Adam Golicki – “The Great Time”

Adam Golicki 

Grażyna Auguścik – wokal
Krzysztof Herdzin – fortepian / aranże
Gilad Atzmon – saksofon altowy i sopranowy
Piotr Lemańczyk – kontrabas
Rafał Sarnecki – gitara
Rafał Jackiewicz – saksofon
Adam Golicki – perkusja

Orkiestra: Polska Filharmonia Kameralna Sopot
Dyrygent: Szymon Morus

Tytuł albumu: “The Great Time”

Wydawnictwo: Afro Vibe (2025)

Tekst: Paweł Ziemba

Jak często zdarzają się Wam sytuacje, w których decydujecie się na jakiś krok bez wyraźnego przekonania, kierując się raczej ciekawością niż rozsądkiem? Życie bywa nieprzewidywalne — i całe szczęście, bo to właśnie takie niepewne decyzje nierzadko okazują się przełomowe. Otwierają nowe drzwi, a czasem nawet całe korytarze. Tak właśnie było ze mną, gdy sięgnąłem po najnowszą płytę Adama Golickiego. Towarzyszyło mi to samo, dobrze znane pytanie: w którą stronę tym razem poprowadzi swoją muzyczną opowieść?

Andrzej Święs - Flying Lion (2023)

Andrzej Święs

Andrzej Święs - gitara basowa
Rafał Sarnecki - gitara
Paweł Dobrowolski - perkusja

Flying Lion (2023)

Wydawca: SJ Records

Tekst: Maciej Nowotny

Paul Gaugin był urzędnikiem na giełdzie zanim mając już prawie pod czterdziestkę nie rzucił wszystkiego w diabły, by zacząć malować i ostatecznie na Tahiti znaleźć swoje miejsce. Paul Cezanne jeszcze poźniej doczekał się jakiegokolwiek uznania i długo wegetował przygnieciony prozą życia dopóki nie poznał młodziutkiej modelki Hortensji Fiquet, która uzmysłowiła mu, że czas zacząć malować na poważnie. Nie tylko malarze bynajmniej. Któż nie zna powieści Raymonda Chandlera, czytany jest do dzisiaj, sam właśnie czekam na film z Liamem Neesonem, który ma nosić tytuł "Marlowe" i być oparty na stworzonej przez niego kultowej postaci detektywa. Mało kto wie, że Chandler zaczął pisać późno, a debiutował jeszcze później niż poprzednicy, bo po pięćdziesiątce.

Zatem przy debiutach nie ma sensu zaglądać w metrykę. Liczy się stan umysłu. W buddyzmie zen nazywany jest "umysłem początkującego" i uważany jest za niezbędny by wywołać entuzjazm, stan bez którego nie rodzi się nic wielkiego, nic prawdziwego, żadne godne uwagi dzieło, w tym artystyczne. I ten entuzjazm jest w tym nagraniu obecny w każdej wybrzmiewającej nucie i sprawia, że muzyka wibruje od energii, tak jak przystało na debiut, a jednocześnie zachwyca wyrafinowaniem, które jest owocem długiej, pełnej sukcesów kariery muzyka o wielkiej klasie artystycznej. Zatem chociaż to formalnie debiut, dla Andrzeja Święsa, nieco ponad czterdziestoletniego muzyka, ta płyta jest tak naprawdę ukoronowaniem jego pełnej sukcesów kariery. Tym bardziej odpowiednim, że album nie jest dobry, nawet nie bardzo dobry, lecz po prostu wybitny. 

Wszystko jest tu na swoim miejscu, każdy element pasuje do całości, która jest spójna i dojrzała artystycznie. Wielka w tym zasługa nie tylko lidera, grającego na gitarze basowej, ale i współtworzących muzykę gitarzysty Rafała Sarneckiego i perkusisty Pawła Dobrowolskiego. Linia basu grana przez lidera na gitarze elektrycznej jest niezwykle stonowana, oszczędna, a jednocześnie komunikatywna. Wszystko jest podporządkowane wspólnemu brzmieniu. Żadnych popisówek. Pełna świadomość, że najwyższą nagrodę można zdobyć tylko razem. Wspaniały przykład tego jak prowadzone powinno być jazzowe kombo i wcale nie taka znowu częsta rzecz na tym jazzowym łez padole.

Za to piękno nadobnym odpłacają Święsowi partnerzy. Sarnecki dokonuje prawdziwych cudów kreatywności, jest to po prostu jedna z najlepszych płyt jakie nagrał w życiu. Imponujące jest jak w niemal każdym utworze znajduje sposób, by zakomunikować coś nowego, gra ze swobodą i z pełnym zrozumieniem z partnerami. Ale to co wyczynia na perkusji Paweł Dobrowolski po prostu poraziło mnie. Jego drumming jest prezycyjny jak cięcia skalpelem, równie ekonomiczny jak brzytwa Ockhama, nie gra jednej zbędnej nuty, ale nie pomija żadnej koniecznej, by muzyka brzmiała nadzwyczajnie. Wielokrotnie wsłuchiwałem się w pracę jego zestawu i było to jakbym spoglądał w krystaliczne głębie znajdującej się w Syrakuzach Studni Aretuty, w której - jeśli wierzyć mitom - dostrzec można ukryty świat bogów.

Dodatkowym atutem płyty jest zróżnicowany program płyty, zawierający tak wpadające w ucho gitarowe i bassowe riffy rodem z muzyki rockowej, jak wyrafinowane i złożone kompozycje rodem prosto z jazzowej tradycji czy wreszcie utwory ad libitum pozwalające tytułowym "lwom" szybować wysoko. Prawdziwie zdumiewającym jest, że pomimo tej różnorodności album pozostaje spójny artystycznie, stanowi jedność stylistyczną, wyraźnie nacechowaną wybitnymi osobowościami artystycznymi tak lidera jak i współtworzących muzykę pozostałych instrumentalistów. Krótko mówiąc, brawa i jest to nie tylko nasz Nowy Album Miesiąca, ale jedna z najciekawszych płyt ostatnich lat w polskim jazzie głównego nurtu.

Rafał Sarnecki - A View from the Treetop (2022)

Rafał Sarnecki 

Rafał Sarnecki - guitar
Łukasz Poprawski - alto saxophone, carinet
Piotr Wyleżoł - grand piano, Rhodes piano, Prophet 6
Wojciech Pulcyn - bass
Patryk Dobosz - drums

A View from the Treetop (2022)

Zdanie odrębne: Maciej Nowotny

Mam okazję śledzić karierę gitarzysty Rafała Sarneckiego od jego debiutu w 2011 roku. Przez te lata zbudował sobie bardzo mocną pozycję na naszym rynku zarówno jako ceniony sideman jak i lider. Nigdy nie zamykał się w jazzowej wieży z kości słoniowej, śmiało eksplorował peryferia jazzu, świetnie dogadując się tak z polskimi muzykami jak i zagranicznymi. Jego najnowszy projekt jest bardzo odważny i wielbicieli jego talentu może wprawić w konfuzję. Przypomina to trochę sytuację jaką przed laty przeżywali wielbiciele trio RGG, gdy opuścił je Przemysław Raminiak, którego zastąpił Łukasz Ojdana. Muzyka tego składu zmieniła się wtedy diametralnie z cool jazzu na free improv. Parafrazując Piłsuskiego można powiedzieć że RGG wysiadło ze stacji jazz na przystanku wolność, a Sarnecki? Z przystanku polski główny nurt na przystanku Nowy Jork (gdzie zresztą kończył uczelnię i mieszka). Jego najnowsza muzyka jest niezwykle kreatywną żonglerką  po różnych muzycznych gatunkach od country do punku, a motywem przewodnim jest traktowanie jazzu jako uniwersalnego narzędzia do dekonstrukcji każdego muzycznego języka. Efekt jest - zgadzam się z moim kolegą Szymonem Stępnikiem - kontrowersyjny, ale czyż nie były kontrowersyjne płyty Monka, Ornetta Colemana, Aylera czy - choćby  na naszym rynku - Maseckiego? Przyznaję, Sarnecki odleciał, Sarnecki się zbuntował, Sarnecki podłożył dynamit i za to cenię tę płytę i gratuluję Sarneckiemu.

Autor recenzji: Szymon Stępnik

Rafał Sarnecki jest bardzo ciekawym muzykiem. Już w 2002 roku zauważony został na Międzynarodowym Konkursie Gitarzystów Jazzowych Guitar City 2002, gdzie otrzymał pierwszą nagrodę. Ukończył też studia na prestiżowym wydziale jazzu w New School University w Nowym Jorku, której absolwentami są choćby Brad Mehldau i Robert Glasper. Zauważył go zresztą sam Tomasz Stańko, który zachwycony był wcześniejszą płytą “The Madman Rambles Again” i wieszczył mu długą karierę. Sam artysta zdaje się jednak nie odcinać kuponów i, patrząc na jego dotychczasową dyskografię, zdecydowanie nie idzie pod prąd i nagrywa jedynie taką muzykę, jaką dokładnie chce. Taki jest też najnowszy krążek “A View from the Treetop” - bezkompromisowy, różnorodny i oczywiście świetny technicznie. Niestety, nie bez wad.

Tytułowy utwór, który otwiera zresztą longplay, przypomina początkowo kołysankę dla dzieci. Współgra to z okładką przypominającą jakąś dobranockę. Bardzo wysoko grane partie klawiszowe świetnie współistnieją z dźwiękami oktawy niżej. To prosta, ale jakże urocza melodia, przenosząca słuchacza w świat fantazji. Wtem pojawia się swingujący środek, by później z powrotem zawędrować do melodyjnych dźwięków z początku, tworząc tym samym swoistą klamrę. Reasumując, pierwszy utwór robi piorunujące wrażenie i zapowiada nieprzeciętne nagranie.

Druga pozycja, “Jazz Marketing” znacznie odbiega od poprzedniczki. Nie chodzi o to, że jest gorsza, mniej pomysłowa. Wręcz przeciwnie. Ma jednak zupełnie inny klimat, mniej oniryczny, a bardziej… elektroniczny? Dużo jest pauz, szczególnie w przypadku partii perkusyjnych. Kolejna propozycja inspirowana muzyką country. Tutaj również można znaleźć ciekawe rozwiązania i pasję, ale już w tym miejscu odczuć można największą wadę tego albumu - brak spójności pomiędzy utworami.

Jest to zaskakujące, ponieważ uważam, iż w przypadku The Madman Rambles Again Rafał wykazał się artystycznym geniuszem i znalazł złoty środek pomiędzy różnorodnością, a spójnością. W “A View from the Treetop” jest z kolei tak dużo emocji oraz gatunków muzycznych, że album przypomina jakąś składankę. Być może, mając na uwadze tytuł płyty, taka była koncepcja. Patrząc na świat z góry, człowiek próbuje objąć wzrokiem różne gatunki muzyczne. Stąd ich przekrój, począwszy od kołysanki, przez free jazz, country, rock, blues. Oczywiście, niemal każda z pozycji cechuje się świetnym dopracowaniem, wszystkie są ciekawe i intrygujące, ale w kontekście całości - brzmią jakby pochodziły z zupełnie innych sesji nagraniowych lub nawet zespołów.

W materiałach prasowych tego albumu jest napisane: „Przez ostatnie dziesięciolecia muzycy poświęcili bardzo wiele uwagi temu, jak w “nowoczesny” sposób zmodyfikować lub wręcz skomplikować ten rytm swingowy licząc na to, że powstanie w ten sposób muzyka, która zabrzmi bardziej zaskakująco i świeżo. Dużo mniej uwagi poświęcono wzbogacaniu i “wykrzywianiu” muzyki opartej na innych rytmach takich jak: country, punk rock, boogie-woogie czy blues. (…) Komponując muzykę na płytę “A View From The Treetop” Rafał Sarnecki postanowił stawić czoło temu wyzwaniu. Napisał utwory, które w nowy “progresywny” sposób interpretują popularne rytmy i style muzyczne.”

Zatem – artysta spróbował stworzyć płytę mieszającą różne style muzyczne. Choć sam pomysł jest intrygujący, średnio sprawdza się w kontekście całej płyty. Przez to pomieszanie wydaje się być niespójna i mocno męcząca. Nawet nie chodzi o samo wykonanie, gdyż ono jest na najwyższym poziomie, lecz o samą koncepcję, która w moim mniemaniu nie sprawdza się na żywym organizmie.

Jak wspomniałem wyżej, biorąc na warsztat każdy z utworów z osobna - naprawdę nie ma się do czego przyczepić. Zaskoczony jestem, jak pomysłowo Rafał Sarnecki interpretuje różne gatunki muzyczne, gdzieniegdzie wrzucając znane, typowe dla danego stylu zagrywki, aby słuchacz nie czuł się zagubiony. Moim ulubionym utworem jest Social Media Algorithm odwołujący się trochę do muzyki metalowej, gdzie gitara “rozmawia” z fortepianem i saksofonem. Bardzo intrugujący jest również „“Is This a Country Song?”, gdzie sekcja rytmiczna gra w zupełnie w asynchroniczny sposób do pozostałych instrumentów.

O tym, że Rafał Sarnecki jest kompozytorem nietuzinkowym świadczy to, że pomimo bycia gitarzystą, na albumie jest stosunkowo mało tego instrumentu. Co do zasady, utwory pisane są przecież pod lidera zespołu, a w przypadku “A View from the Treetop” - zupełnie tego nie słychać. Gitara często milczy, pojawiając się tylko tam, gdzie jest konieczna. Żaden z muzyków nie wybija się też ponad innych - wszyscy grają świetnie, tworząc zgraną ekipę.

Modern Blues Quartet - Blues On Bach (2020)

Modern Blues Quartet

Ryszard Borowski - flute
Mateusz Smoczyński - violin
Rafał Sarnecki - guitar
Michał Jaros - drums

Blues On Bach

REQUIEM/LYDIAN 2020/8

By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album by a Polish Jazz quartet called Modern Blues Quartet, which comprises of flautist/composer Ryszard Borowski, violinist Mateusz Smoczyński, guitarist Rafał Sarnecki and bassist Michał Jaros. The album presents eight original compositions, all by Borowski. 

As the title suggests, the music is "inspired" by compositions of Johann Sebastian Bach, and follows many similar Jazz projects mentioned in the album's liner notes. The liner notes also state that there is very little of Bach's music as such on this album, and the proximity is mostly associative, which is quite correct. The resulting music is easy on the ear and quite entertaining, obviously meant for wider audiences. 

The musicians are of course some of Polish Jazz top instrumentalists, as their individual performances attest, providing plenty of excellent solo showcases. The delicate sound of a drumless quartet works very well and the excellent bass parts manage to keep the music swinging, even without percussive support. Smoczynski's parts take the music into the Gypsy Jazz idiom and are (for me) the highlights of this project. Sarnecki plays some tasty swinging guitar parts, but is less dominant. Overall this is a nice amalgam of Jazz-Classical Fusion and Smooth Jazz, which many listeners on the lighter side of the Jazz idiom can enjoy immensely.

Annie Chen Octet – Secret Treetop (2018)

Annie Chen Octet

Annie Chen - vocals
Rafał Sarnecki - guitar
Tomoko Omura - violin

David Smith - trumpet, flugelhorn

Alex LoRe - alto saxophone, flute
Glenn Zaleski - piano
Mathew Muntz - bass
Jerad Lippi - drums



Secret Treetop

PRIVATE EDITION 9787799319759

By Adam Baruch

This is the second album by Chinese (resident in US) Jazz vocalist/songwriter Annie Chen recorded with her octet, which includes Polish (resident in US) guitarist Rafał Sarnecki, who was in charge of the arrangements, except in one case. The album presents nine tracks, seven of which are original compositions by Chen featuring her lyrics (in English), except for one tune which features wordless vocalese, and two are arrangements of folk songs with lyrics in Chinese.

The music is quite complex, richly orchestrated and excellently performed by the octet. Surprisingly it shows relatively little influence of Far Eastern motifs, even in the folklore based tunes, and the Chinese vocals are the only real connection with Chen's roots.

Chen offers an original approach to vocals, mixing effectively lyrics and vocalese, and as a result turns her voice into one of the instruments of the octet. Her approach to vocals, and in fact the entire aesthetics of the album are unexpectedly non-American, much closer to what one might expect from European Jazz, which is probably due mostly to Sarnecki's approach to the arrangements and Chen's open-mindedness.

Overall this is an excellent album, full of unusual, highly intelligent music, superb vocals and instrumental performances by all the members of the octet, and most importantly a breath of fresh air in the dull mainstream vocal Jazz produced usually in the US. This gem is definitely worth investigating!

Lucas Pino's No Net Nonet – That's A Computer (2018)

Lucas Pino's No Net Nonet

Lucas Pino - tenor saxophone, bass clarinet

Alex LoRe - alto saxophone 

Andrew Gutauskas - baritone saxophone 

Mat Jodrell - trumpet

Nick Finzer - trombone 

Glenn Zaleski - piano 

Rafał Sarnecki - guitar

Desmond White - bass 

Jimmy Macbride - drums

That's A Computer

OUSIDE IN MUSIC 1814

By Adam Baruch

This is an album by American Jazz saxophonist/composer Lucas Pino recorded with his No Net Nonet ensemble, which includes the Polish (resident in NY) guitarist/composer Rafał Sarnecki. Chilean vocalist Camila Meza guests on two tunes. The album presents six original compositions, four by Pino and one each by Sarnecki and saxophonist Alex Lore and an additional short piece of unknown origin.

The nonet sounds almost like a small Big Band, mainly due to the intricate arrangements and extensive use of unisono phrasing, which is wonderfully executed throughout the album. Combined with the superb compositions, this album is a beautiful example of American Jazz brought up to date and aesthetically inspired, which sadly happens all too rarely lately. The music is just perfect, untouchable as a form of expression and needs absolutely nothing in addition to what it already offers, which is an événement exceptionnel indeed.

This music is simply too good to be described in words, sort of like attempting to dance architecture. Being fed new music constantly, I rarely get excited about an album, but this is a proverbial "something else". Elegant, sophisticated, lyrical, exciting… this music has an uplifting quality about it that literally "puts a spell on me".

If blind tested I would have probably gambled that this is a European ensemble, as the overall musical approach sounds similar to what the Vienna Art Orchestra and other European ensembles were doing (and still do), especially on those two tracks featuring Camila's vocals, which are simply sublime. But the entire album just kicks ass big time and is definitely one of the most exciting pieces of music that arrived on my desk lately. I surely have to explore Pino and his music and wholeheartedly advice all true music connoisseurs to do the same ASAP!

Bossa Norkah – Na Moim Brzegu (2018)

Bossa Norkah

Honorata Kożuchowska - vocal
Andzej Jagodziński - piano
Rafał Sarnecki - guitar
Wojciech Pulcyn - double bass
Michał Jaros - double bass
Krzysztof Szmańda - drums
and others

Na Moim Brzegu


MULTIKULTI MPJ 024

By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album by Polish Jazz ensemble Bossa Norkah, led by vocalist Honorata Kożuchowska, which also includes some of the top Polish Jazz instrumentalist: pianist Andrzej Jagodziński, guitarists Rafał Sarnecki/Piotr Aleksandrowicz, bassists Wojciech Pulcyn/Michał Jaros, drummer Krzysztof Szmańda and several other guests appearing on selected tracks playing brass and a plethora of percussion instruments. The album presents thirteen songs (two of which appear twice in alternate versions), all of which were written by Polish songwriter/poet Antoni Muracki.

The music has a distinct Bossa Nova flavor, which is the main climate of all the songs. On the other hand the album is also clearly a Jazz & Poetry project, since Muracki's songs are all deeply lyrical and evocative. The songs are kept in pretty reticent attire, featuring the vocals clearly in the center of the attention and the instrumental work kept to a bare minimum, with the piano providing the steady accompaniment and the rhythm section keeping the rhythm in check. There are only a few instrumental solos, which is a pity as those might have added a spark to the proceedings.

Kozuchowska handles the vocals well, which is not an easy task in this case for many reasons; the lyrics are complex and often difficult to express in rapid succession and admittedly South American rhythms are hardly native to East European singers. The vocals therefore lack the sensual and often plainly erotic sensitivity of Bossa Nova, which are native and natural to Brazilian vocalists. But all things considered, the album works fine and offers a pleasant listening experience with an added value of excellent texts (sadly relevant to Polish-speaking listeners only). Overall this is an album floating between Pop and Easy Jazz, which can be enjoyed by a wide range of listeners, offering both musical and lyrical values combined with highly professional musicianship.

Rafał Sarnecki – Climbing Trees (2018)

Rafał Sarnecki

Rafał Sarnecki - guitar
Bogna Kicińska - voice
Lucas Pino - tenor saxophone, bass clarinet
Glenn Zaleski - piano
Rick Rosato - bass
Colin Stranahan - drums

Climbing Trees


OUTSIDE IN MUSIC 1804

By Adam Baruch

This is the fourth album by Polish (resident in NY) guitarist/composer Rafał Sarnecki and the second album recorded with the same sextet, which includes vocalist Bogna Kicińska, saxophonist Lucas Pino, pianist Glenn Zaleski, bassist Rick Rosato and drummer Colin Stranahan. The album presents ten original compositions, all composed by Sarnecki.

The music is a continuation of the path paved by this album's predecessor "Cat`s Dream", which amalgamates a plethora of different influences, including modern mainstream Jazz, but also adding World Music influences and contemporary Classical approach. This album is significantly more open and Freely Improvised than his previous recordings, and as such is noticeably more difficult and complex than anything he recorded earlier on.

All of the sextet members contribute significantly towards the overall result, each in his special way. Kicinska's vocalese parts are a highlight of the music and she manages to handle the complex and neck breaking parts with stunning ease and elegance. Zaleski lays down the harmonic layers and plays splendid solos, Pino is the calm and cool cat, who adds almost romantic elements, before his improvisations wander into the Free vicinity. The rhythm section handles the tricky tempi and constantly changing beat with flair and obvious dedication and finesse.

Sarnecki limits his guitar performances to the same level of presence as the rest of the band, definitely not dominating the music with his guitar parts, which are just one more voice of the sextet's overall output. He is obviously a very gifted instrumentalist, but his role on this album concentrates on the compositional level, leadership of the sextet and production.

Overall this is a strong, mature statement, which takes Sarnecki one step further towards his own voice as a composer and instrumentalist, with the music being certainly more ambitious and demanding. Some listeners might need several listening sessions before penetrating the depth of this music, but this ambitious music definitely deserves to be heard and admired. Well done!

Karolina Beimcik – Zorya (2018)

Karolina Beimcik

Karolina Beimcik - voice, violin
Rafał Sarnecki - guitar
Jan Smoczyński - piano
Michał Jaros - double bass
Michał Miśkiewicz - drums

Zorya

MULTIKULTI MTJ 017


By Adam Baruch

This is an ambitious debut album by Polish vocalist/violinist/composer Karolina Beimcik with her new project called "Zorya", which is her interpretation of Polish/Ukrainian Folklore of the ethnic minorities like Boykos, Lemkos and Kurpie people, who maintain their linguistic dialects and traditions. Beimcik is accompanied by four excellent Polish Jazz musicians: guitarist Rafał Sarnecki, pianist Jan Smoczyński, bassist Michał Jaros and drummer Michał Miśkiewicz. The album presents eight tracks (actually the album's artwork lists eight tracks but credits refer to nine tracks, go figure), six of which are traditional tunes and two were composed by Beimcik. The music was recorded by Smoczynski at his excellent Studio Tokarnia, with excellent sonic quality as usual.

In spite of the presence of the Jazz musicians, the music itself has very little to do with the essence of Jazz and is dominated by the Folkloristic themes. The Jazz influences stay mostly in the background and are more ornamentation than the actual quintessence. The basic melodies have, as expected, a strong East European disposition, being all rather melancholic and gloomy, quite similar to each other. The two original compositions, and especially the title track, are much more Jazz oriented and Beimcik performs on them nice wordless vocalese parts in addition to instrumental solos.

The instrumental work by the team is all quite excellent, as appropriate from highly talented musicians of this class. Smoczyński takes most of the accompaniment on his shoulders, staying relatively in the background, Sarnecki adds tasteful guitar embellishments and the rhythm section provides a solid basis for the music, with a few exceptional bass solos by Jaros.

Overall this is another example of the amalgamation between Folklore and Jazz, which seems to be more popular and successful in Poland than anywhere else in recent years. Preservation of ethnic traditions is of course an obligation of any Cultural people, and projects like this one are all important, but some or more successful musically than others. Personally I'd prefer an entire album of music as represented by the two original compositions.

Karolina Śmietana – Illusion (2017)

Karolina Śmietana

Karolina Śmietana - vocals
Rafał Sarnecki - guitar
Soren Gemmer - piano
Anders Fjeldsted - bass
Radek Wośko - drums

Illusion

RECART 0021


By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album by the Polish (resident in Denmark) singer/songwriter Karolina Śmietana recorded with an excellent Polish/Danish quartet comprising of Polish guitarist Rafał Sarnecki and drummer Radek Wośko and Danish pianist Soren Gemmer and bassist Anders Fjeldsted. The album presents nine tracks, six of which are original compositions by Śmietana, one is co-composed by her and Wośko and the remaining two are standards. Śmietana also wrote the English lyrics to five of the songs, one is a poem by the Polish poetess Wisława Szymborska (and is the only case of Polish lyrics on the album) and the remaining three texts originate from other sources. The album was recorded (mostly) at the excellent RecPublica Studios and engineered by Łukasz Olejarczyk with great sonic results, as expected.

Śmietana's music is quite typical of the Polish Jazz vocal idiom, with solid melodies and coherent structures, which are pleasant and easy on the ear, without being trivial or boring. The songs are diverse enough to show her compositional palette and the lyrics are not an insult to the intelligence, which in today's musical world is a success by itself. On the other hand, however, not everything is perfect; Śmietana has a nice mellow voice, which she uses wisely, but her vocal range is limited and there are no virtuosic vocal performances herein. The usual problem with singing in English, when it is not the singer's native tongue, produces the common pronunciation and accent problems.

What gives the album a great boost are the great instrumental performances by the quartet, which does a superb job accompanying her. Sarnecki plays superbly and manages to create a few brilliant solos. Gemmer also proves to be a great accompanist, with a great feel for melody and excellent technique. The rhythm section does an amicable job all along and plays along with the vocals and the lead instruments with elegance and flair. In short the instrumental parts are top notch. Overall this is a nice vocal Jazz album, which exposes Śmietana as an able vocalist and solid composer, marking a positive kickstart of her career. I am already looking forward to her next project!

Rafal Sarnecki – Cat's Dream (2014)

Rafał Sarnecki 

Rafał Sarnecki - guitar
Lucas Pino - tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, flute
Bogna Kicińska - voice
Glenn Zaleski - piano
Rick Rosato - bass
Colin Stranahan - drums

Cat's Dream


BJU 045

By Adam Baruch

This is the third album by the Polish Jazz guitarist / composer Rafal Sarnecki, who currently lives in NY. It presents eight original compositions, all by Sarnecki, which are performed by a sextet led by him, which also includes vocalist Bogna Kicinska, saxophonist Lucas Pino, pianist Glenn Zaleski, bassist Rick Rosato and drummer Colin Stranahan. One of the tunes uses lyrics by the great Chilean poet Pablo Neruda.

The music is a beautiful blend of many influences, based on the Jazz tradition but incorporating various other influences, like World Music, Fusion, Progressive Rock and Contemporary Classical, creating a unique universe of sound. The compositions are very diverse and present a wide vista of Sarnecki's inventions; also distinctly melodic, they are quite complex with frequent tempi changes and intertwined melodic themes, which keep developing, often unexpectedly. In fact this music requires quite an attentive listening in order to be properly comprehended. It is truly refreshing to hear such ambitious music being made today.

The individual performances are all excellent and the album is above all an ensemble effort. But the talents of all the players are plainly exposed. Kicinska sings wordless vocalese (except for one case), using her voice as an instrument, which blends well with other instruments in the ensemble. Her presence is a stimulating factor, which adds to the overall success of this album. Pino plays some excellent solos throughout, which are fluent and expressive. Zaleski and the rhythm section keep the music moving ahead smoothly and elegantly, exactly as needed, obviously keeping their ears open and handling the tricky parts with ease and elegance. I'd love to hear them in a piano trio format. And of course Sarnecki and his guitar are, as always, the cherry on the cake. I've always liked his tone and phrasing, but his playing on this album is definitely stronger than ever.

Overall this is an ambitious effort, splendidly performed and beautifully recorded, adding up to an album of true artistic value, so rare these days. Sarnecki shows a distinctive process of growing up and developing his talents, one of which is surrounding himself with great musicians. This is definitely one of the most interesting recordings released so far in 2014 and I hope it will be received open-mindedly both by the audiences and the critics, which for projects like these is, sadly, far from being self-understandable. This is the kind of aesthetic approach I'd personally love to hear in many other recordings, especially those originating in the US, but in the case of Sarnecki he simply managed to maintain his European qualities unblemished. Brilliant stuff!

Rafal Sarnecki touring in Israel

(Editor) The tour is already over since it took place from 5-7th December 2011. Did anyone have chance to attend the concerts?

When 29-year-old Polish jazz guitarist Rafal Sarnecki arrives for a three-date tour here next week, he will probably not feel entirely out of place. “I know a lot of Israeli jazz musicians,” says Sarnecki, “and I studied with quite a few at the New School [for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York]. So it’s nice to be coming to Israel to play.”

One longtime Israeli pal, New York resident bassist Avri Borochov, will be on stage with Sarnecki at Levontin 7 in Tel Aviv on Monday (8 p.m.), Yellow Submarine in Jerusalem on Tuesday (9:30 p.m.) and HaEzor Club in Tel Aviv on Wednesday (9:30 p.m.). They will be joined by saxophonist Hagai Amir, pianist Nitay Hershkovits and drummer Yonatan Rosen.

Sarnecki’s tour here is supported by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and The Polish Institute. Sarnecki says his long-standing friendship with Borochov will come in handy next week. “We played a lot together when we were at the New School, and he played my compositions, so it’s really lucky that we can play together again.”

Relocating from Poland to New York for his studies was a wise move for Sarnecki, and not just because of the academic standard at the New School. “First of all, it meant that I was in New York, and just being there was really great,” the guitarist notes. “But the New School is also a very open-minded school. I could try to find many new things, many new styles of music. I felt that the New School was very different from all the other schools I went to. It was very useful for progressing with improvisation and composition.”

That certainly comes through strongly in the lead guitarist’s second album, The Madman Rambles Again, which will provide the basis for most of the three shows here next week.

“I was trying to use the same improvisational and compositional techniques but in different cultural contexts,” explains Sarnecki. “There is a little bit of Latin music and a bit of avantgarde style, and there’s a bit of the [German record label] ECM [atmospheric] style.”

Interestingly, over the last 40 years ECM has put out recordings by musicians from a very wide range of countries and cultures, and part of the leader’s cultural backgroundtends to come through.

So, does Sarnecki feel there is something uniquely Polish about what he does? “Yes, I do think so, but it’s very subtle,” he says. “It’s always interesting for me that Polish people don’t hear Polish elements in my music. It’s more the American people who hear Polish things in my music. I don’t relate to Polish folk music in a direct way, but there is something about the melodic feel and the rhythmic feel that comes from the Polish culture.”

Sarnecki says his artistic output is partly a byproduct of his age rather than his nationality. “I grew up during a time when Polish folk music was not popular, so I think it would be a little unnatural for me to use Polish folk music in my compositions. But I know that even listening to Polish pop songs made me aware of some Polish melodic elements which come from Polish folk music, not directly but in a more subtle way,” he explains.

Sarnecki’s personal chronology is also an important factor. “My generation grew up in a capitalist world, not like people like [69- year-old Polish jazz trumpeter] Tomasz Stanko. My generation didn’t fight for freedom [from the communist regime]. For the older generations, jazz was a symbol of freedom against communism. For me, it’s very different. My music has no political meaning, and it is not a protest against anything.”

Sarnecki feels he has made good progress since putting out his debut album, Songs from a New Place, which came out in 2008. “I now know more about instrumentation and about counterpoint. The new CD has a much wider instrumentation. I included saxophone, flute, trumpet and percussion, which are not available on the first CD. Also, I often use two melodic lines at the same time. And using counterpoint was definitely because of having more of an influence of classical music. I experimented a lot more with the second CD, also because I was aware of so many more things compared with the first CD.”

The Madman Rambles Again is certainly a wide-ranging effort, and Sarnecki’s shows here next week will cover lots of sonic and stylistic bases. They will also incorporate some tracks from Songs from a New Place and some new material Sarnecki is working on.

“I am planning the next CD. You’ve got to keep planning ahead,” he says.

Tune "Student Protest" from Rafał Sarnecki newest album "Madman Rambles Again":

Barry Davis

http://www.jpost.com/

Live Show: Rafal Sarnecki & Adam Baldych - Brooklyn

(Editor) Courtesy of Dave Summer we may inform you about approaching concert of two promising young Polish jazzmen now residing in New York... 

August 20th - Rafal Sarnecki & Adam Baldych

Fireplace-Cheminee Bistro
216 Norman Ave.
11222 Brooklyn, NY.
Off the G Train (which apparently doesn't run to Manhattan)

No cover.

I only became familiar with both of these musicians in the last couple of weeks. Both musicians have put out spectacular albums out this year. Rafal Sarnecki (guitar) released "The Madman Rambles Again" on the Fresh Sound New Talent label and Adam Baldych (violin) released "Magical Theatre" on Eleet Records. Both albums absolutely blew me away. Sarnecki's album (which I own) I've listened to repeatedly over the last two weeks and the Baldych album (which I don't yet own) but was able to listen to almost the whole thing the other day and individual songs on his reverbnation and artist site and they're just amazing. I highly recommend taking advantage of the opportunity to see them both live together. Please someone take pictures and post them here.

Rafal Sarnecki, as it so happens, is tomorrow's (Wednesday) AAJ free mp3 of the day. Adam Baldych will be the featured dotd on August 31st.

Here's Adam's site and reverbnation pages where you can listen to music from the album...

http://www.adambaldych.com/

http://www.reverbnation.com/adambaldych

The song "Room of Fear" slays me every time. It's about the closest thing to hit me the same way Todd Sickafoose's "Tiny Resistors" did.

And here's a site for Rafal to listen to music...

http://rafalsarnecki.com/en/mp3.html

I thought I already was as jealous as I could be at all the jazz going on in Brooklyn far far away from me. I was wrong.

Author of text: Dave Summer (source) 

...

Rafał Sarnecki - Madman Rambles Again (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2011) by Adam Baruch

Rafał Sarnecki (guitar)

Paweł Kaczmarczyk (piano) 

Jerzy Małek (trumpet)

Lucas Pino (saxophone, flute)

Wojciech Pulcyn (bass)

Łukasz Żyta, Paweł Dobrowolski (drums)

Jose Manuel Alban Juarez (percussion)

Fresh Sound New Talent, 2011

Adam Baruch (check his music boutique www.jazzis.com) is presenting new album of talented man Mr Sarnecki. It is our second text about this desc but music certainly deserves it...

This is the 2nd album by the excellent Polish guitarist / composer / arranger Rafal Sarnecki, following his outstanding debut released a couple of years earlier. Sarnecki manages to repeat the same level of freshness and quality, but the new album is different in many ways, mostly due to the fact that Sarnecki lived in NY for some time, absorbing some of the Big Apple's influences, which are evident in the brass arrangements, Latin rhythms and overall sound of the recording. But fortunately this amalgamation of American influences did not replace his European roots, which remain intact, especially in his superb compositions. He composed seven of the eight tracks on the album and included one standard, same as last time. 

His musical cohorts consist partly of the same excellent musicians who recorded the debut album: pianist Pawel Kaczmarczyk, bassist Wojciech Pulcyn and drummers Lukasz Zyta (on six tracks) and Pawel Dobrowolski (on two tracks) (all five are members of the pianist's Audiofeeling Band), strengthened by a brass section: US saxophonist / flautist Lucas Pino and trumpeter Jerzy Malek. Percussionist Jose Manuel Alban Juarez (despite the name he's Polish) guests on two tracks. The sextet format allows Sarnecki to develop a much richer orchestration and complex arrangements for his superb compositions, which he does beautifully, carefully avoiding overdoing it, which is a rare and commendable approach. The performances are of course stellar and these young musicians bring a wide smile on veterans' (like me) faces, seeing that Jazz has a future after all. 

What I particularly admire about Sarnecki is his ability to eschew the Fusion trap – he manages to keep this album 100% Jazz, which is extremely rare for guitar albums these days. The album was released on the Spanish Fresh Sound label, which releases albums by young and promising Jazz musicians from all over the world, giving them a chance of international exposure, an admirable policy deserving support. Polish Jazz legend Tomasz Stanko gives Sarnecki some warm compliments on the album's cover, and I'm only happy to concur with his opinion – this is definitely a great piece of music, which deserves repeated listening and an honorable place on the shelves of Polish Jazz discography. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Fragment of music registered during concert in Polish consulate in New York this year:

Author of text: Adam Baruch (http://www.adambaruch.com/)

...

Rafał Sarnecki - The Madman Rambles Again (2011) by Maciej Nowotny

Last year I had an opportunity to listen to three CDs of young and very talented Polish mainstream guitarists: Daniel Popiałkiewicz "The Hope For Tomorrow" (2010), Przemek Strączek "Light & Shadow" (2010) and Rafał Sarnecki "Songs From A New Place" (2008). And couple of days ago I got Rafał Sarnecki's new album "The Madman Rambles Again", second after abovementioned debut recording. I am glad to write that it is step forward which evidenced on three different levels. 

First, the music is more diversified than on his previous CD since he added a horn section. Lucas Pino, alto saxophonist from Phoenix, is living in New York now, where he met Sarnecki who then was studying there at Aaron Copland School of Music. Pino has an interesting sound, a little edgy yet meticulous phrasing shows evident influence of great New York masters of past as Parker, McLean, Konitz and present like David Binney, Steve Lehman and most of all Chris Potter. He is accompanied by Jerzy Małek, a top young trumpeter from Poland, a type of player who fits well everywhere, like in recent recording with above mentioned guitarist Przemek Strączek, where they played dialogues in Jim Hall and Chet Baker cool jazz manner. Here Jerzy Małek plays on more aggressive, bopish note and he is equally good. Outstanding! It is noteworthy that Sarnecki kept intact a very decent rhythm section from "Songs From A New Place" in persons of Paweł Kaczmarczyk (piano), Wojciech Pulcyn (bass) and Łukasz Żyta (drums) who in two songs (tracks 4,5) is replaced by Paweł Dobrowolski. On two tracks (1,3) pulse is augmented by percussion of Jose Manuel Alban Juarez.

Second, all songs on this record are originals composed by Sarnecki and as Tomasz Stańko noted, who made a kind introduction to this album, "(they) are cohesive and interesting". Some of them are real vamps, "The Student Protest" being an example, a film with which I enclose at the end of this post and recommend to take a look at. Generally speaking music is accessible, melodic, mainstream jazz with clear New York bopish as well as Latin influences.

Third, the album is issued by good label Fresh Sound New Talent for which Piotr Wyleżoł recorded his noteworthy "Children's Episodes" (2009). Congratulations for both Rafał Sarnecki and Spanish label for being able to identify an interesting young player. It is available worldwide through Blue Sounds and Amazon distribution.  

"Student Protest" is an opening tune, truly a vamp, evidencing Sarnecki's extraordinary talent for composing catchy melodies:

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

Rafał Sarnecki recorded for Fresh Sound New Talent!!!

I have recently written about Rafał Sarnecki debut recording "Song From A New Place". It is then great pleasure to inform readers of my blog that his next recording will be issued by prestigious Spanish Fresh Sound New Talent label (second Polish artist recording for them after excellent Piotr Wyleżoł Trio "Children's Episode") available worldwide in its catalouge since February. Polish premiere set for 8th May 2011 this new album is titled "The Madman Rambles Again". I am very curious what music this disc shall bring to us...

Rafał Sarnecki Quartet - Songs From A New Place (2008)

This is kind of musical diary composed by young guitarist Rafał Sarnecki after 3 years time spend in New York. But though his debut album it sounds as it was recorded by fully matured musician. First, unlike novice and young player Sarnecki does not concentrate on his technical ability (BTW it is extraordinary) but on searching of his own, unique sound. Pat Metheny style being his point of departure his playing is never too close to his main influence to be mistaken for imitation. He from the beginning to the end is on his own way.

In such a attitude he is assisted by a set of fantastic musicians of whom pianist Paweł Kaczmarczyk deserves to be mentioned in the first place. Being himself excellent soloist and leader, Paweł has a rare ability to be able also to play as sideman in splendid way, leaving all necessary space for his collaborators to shine. Wojciech Pulcyn on double bass and Łukasz Żyta on drums provide a firm and steady support for Kaczmarczyk and Sarnecki to dance, sing and fly as much as they want.

And that is second, really surprising, feature of this recording that instead of putting himself upfront Sarnecki shows here enough maturity to be able to co-operate with all other members of the band (including flutist Thomas Abbott appearing in track 7). 

All these features of this young musician shows his great potential for future provided that he shall decide wholeheartedly to go for music and jazz because he has also a degree in physics and declares it being his second love. 

Finally let me find few words to praise Jan Smoczyński from Tokarnia studio for excellent level of recording and Maciej Stryjecki from ARMS Records (unfortunately not existing any more?) for fine level of edition of this CD.

Please, check this link for sample of music from this album.

Paweł Kaczmarczyk Audiofeeling Band - Complexity in Simplicity (ACT, 2009)

There is only a handful of polish jazz musicians that are signed to the best international recording labels. One can name Tomasz Stańko and Marcin Wasilewski that are ECM artists and Leszek Możdżer who records for ACT. To those very few now is joining young polish pianist Paweł Kaczmarczyk with his Audiofeeling Band who recently made his debut album for ACT titled Complexity in Simplicity.

I found a very nice promotional video prepared by ACT for this record so my work this time is easy and short because I shall only write few additional words about up-to-this-date career of Kaczmarczyk plus my opinion about his music.

He was born in Cracow in 1984 and studied in excellent  Musical Academy in Katowice, a place from where so many young and promising polish jazzmen are coming from. He formed his first band in 2001 being just 17 years old and since then he won countless competitions and was coached by the best of polish misicians playing in numerous venues in Poland and abroad. During rehearsal of his last record titled Audiofeeling that took place in Berlin he was approached by owner of ACT Siegried Loch who introduced himself and immadietely asked him to sign into his company.  Terrific story indeed :-)

And Paweł and his companions are paying back for Loch's trust  by delivering on this record music that is so varied and refined and yet sounding so simple and attractive that I believe he must be very glad now that he made such a proposal to this young pianist from Cracow. Kaczmarczyk is accompanied on this recording by the elite of young polish jazz players who are constantly shifting both personel (from trio to septet) and stylistical characterstics of this music (from bopish to cool and further to chamber jazz). The effect is very attractive because recording is dense enough to focus ambitious listener attention for long and yet accesible enough to be listened to at ease for simple pleasure as well. All in all, it seems the new star on polish jazz sky has come up. Congratulations Paweł!

At the end let me attach a list of wonderful musicians that took part in this recording:

Paweł Kaczmarczyk – piano
Radek Nowicki – soprano & tenor saxophone
Tomasz Grzegorski – tenor saxophone, bass clarinet
Grzech Piotrowski – soprano saxophone
Łukasz Poprawski – alto saxophone
Jerzy Małek – trumpet
Rafał Sarnecki – guitar
Wojciech Pulcyn – double bass
Michał Barański – double bass
Łukasz Żyta – drums
Paweł Dobrowolski – drums
Bogusz Wekka – percussions

Author of text: Maciej Nowotny
...