Nucleon - Fitoplankton (Audio Tong, 2011)

Nucleon (group)
Aleksander Papierz (sax)
Michal Dymny (guitar)
Tomek Gluc (electronics)
Jakub Rutkowski (drums)
Andrzej Sawik (piano)

Fitoplankton (Audio Tong; 2011)

(Editor) Stephan Moore (check his excellent blog: JazzWrap) sheds light on this very interesting third release by Nucleon:

With a combination of traditional fusion and a modern rock aesthetic, Nucleon are building an exciting book of material that we should really take note of. The group, developed by founding members Jakub Rutowski and Andrzej Sawik, quietly (or loudly) built a huge following within their home country of Poland. Their self-titled debut ("Nucleon") was fantastic and had all the elements of a young group searching through their influences but also creating its own identity.

The ensemble suffered a major loss last year with the unexpected passing of the classically trained co-leader, Sawik before the group could finish its next record. But Nucleon forged on and created the beautiful, Fitoplankton, an album that explodes through the speakers with vibrancy and urgency. With a sound that is reminiscent of King Crimson, Headhunters, Last Exit and ironically, Nucleus, Nucleon is that "something different" you've been looking for the last couple of weeks.

"Where R U Going Boy?" rambles ans swirls with almost 'third stream' quality in the outset with Papierz and Gluc leading the charge. Sawik, whose piano parts are sampled in perfectly, joins in as the rest of group follow. It's an heavy laden groove that has lots of funky moments but the standout performances lay between Papierz, whose delivery is on fire along with Rutkowski's pulsating timing that never lets the group simmer down. "Metalug", another bristling piece highlights the groups rock influences with a cavalcade of chords in its opening that never really lets up. It's a short piece that soon rolls into the quiet and evocative "Sola W Occie" which is driven by Sawik's classical keys and gently moves back and forth between ambient and experimental thought. Papierz delivers some nice almost Coleman-esque solo passages with Gluc and Rutkowski adding eerie direction just underneath his notes.

"Fitoplankton" presented me with thoughts of Red era King Crimson mixed with the keyboard psychedelics of Headhunters. The group mix a sense of raw, gritty energy thorugh Dymny and Rutkowski but tempered by some buoyant floatation from Papierz.

Nucleon are a group that I hope will soldier on after the lose of their influential co-founder. They found a way to intermingle Sawik's pieces into this power record which keeps his name alive. But it also gives the group a new point of direction for the future. 

Check music from this inspiring CD:

Author of test: Stephan Moore
http://jazzwrap.blogspot.com/

Andrzej Sawik & Jakub Rutkowski - Nucleon (Tone Industria, 2007)

Andrzej Sawik - piano
Jakub Rutkowski - drums
Franz Hautzinger - trumpet
Aleksander Korecki - tenor bas
Dominik Strycharki - blockflutes
Tomasz Głuc - electronic percussion

Tone Industria, 2007

To my surprise I don't find any reviews in English for this excellent album, let me therefore first introduce players before I move to description of music itself. Two leaders, Andrzej Sawik and Jakub Rutkowski, are relatively young musicians, both born in 1976 in Cracow where they live and work. Andrzej Sawik is pianist, composer and arranger who started by playing within mainstream jazz and slowly moved towards free jazz and contemporary improvised music. In his play on piano resound influences of John Cage, Paul Bley or Matthew Shipp music. 

Jakub Rutkowski, drummer and composer, has a bit different background: he is associated mainly with  Polish rock scene since he plays with Maciej Maleńczuk and his well-known band Homo Twist. That's why his style is very energetic, extravertic, daring in which he reminds me a bit Jim Black. But Rutkowski never left jazz or avantgarde track for long and was playing in very good band called Pulsarus (check its album "FAQ") led by flutist Dominik Strycharski who also appears on this album along with Franz Hautzinger on trumpet, Aleksander Korecki on tenor sax and Tomek  Głuc on electronic percussion.

The sound of this band is very intriguing: intellectual, classical piano of Rutkowski fits unexpectedly well with rock pulse as supplied by Rutkowski while other players create enough space for fascinating meandering in typical free jazz style. All this sounds fascinating, every tune is challenge, musicians prove that improvisations may be very subtle, sublime, filigree (piano) yet full of almost kinetic energy (rhythm section).

But the best I left for now since after 4 years waiting a new record was issued by Nucleon this year! You should definitely check this album first before moving to this new one as this band creates one of the most interesting improvised music in Poland at this moment!  

Check first track from this album titled "Icebrg". Excellent!!!

Author of text: Maciej Nowotny

http://kochamjazz.blox.pl/html