Maciej Trifonidis - Roots (Slowdownrecords, 2011)

Maciej Trifonidis - soprano & tenor saxophone,flute, recorder, clarinet, guitar, percussions

Tadeusz Czechak - oud

Mikołaj Wielecki -- congas, bongos, percussions

Robert Siwak - bendir, daf, riq, darbuka, cajon

Maciej Mustafa Giżejewski - doholla, darbuka, bendir, tar aissawi, tarija, karkaba, oddech

Jacek Mazurkiewicz - bass

Wojtek Sobura - drums

Roots (Slowdownrecords, 2011)

Maciej Trifonidis is a man of utmost energy, dedication, passion as much as musician as spiritus movens behind his recording label slowndownrecords and other projects. And this record is a testimony to such a trait of him: primal, organic, animal spirit that must rest somewhere deep within his personality. Brought up in Trypolis, Libya he goes back in this album to sounds and moods of his childhood but not in typical for Polish musicians artificial way but as if this African and Oriental notes were his own, were language his soul is speaking. Half-Polish, half-Greek he is in unique position to bring this mad music in its whole authenticity to our musical landscape. Certainly such attempts were already present in Polish Jazz, most famous of all being Stańko "Music From Taj Mahal And Carla Caves", but apart from this and handful of other albums, Polish music seems separated from what Trifonidis justly sees as roots of jazz: that is rhythm, whether African or Oriental, it is rhythm which since jazz came on the scene at the beginning of XXth century, has brought whole new dimension to European music.

I would very much like that Trifonidis go full throttle in this direction. He already managed to gather around himself this handful of musicians in Poland who share with him love towards that kind of music: Tadeusz Czechak, Mikołaj Wielecki, Rober Siwak, Maciej 'Mustafa' Giżejewski, Jacek Mazurkiewicz, Wojciech Sobura, all as much able as players as compassionate to Trifonidis ideas about music. He himself plays on this album on soprano&tenor saxophones, flute, recorder, clarinet, guitar, percussions and his style reminds very much that of great Pharoah Sanders and is outward, coarse, emotional.

Trifonidis is prolific, he has already released something like 10 albums, he treats these albums more like notes on a blog than definite and complete messages. But perhaps time has come for him to think about changing this formula. Because though I appreciate his albums released up to date I would be in difficult position if asked to show one who reflects the most his personality and style. With this recording it's different: it's original, it merges well both ethnic and hard rock roots of music all so important to him, and saturates them with what impression jazz music left on him in recent years. This direction has awesome potential and I would appreciate if Trifonidis somehow managed to continue on this track in years to come... 

Author: Maciej Nowotny
http://kochamjazz.blox.pl/html

Maciej Trifonidis Bielawski - Downtown Project (2010)

Bartek Adamczak vel (Free) Jazz Alchemist is starting his small cycle of 3 posts on new recordings of young Polish saxophonist Maciej Trifonidis Bielawski:

Maciej Trifonidis Bielawski could be known to some of you as the bass player in Horny Trees trio - clarinet-bass-drums band led by Pawel Szamburski which released its first cd on Kilogram Records - Mikolaj Trzaska's label. But he's also a multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, working in and leading his own projects in very different musical environments, from raw freejazz improvisation (would love to hear his upcoming trio concert with Pawel Szpura and Ksawery Wojcinski - rhythm section from Hera) up to large groups with strings, accordions, brass, horns, playing mostly composed, strictly arranged music, balancing classical and popular influences (the biggest of those - Trifonidis Orchestra - is 16 men strong). His recent releases on his own Slowdownrecords label prove his vast talents and multiple skills. And while I'm not that big fan of such orchestral ventures, the sonic richness they can offer and many of simply charming melodies he delivers are definitely not to be missed because of such a prejudice.

First recording I want to write about (next reviews will come accordingly) titled "Downtown Project" is clearly outside the jazz genre and can be described as musical soundtrack dedicated to Warsaw. A city that, like any other urban centre nowadays, is torn apart between the fast tempo of modern life, and history, those oases where time seems not to rush anymore but walk slowly, telling stories of the past. With string quartet, accordion, tuba or ethnic percussion in the line-up this offers a wide range of colours to choose from and Bielawski does create a varied set of pieces, to tell you about whole lot of different things - a bad hangover in the "Morning" or a "Football Match" watched with his friends. The stories sometimes quite dramatic, sometimes quite joyful, trivial or pensive - not surprising if you squeeze "Dreams" between "Rush Hour" and "China Soup".

Most of those are portraits or miniatures - with only 4 out of 18 tracks over 3 minutes, and majority around 1:30. Stunning melange indeed with sounds of the city mixed in, echoes of some folk melodies, different cultures' backgrounds present, as well as Michael Nyman or Philip Glass influences (especially in the chord patterns of the "Space Beyond the City"). Bielawski does to Warsaw what Yann Tiersenn did to Paris in "Amelie". And though I guess Warsaw is not as seductive nor romantic as Paris (not a big surprise), but at least in the way how depicted by Trifonidis, it gains intriguing, if sometimes a bit disturbing, charm. 

Speaking shortly, this music is classic example of a soundtrack music to the film that has not been made, but still stands well on its own. If there are silent movies, maybe there could be also one that has no moving pictures but just the moving sounds?

("Minutes" from the album, compare it with the not so peacefull "Rush Hour" also available on YouTube)
http://youtu.be/q8kSWABEccU
Author of review: Bartek Adamczak vel (Free) Jazz Alchemist

Find him on his blog http://jazzalchemist.blogspot.com/ or on air http://radiofrycz.pl/ at 20.00 on Monday.