Pater/Kaminski/Urowski/Gorzycki – Dziki Jazz (2009)

Kamil Pater - guitar
Aleksander Kaminski - saxophone
Pawel Urowski - bass
Rafal Gorzycki - drums

MW 002





By Adam Baruch

This is an excellent album by a quartet of young generation Polish Jazz musicians: guitarist Kamil Pater, saxophonist Aleksander Kaminski, bassist Pawel Urowski and drummer Rafal Gorzycki. They have all appeared in different local ensembles since the turn of the Century and have an established reputation as some of the biggest hopes of the future Polish Jazz scene. The album presents eight original compositions, with two each by Pater, Urowski and Pater / Kaminski, one by Gorzycki and the remaining one by all four musicians.

The music is an interesting blend of modern Jazz and some Blues, Rock, Electronics and Contemporary Classical influences. The overall atmosphere is contemplative and relaxed and the up-tempo passages are usually brief and serve as a contrast to the low-key attitude, which dominates this recording. There are clear melodic themes stated in each of the compositions, but there is also a lot of freedom and individual expression herein. The two main soloists (i.e. guitar and saxophone) play some beautiful duets and the level of interplay between the four musicians is simply phenomenal.

It is great to see musicians finding new ways to express their talents and innovate, rather than follow the beaten path of mainstream Jazz, which has been over-exploited for decades. This music is original, fresh, fascinating and stylistically diverse to keep the listeners on their toes time and time again. Three of the musicians playing here recorded another splendid album entitles "A-Kineton" with saxophonist Irek Wojtczak replacing Kaminski, which is also a "must have" for all Polish Jazz connoisseurs.

Irek Wojtczak – The Bees' Knees (2013)

Irek Wojtczak - tenor & soprano saxophones, bass clarinet

Kamil Pater - guitar

Adam Zuchowski - bass

Kuba Staruszkiewich - drums

Sopocka Odessa 008





By Adam Baruch

Jazz is the Art of the unexpected and unexpected is exactly what the listener will get while listening to this music. Although saxophonist / composer Irek Wojtczak, a native of the Baltic Tricity, has an established reputation on the contemporary Polish Jazz scene, he certainly does not allow anybody to conveniently put him and his music in a tight niche, which would characterize his music. Constantly developing, probing and expanding his milieu, which over time covered such diverse areas as mainstream Jazz, Jazz-World Fusion, Jazz-Rock Fusion and experimental Free Jazz, Wojtczak with his chameleonic ability to fit in any environment and to do it splendidly, is a superb example of a modern Jazz musician.

The music presented here is first and foremost an expression of individual freedom within the boundaries of a collective. The four musicians truly play together here, but at the same time allow each other a lot of individual space. There are clearly defined melodies and chord changes, but the music turns and twists constantly in each and every direction – harmonic, rhythmic and thematic. There are impressive solos, elegant group improvisations and intelligent moves on behalf of all the participants. Wojtczak, who composed all the music herein, is a very liberal leader, which results in collective creativity rather than musical conformity or obedience. The choice of the guitar, rather than piano, as the quartet's harmonic instrument suits Wojtczak's music ideally in this case. All that remains is to hop on and enjoy the ride!

Side Note: The above are my liner notes for this album. I was honored to be asked by Irek to write them and thank him for his confidence.

This album, recorded with guitarist Kamil Pater, bassist Adam Zuchowski and drummer Kuba Staruszkiewicz, is in many respects a direct continuation of the previous meeting between Wojtczak and Pater, which produced the superb "A-Kineton" album, and expands the cooperation between these two musicians even further. It presents eight original compositions, all by Wojtczak, which span a wide range of moods and emotions, all being Free spiritually, but firmly attached to melodic themes, creating a unique overall effect of elegant anarchy. The solo work and the team work of all the quartet members are simply amazing.

Wojtczak emerges here as a rightful member of the elite of Polish Jazz, a status he earned fair and square by years of playing with countless other musicians as a sideman and leader, recording and most importantly constantly developing, always embracing new ideas and never allowing himself to be trapped for too long in one place.

This piece of music is the epitome of modern Jazz, well beyond Fusion, Free and any other specific sub-genre, as it encompasses them all; a true amalgam. Definitely not to be missed!

Rafal Gorzycki / Kamil Pater – Therapy (EP) (2013)

Rafal Gorzycki - percussion
Kamil Pater - guitar

MW 005








By Adam Baruch

This album presents a live recording by a duo of Polish Jazz musicians: percussionist / composer Rafal Gorzycki and guitarist / composer Kamil Pater. These two talented personalities met earlier on, when they were both members of quartets, which recorded the splendid "Dziki Jazz" and later "A-Kineton" albums and here they cooperate in a much more intimate framework of a duo, which is of course more demanding and challenging. The album includes one continuous piece of music, performed without any breaks and edited as a single track. The music is not credited specifically to the participants and therefore should be considered as spontaneously created "on the fly" by the duo members. The music last for about 34 minutes, which marks this album as an EP rather than a full CD. It is a limited numbered edition of 200 copies only.

Musically this is a mixture of many different musical elements, inspirations and influences, obviously well based in the Jazz tradition of improvisation, but also encompassing electronic music, Rock and Fusion elements, folkloristic motifs and contemporary Classical structures. Although improvised and spacey / free, it also includes clear melody lines and forms, which makes it much more accessible to less experienced listeners than most Improvised Music recordings. Gorzycki and Pater have both already proven that although they feel very comfortable in the Free Jazz environment, they stay relaxed and elegant cleverly eschewing the aggression and alienation often associated with that genre.

As always with duo projects, the most essential quality a listener expects to find is the level of dialogue between the musicians and their mutual understanding / connection. This recording is a superb example of an almost telepathic bond developing between musicians playing together, which is always a source of great pleasure for the listener. In addition both these players display a masterly control of virtuosic proportions of their respective instruments, which is awe inspiring.

The music Gorzycki and Pater play here is quite different from what they played on earlier recordings, which of course gives us the opportunity to discover other layers of their complex artistic personalities. It is truly admirable that they continue to create and discover new territory time after time. This restlessness is an essential quality, which characterizes great explorers, and we, the bystanders have the enormous pleasure of reaping the fruits of they labor.

Overall this is a beautiful piece of extremely interesting music, which is unconventional, bold and experimental and yet at the same time is quite listenable and inviting. Very well done indeed!

Polish-Jazz blog provides media patronage for new album by Irek Wojtczak !!!

Irek Wojtczak

Irek Wojtczak - saxophones, bass clarinet
Kamil Pater - guitar
Adam Żuchowski - double bass
Kuba Staruszkiewicz - drums

The Bees' Knees (2013)




By Adam Baruch

Jazz is the Art of the unexpected and unexpected is exactly what the listener will get while listening to this music. Although saxophonist / composer Irek Wojtczak, a native of the Baltic Tricity, has an established reputation on the contemporary Polish Jazz scene, he certainly does not allow anybody to conveniently put him and his music in a tight niche, which would characterize his music. Constantly developing, probing and expanding his milieu, which over time covered such diverse areas as mainstream Jazz, Jazz-World Fusion, Jazz-Rock Fusion and experimental Free Jazz, Wojtczak with his chameleonic ability to fit in any environment and to do it splendidly, is a superb example of a modern Jazz musician.

The music presented here is first and foremost an expression of individual freedom within the boundaries of a collective. The four musicians truly play together here, but at the same time allow each other a lot of individual space. There are clearly defined melodies and chord changes, but the music turns and twists constantly in each and every direction – harmonic, rhythmic and thematic. There are impressive solos, elegant group improvisations and intelligent moves on behalf of all the participants. Wojtczak, who composed all the music herein, is a very liberal leader, which results in collective creativity rather than musical conformity or obedience. The choice of the guitar, rather than piano, as the quartet's harmonic instrument suits Wojtczak's music ideally in this case. All that remains is to hop on and enjoy the ride!

Pater / Wojtczak / Urowski / Gorzycki – A-Kineton (Owoc Music, 2012)

Pater / Wojtczak / Urowski / Gorzycki

Rafał Gorzycki - drums

Irek Wojtczak - saxophones
Kamil Pater - guitar
Paweł Urowski - double bass,

Guest: Maurycy Wojcinski - trumpet

A-kineton (Owoc Music, 2012)

This wonderful album, recorded by the Polish quartet comprising of guitarist Kamil Pater, saxophonist Irek Wojtczak, bassist Pawel Urowski and drummer Rafal Gorzycki, with guest trumpeter Maurycy Wojcinski, is an excellent example of contemporary Jazz, played by young musicians who slowly establish a new school of Polish Jazz, continuing the splendid tradition of the country's achievements in that area. For people following the scene these names won't be completely new, as they have been active in many different ensembles during the last decade, like Sing Sing Penelope, Ecstasy Project, Contemporary Noise Sextet and others. Pater, Urowski and Gorzycki, with saxophonist Alexander Kaminski, recorded the splendid "Dziki Jazz" (Wild Jazz) album earlier on.

Pater wrote five of the eight compositions on this album, with Urowski and Gorzycki contributing one composition each and one being a group composition. The music is excellent modern Jazz, with some basic melodic content, but mostly improvised with a lot of both individual and collective freedom extended towards the participants. The performances are all inspired and highly professional, and overall the album is a great piece of music, which flows elegantly from one composition to another, constantly keeping the listener on the edge. By and large the atmosphere is somewhat similar to the music played by the groundbreaking Polish ensemble Sing Sing Penelope, which of course is not entirely surprising and should be seen as a compliment. Hopefully this quartet has a lot more to offer in the future, and I'm looking forward to hear their next album. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Track listing: 1 A-kineton; 2 Bleak sun; 3 Solaris; 4 Dancing Queen; 5 Half Life; 6 Indian Driver; 7 Time For Sheeps And Dogs; 8 The Tree

By Adam Baruch

www.adambaruch.com

Pater, Gorzycki, Wojtczak, Urowski - Akineton (Owoc Music, 2012)

Rafał Gorzycki - drums

Irek Wojtczak - saxophones

Kamil Pater - guitar

Paweł Urowski - double bass,

Guest: Maurycy Wojcinski - trumpet

Akineton (Owoc Music, 2012)

This is second release, after dziki 'Dziki Jazz' (2009), of a collective consisting of drummer Rafał Gorzycki, saxophonist Irek Wojtczak, guitarist Irek Wojtczak and double bassist Paweł Urowski. They are accompanied by guest trumpeter Maurycy Wójciński. Moving force between this project is Gorzycki who is key player on our avantgarde scene leading such important bands as Sing Sing Penelope and Ecstasy Project. Other members of the band are connected to famous Contemporary Noise Sextet, Freeyo and other ephemeral free jazz projects. This is kind of artistic community centered around club Mózg located in Bydgoszcz which since yass times is a place where progressive artistic ideas may flourish.

In terms of music this is fully satisfactory album bringing story told in modern jazz language. It sounds captivating and engages listener throughout the whole album. Never shallow and superficial it is not at the same time too chaotic not to be enjoyed by any listener with open ears. Moments of beauty are numerous as much in energetic, up-tempo fragments as in ballads that sounds otherworldly. The album is coherent, clearly well thought-out and marks that this collective has reached state of maturation. Good job! 

Track listing: 1 A-kineton; 2 Bleak sun; 3 Solaris; 4 Dancing Queen; 5 Half Life; 6 Indian Driver; 7 Time For Sheeps And Dogs; 8 The Tree

By Maciej Nowotny

http://kochamjazz.blox.pl

Contemporary Noise Quartet - Theatre Play Music (Electric Eye, 2008)

I became great fan of Contemporary Noise Sextet (CNS) after their two first albums "Pig Inside Gentleman" (2006) and "Unaffected Thought Flow" (2008) and though their last recording "Ghostwriter's Joke" left me little less enthusiastic, I am still of the opinion that CNS is one of the most interesting young bands in Polish jazz alongside Pink Freud, Sing Sing Penelope or Levity. Their jazz is tending to be close to film music, nu jazz, punk rock even. It is communicative, catchy, narrative - built of simple elements but certainly not banal.

"Theatre Play Music" (2010) was the only their album I did not yet listened to on the basis that I rarely find theatre music satisfactory. However this disc is exception to that rule: it's coherent and rewarding itself as separate soundtrack not linked with theatrical performance. BTW it was composed to accompany play titled "Miłość ci wszystko wybaczy" directed by Przemysław Wojcieszek and given in Warsaw's Teatr Polonia.

There is also one more reason to check this record, especially for all those already acquainted with CNS music because this is their only album in quartet format without horn section (Wojtek Jachna - trumpet, Tomasz Glazik - tenor sax). As a result music performed by Kuba Kapsa (piano), Bartek Kapsa (drums), Kamil Pater (gitara) and Patryk Węcławek (double bass) sounds especially fresh, less lavish but more elegant, suggestive, other-worldly. Must-listen for all CNS fans... 

Author: Maciej Nowotny (http://polish-jazz.blogspot.com/)
check my site in Polish as well: http://kochamjazz.blox.pl/html
...

Contemporary Noise Sextet - Ghostwriter's Joke (2011)

I love this band so please bear in mind that my opinion is biased: in this case the problem is that I had expectations too high. First record of then Contemporary Noise Quintet "Pig Inside Gentleman" (2006) simply turn my jazz gusto upside down. It was simply tour-de-force, something completely new in Polish music, a perfect blend of jazz, rock, pop, film music: it was sexy as hell and yet appealed to such a conneiseurs as I pretend to be. Because of its originality it was either loved or hated but the most important is that nobody remained  indifferent. 

With their next record "Unaffected Thought Flow" (2008) the band expanded into six regular members (plus guests). It resulted in even more diversified sound quite unlike for group operating on the vestiges of jazz and popular music. With this record even skeptics became convinced that Contemporary Noise Sextet is new significant force in Polish jazz and they began to be counted among strongest young bands such as Pink Freud or Sing Sing Penelope (Tomek Glazik and Wojtek Jachna played in both SSP and CNS). The success of those two albums helped them also to be recognized abroad which resulted in German Denovali Rec. and Japanese Zankyo Rec. issuing their CD as well as their own Polish Electric Eye Rec.

Their third issue, "Theater Play Music" (2008), was quite different story and is still waiting to be described on this blog. So let me now focus now on their newest album: what is it like?

First of all it confirms thoroughly that they developed their own language, immediately recognized after listening to first bars of the music: a dream fulfilled for any players. Film music connotations are even stronger than before: one rehearsal after another I tried to imagine a narrative that might fit to this dynamic and story-telling music.

On the other hand I must confess that  music on this record moved from typical jazz spatiality to rock aggressiveness and thus lost some of its grip over me. I never liked rock, I hate loudness and din, I despise ostinato pulse present from first to last second of this album. One could expect that such evolution of the band's sound may happen as shortly before recording of this album the artists involved in this project reactivated their former band Something Like Elvis, a legend of Polish postpunk scene. 

Well, it is sad, but I simply feel like my old friends went their own way, quite separate from my gusto, but I appreciate their decisions and bid them farewell. Could it be that we shall meet again in a future...? 

Check this film about making of the album containing a sample of music:

Contemporary Noise Sextet - Unaffected Thought Flow (2008)

I already wrote about this band on occasion of their previous recording Pig in Gentleman. This time they changed format a little adding to the previous quintet of musicians (Kuba Kapsa - p, Tomasz Glazik - sx, Wojtek Jachna -tr, Paweł Urowski - b, Bartek Kapsa - dr) Kamil Pater (g). He already appeared on PIG but now plays CNS on permanent addition. He is excellent player who was part of famous progressive rock band  called Ecstasy Project and recorded Dziki Jazz last year, the album regarded by many as one of the most important ventures in the field of mainstream, avant-garde and free jazz in Poland.

Although many fans of CNS were afraid whether they will be able to keep the standard they attained in their first album this band proves by this issue that they are able to deliver high quality and creative jazz on regular basis. This album not only continues good job they started in PIG but they even pushed the whole further including into their music idiom not only jazz and film music but also rock, drum&bass or trip hop. This is exactly a mixture you would like to hear while being in some good club with nice and intelligent girlfriend on Saturday evening in one of big european cities. Cool and sexy stuff from Poland, definitely not to be missed!!!

By Maciej Nowotny
http://kochamjazz.blox.pl

Pater, Kamiński, Urowski, Gorzycki - Dziki Jazz (2009)

Dziki Jazz (Wild Jazz) is new project of young but already well recognized musicians. Kamil Pater (guitar), Aleksander Kamiński (saxophone), Rafał Gorzycki (drums) and Paweł Urowski (bass) know each other well bacause they play together in excellent Contemporary Noise Quartet/Quintet/Sextet. This is creme de creme of Polish young jazz, rock, alternative and avant-garde scene. Wherever they move something new and inspiring arises. Dziki Jazz is no exception as they propose again something contradictory do what audience expected from him.

Typically they were associated with rock or even punk rock (Ecstasy Project, Something Like Elvis), further with free jazz (Sing Sing Penelope) energetic and spontaneus, in tradition of Ornette Coleman, Albert Ayler or Archie Shepp but with this recording they go as close as never before toward mainstream. And still they manage to retain in their music this provocative and intriguing feature that was present on their other albums. So contrary to the title of the album the music is definitely less wild but much more communicative and is appealing to emotions they up to this date rather neglected. What are this emotions? This I think you should prefer to discover on your own. I simply recommend this album to you as I feel any sensitive and open-minded jazzman should enjoy it very much.

A small sample of what you may encounter on this cd:

By Maciej Nowotny

http://kochamjazz.blox.pl/html

Contemporary Noise Quintet - Pig Inside The Gentleman (2006)

 

With this record Contemporary Nosie Quintet made quite an impact on polish scene because there were before them almost no recordings in such style. This style may be described as blend of jazz, improvised and film music. It reminds me of such bands I heard recently as french-japanese United Future Organization, british Nostalgia 77 or american Hypnotic Brass Orchestra. 

The band was created by Kapsa brothers who are very well known on polish rock scene as they created one of the most important young rock bands of recents years called Something Like Elvis. It was big surprise when at the height of popularity of this band they decided to finish it and start new one dedicated to jazz. Beacause of the success of their previous creation they had not no diffculty in inviting to the band  excellent jazz musicians. They were joined by saxofonist Tomek Glazik who played in top jazz avant-garde band Sing Sing Penelope (I wrote about them in this blog), trumpeter Wojtek Jachna (also Sing Sing Penelope) and bassist Paweł Urowski (who last year recorded excellent album titled Dziki Jazz - Wild Jazz). Guests taking part in this recording are no less prominent as they comprised young but very talented guitarist Kamil Pater, trombonist Marcin Muras and double bass player Radosław Manthey.

One may only admire creativity of all these guys moving freely between different styles being able to reconcile punk  agressivness with jazz sense of space and improvisation. What is even more admirable that Kapsa brothers set up their own record company called Electric Eye which issued this album and is developing quite well. Additionaly recording was made in their own studio in Szubin and one must appreciate its high level as nonetheless loud character of music, its sense of space and granularity is more than satisfactory.

By Maciej Nowotny

http://kochamjazz.blox.pl