Michał Martyniuk – Nothing To Prove (2018)

Michał Martyniuk

Michał Martyniuk - piano
Jakub Skowroński - saxophone
Jakub Mizeracki - guitar
Bartek Chojnacki - bass
Kuba Gudz - drums

Nothing To Prove




SJ 031

By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album by Polish (resident in New Zealand) Jazz pianist/composer Michał Martyniuk, recorded with a core quintet setting with saxophonist Jakub Skowroński, guitarist Jakub Mizeracki, bassist Bartek Chojnacki and drummer Kuba Gudz. Three guest artists: drummer Sebastian Skrzypek, percussionist Miguel Fuentes and vocalist Tama Waipara appear on selected tracks. The album presents eight original compositions, all composed by Martyniuk.

The music is very melodic mainstream Jazz that stays almost completely within the conventional Smooth Jazz idiom, which is relatively atypical of young Polish Jazz and resembles recordings from across the pond - lush saxophone, dreamy guitar (with very strong Fusion tendencies) and romantic piano are the dominant characteristics. Having said that, the tunes are very well crafted and the music is excellently performed, arranged and recorded, so the listening experience is definitely very pleasurable.

Perhaps the idea of this album was indeed that the leader has nothing to prove and decided to record an album easy on the ear, which can be liked by a wide range of listeners mostly from outside the strict Jazz circles. I have already read several very flattering reviews of this album by some Polish "critics", which proves that Martyniuk achieved his goal in full.

Jazzpocalypse feat. Caterina Palazzi - Sisyphonic (2017)

Jazzpocalypse feat. Caterina Palazzi - Sisyphonic

Jakub Skowroński - saxophone
Sebastian Zawadzki - piano, keys
Wojciech Świeca - guitar
Caterina Palazzi - double bass
Janosch Pangritz - drums

Sisyphonic



SAINT LOUIS JAZZ COLLECTION 017.1

By Adam Baruch

This is the second album by the quartet Jazzpocalypse, which comprises of Polish saxophonist Jakub Skowroński, keyboardist Sebastian Zawadzki, guitarist Wojciech Świeca and German drummer Janosch Pangritz, expanded to a quintet with the addition of Italian bassist Caterina Palazzi. The album presents ten original compositions, two by Skowronski, three by Zawadzki, two by Swieca and three by Pangritz.

The music is typical contemporary European mainstream Jazz, with solid compositions and excellent improvisations by the ensemble members. The tunes are melody based and present diverse approaches used by the four young composers, each creating a slightly different sonic world, but with all the compositions adding up to a coherent musical kaleidoscope. Some of the tunes are pretty straightforward, some are close to Jazz-Rock Fusion, mostly due to the strong presence of the electric guitar and yet others are relatively open and feature less restrained improvisations.

The performances are all top notch, with the soloing evenly distributed between the front line players and a steady solid background provided by the rhythm section. All Jazz and Fusion connoisseurs should be able to find a lot to their liking here, and overall the album is a great fun to listen to, but also full of European Jazz aesthetics, superb compositions and depth rarely found across the pond. The album definitely fulfills the expectations that the group's semi-official debut released some years ago managed to create. Hopefully we won't have to wait so long for their next release!

Piotr Budniak Essential Group - Into The Life (2017)

Piotr Budniak Essential Group

Szymon Mika - guitar
Wojciech Lichtański - alto saxophone
Jakub Skowroński - tenor saxophone, bass clarinet
Kajetan Borowski - piano
Alan Wykpisz - double bass
Piotr Budniak - drums



Into The Life

SJ 022

By Adam Baruch

This is the second album by young Polish Jazz drummer/composer Piotr Budniak with his Essential Group sextet, which also includes saxophonists Wojciech Lichtański and Jakub Skowroński, guitarist Szymon Mika, pianist Kajetan Borowski and bassist Alan Wykpisz; definitely some of the best young Polish Jazz lions. The album presents six original compositions (one repeated twice), all by Budniak.

Perfectly executed and presenting superb compositions this album is an example of what modern young European Jazz is all about and it is a momentous step forward for Budniak as a composer and bandleader. The music is diverse, interesting, often unexpected and developing constantly. Although based on clearly defined melodic themes, it keeps evolving within each tune, changing moods and tempi, all to the delight of the listener. Although perhaps not intended as such, the albums sound like a continuous suite-like piece of music, which is perfectly coherent and feels like a complete statement.

The sextet plays like a dream, at times sounding like a small Big Band, at other times like a Jazz-Rock ensemble, always perfectly in sync, balanced and cooperating towards a common goal. The individual statements are all perfect with the wonderfully structured solos chasing one another. The bass clarinet parts by Skowroński and the guitar parts by Mika are the "secret ingredients" which create the overall wonderful sonic aura, but everybody plays simply superbly. The rhythm section drives the ensemble like a Porsche engine, with sublime sensitivity, with the Big Bear Wykpisz being the maestro of melodic structures at the low end of the sonic spectrum. Budniak himself is a very delicate and considerate drummer, who keeps his rhythmic pulsation at a proper ensemble level not trying to be bossy.

Of course Budniak deserves praise for his extraordinary compositions, which are the essence of this music. I must say that it has been quite a while since I heard an album's length piece of music, which has absolutely no weak parts and keeps the listener at his toes for the entire duration. Absolutely brilliant stuff! Congratulations are in order to everybody involved and I highly recommend this album to all Jazz connoisseurs around the world as an example of what great music means these days. Life is too short for anything less than this!

Piotr Budniak Essential Group - Into The Life - premiera 31.05.2017

Piotr Budniak Essential Group

Wojciech Lichtański - alto saxophone
Jakub Skowroński - tenor saxophone, bass clarinet
Kajetan Borowski - piano

Szymon Mika - guitar
Alan Wykpisz - double bass
Piotr Budniak - drums

Into The Life

SJ Records 2017

31 maja, nakładem wytwórni SJ Records zostanie wydany album "Into The Life" formacji Piotr Budniak Essential Group. Tego dnia także o godzinie 20.30 w 12on14 Jazz Club w Warszawie odbędzie się koncert premierowy, który będzie transmitowany na antenie Radia JAZZ.FM!

"Into The Life" to najnowszy album zespołu Piotr Budniak Essential Group będący podsumowaniem ostatnich dwóch lat działalności zarówno zespołu, jak i samego lidera. Po sukcesie "Simple Stories About Hope And Worries" (Soliton, 2015) zespół stawia kolejny, odważny krok w centrum zainteresowania stawiając bardziej otwarte i ofensywne granie, jednak przy zachowaniu charakterystycznego dla zespołu spójnego, pastelowego i miękkiego brzmienia.

Płyta zawiera 7 utworów autorstwa Budniaka łączących się w bardzo konkretną historię, która prawdopodobnie była, jest lub będzie udziałem każdego z nas. To historia o drodze, jaką niejednokrotnie musimy przejść, aby naprawdę zacząć żyć i odkryć po co tutaj jesteśmy.

Orange Trane feat. Soweto Kinch – Interpersonal Lines (2016)

Orange Trane feat. Soweto Kinch

Dominik Bukowski - vibraphone
Piotr Lemańczyk - bass
Tomasz Łosowski - drums
Jakub Skowroński - tenor saxophone
Soweto Kinch - alto saxophone

Interpersonal Lines


SOLITON 526

By Adam Baruch

This is the fifth album by the excellent Polish Jazz ensemble Orange Trane, which consists of vibraphonist Dominik Bukowski, bassist Piotr Lemańczyk and drummer Tomasz Łosowski. On this album two players are featured as guest musicians: the British saxophonist Soweto Kinch and the young Polish saxophonist Jakub Skowroński. The album presents seven pieces, five of which are original compositions (four by Lemańczyk and one by Bukowski) and two are compositions by legendary Polish Jazz figures: Zbigniew Seifert and Andrzej Kurylewicz, included here as the band's tribute to the older generation of Polish Jazz pioneers.

The band continues its musical path faithfully, playing modern Jazz at the highest possible standard, characterized by the virtuosic vibraphone parts by Bukowski, no less virtuosic bass playing by Lemańczyk, who consistently delivers superb lines as only he can and is completed by the energetic and elegant drumming by Łosowski. The addition of the two saxophonists expands the overall sound of the band, but does not change dramatically the character of the music.

As usual, Lemańczyk also delivers his lovely compositions, which serve as ideal vehicles for the members of the ensemble to carry their individual statements. The collection of his compositions for Orange Trane, his solo albums and other recordings emerges as one of the most consistent bodies of Jazz compositions on the Polish scene, for which he deserves much more recognition than is actually awarded to him.

The greatest asset of Orange Trane is the consistency of their work, which does not try to show off or amaze the listeners but rather concentrates on keeping the musical excellence and deliver honest, straightforward musical message. There is a certain minimalism and introversion involved in their musical delivery, which often emphasizes the "less is more" principle. Overall this is another great addition to the Orange Trane legacy, which over time achieved the symbol of quality, which does not disappoint. Well done gentleman, again!

Piotr Scholz – Suite The Road (2016)

Piotr Scholz

Poznań Jazz Philharmonic Orchestra
Krzysztof Dys - piano
Tomasz Orłowski - trumpet
Maciej Kociński - soprano saxophone
Jakub Skowroński - tenor & soprano saxophones, bass clarinet
Kuba Marciniak - tenor saxophone, clarinet, flute
Piotr Banyś - trombone
Damian Kostka - double bass
Adam Zagórski - drums

Suite The Road

RECART 0019

By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album as a leader by Polish Jazz guitarist/composer/conductor Piotr Scholz, which presents a five-part suite for Jazz Orchestra. The music is performed by the Poznań Jazz Philharmonic Orchestra (PJPO), conducted by Scholz, which includes thirteen excellent players, most notably Krzysztof Dys on piano.

The music is an ambitious attempt to combine the contemporary Classical and Jazz idioms, which overall works quite well. The melodic themes arranged for the entire range of the orchestra, including vocalese, flow smoothly and feature numerous solos parts by the orchestra members. The music does not cross the boundaries of the mainstream expressionism, but keeps developing steadily and is able to keep the listener interested throughout the entire piece. The question remains if this music could have not been performed by a small ensemble, like a quintet for example, and if the orchestral arrangements add anything substantial to the musical content. But that is beyond the point here.

But of course it is commendable that young Polish Jazz musicians/composers are still interested in the Big Band/Orchestral forms, which have been grossly neglected in the last few decades, after flourishing in the early days of the Jazz idiom. Therefore this effort by Scholz is an important part of the young Polish Jazz scene, which witnesses an incredible renaissance of the genre. Hopefully his orchestra will continue to exist, perform and make additional recordings in the future.

Overall this is a pleasant album, which explores the realms of orchestral Jazz, and as such deserves to be heard and praised. Scholz still has to travel a bit on "the road" before he reaches his destination, but it is actually the travel that matters and not the final goal, as some wise men say. In the meantime well done!

Paweł Niewiadomski Quartet – Introduction (2015)

Paweł Niewiadomski Quartet

Paweł Niewiadomski - trombone
Jakub Skowroński - tenor saxophone
Ksawery Wójciński - double bass
Wojciech Romanowski - drums

Introduction

FOR TUNE 0085

By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album by Polish trombonist/composer Paweł Niewiadomski recorded in a quartet setting with saxophonist Jakub Skowroński, bassist Ksawery Wójciński and drummer Wojciech Romanowski. The album presents six original compositions, all by Niewiadomski.

Trombone-led Jazz ensembles are relatively rare and therefore every time one of those lands on my lap it receives special attention. In this case the attention turned out to we well justified, as this album is definitely a surprising gem. The music, although based on melodic themes stated at the beginning, develops into a Free Form group improvisation, which are full of passion and imaginative approach to the expanded Jazz idiom.

Although still relatively young, these musicians are all experienced improvisers and excellent instrumentalists, with skills, technique and evident talent. These qualities, combined with the obvious camaraderie and mutual respect between the quartet members enables a creative atmosphere which results in very effective musical achievements. The resulting music is cohesive, highly passionate and aesthetically just right, which is a pleasure to listen to.

The individual statements by the quartet members are all top notch: Niewiadomski pushes the limited trombone possibilities into the realm of physically impossible, Skowroński adds his convoluted saxophone statements, Wójciński holds the entire album together with his superb bass pulsations, which are nothing short of sheer virtuosity and finally Romanowski adds fire and brimstone to the proceedings, topping the overall sound with condensed rhythmic ornaments. The trombone/saxophone unisono parts, which later develop into fiery exchanges, are the highlights of this album, but the overall level of performances is incredibly high.

This is definitely a most impressive debut, introducing another player on the Polish Improvised Music scene, which is worth being followed, expecting only the best to come. This album will be very hard to beat, so I'm already waiting to hear the follow up, but in the meantime this is something the trombone connoisseurs and Polish Jazz fans will definitely not want to miss. Magnificent playing!

Przemek Raminiak Quartet – Locomotive (2015)

Przemek Raminiak Quartet

Przemysław Raminiak - keyboards
Jakub Skowroński - saxophone
Bartosz Kucz - bass
Frank Parker - drums

Locomotive

SOLITON 417


By Adam Baruch

This is the first album by Polish Jazz pianist/composer Przemysław Raminiak, following his departure from the seminal Polish piano trio RGG, of which he was a founding member. The album was recorded in a quartet setting and features also saxophonist Jakub Skowroński, bassist Bartosz Kucz and American drummer Frank Parker. The album presents eight original compositions, seven composed by Raminiak and one co-composed by him with Skowroński.

Musically the album presents a complete about face as far as Raminiak's role with RGG is concerned. No more long, contemplative, lyrical and almost free form ambient explorations, but straightforward melodic mainstream, almost smooth Jazz, energetic, vigorous, funky, groovy and danceable. Although at the first moment this can be quite shocking to some of Raminiak's fans, there is basically nothing wrong with changing one's approach, even dramatically. If Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock can do it, why can't Przemyslaw Raminiak do it as well?

This is very immediate music and yet it has many virtues: the melodies are all first-class, the arrangements are slick and professional and the performances are brilliant in that particular milieu. Raminiak plays acoustic and electric piano and a few synthesizers, always with flair and spotless technique, which of course is not surprising. Skowronski is a big surprise with his smooth phrasing and superb melodiousness. The rhythm section plays pretty solid background timekeeping stuff, with beautiful fretless bass playing a few nice solos and drums staying respectfully in the background, as appropriate for this setting. In short this whole thing works like a dream, delivering pleasant, nontrivial and highly satisfactory music, which is a lot of fun to listen to.

Of course Raminiak will be accused of "selling out" and playing rubbish by Polish "music critics", but honestly most of them secretly enjoy this music very much and are simply embarrassed to admit it. As far as fellow musicians are concerned most of them wish they could come up with an album like this one themselves. So here it comes again people: this is a great album for what it is, straightforward uncomplicated good music. We can't eat the same food all the time and we can't listen to the same music all the time – this is definitely a nice alternative, mostly for those who know it all.

International Jazzpocalypse - Live in Torun (2013)

International Jazzpocalypse (band)

Kuba Skowronski - saxophone
Wojtek Swieca - guitar
Sebastian Zawadzki - piano
Asger Nordtorp Pedersen - bass
Janosch Pangritz - drums

Live in Torun (2013)

Text by Maciej Nowotny

Every now and then there happens in Polish jazz a debut so good that it heralds the emergence of strong and unique personality that may join those who give direction to this music in our country. We were recently awed by the fantastic debut of the band called Tone Raw (check Adam Baruch's review) featuring young pianist Sebastian Zawadzki. And now in comes his second album and it is at least equally interesting showing clearly that Zawadzki's star is ascending.

Born in 1991 in Toruń he is one of many talented lads who in recent years studied in Music Academy in Odense, Denmark. Together with Tomasz Dąbrowski, Tomek Licak and Marek Kądziela they form kind of "Danish Wave" in Polish jazz. They all can be characterized as having both high level of competence on their respective instruments AND openness for what is alive and actual in contemporary jazz. 

One additional feature which can attributed to these young musicians is an ease with which they mingle with their peers not only from Poland but also from Scandinavia, Germany, other European countries and from the U.S. Most of their projects are "international" with modern jazz being a common language which allows youth from so many different countries and cultures to work together. In itself a great thing especially when so successful from artistic point of view.

Apart from above mentioned Zawadzki on piano we find here his compatriots  Jakub Skowroński on saxophone and Wojtek Świeca on guitar. Their playing is outstanding! Skowroński tone is sparing but very elegant, it resembles a bit Wayne Shorter thoughtful style. Świeca also makes an excellent impression on me: emphatic  compassionate, blending well with whole ensemble which is not so often met in young musicians.

Danish-German rhythm section consisting of, respectively, bassist Asger Nordtrop and drummer Janosh Pangritz cannot be praised too much! I am especially impressed by Pangritz whose play is very individual and additionally he composed or co-composed three pieces out of four on this album. All these young artists seem to have bright future ahead of them. Their class impressed me even more when taking into account that though young they also work magnificently as a collective. 

The result is music that can be described as modern mainstream: enough adventurous to attract those interested in avantjazz yet very communicative so it can appeal to those who value a lot more traditional jazz language. In short, a brilliant achievement of these young musicians!