Adam Czerwiński, Darek Oleszkiewicz, Marcin Wądołowski
Adam Czerwiński – perkusja Darek Oleszkiewicz – kontrabas Marcin Wądołowski – gitary
Goście: w nagraniach w Los Angeles uczestniczyli również uznani amerykańscy muzycy:Alan Pasqua (fortepian) i Bob Sheppard (saksofony)
Tytuł: "Song for My Mother"
Wydawca: AC Records (2025)
Tekst: Maciej Nowotny
Wielkie to szczęście mieć kochającą Mamę w tej podróży, którą nazywamy życiem. Szczególnie, gdy tę podróż zaczynamy, kochająca obecność Mam jest szczególnie ważna i pozostaje jak najcenniejszy kapitał w banku naszych doświadczeń. Przypomina mi się moje dzieciństwo spędzone na wrocławskim Oporowie, na piętrze starej poniemieckiej willi na ulicy Sobótki 6.
Po symbolicznej edycji w 2020 roku Jazz nad Odrą powraca w pełnej krasie. Pięć dni koncertów na trzech scenach, gwiazdy polskiego i światowego jazzu oraz tradycyjne jam session do rana – Strefa Kultury Wrocław odkrywa pierwsze karty tegorocznego programu.
Na ten moment czekali wszyscy fani wrocławskiego festiwalu – poznaliśmy pierwszych artystów, którzy we wrześniu wystąpią nad Odrą, ale także nowe miejsca tegorocznych koncertów. Scenę główną przeniesiono do Teatru Polskiego, na drugą lokalizację organizatorzy wybrali scenę w podwórku Impartu. W trakcie festiwalu zobaczymy tam m.in. Brytyjczyków z GoGo Penguin, grupy okrzykniętej „Radiohead brytyjskiego jazzu” oraz wrocławski kwartet Błoto z ich brzmieniem mocno osadzonym na brutalnych hip-hopowych fundamentach. „Piotr Wojtasik Presents” – pod takim szyldem wrocławski trębacz zaprezentuje nowy projekt, do którego zaprosił – swoim zdaniem – najbardziej wartościowych i inspirujących muzyków różnych generacji. Na scenie pojawią się m.in. Viktor Tóth, Bartosz Pernal, Darek Oleszkiewicz, Leszek Możdżer, Emose Uhunmwangho, Magdalena Zawartko oraz Anna Maria Mbayo.
Do Wrocławia przyjedzie także Nubya Garcia, wielokrotnie nagradzana saksofonistka i kompozytorka, która w 2020 roku wydała swój debiutancki album „Source” inspirowany hip-hopem, dubstepem, soulem i calypso. Wraz ze swoim debiutem dla wytwórni Blue Note pojawi się także Gerald Clayton – pianista zagra utwory oryginalnie zarejestrowane na, nominowaną do nagrody Grammy, płytę „Happening: Live at the Village Vanguard". W programie znajdziemy także występ Joe Lovano, giganta saksofonu tenorowego, który zaprezentuje się w odsłonie Trio Tapestry wraz z pianistką Marylin Crispell oraz perkusistą Carmenem Castaldim. Nie zabraknie emocjonujących przesłuchań finałowych w konkursie na Indywidualność Jazzową 2021, które zakończy uroczysta gala wręczenia nagród. Nad Odrę powrócą również laureaci poprzednich edycji konkursu – zobaczymy wspólny występ składu Marcin Pater Trio (Grand Prix 2020) z Leszkiem Możdżerem oraz koncert Kuba Banaszek Quartet (Grand Prix 2019). Szczegółowy program znajduje się na stronie www.jazznadodra.pl.
Nie jest to koniec festiwalowych ogłoszeń – nową tradycją wydarzenia jest bezpłatna scena na placu przed Impartem, która cieszy się wielką popularnością. Tam dla amatorów szerokopojetego jazzu – szczególnie tego pod chmurką – przygotowano równie bogaty program koncertów, który organizatorzy ujawnią w kolejnych tygodniach. Na najwytrwalszych czeka także jam session w klubie festiwalowym ulokowanym w Imparcie. Tegoroczna 57. edycja Jazzu nad Odrą potrwa od 15 do 19 września.
godz. 19:00 Shai Maestro Quartet | Piotr Wojtasik Presents
Impart – scena w podwórku
godz. 19:00 Jerzy Mączyński – Jerry&ThePelicanSystem „SARIANI” | Kuba Banaszek Quartet
17 września (piątek)
Teatr Polski – scena im. J. Grzegorzewskiego
godz. 16:00 I finałowy koncert konkursu na Indywidualność Jazzową 2021
godz. 19:00 Reggie Washington Quintet| Nubya Garcia
18 września (sobota)
Teatr Polski – scena im. J. Grzegorzewskiego
godz. 16:00 II finałowy koncert konkursu na Indywidualność Jazzową 2021
godz. 19:00 Darek „Oles” Oleszkiewicz & Alan Pasqua | Gerald Clayton „Happening: Live At The Village Vanguard”
19 września (niedziela)
Teatr Polski – scena im. J. Grzegorzewskiego
godz. 17:00 Gala wręczenia nagród konkursu na Indywidualność Jazzową 2021 | Joe Lovano Trio Tapestry feat. Marilyn Crispell & Carmen Castaldi | Bartosz Pernal Orchestra Organizatorzy zastrzegają sobie prawo do zmian w programie
This is an album by Polish Jazz
pianist/composer Kuba Stankiewicz, recorded in a classic quartet setting with
Israeli saxophonist Daniel Rotem, Polish (resident in US) bassist Darek
Oleszkiewicz and American drummer Tina Raymond. The album presents seven
tracks, which are arrangements of music by the Polish Classical composer Roman
Statkowski, based on the motives from his opera "Maria".
This album is a logical follow
up to the three albums by Stankiewicz, recorded and released between 2014 and
2017, which were dedicated do commemorate the three great Polish/Jewish composers,
who achieved fame and glory in the US and together created a huge part of the
repertoire, which is now considered as "Jazz standards": Victor
Young, Bronisław Kaper and Henryk Wars. I had the immense pleasure to belong to
the "inner circle" of people behind creating this spectacular tribute,
by writing the liner notes to the "The Music Of Victor Young" (the
first of the three albums) and consistently presenting the music as part of the
Singer Jazz Festival, of which I am the Music Director. Last year (2019) I also
had the pleasure to present the music on this album as well.
During his background research
on Young, Kaper and Wars, which was done with incredible seriousness,
dedication and commitment, Stankiewicz discovered that both Young and Wars
studied composition with Statkowski at the Warsaw Music Academy, which led him
to discover the music of Statkowski, who sadly was almost completely forgotten
in time. Not surprisingly the decision to pay tribute to that fabulous music
was born and resulted in recording of this album.
Polish Jazz fans familiar with
the achievements of Stankiewicz know exactly what to expect form this album, as
his proven record can be equaled by only very few of his contemporaries. The
music is full of elegance, grace and above all deep sensitivity, which proves
that the transformation of Classical music into the Jazz idiom can be done
without compromising any of its components. Stankiewicz touches the piano keys as
if making love with the instrument and his inner aesthetic is simply
astounding. As expected, the rest of the quartet members are all first rate
players, who prove to be ideal partners in creating this wonderful piece of
music.
Piano Jazz lovers, serious
music connoisseurs and Stankiewicz fans will love this music to bits and many
probably already bought this album (despite the unattractive cover art). Ideal listening
in times the world is being quarantined, since music knows no limitations!
George Garzone - tenor saxophone
Alan Pasqua - piano
Darek Oleszkiewicz - bass
Peter Erskine - drums
3 Nights In L.A.
FUZZY MUSIC PEPCD027
By Krzysztof Komorek
Cztery muzyczne znakomitości. Trzy wieczory w Los Angeles. Niewielki klub nieopodal lotniska. Dwadzieścia utworów (choć tylko siedemnaście kompozycji, bowiem "Have You Met Miss Jones?" powtarza się trzykrotnie, a "The Honeymoon" dwa razy). Precyzyjnie wyliczone czasy trwania poszczególnych setów – każdy oscylujący w granicach godziny i dziesięciu minut.
Pozazdrościć można tylko możliwości uczestniczenia w takim wydarzeniu. Kameralne, klubowe koncerty są dla mnie esencją jazzu. Szczególna atmosfera takich miejsc powoduje, że muzykę odbiera się tam zupełnie inaczej. Można się tylko cieszyć, że od czasu do czasu ktoś wpada na pomysł zarejestrowania takiego wydarzenia i wydania płyty.
Saksofonista George Garzone, perkusista Peter Erskine, pianista Alan Pasqua oraz kontrabasista Darek Oles (Oleszkiewicz) grywają ze sobą regularnie od wielu lat. W pewien styczniowy czwartek, piątek i sobotę 2019 roku spotkali się w klubie Sam First w Mieście Aniołów. Niespełna pięćset metrów od pasów startowych międzynarodowego lotniska LAX.
W trzech i pół godzinach kapitalnego, prawdziwie jazzowego grania, nie znajdziemy repertuarowych zaskoczeń. Wyjątki ze Śpiewnika Amerykańskiego napisane przez Rogersa i Harta, Van Heusena i Burke’a, Kerna i Hammersteina. Porcja własnych kompozycji – trzy Garzone’a i po jednym od pozostałych muzyków. Wreszcie "Invitation" Kapera i "Equinox" Coltrane’a.
Pierwszoplanową rolę dzierżył podczas koncertów George Garzone, kapitalnie wpisując zespół w tradycję saksofonowych kwartetów. Zagranie coltrane'owskiego klasyka nie było tu przypadkowe. Wspaniałe impresje były dziełem Alana Pasqua. Wyraziście, choć nie zawsze w indywidualnych popisach, prezentowała się sekcja rytmiczna Erskine-Oles. Mistrzowie w bezapelacyjnie mistrzowskiej formie. Jazz w najczystszej z możliwych postaci.
Znajdą się zapewne osoby zaskoczone faktem, że na naszej liście pojawia się opisywany tu tytuł. Jednak rzut oka na skład muzyków i odnalezienie nazwiska Darka Oleszkiewicza ewentualne wątpliwości powinno rozjaśnić. Zresztą dwójka spośród pozostałych muzyków także rezyduje od lat w Stanach Zjednocznych, a sam Kei Akagi, w którego karierze znaleźć można chociażby epizod gry w zespole Milesa Davisa, określa się mianem japońskiego Amerykanina. Multikulturowość odniesień podkreśla też podtytuł albumu: "Współczesne azjatyckie perspektywy w muzyce amerykańskiej".
Spośród ośmiu kompozycji, jakie pojawiają się na płycie, cztery napisał Akagi, a po jednej Kojiro Umezaki i uniwersytecki kolega obu wymienionych muzyków, Christopher Dobrian. Wreszcie dwie są autorstwa Masao Hommy, znaczącej postaci muzycznego świata powojennej Japonii. Pierwsze trzy utwory zabierają słuchacza w świat melodyjnego, niezwykle przyjemnego mainstreamu. Solowe i duetowe introdukcje przechodzą w ciekawe zespołowe granie, gdzie wiodącą rolę odgrywa shakuhachi Umezakiego. Jednak "Aqua Puzzle", choć jest płytą spójną, to jednocześnie potrafi zaskoczyć zmianą, niemal niezauważalnie przemieszczając się pomiędzy różnorodnymi stylami.
Dwa kolejne nagrania to dzieła wspomnianego Masao Hommy, które przenoszą słuchacza bliżej świata muzyki improwizowanej, współczesnej klasyki, ale także muzycznych tradycji Japonii. "Aria (For Kei)" napisana została z myślą o improwizacji, ale Akagi zmienił ją zupełnie dopisując melodię. Pół nagrania to duet fortepianu i fletu, druga część z kolei to niemal w całości delikatna, prawdziwie jazzowa ballada. Zakończenie zaskakuje solem fletu shakuhachi. "Jakkyo VIII" jest wyjątkiem z pisanych niemal dwie dekady fortepianowych duetów. Zagrany zgodnie z założeniem tylko przez Akagiego i Umezakiego, uzupełniony jest z kolei o część improwizowaną.
Trzy finałowe nagrania to kolejny krok, tym razem zdecydowanie ku swobodnej improwizacji i free jazzowi. "Return Portal" i "Resident Outlier" są hołdem dla Hozana Yamamoto i Masubumiego Kikuchiego – odpowiednio mistrza shakuhachi i wybitnego pianisty, którzy współpracowali ze sobą przez czterdzieści lat. Nie mamy jednak do czynienia z kolejnymi duetami, a kwartet daje tu pokaz zespołowej gry, pełnej równości każdego z instrumentów. Kończący płytę "Haibun" to już niemal w całości free. Porywające i elektryzujące.
"Aqua Puzzle" to jedno z ciekawszych odkryć, jakie trafiły do mnie w ostatnich miesiącach. Z dobrze przemyślanym i skonstruowanym programem oraz świetnym wykonaniem. Rozbudowane utwory dają możliwość wplecenia w nie i dłuższych solówek poszczególnych muzyków, i zmian w konfiguracji grających instrumentów. Są – jak już wspomniałem – fragmenty wykonane w duetach, a w "Return Portal" nieoczekiwanie pojawia się dłuższa część zagrana bez fletu w estetyce klasycznego, jazzowego fortepianowego tria. Jest czysty jazz i szalona improwizacja. Są wreszcie prawdziwie wybitni instrumentaliści. A wynikiem tych wszystkich zalet jest bardzo dobra płyta.
This is a sensational album by
veteran Polish Jazz trumpeter/composer Piotr Wojtasik recorded with a large
ensemble which comprises of some of Poland's
top Jazz musicians and a few guests from outside of Poland. In addition to the leader
who plays trumpet and flugelhorn the other musicians are: trumpeter Sebastian
Sołdrzyński, shakuhachi and other wind instruments player Igor Pietraszewski,
saxophonists Viktor Toth (Hungary)
and Marcin Kaletka, keyboardists Leszek Możdżer and Dominik Wania, guitarist
Marek Kądziela, bassist Darek Oleszkiewicz, drummer Eric Allen (USA resident in Poland) and percussionist Jakub
Miarczyński. Two female vocalists are featured on one of the tunes.
The album
presents a five part suite composed and arranged by Wojtasik and dedicated to
the memory of the legendary Warsaw Jazz club Akwarium (active between 1977 and
2000), which used to be the Mecca of Polish Jazz in the past. A sixth bonus
track is also included, which offers an alternate version of one of the suite's
parts. The music was recorded at the RecPublica Studios and engineered by Łukasz Olejarczyk, who as usual stood up to the challenge.
I recently had the opportunity
to hear this music performed live at its premiere concert at the Silesian Jazz
Festival in Katowice,
with a slightly different lineup, and the impact of the music was truly
astounding. This studio version is of course much tamer and orderly, so in some
respects it sounds quite differently, but of course it is no less remarkable.
Wojtasik managed to combine several sub-genres of the Jazz idiom into one
coherent piece of music, which presents a kaleidoscope of modern Jazz, pointing
to its many sources from Bebop through Jazz-Rock Fusion to electronics. Based
on strong melodic themes but allowing a lot of freedom to the individual
musicians to explore and probe, this is a wonderful example of modern
Mainstream Jazz, which manages to be fascinating, unexpected and searching.
The individual performances are
all great, as expected from this level of musicians. Kądziela's guitar parts
are the nicest surprise as he manages to transform the last part of the suite
into a modern day "Bitches Brew" ambiance, which should make Miles
Davis happily turn in his grave. Możdżer's synthesizer parts are somewhat
tedious, especially in comparison to what Paweł Tomaszewski managed to come up
with during the concert. Of course Dominik Wania plays some stunning piano
parts and it is interesting to hear him in a large ensemble setting. But overall
everybody plays their heart out and the result is simply superb.
It is great to see (and hear)
that Wojtasik is still in great shape as a player/composer/bandleader and
as a friend I wish him many years of good health and creativity. He can certainly
be proud of his achievement here and I look forward to hear more of his work
soon. His blessed work as an educator at the Katowice Music
Academy is of course no
less important, but seeing him play is a true Jazz experience. Te old lion is
still capable of a mighty roar, which the younger lions are happy to return.
Wholeheartedly recommended!
This is the third installment in a series of albums by Polish Jazz pianist/composer Kuba Stankiewicz dedicated to the music written by the composers of Polish/Jewish origins, who are known primarily as the great American composers of many Jazz standards, and their true origins are almost completely unheard of. Same as its predecessors, which were dedicated to the music of Victor Young ("The Music Of Victor Young") and Bronislaw Kaper ("The Music Of Bronisław Kaper"), this album was recorded by the piano trio with Polish (resident in US) bassist Darek Oleszkiewicz and veteran American drummer Peter Erskine and presents this time eleven compositions by Henryk Wars, including his most famous standards and a few much lesser known pieces.
Stankiewicz, as usual, took
great pains to conduct a serious research about the composer's life and music
before he selected the compositions included on this album. He is definitely
quite a perfectionist in what he does, and this deserves our outmost
admiration. The album includes a very educational write-up about Wars by Marek Żebrowski (in Polish and English) and the album's artwork continues the design
originated on the previous albums. In short this is a very professional and
highly aesthetic piece of music production in every aspect.
The music is of course divine,
its beauty timeless and these particular performances treat it with the respect
these classics deserve. Stankiewicz and his cohorts play sparingly and delicately,
treating each and every note like it was a priceless jewel. The rhythm section
accompanies the pianist amicably and harmoniously, filling in the space but
never disturbing the piano melody line and the improvised sections.
In many respects this is a classic
piano trio with a dream team playing perfect music – what else can we ask for.
This is the Jazz traditions at its best, without being pretentious or
condescending. It is an absolute must for all piano trio connoisseurs, and a
great piece of Jazz history. As usual Stankiewicz, who happens to be a friend
of mine, emerges victorious and highly accomplished, for which all lovers of
great Jazz, myself included, thank him wholeheartedly. Not to be missed!
Well-hidden in the movie and television studios of Southern California is slide trombonist Bob McChesney. Connoiseurs of the slide trombone would know of Bob, but the casual jazz fan would not be apprised of McChesney’s prowess. Further, Bob is a master of the "doddle tongue", a method of articulation that enables him to play ultra fast.
McChesney has kept both active in the studio, and as an integral member of Bob Florence’s big band, but his only issue as a group leader was many years ago in a tribute CD to Steve Allen. Both in film work and in some of TV’s favorite cartoon shows ("The Simpson’s", "Family Guy", "Futurama", etc.), McChesney was the slide trombonist, who helped with soundtracks. He also is a first-call sideman for vocal artists recording in LA.
His new CD, "Chez Sez", provides the opportunity for jazz fans to appreciate his talents. Backed by Larry Goldings (who wrote/co-wrote three of the eleven tracks), bassist Darek Oleś and drummer supreme, Bill Stewart, the quartet is expanded to a quintet on five songs by Yellowjacket’s tenor saxist, Bob Mintzer. The tracklist is a mixture of original compositions plus standards from Cole Porter, Dave Brubeck, Jerome Kern and Nat Adderley. What is evident immediately on this issue is the melodic lines from Bob. His playing is fast, but melodic and clearly enunciated. You can clearly see why he is the "go to" guy for studio work.
"You May Have It Wrong", written by Bob, opens the CD, and Mintzer makes a fine mate as they blend warmly. "Naturally" is a beautiful ballad and "The Preakness", co-written by Bob and Larry, intrigues as it makes you wonder, if they are horse racing fans. Goldings is first-rate on the Hammond B-3 and the tune’s funk quotient is high. "Yesterdays" is proof positive of McChesney’s talents. It would touch the hardest heart. The title track has the tenor and trombone cook. Brubeck’s "In Your Own Sweet Way" is easily identifiable and McChesney puts his stamp on this winning version. The standards, "I Should Care" and "Love For Sale" close out the CD. On the latter, Bob’s tonguing is so crisp and clear, that you would swear that you’d never heard a trombone tone so pristine. This CD is something special.
This is the second installment in a series of albums by Polish Jazz pianist/composer Kuba Stankiewicz dedicated to the music written by the composers of Polish/Jewish origins, who are know primarily as the great American composers of many classic Jazz standards, and their true origins are almost completely unheard of. Same as its predecessor, which was dedicated to the music of Victor Young ("The Music Of Victor Young"), this album was recorded by the piano trio with Polish (resident in the US) bassist Darek Oleszkiewicz and veteran American drummer Peter Erskine and presents this time nine compositions by Bronisław Kaper (two of which were co-composed by Walter Jurmann, his musical partner for many years), including his most famous standards and a few much lesser know pieces.
Stankiewicz, as usual, took
great pains to conduct a serious research about the composer's life and music
before he selected the compositions included on this album. He is definitely
quite a perfectionist in what he does, and this deserves our outmost
admiration. The album includes a very educational write-up about Kaper by Anna
Ferens as well as an introductory text by Stankiewicz (in Polish and English)
and the album's artwork continues the design originated on the previous album.
In short this is a very professional and highly aesthetic piece of music
production in every aspect.
The music is of course divine,
its beauty timeless and these particular performances treat it with the respect
these classics deserve. Stankiewicz and his cohorts play sparingly and
delicately, treating each and every note like it was a priceless jewel. The
rhythm section accompanies the pianist amicably and harmoniously, filling in
the space but never disturbing the piano melody line and the improvised
sections.
In many respects this is a
classic piano trio with a dream team playing perfect music – what else can we
ask for. This is the Jazz traditions at its best, without being pretentious or
condescending. It is an absolute must for all piano trio connoisseurs, and a
great piece of Jazz history. As usual Stankiewicz, who happens to be a friend
of mine, emerges victorious and highly accomplished, for which all lovers of
great Jazz, myself included, thank him wholeheartedly. Not to be missed!
Znany koneserom Kuba Stankiewicz raczej nie funkcjonuje w świadomości szerokiej jazzowej publiczności (czy jest taka?) jako muzyk równie znany jak powiedzmy Stańko, Możdżer czy Pawlik (przynajmniej ostatnio i przez 5 minut dzięki nagrodzie Grammy). Debiutował w latach 80. ubiegłego wieku u boku takich mistrzów, jak Zbigniew Namysłowski i Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski. Edukację muzyczną, jeśli chodzi o jazz, uzupełniał studiując w słynnym amerykańskim Berklee College Of Music. Jego droga przypomina trochę karierę Bogdana Hołowni, zatem nie wykluczam, że działał tu podobny mechanizm: nabyta w czasie edukacji fascynacja klasycznym amerykańskim jazzem, a także - co oczywiste - muzyką klasyczną i polską muzyką popularną, nie tylko jazzową. W rezultacie język Stankiewicza współczesny słuchacz, zwłaszcza młodszego pokolenia, odbierze raczej jako konserwatywny. Ale z drugiej strony nie sposób mu odmówić wspaniałego warsztatu, muzykalności i tego, co wyróżnia artystę spośród rzemieślników, czyli indywidualności.
Ów konserwatyzm i indywidualność stanowiące o istocie języka Stankiewicza w tym konkretnym przypadku doprowadziły do powstania wyjątkowej muzyki. Myślę, że dla wielu zwłaszcza młodszych wiekiem krytyków będzie potężnym zaskoczeniem, że płyta, w której nie ma nic innowacyjnego, w której emocje są cały czas pod kontrolą, w której forma muzyki jest ważniejsza niż treść i która oparta jest na doskonale znanych wszystkim schematach, może być tak charyzmatyczna, że po prostu nie sposób się od niej oderwać.
Jest to zaskoczenie tym większe, że kilka ostatnich projektów Stankiewicza, nawet tych udanych jak nagrana dla V Records płyta "Kilar", zdawało się potwierdzać tezę, że owszem, Stankiewicz ma warsztat, ale tworzona przez niego muzyka jest zbyt zimna, pozbawiona emocji, chciałoby się powiedzieć, zbyt doskonała, zbyt akademicka. Otóż ja się z taką oceną nie zgadzam, bo chociaż osobiście bardzo cenię w muzyce nowatorstwo i umiejętność - parafrazując tytuł słynnego albumu Lee Morgana - poszukiwania nowych lądów, to wcale nie uważam - jak niestety wielu - że jest to jedyna droga wiodąca do osiągnięcia pożądanego efektu artystycznego. Jest bowiem w jazzie nawet coś ważniejszego, a tym czymś jest pasja, szczerość i uczciwość towarzyszące pragnieniu wyrażenia tego, co woła w czyjeś duszy, by to wypowiedzieć. A wreszcie mistrzostwo w operowaniu instrumentem, które samo w sobie jest ważnym przesłaniem, szczególnie w dzisiejszych neobarbarzyńskich czasach.
Byłoby to niemożliwe bez wsparcia dwóch muzyków towarzyszących Stankiewiczowi na tym albumie, czyli światowej renomy amerykańskiego perkusisty Petera Erskine'a i polskiego kontrabasisty Darka Oleszkiewicza, podobnie jak Stankiewicz pochodzącego z Wrocławia, ale od wielu lat mieszkającego w Los Angeles i grającego w Ameryce u boku najlepszych, w tym samego Brada Mehldaua. To wirtuozi najwyższej klasy, jaką sobie można w jazzie wyobrazić, dzięki czemu słuchanie tej płyty nie tylko dla każdego audiofila czy słuchacza wychowanego na muzyce klasycznej, ale dla każdego kto ma dwoje uszu nie od parady, jest niczym mniej niż jedną wielką rozkoszą. Każdy dźwięk wybrzmiewa jak należy, z nie do opisania czystością, selektywnością, przywracając blask troszkę jakby ostatnio zapomnianemu, lecz odwiecznemu pojęciu harmonii.
Wreszcie te wszystkie cudeńka byłyby niemożliwe bez muzyki Victora Younga, którą w amerykańskim jazzowym śpiewniku postawić należy obok muzyki takiego choćby George'a Gershwina czy Irvinga Berlina. Co ciekawe Young był z pochodzenia polskim Żydem wykształconym w warszawskim konserwatorium przed I wojną światową, co zarówno Stankiewicz, jak i autor doskonałego tekstu towarzyszącego płycie Adam Baruch przypominają wielokrotnie, a o czym przecież co bardziej przytomni z krytyków i słuchaczy w Polsce nigdy nie zapomnieli. Na płycie Stankiewicz śledzi polskie ślady w muzyce Younga, sięgające do dzieł jego zapomnianego w Polsce nauczyciela Romana Statkowskiego (mamy nawet jeden utwór jego pióra nagrany na płycie). I to właśnie stanowi o oryginalności tego przedsięwzięcia, bo Young brzmi tu zupełnie inaczej niż w innych, niezliczonych już przecież, interpretacjach. Jakby odarte z całego hollywoodzkiego blichtru Stankiewicz, Erskine i Oleszkiewicz interpretują tak dobrze wszystkim znane piosenki, jak "Stella By Starlight", "Beautiful Love" i wiele innych przez pryzmat typowo słowiańskiej rzewności.
Dziwnie brzmi zatem o amerykańskiej prowieniencji na polską, romantyczną nutę zagrany jazzowy smętek, stanowiący przy okazji jeszcze jeden dowód na budzący zdumienie renesans przerwanych przez dziesięciolecia nienawiści, wojnę i marcowe wypędzenia relacji polsko-żydowskich. Krótko mówiąc, warto posłuchać po stokroć i mocny kandydat do jednego z najpiękniejszych albumów roku!
The making of this album turned out to be a great journey for everybody involved, full of magic and musical, historical, emotional and educational discoveries, all intertwined and dramatic, which started as a seemingly simple and straightforward task of recording a tribute album to one of America's greatest 20th Century composers and eventually emerged as a virtual bridge between the "old" and "new" continents, linking biographical treasures, personal encounters, unearthed documents and above all the hearts of so many people on both sides of the great "pond", myself included. Kuba Stankiewicz, who is not only a sublime artist but also a wonderful human being, was the catalyst and the driving force behind this project, and his limitless faith, energy and dedication are encapsulated herein. We all hope that the listeners of this enchanting music will join Kuba and all of us in a wondrous adventure.
The biography of Victor Young
is surely as dramatic and full of unexpected turns and twists as many of the
movies he wrote the musical scores for. Born in Chicago at the turn of the 20th
Century, his parents were Polish immigrants of Jewish origin, who had a rich
musical background. He was discovered very early as an immensely talented child
prodigy, having started to play the violin at the age of six. The tragic early
death of his mother influenced the decision to send the ten years old Victor and
his sister Helen to the homeland of their ancestors, Poland, where their grandparents
still resided, and where he received his formal musical education at the
Imperial Music Academy in Warsaw, finishing his studies at the momentous period
when Poland received its independence after being occupied and divided between
the European Empires for almost a century and a half. Young made quite a career
as a virtuoso concert violinist and even managed to play for the Russian Czar
Nikolai, which almost cost him his life when the Bolshevik revolution erupted
and all people connected to the Czar were promptly dealt with. After a
life-threatening encounter in Russia,
Young managed to flee to Warsaw, then Paris and later finally returned to his Chicago home.
By mid 1930s Young settled in
Hollywood and concentrated on composing music for the motion pictures, in time
becoming one of the most successful and prolific representatives of the
American Dream. He was nominated 22 times for the Academy Award but his only
Oscar was awarded to him posthumously. He died at the ridiculous age of 56
leaving behind him a tremendous legacy of hundreds of film scores and wonderful
songs, which are still being performed on an everyday basis. There is hardly a
Jazz gig anywhere on this planet, where at least one of his standards is not
performed, after having been recorded countless times by every imaginable Jazz
performer. And yet at the same time almost nobody on the same planet of ours is
aware of the fact that Young's roots lie deeply on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean and his life fits into the "wandering
Jew" pattern like a silk glove.
The decade Victor Young spent
in Poland, as well as his rich
Polish roots, remain almost completely absent from his biography and are
totally unknown not only in the USA
but sadly also in Poland.
Generations of Polish Jazz musicians, who played countless times the Victor
Young standards, never even imagined that the person behind this music has such
close ties to Poland
and its Culture. Kuba Stankiewicz took us all on a discovery trip, walking down
the streets of Warsaw
where Young and his family lived, which he traced from the documents and
correspondence between Young and his family members. Most of these highly
personal and fascinating documents and photographs were made available by
Young's niece, Helen's daughter, the wonderful Bobbie Hill Fromberg, who lives
in LA and who embraced this project wholeheartedly, sharing her extensive
family archive with us. I imagine that playing Young's music for Bobbie in her
apartment on a piano, that Young bought as a wedding present for his sister, must
have been quite a thrilling experience for Kuba and Darek Oleszkiewicz, who was
also present at the occasion.
The diploma Victor Young
received from the Warsaw
Music Academy
shows that he studied composition with Roman Statkowski, a completely forgotten
Polish composer, who surely deserves to be rediscovered. This led Kuba
Stankiewicz to find out more about Statkowski and later on to be enchanted by
his profoundly beautiful music. Including one of Statkowski's compositions on
this album is therefore completely natural, especially in view of the enormous
influence Statkowski had on Young, which in fact is audible, albeit subtly, in several
of Young's compositions. But even without the Statkowski influence, it is
pretty apparent that although Young was a bona fide American composer for
decades, the intrinsic Polish lyricism and melancholy, as well as his Jewish
approach to melody, stayed with him for all these years, deeply embedded in his
heritage and influenced by the growing-up period he has spent in Poland and
learned from Polish educators. And as we were tracking Young's life and music,
it didn't take long to se the similarities between his fate and that of several
other famous American composers, like Bronislaw Kaper and Henryk Wars, fellow
Jewish wanderers, whose Polish roots are almost completely obscured and are
waiting to be exposed.
But of course it's the music
present on this album, which is after all the center of the listener's
attention, regardless of the contextual relevance. Recorded in a classic piano
trio format, the most formidable chamber environment available in Jazz, it
lovingly presents the music of Young, which although in most cases is well know,
also includes some of his lesser known pieces as well as one of Statkowski's beautiful
compositions, arranged by Stankiewicz. Accompanied by bassist Darek
Oleszkiewicz and formidable American drummer Peter Erskine, Kuba Stankiewicz
delivers the music of Young with passion and emotion, but also with great
respect. As already mentioned these compositions have been previously recorded
countless times and therefore playing them anew presents an enormous challenge.
I hope the listeners will find the spark that Kuba, Darek and Peter share with
us, respectfully and elegantly, proving that the long journey was worth the
effort. Thank you for reading and for listening!
Side Note: The above are
my liner notes for this wonderful album. It was an immense pleasure to take
part in this project.
This is an absolutely brilliant album in the Jazz & Poetry vein, for which the Polish Jazz scene is so famous and in which it excels since its early days. Vocalist Inga Lewandowska performs eleven songs, all of which share the author of their lyrics, the Polish poetess Agnieszka Osiecka, an iconic figure of the post-WWII Polish Culture and author of over 2000 song lyrics. Lewandowska and pianist / composer Kuba Stankiewicz, who also beautifully arranged all the songs on this album, chose mostly Jazz-related material, which features Osiecka's lyrics and was written by some of the most prominent figures on the Polish Jazz scene, like Wlodzimierz Nahorny, Jan Ptaszyn Wroblewski, Zbigniew Namyslowski and others. Stankiewicz composed two of the songs presented here.
The vocalist is accompanied by
a quintet of excellent musicians, which include in addition to Stankiewicz also
trumpeter Piotr Wojtasik, trombonist Grzegorz Nagorski, bassist Darek
Oleszkiewicz and Austrian drummer Mario Gonzi. The quintet provides superb
support to the vocalist but also plays extended instrumental passages, which
are simply exquisite examples of European Jazz lyricism. Especially notable is
the delicate and sympathetic work by the piano and the "singing" bass
solos, for which Oleszkiewicz is world famous. One of the songs presents a vocals
/ bass duet, which is a true classic!
Lewandowska does a splendid
job, utilizing more of the Polish Jazz vocal tradition firmly established by
legendary performers like Ewa Demarczyk and Wanda Warska, rather than trying to
be more up to date, which altogether works in her favor. That time of
expressive, melancholic singing, in which every breath matters and every
syllable is clearly pronounced and is perfectly audible is a rarity and I wish
the new generation of Polish Jazz vocalists would pay more respect to that
"lost" Art form. The songs are mostly low key, as the title suggests
and Lewandowska cleverly avoids any flashy exhibitionism, staying well within
the established milieu, which is chick and elegant.
In many respects listening to
this album feels like an "end of an era". It was, after all, recorded
at the very closing of the 20th Century and seems, in retrospect, to
be the last of its kind, a tribute to the days when Polish Jazz experienced its
first golden era, associated with intellectual, artistic and often
revolutionary spring, which was soon over.
I am glad I discovered this
wonderful gem, although late, but nevertheless most enthusiastically. It is
little known, as it managed to hide from me for so long, but should be studied,
as already mentioned, by all upcoming vocalist, as it is a classic point of
reference. It is also an absolute must for every Polish Jazz connoisseur, anywhere
on this planet.
This is the fourth album as a leader by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Artur Dutkiewicz, recorded in a classic Jazz piano trio setting with bassist Darek Oleszkiewicz (bassist Daniel Biel plays on three tracks) and drummer Sebastian Frankiewicz as his partners. The music, as the title suggests, is a tribute to the legendary American guitarist / songwriter Jimi Hendrix and presents nine instrumental arrangements of songs from his repertoire, seven of them composed by Hendrix and two composed by others. The album was recorded at the excellent Studio Tokarnia and was engineered by Jan Smoczynski with spectacular sonic results.
This album was recorded at the
same sessions which produced the previous album by Dutkiewicz, called "Niemen
Improwizacje", which pays tribute to the music of Czeslaw Niemen, the
legendary Godfather of Polish Pop / Rock. Therefore these two albums share not
only the recording dates but also basically the same musical concept, i.e. the
transformation of Pop / Rock music into the mainstream Jazz environment.
Of course the music of Hendrix,
who was a major Rock star with a worldwide following, was already arranged and
performed by many Jazz artists earlier, with varying results, some absolutely
spectacular and other utterly worthless. Although seemingly words apart, Niemen and Hendrix shared one obvious characteristic: their
deep affinity to the Blues, which Dutkiewicz cleverly exploits on both these
albums, and uses this opportunity to highlight his own Blues chops.
The fact that these two albums
were recorded basically together and present a common concept obviously
"asks for" a comparison, which I'd rather avoid, but unfortunately
that is quite impossible. Personally this album works slightly less effectively
for me than its companion, which probably has nothing to do with the music but
my own perception of the music Hendrix created and I was fortunate to hear live
on several occasions. I seem to be unable to free myself from the stunning
guitar sound which my memory / brain stores under the Hendrix pointer. This
music played by a piano, however well, simply does not cut it for me as well as
it should.
But of course this album shares
many of the same beautiful qualities present on its companion: great
performances, intelligent arrangements, wonderful interplay between the trio
members and so on. It is a great piano trio album in every respect and an admirable
tribute to the Genius of Hendrix. Obviously Jazz connoisseurs all over the
globe should be able to enjoy this music without reservation.
This is the third album as a leader by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Artur Dutkiewicz, recorded in a classic Jazz piano trio setting with bassist Darek Oleszkiewicz (bassist Daniel Biel plays on one track) and drummer Sebastian Frankiewicz as his partners. The music, as the title suggests, is a tribute to the legendary Polish singer / songwriter Czeslaw Niemen and presents ten instrumental arrangements of songs from Niemen's repertoire, eight of which were also composed by him and two which were composed by others. The album was recorded at the excellent Studio Tokarnia and engineered by Jan Smoczynski with spectacular sonic results.
Niemen
was always associated with Jazz and was a pioneer of the Polish Jazz-Rock
Fusion movement, but he actually never quite crossed over into Jazz, and this
album does it for the first time. Niemen's songs, stripped of their dramatic
vocals and poignant lyrics, can be hear here for what they really were; a
superb amalgam of Blues soaked Rock, Rhythm & Blues, Soul, Groove and
Folkloristic themes, which are all obviously quite timeless.
Dutkiewicz took quite a risk
here, as transforming Niemen's music into a
swinging Jazz environment might have trivialized it or even turned it into
grotesque muzak. Luckily all this was cleverly avoided by the intelligent
arrangements and highly sensitive performance, which simply transformed the
music into a completely different plane. Many musical Icons seem to be simply
untouchable, and most attempts, which try to utilize or update them, fail
miserably. This is a rare example of a successful attempt of transplanting iconic
music to a new environment without destroying the original.
The trio's performance is of
course spotless, as nothing less should be expected from musicians of such
class. The players concentrate on playing the music and there are no lengthy individual
solo sports, which would be quite inappropriate here, but a wonderful
togetherness and concise delivery. Intelligence, sensitivity and grace are the
name of the game and the music is never trivial or banal.
Listeners familiar with Niemen's original performances of these songs will find
this album quite fascinating of course, when trying the find the parallels and
the divergences. But even people who never heard of Niemen (obviously beyond Poland's borders)
should find this to be an excellent piano trio album worthy of repeated listening.
This is the seventh album by Polish Jazz vocalist Aga Zaryan and a close companion to the album "A Book Of Luminous Things", released a few months earlier. If fact these two albums are identical as far as their instrumental contents is concerned, with the difference being that this album features lyrics in the Polish language, as opposed to its predecessor, which featured lyrics in English. Another slight difference is the fact that Polish Jazz vocalist Grzegorz Turnau guests on one song. I suggest to the reader to check out my review of "A Book Of Luminous Things" in order to explore the background information about these two albums and their relation to the poetry of Czeslaw Milosz as well as the information about the musicians involved in the recording.
One should not, however, assume
that this is just a Polish language version of the same album. Language, and therefore
consequently vocals, are intertwined intimately, as I've been trying to explain
since many years. Each human language has its own melodic expression, flow,
sensitivity, coloristic, sonority, etc. As a result the same song, sung in two
different languages, simply "splits" into two separate entities,
which can vary tremendously. This is even more obvious and evident in the case
where the lyrics of the song are based on a poem, like all the songs here.
Most of the poems used as
lyrics of these songs were originally written in Polish, which of course means
that their "true" nature is full of the intricacies specific to that
language, which are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to be translated
into any other language. Just four of the songs here were translated from their
original English version into Polish, which means that the majority of the
poetry used appears in its original form. This fact has a tremendous influence
on the result, which is quite different from the earlier version of the album.
Of course Jazz & Poetry is
a very specific sub-genre, which demands a certain sensitivity and cultural
background from its fans and avid followers, but even more so from the Artists
involved. Zaryan brings forward her sensitivities, which are somehow, at least
to me, much more complex and diversified in the Polish version of these songs. Her
ability to play around with the words, juggle syllables, change accents and
stretch notes are simply masterly herein. The very fact that these two albums
use the same instrumental playback means that she managed to put together this
album by surmounting such problems as different word lengths, accents, keeping
the melodic lines intact and still manage to sound honest, moving and
convincing. Definitely a victory of mind over matter!
Yes I personally prefer this
version over the English language, not because it is "better" in any
sense, but simply because as a natural Polish speaker it penetrates deeper into
my psyche. People, who are not blessed with the knowledge of the Polish
language, will definitely prefer the English version, in order to enjoy both
the fabulous music and the wonderful poetry on their terms.
My admiration of Zaryan's awareness
of the importance of lyrics, which she constantly demonstrates during her career,
cannot be overstated. Her understanding that the Polish version of this album
is a worthy piece of Art of its own right and determination to pull it through is
truly commendable.
This is the seventh album by the Queen in residence of the Polish Jazz scene since several years, the wonderful Aga Zaryan. As the title clearly points out, Zaryan creates here a tribute to two remarkable Afro-American female vocalists, which she admires not only for their superb vocal abilities but also for what they stood for as public figures fighting against discrimination, abuse of human and civil rights, chauvinism and sexism, both openly voicing their opinions and willing to pay the price associated with such behavior at the time. The album presents thirteen songs, all of which are either written by or associated with Nina Simone and Abbey Lincoln. Zaryan is accompanied by a formidable team, which includes pianist Geri Allen, guitarist Larry Koonse, harpist Carol Robbins, bassist Darek Oleszkiewicz and drummer Brian Blade.
Zaryan is known for her
artistic courage, which she already proved several times during her career.
This project is undoubtedly the boldest step she ever undertook, as Nina &
Abbey are among the most idiosyncratic vocalist ever and in most cases any
attempt to interpret their original work leads to miserable failure. Zaryan
decided to approach this repertoire on her own ground, treating the songs with
a new approach, reshaping them rather than trying to simply interpret them, and
by doing this she managed to escape the intrinsic dangers and traps. Of course
such treatment might be considered disrespectful by purists, but listening to
sticklers is by definition contradictory the spirit of artistic innovation.
One of the transformations
Zaryan applied to all these songs was to slow them down, sometimes just
slightly and in other cases considerably. As a result this album as a whole is deeply
melancholic, a state of mind which Zaryan always uses to her advantage, as she
is a Grand Mistress of lyricism and its dark corners and flickering lights.
Yes, it is that famous Polish melancholy, which adds a new dimension to the
original songs, amalgamating the black soul of Afro-American lyricism with the
tormented Polish spirit.
Another decisive factor, which creates
the special atmosphere that this album conveys, is the limited and sparing
usage of the instrumental accompaniment and the inclusion of the delicate harp,
which ideally suits the mood. The musicians present here are all masters of
their trade, which of course is easily audible, but the way Zaryan is
positioned in the center of the stage with the instruments sympathetically
supporting her, is simply remarkable; a classic example of personal
graciousness, respect and modesty on their part.
This is another important step
for Zaryan, which expands yet again her overall position as complete Artists,
this time putting aside the role of a composer of original material and
concentrating on interpreting the work of other women. Hopefully we'll hear her
again soon singing her new original material. In the meantime this one should
keep us worm for a while. Thank you Dear!
Music and religion go hand in hand since the early days of human history and religion has always been a major force and inspiration for artistic activity, musical and otherwise. But as far as Jazz is concerned, the obvious links between religion and music have been, more often than not, hidden either subconsciously or purposefully. Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Piotr Baron is one of the few Jazz artists who wears his religion on his sleeve, openly and consistently voicing his Christian belief, both as a person and an Artists, which is beautifully demonstrated by this album.
As the title suggests this
album presents three versions of the "Salve Regina" antiphon, tracing
its development over time, starting with its earliest 11th Century
incarnation via a 16th and lastly 18th Century ones. In
addition the album also includes two traditional religious hymns and two
original compositions by Baron, which open and then close the album, both kept
in similar spiritual mood as the rest of the album.
But if the subject matter of
this music is highly unusual, the actual performances are even more astounding,
since the music was recorded in the USA and features a quartet, which also
includes the Polish (but resident in US) bassist Darek Oleszkiewicz and two
American Free Jazz heroes: trumpeter Leo Smith and drummer Marvin Smith (not
related to each other). Nolan Shaheed, who was the sound engineer on this
recording, plays cornet on one track. This Polish-American quartet is one of
the very few of its kind, which features musicians form two continents and from
completely different backgrounds playing highly improvised music, which
requires a unity of soul and mind of a higher sphere, which evidently was
achieved herein.
This music, although mostly
highly improvised, originates in the religious music, stating the melody at the
start of each of the tracks and then moves away into the free spirit zone,
where the musicians stretch out and make their individual statements as well as
improvise collectively. The level of individual performances is obviously stellar,
but Baron respectfully takes a step back from the position of the leader,
allowing the trumpeter to be the dominant soloist on this album. Oleszkiewicz
is simply brilliant, carrying the music almost single-handedly as the steady
chord and rhythm indicator, allowing the other players complete freedom. His beautiful
tone and solos are simply breathtaking. The drummer also keeps a low profile
most of the time, as appropriate for this spiritual music, which has not an
iota of aggression or unnecessary haste. When Baron does solo, his superb sound
and fluidity wholly complete the music, respectfully wondering in the lyrical
plane, which reflects his devotion.
Although not an easy piece of
music, this is brilliant artistic experience, which true Jazz connoisseurs
should be delighted with anytime anywhere and a superb example of music, which
has a meaning way beyond the actual sounds. Thank you, as usual, Mr. Baron!
This is the fourth album by Polish Jazz vocalist Aga Zaryan and her first live recording, captured at the Warsaw's Palladium club. She is accompanied by a trio of excellent musicians: guitarist Larry Koonse, bassist Darek Oleszkiewicz and percussionist Munyungo Jackson, who all participated in the recording of her second album "Picking Up The Pieces", recorded a couple of years earlier in the USA. The album comprises of thirteen tracks, spread over two CDs and a DVD with the video of the concert, which has the same musical content and some bonus material with artists' interviews. The music originates mostly from the second album, with a couple of earlier songs form the debut album, one instrumental piece, which opens the concert and one previously unrecorded song (by Stevie Wonder), which closes it.
It takes balls of steel (especially for a woman) to face a large crowd and being able to mesmerize it with such a delicate music, which is based on aesthetics and finesse and requires total silence and complete attention from the listener. There are but a few female vocalists able to perform such magic on stage and Zaryan is certainly at the very top of this exclusive guild. The three master musicians accompanying Aga deserve of course a large piece of the praise, especially Oleszkiewicz, since lengthy parts of the concert are simply duets between him and the singer. His playing is way beyond virtuoso bass performance; it is simply the vehicle carrying this entire show on his shoulders. His empathy and telepathic conversation with Zaryan and the other musicians is simply sensational.
Zaryan's performances are simply breathtaking from start to finish. She is much more adventurous here than on the studio albums, using her full vocal range as well as creating a panorama of sound effects using her voice. Her total control of tone, expression, volume and theatrics is masterful, as is her ability to switch moods and atmosphere. She simply holds the audience at the palm of her hand.
Although the album brings little new material, it summarizes perfectly the first phase of Zaryan's career, where she concentrated on her vocal interpretations of Jazz standards. The next phase, which started with the third album, was about to expose her also as lyricist and a Jazz and Poetry artist, taking her right up to the very top of the Polish Jazz scene. When the legendary Blue Note label signed Aga Zaryan as its recording artist, it was a culmination of the first decade of her career, well earned and truly deserved, as this album proves beyond any reasonable doubt.
In retrospect this is a wonderful document, a time capsule preserving magic moments, which are always associated with sublime pleasure, when revisited. I simply can't imagine anybody could resist Zaryan's charm and talent for long, so give in and grab this crown jewel as soon as you can – satisfaction guaranteed!
Larry Goldings - B3 Hammond organ, melodica
Larry Koonse - guitar
Darek "Oles" Oleszkiewicz - acoustic bass
Adam Czerwinski - drums
Nolan Shaheed - cornet (track #9)
Raindance (2005)
This is an album by a Polish / American Jazz quartet, which features the excellent Polish Jazz rhythm section of drummer Adam Czerwinski and bassist Darek Oleszkiewicz and the US players: guitarist Larry Koonse and organist Larry Goldings. Sound engineer Nolan Shaheed plays cornet on one track. Oleszkiewicz, Koonse and Shaheed later took part in the recording of the 2nd Aga Zaryan album, which was recorded in the same studio. Of the ten tracks on this album, three were composed by Czerwinski, another three by Oleszkiewicz, two by Koonse and the remaining two are standards.
The music is all very mainstream and very easy going, i.e. on the lighter side of the Jazz spectrum, but of course is perfectly executed by these master musicians. The sound of the Hammond organ is always a winner and quite irresistible to Jazz buffs, so the overall result is a most entertaining piece of easy melodic Jazz, without being kitschy or overtly moronic. The original compositions are all nicely crafted, especially those by Oleszkiewicz, which are also the most advanced ones on this album.
This is an excellent example of how accessible music is able to retain musical qualities, being still strongly rooted in Jazz and improvised, and yet enjoyable to people who have little or no Jazz experience of affiliation. Such listeners will definitely love this stuff madly!
Tracklisting: 1 How Deep Is The Ocean 5:53 2 Raindance 6:51 3 Double Larry 6:40 4 Inspiration 6:09 5 J&J 7:38 6 Paradise 6:56 7 Bewitched 6:17 8 Blues For Adam 6:45 9 Awakening 6:48 10 Ca-Lips-O 6:05
Nolan Shaheed - trumpet
Larry Koonse - guitar
Darek "Oles" Oleszkiewicz - doublebass
Darryl Munyungo Jackson - drums, percussion
Picking Up The Pieces (2007)
This is the 2nd album by the undeniable present-day diva of Polish Jazz, vocalist Aga Zaryan. Recorded almost five years after the debut album, which is an agonizingly long break especially in the initial stage of her career, the album is both a conceptual continuation of the debut and a giant step in her artistic development. The eleven tracks are again predominantly standards with just two originals: one by guitarist Larry Koonse with lyrics by Zaryan and the other by bassist Darek Oleszkiewicz. Koonse and Oleszkiewicz are the main accompanying musicians with percussionist Munyungo Jackson and cornet player Nolan Shaheed contributing on some tracks.
Musically the album is much more challenging than the debut, especially in view of the fact that Zaryan gives up the security of the usual piano-led quartet as her support group and presents mostly a series of intimate duets with the bassist or the guitarist or trios with both of them present. As already mentioned, only a few tracks are further ornamented with percussion or cornet sounds. Her rapport and affinity with her cohorts is absolutely stunning and deeply moving, being examples of the rare intimacy and telepathic musical cooperation like that of pianist Bill Evans and bassist Scott LaFaro.
The overall relaxed and intimate atmosphere hides of course a multitude of exquisite instants of sheer musical joy and there are absolutely no dull moments here from start to finish. One can hardly decide what to savor first: the beauty of the music, the sophistication of simplicity, the twists and idiosyncrasies, the elegance or the charm. Whichever way one looks at this music, it is utterly fascinating without a trace of being a cliché or a déjà vu.
In retrospect this is definitely a milestone recording in the history of contemporary Polish Jazz music and Aga Zaryan's illustrious career so far. It remains a timeless beauty and a favorite album, which I intend to revisit time and again. Extraordinary!
Side Note: This album was originally recorded in Los Angeles in 2006 and released the same year on an independent label. This version of the album is released on Blue Note in 2010, after the legendary Jazz label signed Aga Zaryan as the first Polish Jazz artist in its roster. The sound quality is simply marvelous!
Tracklisting:
1. Day Dream
2. Throw It Away
3. Picking Up The Pieces
4. Woman's Work
5. Answer Me
6. The Man I Love
7. Here's to Life
8. It Might As Well Be Spring
9. Sophisticated Lady
10. Suzanne
11. Tender As a Rose
Adam Czerwiński, Darek Oleszkiewicz, Marcin Wądołowski
