music and kept in touch with Coltrane's wife Alice Coltrane. Following his visit to India, Kulpowicz discovered Indian music and the spiritual aura of India, which became his own.

The turn of the Millennium found Kulpowicz as a refined Artist, with years of experience and success already credited to his impressive list of achievements. He was moving away from the traditional Jazz milieu and getting closer to contemporary Classical forms as well as experimenting with World Music influences. This solo piano recital, recorded live, which presents fourteen of his original compositions, is a portrait of a mature performer and composer, who has a complete control over his instrument as well as the ability to create moods and paint musical vistas with an astonishing ease and elegance.

Kulpowicz was interested in contemporary Classical music from an early age and although the first phase of his career concentrated on Jazz, the next one was quite different. He composed several pieces, which served as music for ballet and turned out to be a remarkable successful. The music on this album bridges these two phases, as the music clearly shows deep love and respect of the Jazz tradition, but the form is much closer to Classical style, in which these beautiful pieces could be considered as fragments of a suite (in this case an imaginary ballet suite) or other short forms like impressions, variations, etc. Regardless how this music is categorized, the level of amalgamation between Jazz and Classical music achieved here is simply exceptional.

Of course solo piano music is often quite difficult and demanding. Less experienced listeners may lack the concentration and dedication required in order to truly appreciate this music in full. This kind of music usually demands repeated listening sessions in order to discover its beauty, elegance and sophistication. On the other hand such investment is usually very well rewarded, as one might expect also in this case. Therefore this music should be taken seriously and relatively gradually, but eventually it will certainly hit the right cords. Wholeheartedly recommended!

In-Formation – In-Formation Trio (2013) ****1/2

Slawomir Kulpowicz - piano

Witold Szczurek - bass

Czeslaw Bartkowski - drums

POLSKIE RADIO 1248






By Adam Baruch

This is the second installment in a series of releases documenting the recorded legacy of the great Polish Jazz pianist / composer Slawomir Kulpowicz, most of which is released for the first time. Kulpowicz, who died prematurely in 2008 at the age of 56, was a victim of cancer. He was a member of groups led by the top Polish Jazz players like Zbigniew Namyslowski and Tomasz Stanko and led / co-led his own ensembles like The Quartet, In-Formation and also cooperated with many other musicians over the years. He was an avid follower of John Coltrane's music and kept in touch with Coltrane's wife Alice Coltrane. Following his visit to India, Kulpowicz discovered Indian music and the spiritual aura of India, which became his own.

Following the demise of The Quartet, Kulpowicz founded a new ensemble, which he called In-Formation. Over time several different versions of In-Formation existed, including a duo, the basic piano trio, presented here, quartet and even sextet. In retrospect the trio proved to be the most successful incarnation of the group. It included bassist Witold Szczurek (a.k.a. Vitold Rek) and legendary drummer Czeslaw Bartkowski. The same trio also served as the rhythm section of the Tomasz Stanko quartet in the early 1980s, recording with him two most impressive albums: "Music 81" and "A I J" (both recorded at the same session).

In-Formation recorded two albums for the Poljazz label, the second of which is partly (three tracks) also included here. The rest of the album (five more tracks) originates in two radio sessions recorded earlier in the same year. All the music was composed by Kulpowicz and is a direct continuation of his John Coltrane / McCoy Tyner influenced style presented earlier by The Quartet. Of course the trio's music is much less intense sonically than the quartet's massive sound, but not less complex or spiritually evolved. Kulpowicz carries, as expected, most of the load, producing his usual vamped chords and dense cadenzas of amazing fluency and virtuosity. The rhythm section supports him splendidly, with Rek emphasizing the melody riffs and Bartkowski providing the swinging drive carrying the music in fast forward most of the album's duration.

The piano trio, which is the ultimate Jazz showcase, was quite a neglected Art form at the time this music was recorded. Therefore these recordings are even more special, as there was no other parallel outfit on the Polish Jazz scene at the time. Of course the piano trio would triumphantly return and re-appear on the Jazz scene later on, including of course the local Polish scene, but at that particular time In-Formation trio was completely unique.

This album is not only a great example of the Jazz piano trio Art, but also a very important document of the development of the Polish Jazz scene. Of course it's an absolute must have for all Polish Jazz connoisseurs and collectors, but every piano trio buff around the globe should find this quite a treat. Great stuff!

Quartet – The Quartet (2013) *****

Tomasz Szukalski - saxophone

Slawomir Kulpowicz - piano

Pawel Jarzebski - bass

Janusz Stefanski - drums

POLSKIE RADIO 1246-47






By Adam Baruch

This is the first installment in a series of releases documenting the recorded legacy of the great Polish Jazz pianist / composer Slawomir Kulpowicz, most of which is released for the first time. Kulpowicz, who died prematurely in 2008 at the age of 56, was a victim of cancer. He was a member of groups led by the top Polish Jazz players like Zbigniew Namyslowski and Tomasz Stanko and led / co-led his own ensembles like The Quartet, In-Formation and also cooperated with many other musicians over the years. He was an avid follower of John Coltrane's music and kept in touch with Coltrane's wife Alice Coltrane. Following his visit to India, Kulpowicz discovered Indian music and the spiritual aura of India, which became his own.

The Quartet was formed by the rhythm section of Zbigniew Namyslowski's so called "third quartet", i.e. pianist Slawomir Kulpowicz, bassist Pawel Jarzebski and drummer Janusz Stefanski, with the addition of saxophonist Tomasz Szukalski, one of Poland's all-time greatest Jazz musicians and a spectacular player of rare quality. Although Szukalski naturally dominated the sound of the ensemble, it was Kulpowicz who was the spiritual leader and the sole composer of all the original material they performed. Spiritually the music was soaked in the John Coltrane legacy, with Szukalski playing lengthy "wall of sound" solos, supported passionately by the rhythm section, with Kulpowicz vamping a la McCoy Tyner, Jarzebski delivering virtuosic bass parts and Stefanski raising all hell behind it all, which engulfed the overall effect with incredible power and overwhelming strength of expression, similar in character to the Coltrane late period recording.

In spite of the fact that The Quartet was undoubtedly the most important Polish Jazz ensemble in the late 1970s, their recorded legacy is truly pitiful and includes one live album recorded in 1978 and released by the Poljazz label (reissued by the Anex label) and their sole studio album, recorded in Finland in 1979 and released by the tiny independent Finnish label Leo Records (which released also two albums by Tomasz Stanko from the same period). Therefore this double CD full of superb radio and concert recordings by The Quartet is an absolute marvel and a must have for every Polish / European Jazz connoisseur.

Following the ensemble's breakdown in mid-1980, the Polish Jazz scene will never again experience this kind of music, so close in spirit, sound and emotion to the epicenter of Modern Jazz created by Coltrane. The Quartet's brief three and a half years period was the closest ever moment in which Polish Jazz would become very close to American Jazz of a decade earlier, both in spirit and in practice. The Quartet somehow managed to put aside the omnipresent Polish melancholy and lyricism, which dictates most of the unique music created under the Polish Jazz banner. Usually, when Polish Jazz musicians try to imitate their idols from across the pond, they fail rather miserably, with The Quartet being the only exception, which proves the rule.

Young Polish Jazz musicians should study this music note by note – this is universally sublime document of human expression, freedom and power of creation, which happens rarely. Inspired by Coltrane's music, this creation sparks a life of its own, which stands shoulder to shoulder with the original, without any inferiority complexes whatsoever. It is not a copy of the source; it is a thankful gratitude for the inspiration itself.

Bringing this music out of the vaults is commendable, although keeping it in the vaults for so long was simply criminal. Such treasures of the Polish Cultural heritage should be exposed in all their glory. Hopefully the people in charge of the Polish Radio archives realize that.

Sławomir Kulpowicz - Complete Edition (2013)

Sławomir Kulpowicz - piano

In-Formation Trio (1CD)
Private Balet Music (1CD)
The Quartet (2CD)
Sławomir Kulpowicz & Shujaat Khan (1CD)

Sławomir Kulpowicz - Complete Edition (2013)

Text by Maciej Nowotny

Sławomir Kulpowicz was a significant figure as far as jazz piano in Poland is concerned. Born in 1952 he studied in Katowice Music Academy. At the beginning of his career he played with Zbigniew Namysłowski which here is the thing approximately of the same caliber as in the US playing with Art Blackey & The Jazz Messangers. Very soon however he started to work on his own and in 1977 set up a band unpretentiously named The Quartet which turned out to be a great success indeed. In this set we got full CD of mostly unpublished music of this legendary combo together with other recordings documenting his rich career spanning over 30 years and ended in 2008 by premature death.

The Quartet remains a highlight of the whole set. Its style was influenced as much by Kulpowicz as by Tomasz Szukalski. Szukalski is a true giant on Polish jazz scene and can be compared in influence he exerted on it only with such figures like Krzysztof Komeda or Tomasz Stańko. With Stańko he collaborated on most of his albums made in 70ties. Among them "TWET" or "Balladyna" stand out as most important recordings of that era as much in Polish as in European jazz. This powerful duo was supported by rhythm section consisting of drummer Janusz Stefański and double bassist Paweł Jarzębski. The uniqueness of the music of The Quartet owes a lot to strong personalities of both Kulpowicz and Szukalski. Kulpowicz style may be described as something between Bud Powell and Franz Liszt with an addition of McCoy Tyner. As you recall this last pianist was a long time companion of John Coltrane. Kulpowicz found in Szukalski a partner whom Coltrane found in Tyner. But although the music of The Quartet is clearly inspired by American jazz as played by John Coltrane's band it is by no means the imitation which shall become evident upon rehearsing other CDs of this set.

CD titled "Private Ballet Music" shows Kulpowicz in solo recital.  On this album Kulpowicz, drawing much from jazz solo albums by his famous contemporary Keith Jarrett, also pays homage to classical music. Since then it has become necessary for Polish jazz pianists to record sometime during their carreers a solo album mixing jazz and classical music. Albums by Adzik Sendecki, Leszek Możdżer or recently Sławek Jaskułke or Marcin Masecki are good examples of such phenomenon.

Next CD Kulpowicz recorded with Indian sitar virtuoso Shujaat Khan. But for Kulpowicz it was much more than just copying Coltrane's interest in Eastern cultures. It was also a true spiritual venture which added the authenticity to this recording which as far as Polish jazz is concerned is one of few successful ventures into world music territory.

I especially like the fourth part of this set with CD of In-Formation Trio in which Kulpowicz was supported by double bassist Witold Szczurek (Rek) and drummer Czesław Bartkowski. I find music they played as highly original not being one of multiple offsprings of Bill Evans Trio but going its own unique way. That makes this whole set actual even after many years since its recording and one of key albums in history of Polish Jazz.

The Quartet - Loaded (1979)

The Quartet (band)

Tomasz Szukalski - tenor & soprano saxophone
Sławomir Kulpowicz - keyboards
Paweł Jarzębski - double bass
Janusz Stefański - drums

Loaded (1979)

Tomasz Szukalski nicknamed "Szakal" (Jackal) is a legend of Polish jazz. His contribution to its development and eventual glory is no less valuable than Komeda, Stanko or Namysłowski's. It is however very difficult to describe his carreer. He was so creative and simultaneously prolific that it would require a whole book to provide a reader with an extensive information about different projects he took part in. Let us then note that on Polish scene he worked with every significant player (and many insignificant) but the most fruitful relationship he established with Tomasz Stańko. He appeared on most of Stańko outstanding recordings of 70ties which are arguably his best at all notwithstanding glorious discs he recorded for ECM afterwards. It is important to note that as much on these albums as on any other Szukalski, who rather seldom acted in the role of leader on his own, was somebody far more valuable than just a very good sideman. His personality was so unique, powerful and charismatic that he co-created every project he was involved in. 

But this album is by no means dominated by Szukalski only. Musicians taking part in its recording are partners of an equal status. Pianist Sławomir Kulpowicz is a rare example among excellent stock of Polish jazz pianists of the artist interested as much in musical as in spiritual side of jazz. He travelled extensively world-wide fascinated by folk music, for example to Africa and the Middle East, where both those components are still alive and closely interwoven. It comes as no surprise then that in jazz he felt particularly interested in experiments conducted by John and Alice Coltrane.

Janusz Stefański is one of view drummers in classical period of Polish jazz (60ties and 70ties) who could keep up with rhythmic innovations that came from the US scene in those times. He is present on countless recordings of this era made by such giants as Seifert, Stańko, Urbaniak, Kosz and others. What should be stressed is his incredible versality since he was able to provide equally empathic support for Seifert bop, Kosz cool and Stańko free jazz lines. Bassist Paweł Jarzębski is perhaps the least known of all four but he should be remembered at least from his collaboration with Zbyszek Namysłowski on some of his best recordings including "Kuyaviak Goes Funky" (1975). And Namysłowski is famous for picking up for his ensambles only creme-de-creme of Polish musicians. Many of those he invited to his bands and who debuted with him made afterwads stunning careers as much on Polish as on international scene with Jarzębski no exception to this rule.

This album is second and last recorded by this band after self-titled "The Quartet" issued a year before. Although The Quartet did not survive martial law imposed on Poland in 1981 by gen. Jaruzelski, its input to Polish jazz phenomenon is crucial. It embodies what was best in this classical era of this music in Poland: fantastic proficiency of musicians, authencity, straighforwardness and creative relationship with such masters of American jazz as John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins or McCoy Tyner. With its passing completely new period in Polish jazz began, time of obvious decadence but not without certain interesting signs of life. Life which eventually has come back to Polish jazz in its full glory in 90ties. It is clear that without such a legacy as created by "Loaded" of The Quartet this renaissance would be impossible or at least less inspiring...

Tracklist:
01. Mr. Person
02. Macondo
03. The Promise
04. Train People

By Maciej Nowotny

http://kochamjazz.blox.pl

Tomasz Stanko - Music 81 (Polish Jazz Vol. 69, 1982)

Tomasz Stańko - trumpet

Sławomir Kulpowicz - piano

Witold Szczurek - bass

Czesław Bartkowski - drums 

Music 81 (Polish Jazz Vol. 69, 1982)

Like many, among them great Miles Davis, in 80ties Tomasz Stańko looked to popular music for inspiration. Slowly his music was losing its free jazz, Ornettian features to become more and more accessible for average listener. Fortunately Stańko did it in entirely his own, individual way. From first note we know exactly whose trumpet is singing and music remains challenging sounding fresh and engaging regardless 30 years since its recording. 

That is partly due to his partners in this recording. Rhythm section is reliable if somewhat too predictable for my modern taste with Witold Szczurek on bass and Czesław Bartkowski on drums. But Sławomir Kulpowicz on piano is different story: his line is influenced by bop piano masters like Bud Powell, Wynton Kelly and, most of all, McCoy Tyner. Beautifully edged and coarse it counterpoints perfectly Stańko slow yet refined trumpet meanderings. This dialogues between Stańko and Kupowicz are without question main attraction of this disc making it indispensable position for any soul enamored in good jazz.

Track listing: 1. Alusta; 2. Daada; 3. Bushka; 4. Third Heavy Ballad; 5. Ahuha

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By Maciej Nowotny

http://kochamjazz.blox.pl