Sylwester Ostrowski & Freddie Hendrix - "We Are the Jazz Brigade"

Sylwester Ostrowski & Freddie Hendrix

Freddie Hendrix - trąbka
Sylwester Ostrowski, Camille Thurman - saksofon tenorowy
Jakub „Mizer” Mizeracki - gitara
Miki Hayama, fortepian - Fender Rhodes
Albert Bover - fortepian
Endea Owens, Essiet Okon Essiet - kontrabas
Owen Hart jr - perkusja
Lucas Balbo - instr. perkusyjne

"We Are the Jazz Brigade" 

Wytwórnia: Agora S.A. (2023)

Tekst: Maciej Nowotny

The Jazz Brigade ma dwóch liderów, amerykańskiego trębacza  Freddie Hendrixa i polskiego saksofonistę Sylwestra Ostrowskiego, muzyka ze Szczecina,  którego miałem okazję słyszeć dawno temu i nie byłem zachwycony (album "Don't Explain" wydany w 2013 roku). Trzeba przyznać, że tym razem muzyka jest zagrana przyzwoicie, potrafi miło sączyć się w tle. Ale chociaż niemal wszystkie kompozycje na płycie to oryginały pióra liderów, niestety nigdy nie powstaje tu wrażenie odkrywania czegoś nowego, a raczej mamy odczucie, że jest to muzyka sklejona z wielu motywów, które gdzieś, kiedyś już słyszeliśmy zagrana z użyciem tricków, które ktoś, kiedyś, gdzieś dawno temu wymyślił i zagrał. Lepiej zagrał. 

Muzycy przyznają się do inspiracji koncepcją muzyki Wyntona Marsalisa i ta płyta mogłaby być świetnym dodowem na to - gdyby akurat komuś tego było potrzeba - do czego doprowadzić może wprowadzenie w życie tej formuły traktowania jazzu jako swego rodzaju nowej muzyki klasycznej. Może to jeszcze ma jakiś sens w Stanach Zjednoczonych Ameryki Północnej, gdzie zachowanie ducha i ciała klasycznego jazzu zapewne ma znaczenie dla kulturowej tożsamości Afroamerykanów. Ale granie takiej muzyki w Europie moim zdaniem mija się z celem. Nie po to przecież przeszczepiano jazz na grunt europejski, aby małpować czarnych muzyków, ale by odświeżyć nieco już skostniały język muzyczny starej i wyrafinowanej cywilizacji. Jeśli ktoś tego nie rozumie to nagrywa taką naprawdę momentami fajnie brzmiącą płytę, której może  nawet byłby sens słuchać w Nowym Orleanie, Chicago czy Kansas City, powiedzmy na jakimś egzaminie w wyższej szkole muzycznej, ale w Szczecinie? Szanuję wysiłek artystów, ale nie rozumiem.

Piotr Wojtasik - To Whom It May Concern (2018)

Piotr Wojtasik

Piotr Wojtasik - trumpet
Viktor Tóth - alto saxophone, flute
Sylwester Ostrowski - tenor saxophone
Bobby Few - piano
Joris Teepe - double bass
John Betsch - drums

To Whom It May Concern


INDYGO 002

By Adam Baruch

This is an album by the veteran Polish Jazz trumpeter / composer / bandleader / educator Piotr Wojtasik, recorded by an international sextet, which features alongside Wojtasik also Hungarian saxophonist/flautist Viktor Toth, Polish saxophonist Sylwester Ostrowski, Dutch bassist Joris Teepe and American (resident in Europe) pianist Bobby Few and drummer John Betsch. The album, which was recorded in France, presents eight original compositions, all by Wojtasik.

The music explores the roots of Jazz and stretches between Blues influenced early Jazz through familiar Bebop mainstream and towards more open/Free oriented music, but stays within well defined boundaries. The compositions are diverse and interesting, clearly showing Wojtasik as a mature and focused composer, who is able to weave nice melodic themes and expand them into a fully structured ensemble pieces.

Both Wojtasik and Ostrowski consistently drift towards American Jazz and obviously prefer to play and record with American musicians, but they do it on an equal footing with the Americans, completely devoid of the inferiority complex that characterized whole generations of Polish Jazz musicians for decades. The music on this album clearly shows that they are able to stand shoulder to shoulder with their cohorts.

The album is full of strong personal statements by all the participants, as appropriate for such endeavor, with the leader exploring his extensive arsenal of trumpet magic, moving with ease between raw and fully powered statements and delicate balladry. His unique and very personal style remains as one of the most distinctive voices of Polish Jazz trumpet, equaled by but a very few.

Few is also a charmer with his highly idiosyncratic piano vistas, which can be heard all along the album's duration and come to a climax in the short solo piano piece showcasing his abilities and dedicated to him by the leader/composer. The excellent rhythm section is a bastion of strength and stability which keeps the music in check and moving along the desired chronometry, completely at ease with whatever is required at each given moment. Joris gets also a solo spot in another short piece dedicated to him. An artistry of time and pulse…

Overall this is an excellent album by any standard and although it offers contemporary Jazz of the American flavor, rather than European Jazz which one expects to hear from European Jazz musicians, it is perfectly executed, interesting and inspiring, full of great ideas and obviously highly engaging. Wojtasik deserves admiration and praise for consistency, which characterizes his entire career, and most importantly for doing his thing regardless of trends and fads of fashion. Keep swinging Maestro!

Makoto Kuriya/Sylwester Ostrowski Quintet – Just Music (2014)

Makoto Kuriya/Sylwester Ostrowski Quintet

Makoto Kuriya - piano
Piotr Wojtasik - trumpet
Sylwester Ostrowski - tenor saxophone
Essiet Okon Essiet - bass
Newman Taylor Baker - drums

Just Music


P-VINE 24327

By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album by the international quintet co-led by Japanese pianist/composer Makoto Kuriya and Polish saxophonist/composer Sylwester Ostrowski, which also includes Polish trumpeter Piotr Wojtasik and American rhythm section comprising of bassist Essiet Okon Essiet and drummer Newman Taylor Baker. The album presents nine compositions, five of which are originals co-composed by Ostrowski and Wojtasik, two are originals by Kuriya and the remaining two are standards.

The music belongs to the melodic mainstream variety, with solid compositions, but completely non-original approach which puts the album somewhere in the proximity of 1950s or early 1960s American Jazz idiom. Of course these are all highly professional musicians, who can play really well, but the overall effect of this music is simply passé.

Personally I find the phenomenon of European or Japanese musicians trying to imitate American Jazz sort of pathetic; they will never be able to beat the American Jazz tradition so they might as well find their own path and take the music elsewhere, which of course many do, especially the younger ones.

Overall this is very well played mainstream American-like Jazz, which still has many followers all over the globe. For such audiences, this album is definitely worth investigating, although there are thousands of similar recordings out there deserving no less attention.

Francesco Bruno 4et– Witam (2014)

Francesco Bruno 4et

Francesco Bruno - guitar
Pierpaolo Principato - piano
Luca Pirozzi - bass
Nicola Angelucci - drums
Piotr Wojtasik - trumpet (5,9)
Sylwester Ostrowski - saxophone (5,9)
Makoto Kuriya - piano

Witam

VIDEO EIKON 002

By Adam Baruch

This is the ninth album by the Italian Jazz guitarist/composer Francesco Bruno and his quartet, which also includes pianist Pierpaolo Principato, bassist Luca Pirozzi and drummer Nicola Angelucci. Two Polish Jazz musicians guest on couple of the album's tacks: trumpeter Piotr Wojtasik and saxophonist Sylwester Ostrowski and the Japanese pianist Makoto Kuriya guests on one track. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Bruno. The album's title is the Polish word for "Welcome" and reflects Bruno's special relationship with Poland, where he often performs with his quartet and Polish Jazz musicians.

The music is a beautifully melodic mainstream Jazz, mostly very lyrical and somewhat melancholic on the slow tempo numbers. The compositions contain traces of typical Italian melody lines, characteristic of gentle breezes, sunny shores and lovable wine, that we, Mediterranean people know how to enjoy. The music broadcasts "amare la vita", with its elegance, nonchalance and caressing notes, which are meant to please and lift the spirit of the listener, without sounding banal or corny.

Bruno has a very unique guitar sound, somewhat reminiscent of Pat Metheny but without the rough edge, and his quartet is an ideal vehicle for his melodic improvisations, with the pianist gently adding his highly harmonious ornamentations and the rhythm section elegantly steering the ensemble in the right direction. The guests also add some fine moments to the overall effort.

On the whole this is a pleasant, stylish and graceful musical effort, which should make the listeners happy and asking for more. I suppose it would be most enjoyable accompanied by a glass of wonderful red wine and gentle see breeze, but sitting by a fireplace in the midst of winter is definitely also an option. Grazie amici!

Sylwester Ostrowski Quartet - Don't Explain (2013)

Sylwester Ostrowski Quartet

Sylwester Ostrowski - tenor sax
Reggie Moore - piano
Wayne Dockery - double bass
Newman T. Baker - drums

Sylwester Ostrowski Quartet (2013)



By Maciej Nowotny

I love Polish jazz, I suppose few can doubt this. But if Polish jazz were like this record, I would hate it! With all my heart! I would stop listening to it and bury all my records deep in the cellar. No! Better I would burn them all so there would be no chance that some other person stumble into such a deadly trap.

But why am I so exasperated? Many of my colleagues are not, indeed to my complete astonishment, they compliment this counterfeit as something true and original. But it isn't! I can say what I already repeated so many times: jazz is a kind of music, more, kind of life approach, totally OPPOSITE to copying, imitating, duplicating. And that's what this whole album is ALL about! Not only all songs are thousand times played standards but they are also reproduced by American musicians (Reggie Moore on piano, Wayne Dockery on double bass and Newman T. Baker on drums) in completely emotionless way. Dream fulfilled of jazz as desired by Marsalis clan! But from my point of view what a incredible waste of talent of so many gifted musicians!

But it is not all! On top of all this is a leader of this ensamble saxophonist Sylwester Ostrowski. Let me ask my noble colleagues jazz journalists and critics: are you deaf? Don't you hear this guy simple cannot play his instrument? He is never in tempo with other players, his tone in uncontrolled, his phrase shapeless. True, I admire his enthusiasm towards jazz but, please, we must not mix amateurs with professionals! If we rally care about music we love so much! If we want it to remain, as Polish Jazz, a synonym of the highest quality of art, of something special in this country culture landscape! Please, just stop it!