Włodek Pawlik – Struny Na Ziemi (2011)

Włodek Pawlik

Lora Szafran - vocals
Marek Bałata - vocals
Robert Więckiewicz - recitation
Włodek Pawlik - piano
Paweł Pańta -  bass
Cezary Konrad - drums
Mikołaj Wielecki - percussion

Struny Na Ziemi


POLSKIE RADIO 1395

By Adam Baruch

This is a beautiful album by Polish pianist/composer Włodek Pawlik, which presents a Jazz & Poetry project dedicated to the poetry of Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, one of the most renowned 20th Century Polish literary figures, although quite controversial on the convoluted Polish political landscape. Pawlik created sixteen musical settings to poems by Iwaszkiewicz, which are executed by a fabulous cast which includes vocalists Lora Szafran and Marek Bałata, actor Robert Więckiewicz, bassist Paweł Pańta, drummer Cezary Konrad and percussionist Mikołaj Wielecki.

The Jazz & Poetry idiom has always been one of great fortes of Polish Jazz and the beautiful Polish poetry seems always to magically inspire musicians and makes them to come up with their best work. This album is another example of this phenomenon and it is absolutely wonderful from start to finish. Pawlik seems to be completely comfortable with the short "song" oriented environment and weaves a series of beautifully melodic, expressive and impressive pieces, which are certainly among his strongest manifestations as a composer.

The vocals and recitation are also superbly executed, with Szafran demonstrating again that she has but a few equals. A pity she does not record more, as her singing is always a source of heavenly pleasure. The instrumental quartet performs spotlessly, with Pawlik sensitive and lyrical phrases amicably and masterfully accompanied by the excellent rhythm section.

Overall this is a classic example of the Jazz & Poetry idiom, which glorifies the Polish Culture in the best possible way. The combination of words and music is probably the most powerful tool to bring the best out of the Artists and the listeners. Of course the lyrics in Polish seemingly limit the audience to the Polish speakers, but honestly this album can move the hearts of listeners who do not understand a word of Polish by the sheer magic of its intelligence and intellectual content. Strangely this album made very little impact on the Polish scene at the time of its release. Some people probably can't bury political hatchets even when it comes to Culture.

Włodek Pawlik Trio - America (2015)

Włodek Pawlik Trio

Włodek Pawlik - piano
Paweł Pańta - bass
Cezary Konrad - drums

America

Pawlik Relations 2015




By Jakub Pożarowszczyk

Włodek Pawlik powrócił w 2015 roku z nowym wydawnictwem po olbrzymim sukcesie, jakim okazała się nagrodzona Grammy "Night In Calisia". "America" jest podsumowaniem pewnego etapu kariery muzyka, a zarazem oddaniem hołdu Stanom Zjednoczonym i kulturalnemu, a szczególnie jazzowemu tyglowi, dzięki któremu, jak sam muzyk nas przekonuje, jest tym, kim jest, i dzięki temu może zachwycać nas kolejnymi nagraniami sygnowanymi swoim nazwiskiem.

Od momentu premiery "Night In Calisia" fani mieli już okazję posłuchać koncertowego "Wieczorem", na którym pianista zaprezentował – wraz z polskimi wokalistami takimi jak Dorota Miśkiewicz, Natalia Wilk czy Kuba Badach – jazzowe kompozycje do liryków lubelskiego poety Józefa Czechowicza, a ponadto w 2014 roku poobcować z "Night In Calisia Live". Faktem jednak jest, że ostatnie lata u Pawlika były skupione przede wszystkim wokół promocji "Night In Calisia". 

"America" stanowi swoiste resume dotychczasowego dorobku Pawlika. Sam to zresztą przyznaje w książeczce dołączonej do wydawnictwa. Jako że album jest właśnie skonstruowany w takiej formie, to mamy na nim kompozycje z różnych dziedzin aktywności artysty. Od jego premierowych kompozycji, po te nieopublikowane, schowane przez lata w szufladzie. Ponadto na płycie uświadczymy urywki z twórczości w dziedzinie muzyki filmowej, której Pawlik trochę nagrał w karierze i, last but no least, mamy dwie kompozycje polskich gigantów fortepianu, jak Fryderyk Chopin i Ignacy Paderewski, które zostały przełożone na jazzową modłę.

Wita nas faktycznie amerykańska w treści kompozycja "America". Czuć w niej klimat, ten zdecydowanie pozytywny, Stanów Zjednoczonych jako ziemi obiecanej, american dream i kraju wolności i swobód. Trzeba podkreślić, że Włodek Pawlik tę muzykę napisał w 1988 roku, więc zapewne ówczesne doznania artysty związane z Ameryką, należy teraz, w przełożeniu na obecne czasy, liczyć u niego podwójnie. Ta kompozycja aż kipi radością, nadzieją, jest bardzo dynamiczna w swojej strukturze. Szczególnie taką jest "Speed Limit", kolejna z dawnych kompozycji Pawlika, również tętniąca zgiełkiem amerykańskich ulic i codziennego życia. W podobnym klimacie skomponowany został ponadto "Blue Munk", jedyny zupełnie nowy utwór stworzony i nagrany na potrzeby albumu.

Z pozostałych propozycji na uwagę zasługuje "The Office" – utwór pochodzący ze ścieżki filmowej do kapitalnego filmu "Rewers" w reżyserii Borysa Lankosza. Pawlik zagrał tutaj subtelny, fortepianowy temat, urzekający swoimi dźwiękami, lecz będący tym samym dziwnie niepokojący. Jeszcze więcej mroku ma w sobie "Crows" pochodzący oryginalnie z trochę już zapomnianego dramatu "Wrony" w reżyserii Doroty Kędzierzawskiej. "Chopinowski Mazurek op. 68" ma z kolei lekko smooth jazzowy posmak, Pawlik z zespołem nie boi się improwizować, podobnie jak w "Nokturnie" Paderewskiego. W tych dwóch kompozycjach doskonale wyczuwalna jest wirtuozeria pianisty i muzyków jemu towarzyszących - kontrabasisty Pawła Pańty i perkusisty Cezarego Konrada.

"America" wydaje się lżejsza w formie od poprzednich płyt Pawlika, jednak to chyba charakter tego wydawnictwa wymuszał taki zabieg. W końcowym rozrachunku zupełnie to nie przeszkadza, bowiem wydaje się, że zestaw zadowoli największych maniaków jazzu, fanów samego artysty i osób, takich jak ja, które z jazzem obcują od czasu do czasu.

Wlodek Pawlik has won the Best Large Jazz Ensemble Grammy!!!

Wlodek Pawlik has won the Best Large Jazz Ensemble Grammy at the ceremony in Los Angeles for the album 'Night in Calisia' by his trio, trumpeter Randy Brecker and Kalisz Philharmonic. The award is the first ever for a Polish jazz musician at the United State's top music ceremony, now in its 56th year. Pawlik thanked all those "who contributed to the success of this album in America, including my wife, who is the producer. "I would like to add that the entire production of this album was created in Poland. This is a Polish product," he added. Wlodek Pawlik is one of Poland’s top jazz pianists and composers and has written scores for movies including Peter Greenway’s ‘Nightwatching’ and several features by leading Polish directors. (source: http://www.thenews.pl/)

More about this album in our review: http://polish-jazz.blogspot.com/2013/01/randy-brecker-wlodek-pawlik-night-in.html

Randy Brecker / Wlodek Pawlik – Night In Calisia (2012)

Randy Brecker - trumpet
Wlodek Pawlik - piano / composer
Pawel Panta - bass
Cezary Konrad - drums

Kalish Philhamonic Orchestra
Adam Klocek - conductor

LICOMP 014


By Adam Baruch

This is the second album on which the legendary American trumpeter Randy Brecker cooperates with Polish Jazz pianist / composer Wlodek Pawlik, performing a Jazz suite composed by Pawlik. Their previous cooperation resulted in the album "Tykocin Jazz Suite", which was very warmly received by critics and audiences alike. This time they perform the "Night In Calisia" suite, which was commissioned by the Polish City of Kalisz to commemorate its 1850 Anniversary. The music is performed by Brecker, a piano trio led by Pawlik with bassist Pawel Panta and drummer Cezary Konrad and the Kalisz Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Adam Klocek. The suite is sub-divided into six sections, which together provide a continuous flow of integrated music.

The suite is based on several melodic themes, which reappear throughout the sections, with some passages performed by the orchestra and others featuring the piano trio and the trumpeter. There are several extended solos, all executed perfectly as expected from such high-class musicians. The instrumentation and arrangements balance beautifully between the Jazz undercurrent and the orchestral parts, with naturally tend to sound more Classical in nature. The music is wonderfully lyrical and melodic, tranquil and serene most of the time, simply stroking the listener's attention note by note. Brecker plays simply outstanding, with exceptional clarity and stability, which is extremely difficult. Pawlik fills the space with the melodic motifs, always attentive and gentle. The bassist displays sheer virtuosic qualities and a warm sound of rare beauty and the veteran drummer keeps time, when keeping time is needed and gently strokes the set during the more atmospheric passages. This is pure bliss.

I suppose some listeners and Jazz connoisseurs might find this music to be slightly "sugary" at times. Well, perhaps so, but it certainly does not bother me at all. This is supposed to be a melodic, Jazz oriented amalgam of cross-genre explorations, well framed within the Classical tradition as well as the Jazz heritage. Pawlik is obviously a Master of his trade, which anybody listening to this recording must admit fair and square. There is a plentitude of wonderful Jazz / Classical interplays, which are intelligent, interesting and entertaining. The artistry involved both in the composition as well as the execution of this music is definitely praiseworthy.

This album is highly recommended to listeners, who love the proximity of Jazz and contemporary Classical music, and who will find this work delicious at all times. Pawlik confirms his position as a major force on the Polish Jazz scene and listening to Brecker's trumpet is always a pleasure. Well done!

Wlodek Pawlik – Grand Piano (2009)

Włodek Pawlik - piano

Grand Piano (2009)

Polish pianist / composer Wlodek Pawlik has been one of the most prolific and multifaceted / versatile musicians on the local scene. His activity spans cross-genre projects, ranging between contemporary Classical, Jazz and music for films, all of which have been warmly received by critics and the public. His discography since the late 1980s includes over 20 albums, which is a remarkable achievement by any standard. This double CD package presents Pawlik playing two sets of solo piano music, recorded during two consecutive night recording sessions. The music is completely improvised and consists of a series of pieces, or as the artist calls them impressions, which were created on the spur of the moment. They are left unnamed and are listed as Track 1 to Track 11 on the first CD and Track 1 to Track 14 on the second, perhaps in order to avoid and unnecessary associations while listening to the music.

Solo piano albums, and double albums at that, can present an enormous challenge both to the performer and the listener. Two hours of improvised music can and often do evolve into obsessive New Age doodling, pretentious pseudo-intellectual masturbation or deadly boring elevator muzak. Pawlik skillfully and intelligently manages to avoid any of the above traps, producing a sequence of musical vistas, which sound like a soundtrack to an imaginary movie, constantly changing moods, tempi and harmonic structures, but unified and consolidated by a certain frame of mind of the artist, which he passes to the listener. This is certainly a challenging music, stimulating the listener to take part in the creative process when absorbing it into his consciousness or perhaps sub-consciousness. Perhaps not suitable for everybody, this music can serve as a great source musical pleasure to the apt listener. It is also deeply European in character, with distant echoes of Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Debussy and others at least in spiritum. The obvious Keith Jarrett association also comes to mind, although Pawlik's approach to on the spot composition / improvisation is much more introvert and relaxed than Jarrett's. Solo piano lovers will find this album a chest a treasures, as all serious music connoisseurs. This is a treat!

By Adam Baruch
http://www.adambaruch.com/

Wlodek Pawlik Quartet feat. Randy Brecker - Turtles (Polonia Records, 1995)

Włodek Pawlik - piano

Randy Brecker - trumpet trąbka
Trent Kynaston - tenor sax
Thomas Knific - bass
Cezary Konrad - drums

Turtles (Polonia Records, 1995)

Pawlik's Turtles is marked by the collective assurance of the musicians, the mix of Americans (Brecker, tenor saxophonist Trent Kynaston, bassist Thomas Knific) and Poles (the pianist, drummer Cezary Konrad) having benefited from working together in Polish clubs just before their Warsaw record date. On a program of originals, Brecker gets ample feature space: His creative impulses are decisive and his commitment to the music total (as on Thanks A Million). Soloist Kynaston injects surprise into some of his lines, especially effective when revealing an edgy desperation on "Not Samba." Pawlik is an intelligent pianist who listens carefully to his colleagues; he shares a tough sort of sensitivity with Brecker on their duet "...Sailing," and he quietly and skillfully conjures complex feelings on "Moontide." Worthy of note, also, is the bracing, alert manner in which Konrad breaks up the time on "Not Samba" and the title track.

A large part of the album appeal comes from the way the players' considerable facility and complicated turns of thought are so readily translated into high-quality modern jazz.

You can skip first 1:30 of talking and then good music starts:

Frank John Hadley

Down Beat

Włodek Pawlik Quartet - Waning Moon (Universal, 1999)

The Western Jazz Quartet is a peripatetic group, traveling to other countries and recording with other artists. Their visits to Poland have resulted in a number of recordings, the latest of which results from collaboration with a local pianist. The Wlodek Pawlik Quartet has released The Waning Moon (Mercury 546739-2), featuring the leader's compositions as well as his piano, with Trent Kynaston on tenor and soprano saxes, Tom Knific on bass, and Tim Froncek on drums. Pawlik's compositions cover a wide range of moods and influences, drawing on a variety of Polish folk music sources, but also on Chopin and Monk. The complex compound folk rhythms of the pianist's native land are used to good advantage on "Pieniny" (a mountain range) and "Polish Folk Dance;" the visiting Americans handle these difficult tunes with ease. The delicate ballad "Almost Nothing" reminds one of another Polish composer-pianist, Krzysztof Komeda, and Kynaston even recalls somewhat Bernt Rosengren, the Swedish tenor man who performed and record often with the famous film score writer. Both saxophonists share an admiration for Stan Getz. Knific also shows his perfect taste and intonation on a lovely solo on this ballad.

The musicianship on The Waning Moon is first rate, and the compositions are superior. As good as all of this is, to me the outstanding contributions are by Kynaston. A fabulous saxophonist, who is equally at ease in the classical as well as jazz repertoire, Kynaston seems to have found a perfect context to put all his skills together. On the ballads he transmits a poignant sense of love and desire; on the swingers he digs in to explore all the corners of the music handling the most difficult passages with ease. But he outdoes himself on "Kadysz," Pawlik's tribute to the history of the Jews of Poland. The tenor saxophone solo on this piece makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck — it is a cry over desolation, desecration, and loss that is pure poetry, saying things that cannot be said with words. 

The music sample comes from album titled "Anhelli" but is very similar to that on above described album:

Author of text: Piotr Michalowski (Semja Update)

Włodek Pawlik - We Are From Here (The Kielce Philharmonic Orchestra, 2010)

Włodek Pawlik is good example of how third-stream jazz is popular in Poland. There are countless recordings exploring this so many times plowed field with particular emphasis on Chopin compositions, regarded as hero of national culture and all that blah blah. I often wonder where this fascination with classical music comes from: my supposition is that it is related to the fact that most of jazz musicians in Poland undergo classical education. Good side of that is that technical level of Polish instrumentalists is really high, the weak side is that they are kind of limited in their imagination, they lack bravery, open-mindedness, spirit-of-rebel to cast behind themselves all that they so industriously learned during classical education.

This record of Włodek Pawlik is an example of such attitude: no one can deny his virtuosity in playing the piano and his compositional talent as displayed on this album. If he stucked to jazz as he more or less did on first track titled "Puls 11/8 na fortepian, flet, orkiestrę smyczkową i sekcję rytmiczną", it would be magnificent CD. This is great composition, very well played where both jazz and symphonic elements are perfectly balanced. 

But after this gem tune lasting 13:59 comes kind of suite titled "We Are Fro Here" lasting more than half an hour which is simply yet another typical post-romantic peace of music that unfortunately sounds so all-too-well-known, so easy-to-predict-what-will-be-next that I only with great difficulty forced myself to listen to this record more than once for sake of this review. Part of the problem lies as well in rather suppressed and lacking-breath sound of The Kielce Philharmonic Orchestra. Or is it poor level of recording? Or both?

Check this film to feel general mood of the music although material comes from different recording "Tykocin Suite" featuring trumpeter Randy Brecker who added a lot to this music:

Author of text: Maciej Nowotny (http://kochamjazz.blox.pl/html)