Quindependence - Circumstances (2017)

Quindependence

Krzysztof Matejski - saxophones, flute
Dominik Borek - trumpet, flugelhorn
Michał Salamon - piano
Miłosz Skwirut - bass
Paweł Nowak - drums

Circumstances


PRIVATE EDITION 5908254159688

By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz ensemble Quindependence which comprises of saxophonist/flautist Krzysztof Matejski, trumpeter Dominik Borek, pianist Michał Salamon, bassist Miłosz Skwirut and drummer Paweł Nowak. The album presents seven tracks, four of which are original compositions (two each by Skwirut and Salamon), another two are arrangements of the first two of the fascinating seven piano pieces by Erik Satie called Gnossiennes and the last is a Polish Jazz standard by Zbigniew Namysłowski.

The music is modern melodic mainstream Jazz, with excellent original compositions and quite unusual complexity, which offers an excellent listening adventure. Although still full of the typical Polish lyricism and melancholy, the music goes beyond the typical conventions and boldly steps into new territory, which even much more established ensembles of this king rarely visit.

The instrumental proficiency of these young players is also quite astounding, both on the individual level and as an ensemble. The complex music flows naturally and coherently, allowing for plenty of soloing opportunities and even some free form ensemble improvisation. Salamon, who is both a gifted composer and beautifully lyrical pianist (well remembered from the albums by F.O.U.R.S. Collective or Monosies ensemble), sets the harmonic anchor for the proceedings and the horns deliver plenty of fiery moments. Skwirut not only keeps the music on track by his bass pulsations but also offers his two superb compositions, which are the most challenging pieces herein.

Overall this is a wonderful debut album, which was sadly lost somewhere amongst the multitude of the excellent Polish Jazz releases at the time. Since the album was not followed by other releases, I assume it is not active any more, which is a pity. I have no idea how it arrived on my desk four years after it was released, but better late than never is absolutely true in this case as well.

Miłosz Skwirut - Road Movies EP (2019)

Miłosz Skwirut

Katarzyna Pietrzko - piano
Dominik Bieńczycki - synth
Miłosz Skwirut - double bass
Max Olszewski - drums
Jorgos Skolias - vocals
and others

Road Movies EP



PRIVATE EDITION

By Adam Baruch

This is the debut EP album (under half an hour of music) by young Polish Jazz bassist/composer Miłosz Skwirut, recorded with several other young Polish Jazz musicians like pianist Katarzyna Pietrzko, keyboardist Dominik Bieńczycki, guitarist Marcin Hilarowicz, drummer Maksymilian Olszewski, percussionist Łukasz Kurzydlo, vocalist Susanna Jara-Małecka and veteran vocalist Jorgos Skolias, who appears on one track. The album presents five original compositions, all by Skwirut.

The cinematic term "road movie" refers to the genre which tells a story of a person leaving home and venturing on a journey of discovery, which often changes the hero's perspective of life and shapes his character. The strong World Music influences, which are reflected in Skwirut's music, are the analogy to a virtual journey into different cultures, with the compositions serving as mini-soundtracks of that imaginary journey's chapters.

The music is based on strong melodic motifs, which are then ornamented by World Music rhythms and an atmosphere of mysticism and exoticism, crated by the vocalese and synthesizer parts and Skwirut's use of arco. All the participants do a truly splendid job, which suits the intended atmosphere of the music ideally. As expected the vocals by Skolias are one of the highlights of this offering.

The album is obviously just a glimpse at Skwirut's abilities as a composer and a player, rather than a full-fledged musical offering, for which we have still to wait. But this glimpse is certainly fascinating and intriguing enough to create an anticipation of things to come. Considering the fact that Jazz-World Fusion is not a very popular and strongly present idiom on the contemporary Polish Jazz scene, especially that exploring World cultures beyond the Slavic sources, this music is a breath of fresh air. In short, this is a very nice introduction to the musical world of Milosz Skwirut, which offers great compositions and excellent playing by his cohorts, rising high hopes for his future ventures!