Purusha – Cosmic Friction (2015)

Purusha

Paweł Postaremczak - tenor saxophone
Wojciech Traczyk - double bass
Paweł Szpura - drums

Cosmic Friction

FOR TUNE 0067



By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album by Polish Jazz trio Purusha, which comprises of saxophonist Paweł Postaremczak, bassist Wojciech Traczyk and drummer Paweł Szpura, all three known to Polish Jazz followers as members of the large ensembles led by Wacław Zimpel (Hera and others). The album presents six original pieces, four of which were composed by Traczyk and two are co-credited to all three members of the trio.

The music of Purusha is a "classic" Free Jazz venture, which is its biggest drawback. Free Jazz exploded in the mid 1960s and this music sounds almost exactly as if recorded at that time, i.e. about 50 years ago. With all due respect to the cradle of Free Jazz, Albert Ayler and everything else, the clock keeps ticking. This of course might bring on reflections as to the possible path of Free Jazz in general, which may lead to a conclusion that Free Jazz only truly existed for a brief moment in the 1960s and everything done in that idiom since is simply ripples of that Big Bang?

But aside from the basic problem of being sort of "outdated", the music of Purusha is quite excellent within the boundaries of the Free Jazz idiom. Dominated by the saxophone, as usual in saxophone trios, it explores the various stages of expression between fury and tranquility, exemplifies the group interplay and allows for personal displays of instrumental ability, which are all top notch.

Postaremczak is obviously a highly talented soloist and his approach to the tenor saxophone is very personal and unique. In his hands the saxophone turns into many different instruments, often sounding exotic, weird and wonderful, which of course is very unusual. The rhythm section stands shoulder to shoulder with Postaremczak, both expanding and complimenting his journeys with obvious empathy and spirit of shared goal. Overall this is a very good Free Jazz album for diehard fans of the genre, which although does not innovate, keeps the tradition and legacy alive and kicking. Definitely worth investigation!

Kusiołek / Czekanowa / Postaremczak / Nowara - Qui Pro Quo (2015)

Kusiołek / Czekanowa / Postaremczak / Nowara

Robert Kusiołek - accordion, bandoneon
Elena Czekanowa - piano, sound effects
Paweł Postaremczak - tenor & soprano saxophones
Grzegorz Nowara - bass & contrabass tubas

Qui Pro Quo

MPC003

By Michał Pudło

Zastosowanie akordeonu (tudzież harmonium, bandoneonu, bajanu i innych „klawiszo-miechów”) w muzyce „złożonej” kojarzyło mi się dotychczas głównie ze współczesną muzyką klasyczną, kompozycjami Sofii Gubaiduliny i Franza Constanta. Jeżeli interesują was choć trochę „atonalne dreszczowce”, to polecam gorąco wymienioną parę. Partytury Gubaiduliny wyróżniają się spośród innych post-serialistycznych rzeczy zapałem, natchnieniem i rozmachem (co bodajże jest efektem gorliwej wiary kompozytorki). Proszę mi oddać przysługę i posłuchać jej kameralnego „In croce” czy „De profundis” na bajan solo. Constant z kolei eksperymentował z akordeonem, wystawiając ten instrument na czoło orkiestry symfonicznej w swoim kapitalnym „Concerto [na wymieniony skład]”. W nurcie improwizacji nie spotykamy wielu akordeonistów, dlatego cieszy obecność Roberta Kusiołka i jego wybory artystyczne.

Na „Qui Pro Quo” słyszymy (poza wspomnianym akordeonem) również fortepian, tubę i saksofon. Na ostatnim z wymienionych instrumentów Paweł Postaremczak gra z niespotykaną finezją, w stylu znanym z jego albumu „Affinity” z 2012 roku (trio z Ksawerym Wójcińskim i Klausem Kugelem). Ale istota rzeczy tkwi raczej w połączeniu barw i brzmień, niż w umiejętnościach pojedynczych muzyków. Bliżej kwartetowi do obrazowej muzyki awangardowej niż do jazzu czy improwizacji.

Przechodząc jednak do sedna, czyli do „Qui Pro Quo”: materiał brzmi zaskakująco i piszę to z czystym sumieniem. W pierwszej kolejności uderza melodyjność. Wspaniała melodyjność zbudowana na piekielnie nietypowych taktykach wykonawczych. Żaden członek/członkini kwartetu nie gra w sposób, który zaakceptowaliby konserwatywni słuchacze, a jednocześnie muzyka zamiast traumatyzować i wzburzać, emanuje harmonią. Wędruje z nami leśną knieją, trzymając czule za rękę. Okazjonalnie zdarzają się momenty ekspresyjne, jak np. w „Act III”, ale już w „Act IV” kwartet rozwija na bazie figlarnego saksofonu i kroczącego akordeonu kolejną przygodę fabularną. Elena Czekanowa gra pasjonujące melodie, uruchamiając zarówno klawiaturę, jak i strunowe bebechy fortepianu, a Grzegorz Nowara, cóż, doskonale dynamizuje muzykę niskimi rejestrami tuby. Całość obywa się bez basu i perkusji. Wniosek jest prosty: to wielowymiarowa muzyka dla odważnych słuchaczy.

Wacław Zimpel To Tu Orchestra – Nature Moves (2014)

Wacław Zimpel To Tu Orchestra

Wacław Zimpel - clarinets
Paweł Postaremczak - saxophones
Dominik Strycharski - flutes
Jacek Kita - upright piano
Maciej Cierliński - hurdy-gurdy
Wojtek Traczyk - double bass
Mike Majkowski - double bass
Paweł Szpura - drums
Hubert Zemler - drums

Nature Moves

FOR TUNE 0036

By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album by Polish Jazz clarinetist / composer / bandleader Wacław Zimpel and his nonet called To Tu Orchestra (the name is probably a wink in the direction of the legendary Warsaw club Pardon, To Tu), which includes saxophonist Paweł Postaremczak, flautist Dominik Strycharski, hurdy-gurdy player Maciej Cierliński, pianist Jacek Kita, bassists Wojtek Traczyk and Mike Majkowski and drummers Paweł Szpura and Hubert Zemler. The album includes six original compositions, arranged into three mini suites, of one, three and two parts respectively.

The music is in many respects a continuation of Zimpel's earlier work with the group Hera, which combines elements of avant-garde, Jazz and contemporary Classical music with World Music from all over the world. The strongest influence on this album is minimal music pioneered decades earlier by Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Terry Riley and others, which Zimpel embraces, most evidently in the first of the three mini suites but in fact throughout the entire album. The repeated structures returning cyclically, typical in minimal music, which are normally produced by electronic or acoustic orchestral patterns, are created here by World Music patterns, like Balinese gamelan music, slowly changing and intensifying until they reach a massive sound, but do not reach an expected crescendo. Minimalism continues to be present in the rest of the compositions, simply changing the geographic colorization, using Japanese, Middle Eastern and other folkloristic influences.

Zimpel is undoubtedly a master of atmosphere and building tension, which accompany his earlier work as well, but come to a fruition and perfection on this album. The large ensemble allows him to "paint" much denser multilayered vistas, which move freely in the World Music universe. The music does not actually get into Jazzy improvisation until the very last piece on the album, so listeners anticipating that facet of Zimpel's music are in for a disappointment.

What emerges here is a new type of minimal music which amalgamates the earlier forms of minimalism with World Music, creating a World Minimal Music. Zimpel evidently had a great fun creating this music and it is also very listenable, but the fundamental question as to what Zimpel wanted to achieve remains open, at least in my case. I have not been overwhelmed neither by the aesthetics nor by the musical result, which after all simply states nihil novi sub sole. But it is very well done for sure!

Wacław Zimpel To Tu Orchestra - Nature Moves (2014)

Wacław Zimpel To Tu Orchestra

Wacław Zimpel - A, Bb & alto clarinets

Paweł Postaremczak - tenor & soprano saxophones

Dominik Strycharski - alto & tenor flutes

Jacek Kita - upright piano

Maciej Cierliński - hurdy-gurdy

Wojtek Traczyk - double bass

Mike Majkowski - double bass

Paweł Szpura - drums

Hubert Zemler - drums, metallophone

Nature Moves

FOR TUNE 0036

By Dirk Blasejezak

A small orchestra actually appears as a logical next step for Wacław Zimpel. For me he is one of the outstanding artists in Poland as I have already written in my review on "Stone Fog". And although that last one was a pleasure to listen to, it still did not completely convince me - but that's totally different here. I would describe "Nature Moves" as his masterpiece so far! Surely some fans of his projects like Hera or Undivided will not agree as here many traditional elements of (Free) Jazz are missing - or not so obvious. Instead, the whole album is more of a consistent composition whose title seems to fit quite perfectly. Therefore traditional jazz fans should be careful: It takes a lot of openness to approach this piece of work. In many parts it is more a reminiscence to minimalists such as Steve Reich or Terry Riley than to the american jazz tradition. But it seems as if those borders are at the moment extended very much, especially in contemporary Polish jazz. As an example the recently released album by Trzy Tony ("Efekt Księżyca", Requiem Records) might be cited. Personally, I like these transgressions very much.

As a listener you can expect long repetitive passages, just as known from minimalism. Impressive is the incredibly harmonious sound of the To To Orchestra though. Most of the musicians already know each other from previous projects, but nonetheless this harmony is an evidence of the huge dedication to the work. The backbone of the orchestra are the musicians of Hera (Paweł Postaremczak, Maciej Cierliński, Paweł Szpura and of course Wacław Zimpel). Wojtek Traczyk is known from his solo work but also through his bass playing in "The Light" - another project with Wacław Zimpel. Added to this is Jacek Kita, the pianist of one my favorite bands: Levity; and Dominik Strycharski, who just recently convinced with his play on Pulsarus. Hubert Zemler played in a variety of projects in the last years in which some of the here assembled musicians were involved too. Solely Mike Majkowski I only know from one collaboration with Mikołaj Trzaska ... But what's indeed amazing is that on these recordings Wacław Zimpel actually managed to combine those nine musicians into a uniform orchestral body to create a wonderful work of incredible harmony. That's also the reason why it's so difficult to tell something about the individual musicians - everyone seems to blend seamlessly into the collective.

For the impatient jazz fans I recommend track 3 ("Dry Landscape"), and the closing "Where The Prairie Meets The Mountains." Both pieces offer more traditional jazz elements than the other tracks on this album, while still not falling out of the line. For all other listeners I would absolutely recommend to listen to this album quietly in its entirety. The quietness is especially important. If you listen to this record on the side it might appear monotonous. The subtle nuances during the development of the individual pieces will become apparent only with due attention. But if you pay the attention it deserves to this album, you will be rewarded with a truly special listening experience.

There is one last thing I would like to say: I have deliberately avoided a comparison with "Alaman" as the approach is a completely different one here. I still mention it though, to point out that this is yet another outstanding example of a great intercourse with the "Big Band" that has become slightly dusty in recent decades. It’s in particular the differences between these two wonderful recordings that show what is possible with this ensemble! And even though I’m aware that it requires not only outstanding musicians and orchestra leaders, but that it's also a huge logistical challenge, I sincerely hope that more will dare follow this path!

Hera / Hamid Drake – Seven Lines (2013) ****

Waclaw Zimpel - saxophone

Pawel Postaremczak - saxophone

Maciek Cierlinski - hurdy-gurdy

Raphael Roginski - guitar

Ksawery Wojcinski - bass
Pawel Szpura - drums
with
Hamid Drake - drums

MULTIKULTI 030

By Adam Baruch

This is the third album by Polish Ethno-Jazz ensemble Hera, led by saxophonist / composer Waclaw Zimpel. The album contains a live concert recording by the ensemble, with featured as special guest the American drummer Hamid Drake. The participating ensemble members are: saxophonist Pawel Postaremczak, hurdy-gurdy player Maciek Cierlinski, guitarist Raphael Roginski, bassist Ksawery Wojcinski and drummer Pawel Szpura. The music consists of five pieces, four of which are over fifteen minutes in duration, all of which are based on World Music ethnic riffs and melodies, partly composed or arranged by Zimpel and in one case including a melody contributed by Drake. Except for Drake's chanting his own melody, the rest of the music is instrumental and mostly improvised.

It is much easier to say what this music isn't than to say what it actually is, but that is hardly relevant as music is basically created in order to be listened to and not to be written about. Nevertheless one can try one's best. So this is definitely not Jazz as most people conceive it, not even Jazz-World Fusion, as it goes well beyond the usual boundaries of that sub genre. Yes it is mostly improvised, but so is much of Ethnic music, which after all begot Jazz in the first place.

The closest definition that I can come up with is Spiritual Music, a kind of collective trance induced by repeated rhythmic patterns and a feeling of sharing and togetherness, which inspires the musicians involved. However, the problem with such music is that is works absolutely divinely live, but translates less efficiently into albums. Of course in this case the actual music is strong enough to carry on a potent impression, but probably much is also lost in the process. This music is also definitely not for everybody. Conventional Jazz listeners will find it not Jazzy enough; others might find the strong Ethnic influences outlandish and unfamiliar. Only listeners with a highly developed open-mindedness and readiness to accept what is different will discover the true delight of this music.

The individual performances are of course blissful as always in Hera's case. Zimpel and Postaremczak weave some beautiful snaky improvisations; Roginski rocks things up with a great guitar solo and the expanded rhythm section transports the music into a different universe. Overall it is quite a musical experience, which should not be missed. People familiar with the two earlier albums by Hera are of course already hooked for good.

I always wonder where Zimpel will take the ensemble next. I guess we'll all have to wait until the next album appears before us. Until then, may the spirits of music be with you all.

Hera with Hamid Drake - Seven Lines (2013) *****

Hera (band)

Wacław Zimpel - clarinet, alto clarinet, harmonium
Paweł Postaremczak - tenor & soprano saxophones
Ksawery Wójciński - double bass
Paweł Szpura - drums
Rafael Rogiński - guitar
Maciej Cierliński - hurdy-gurdy
Special guest: Hamid Drake - drums, frame frum, voice

Seven Lines (2013)

By Martin Schray

Germany’s standard work on jazz, Joachim-Ernst Berendt’s and Günther Huesmann‘s “The Jazz Book”, claims that in the last 20 years jazz has become world music, a hybrid. Of course, jazz actually has always been world music since New Orleans was a cultural melting pot of nationalities, races and cultures, but in times of migration and globalization jazz has indeed established as the improvised music between the cultures more than ever before. Today, in our interlinked world, music of the most various, overlapping, different, even competing styles has been colliding. Moreover, you don’t even have to be from – say – India to play ragas, you can find great – in this case – raga musicians almost everywhere (especially in the big cities). And many of these musicians speak of themselves as members of the jazz community.

An excellent example of this theory is Hera, a Polish band consisting of Wacław Zimpel (clarinet, bass clarinet, harmonium), Paweł Postaremczak (soprano and tenor saxes, harmonium), Ksawery Wójciński (double bass) and Paweł Szpura (drums). They have always been one of this blog’s favorites, Stef has rightfully talked of their debut album and “Where my Complete Beloved is” in glowing terms. But while these albums, which were recorded with a completely different line-up, are either clearly in the Coltrane tradition or knee-deep in Zydeco (or both), Zimpel and his collaborators try the big strike with this release, which is why the band has expanded and is now augmented with Rafael Rogiński (guitar), Maciej Cierliński (hurdy-gurdy) and American master percussionist Hamid Drake.

“Seven Lines” includes Polish folk songs and Jewish klezmer (something you might expect when you see Zimpel and Rogiński in the line-up) but also music from the Far East, Sufi chants, blues sprinkles, African funk or free jazz elements.

Especially the harmonium and Maciej Cierliński’s hurdy-gurdy provide for a very oriental mood in “Sounds of Balochistan” before a repetitive blues riff comes up so that the reeds can kick off melancholic lines and the guitar can add shredded intersperses. Even here they have got you, from the very beginning the music develops a vibrating, vortex-like quality, it overwhelms the senses with an almost psychedelic force. The rhythmic propulsion provided by the double drums reinforces the trance-like, hypnotic character of the tracks, there are so many magical moments in this music, it is an omnipresent experience of sound, rhythm, atmosphere and melody, it takes you by the hand and leads you to a musical Garden of Eden. Just listen to the mourning interplay of the reeds at the beginning of “Roofs of Kyoto”, the meditative spirituality of Drake’s voice in combination with the drums and the harmonium in “Temples of Tibet” or the funk groove outro of “Afterimages” which can match with Drake’s Wels quartet (with Brötzmann, Gania and Laswell) on “Long Story Short”. 2013 has been a very good year for the music we love so much, there have been lots of brilliant albums so far. “Seven Lines” is definitely among them.

The album was recorded live at Manggha during Krakow Jazz Autumn Festival on Nov, 1st, 2012 and is available on CD.

Postaremczak, Wojcinski, Kugel - Affinity (2012)

Postaremczak, Wójciński, Kugel

Paweł Postaremczak - soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
Klaus Kugel - drums
Ksawery Wójciński - bass

Affinity (2012)

Musicians taking part in this recording appeared on arguably most interesting free jazz and avantgarde albums of last year 2011: saxophonist Paweł Postaremczak on Hera's "Where My Complete Beloved Is" (2011) and drummer Klaus Kugel on Robert Kusiołek's "Nuntium" (2011). It is interesting to note however that basssist Ksawery Wójciński was involved in both these projects. Then it may be no surprise that he is spiritus movens behind this project although he stresses it is partnership not leadership. 

In purely musical terms music on this disc is much closer to Hera than to Kusiołek. Both extremely interesting they however differ from each other as day and night. While Hera took us on ecstatic journey where eruptions of energy are accompanied by spontaneus and forceful improvisations. Kusiołek was minimalistic effort where time and space wele laid apart as much as possible to allow listener to enjoy the silence. 

Regardless these obvious differences there is yet something both these memorable recordings and "Affinity" have in common. I like to think that it is something which is becoming distinctive feature of music created by young Polish artists who play free jazz. Yes, it is free, spontaneuous and creative. But at the same time it is not without some plan, not without control, not without direction. It somehow tries to combine water and fire. And not without a success! That why it goes to elite class of our recommended albums of the month.

Samples of music from this album: http://www.postaremczak.wojcinski.kugel-trio.com/code/page1.html

Track listing:
1. Transcend The Nearness 8:59
2. Too Close To Be Close 33:35
3. Amalgamation 15:14

By Maciej Nowotny

http://kochamjazz.blox.pl

Hera - Where My Complete Beloved Is (Multikulti, 2011)

Hera (band)

Wacław Zimpel - clarinet, bass clarinet
Paweł Postaremczak - soprano and tenor saxophones
Ksawery Wójciński - double bass
Paweł Szpura - drums

Where My Complete Beloved Is (Multikulti, 2011)

This is the second album by Polish avant-garde ensemble Hera, led by multi-instrumentalist / composer Waclaw Zimpel, one of the most important representatives of the European Improvised Music scene in the last decade. The album comprises of four extended pieces (three of which have a duration of about 20 minutes), as appropriate for this kind of music, where space and freedom are of the essence, which were recorded live. The first piece was composed by Zimpel, the following two are credited as group compositions and the last is a Russian folk song. Zimpel plays bass clarinet and harmonium and the ensemble includes also saxophonist Pawel Postaremczak, bassist Ksawery Wojcinski and drummer Pawel Szpura. Guest musicians include Sara Kaluzna, who plays tampura on one track and Maniucha Bikont, who sings the vocals and plays harmonium on the last track. 

The music of Hera completely escapes any attempt of classification and is so incredibly rich and amalgamated that expanding on the subject would be pretty futile. After all music is intended to be listened to, not written about, and great music has a tendency to slip through words trying to encapsulate it. There is no doubt that the atmosphere and modus operandi of the ensemble is influenced by Indian and other Far East Cultures, where extended improvisation and contemplative treatment of musical pieces is a way of life, with time playing little or no role at all. The music starts and continues and comes to an end when it naturally concludes its intrinsic message. 

Naming the pieces after titles of poems written by the Indian mystic poet Kabir are ample evidence as to the intended aesthetic prevailing herein. The meditative / contemplative nature of the music does not mean it lacks excitement, quite on the contrary, it is full of passionate improvisations, which appear on a separate plane, as if floating above the firm recurring basis, complementing the overall result. This is truly a music of the "higher spheres", which requires total attention and acquiescence from the listener joining the musicians in the process of aural communication. Absolutely brilliant stuff wholeheartedly recommended to bold souls with refined taste!

Track list: 1. Wacław Zimpel - In That Place There Is No Happiness Or Unhappines; 2. Hera - No Truth Or Untruth; 3. Hera - Neither Sin Or Virtue; 4. There Is No Day Or Night, No Moon Or Sun (Traditional)

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

Hera - Where My Complete Beloved Is (Multikulti, 2011) by Stef Gijssels

Hera (band)

Wacław Zimpel - clarinet, bass clarinet

Paweł Postaremczak - soprano and tenor saxophones

Ksawery Wójciński - double bass
Paweł Szpura - drums 

Where My Complete Beloved Is (Multikulti, 2011)

One of my favorite albums of 2010 was "Hera", because of its innovative approach to jazz, shifting boundaries, very expressive and accessible at the same time. The band's second album is in the same league, but with a few changes.

The band is the same, Wacław Zimpel on clarinet, bass clarinet, harmonium, and tarogato, Paweł Posteremczak on soprano, tenor saxophones and piano, Ksawery Wójcinski on double bass, and Paweł Szpura on drums and percussion. On this album they are joined by Maniucha Bikont on voice, and Sara Kałuzna on tampura. The second change is the integration of more folk elements.

The album starts with a long and hypnotic piece, "In That Place There Is No Happiness Or Unhappiness", in which the harmonium offers the most discerning character together with the mesmerising rhythm section, and ever maddening tempo, over which Posteremczak's tenor roars and howls like a Gato Barbieri in his best moments. And the reference to the sixties is not coincidental, as the band integrates world music and folk elements in its jazz. "

"No Truth Or Untruth" starts equally slow, with Posteremczak playing the trembita, an instrument with a deep, moaning sound, accompanied by Zimpel on Slovakian overtone flute - folk instruments, but they have probably never sounded so dark and ominous as you will hear them here. The effect is again spell-binding, and even increases as the rhythm picks up after seven minutes for another journey of tribal psychedelics, with the bass clarinet and the tenor interweaving their sounds in a strange and magical dance of short phrases circling closely around the tonal center, and in contrast, sounding more joyful.

The third track, "Neither Sin Or Virtue", is characterised by the hypnotic drone of the tampura, evoking some deep primitive and ritualistic feelings that resonate universally, accompanied by rattling small percussion, arco bass, and then again, possibly mirroring the dual titles of the pieces, the rhythm picks up halfway, as do the clarinet and the sax, with repetitive phrases, increasing the hypnotism and the magic, and the tempo going totally haywire, in a ferociously mad dance, that suddenly calms down for sad moaning over the endless drone of the tampura.

The album ends with "There Is No Day Or Night, No Moon Or Sun", a Slavic traditional folksong performed by Maniucha Bikont, whose voice is as authentic and beautiful as the improvisation by the band.

This is again a fantastic album, one that makes you want to dance all night under the stars, one that makes to want you weep because it resonates so much with the howling of sad humanity out there, or one that you just want to listen to, alone in the dark, to be overwhelmed, and crushed.

Absolute magic!

Track list: 1. Wacław Zimpel - In That Place There Is No Happiness Or Unhappines; 2. Hera - No Truth Or Untruth; 3. Hera - Neither Sin Or Virtue; 4. There Is No Day Or Night, No Moon Or Sun (Traditional)

Author: Steff Gijssels

http://freejazz-stef.blogspot.com/