Michał Urbaniak Organator - "D- Day in Tomaszów"

Michał Urbaniak Organator 

Michał Urbaniak – skrzypce, saksofony
Wojciech Karolak – organy Hammonda
Piotr Wojtasik – trąbka
Gabriel Niedziela – gitara
Frank Parker – perkusja

Tytuł płyty: "D- Day in Tomaszów"

Wydawnictwo: For Tune (2024)

Tekst: Paweł Ziemba

W historii jazzu zdarzają się momenty szczególne – koncerty, które w chwili wykonania są po prostu kolejnym wieczorem na scenie, lecz z upływem czasu zaczynają nabierać zupełnie innego znaczenia. Dopiero po latach okazuje się, że były spotkaniem muzyków, którzy reprezentowali różne pokolenia, odmienne doświadczenia i własne języki improwizacji, a jednak potrafili stworzyć wspólną przestrzeń brzmienia. Takie nagrania stają się czymś więcej niż dokumentem koncertu – są zapisem chwili, której nie da się powtórzyć.

Krzysztof Komeda Quintet - Live In Praha 1964 (2022)

Krzysztof Komeda Quintet

Krzysztof Komeda – fortepian
Tomasz Stańko - trąbka
Michał Urbaniak - saksofony
Jacek Ostaszewski - kontrabas
Czesław Bartkowski - perkusja

Live In Praha 1964 (2022)

Wydawnictwo: GAD Records

Autor recenzji: Piotr Banasiak

Słucham tego albumu już chyba 20 raz. I się zastanawiam. Jaki był biochemiczny skład powietrza w Hali "Lucerna" w Pradze, że Oni grają jak natchnieni? A później słucham, jak w Pradze w '65 grał Jerzy Milian z ekipą Gustava Broma, jak w '67 grał Roland Kirk, po nim Charles Lloyd... I się zastanawiam. Co tam wtedy leciało z kranów? Czy gdzieś pod Pražským Hradem bije źródło weny twórczej?

Słucham sześciu znakomitych kompozycji. Złożonych, urozmaiconych, a jednak przejrzystych i czytelnych. Osadzonych na improwizacji i awangardowych poszukiwaniach, a jednak chwytliwych. Wykonanych na najwyższym poziomie. Słucham fantastycznego jakościowo, selektywnego dźwięku, w którym świetnie słychać każdy instrument. I reakcje publiczności. I się zastanawiam. Jakim sposobem to przeleżało gdzieś na półce aż 60 lat? I przez tyle lat nikt, nic? Niepojęte.

Słucham zapowiedzi konferansjera. I się zastanawiam. Czy Kwintet Komedy faktycznie płynął w tzw. trzecim nurcie? I w zasadzie jakie to ma znaczenie po tylu latach?

Słucham "Svantetic". I się zastanawiam. Czy będzie impertynencją, jeśli napiszę, że to wykonanie, swobodne i energetyczne, uważam za ciekawsze niż wersja kanoniczna z albumu "Astigmatic"?

Słucham saksofonowania Pana Urbaniaka, czasem błyskotliwie melodyjnego, czasem dzikiego i zachłyśniętego wolnością. I się zastanawiam. Czy będzie impertynencją, jeśli napiszę, że dla mnie osobiście Pan Urbaniak na saksofonie jest jedyną postacią Michała Urbaniaka, jaką tolerują moje uszy?

Słucham trąbki Pana Stańki, w niebywały sposób łączącej wystudzoną nordyckość ze słowiańską duszą. I się zastanawiam. Czy Stańko zdefiniował "europejską trąbkę"?

Słucham soczystej i pomysłowej gry Pana Bartkowskiego. I się zastanawiam. Jak to jest - każdego ranka po przebudzeniu, patrząc w lustro mieć prawo sobie pomyśleć "kurczę, na iluż to doniosłych, fantastycznych i niezapomnianych płytach bębniłem... aż sam sobie zazdroszczę"?

Słucham kontrabasu Jacka Ostaszewskiego, chwilami arco - subtelnego jak w momentach "Repetition" chwilami transowo-motorycznego jak w "Roman Two". I się zastanawiam. Czy właśnie za taką kombinację transu i subtelnosci uwielbiam grupę Ossian?

Słucham gry Krzysztofa Komedy. I przypominam sobie zeszłoroczny koncert Squadu Wojciecha Jachny w Łodzi. Gig zakończył się utworem, w trakcie którego lider, po zawistowaniu tematu i kilku fraz na trąbce, wycofał się gdzieś na tył sceny, a zespół "poszedł na całość". Po wybrzmieniu ostatnich dźwięków Pan Jachna wrócił na scenę i rzucił krótko do mikrofonu: "Najważniejsze to nie przeszkadzać". I się zastanawiam. Czy gdyby podstawić Komedzie pod koniec mikrofon, powiedziałby dokładnie to samo?

Słucham tej muzyki. Tych niepodrabialnych Komedowych tematów, tych momentów, kiedy trąbka i saksofon grają unisono, albo w dialogu, albo wymieniają się na prowadzeniu, dopingowane barwną i dynamiczną grą sekcji. Słucham "Sophia's Tubn", "Alea"... Tego oszałamiającego fresku dźwiękowego, w którym awers stanowi nieskrępowany duch wolnej, poszukującej muzyki, a rewers logiczna, naprawdę przystępna forma pełna... romantyzmu? Słucham tych pięciu facetów, pięciu osobowości, z których każdy przez lata stworzył własne uniwersum. A na tym albumie stanowią jedność. I się zastanawiam. Co tam w końcu - do cholery - leciało wtedy z kranów?!

I tylko konferansjer mi odpowiada: "Dobrou noc! Dobrou noc!"

Michał Urbaniak - For Warsaw With Love (2019)

Michał Urbaniak

Michał Urbaniak - violin

Michael Patches Stewart - trumpet

Marek Pędziwiatr - piano, vocals

David Gilmour - guitar

Mika Urbaniak - vocals

Patrycja Zarychta - vocals

Marcus Miller - bass
Lenny White - drums

For Warsaw With Love

AGORA 2019

By Adam Baruch

"Jazz is the music of the oppressed black working class in capitalist America". This is the slogan that enabled Polish Jazz musicians to play and flourish behind the iron curtain, when the above definition was softened following Stalin´s death (1953) from its original form, which also included "the product of the degeneration presented as" in the place of the asterisk above. Expression of solidarity by the Polish working class with the "black working class in capitalist America" was allowed by playing Jazz. Of course Polish Jazz musicians - including our hero saxophonist/violinist Michał Urbaniak - were never a part of the working class, but that was the beauty of the whole thing. Polish intelligentsia and the artistic bohemian class in particular, which included filmmakers, Jazz musicians, actors, poets and other undesirable riffraff, were absolute Masters in fooling the system and its censorship apparatus into believing in their legitimacy as representatives of the working class and their conformity with the official Socialist Party policies.

Urbaniak and a few of Polish Jazz pioneers visited the US in 1962 and he fell head over heels in love with the "original" American Jazz. From that moment on his primary life´s desire was to move to NY and become part of the local scene, which he consistently pursued and eventually achieved in 1973, together with his wife at the time, vocalist Urszula Dudziak. His NY residency was crowned by a recording contract with Columbia and release of several brilliant and groundbreaking albums and a brief stint with the legendary Miles Davis. His talent and intensive work schedule earned him many friends among the American (and not only) musicians, which explains how he managed to get on this album a string of stars like drummer Lenny White, bassist Marcus Miller, guitarist David Gilmour, rapper Walter West and others.

Eventually Urbaniak, like many other Polish Jazz musicians who tried their luck in the US, returned to Poland, which in the meantime managed to free itself from the shackles of the Socialist regime, and resumed his activity on the local scene, retaining of course his NY ties. His keen senses and sharp ears enabled him to select some of the best Polish Jazz musicians, mostly members of the young generation, and invite them to take part in this project, like pianist Michał Tokaj, keyboardists Jan Smoczyński, Michał Wróblewski, Marek Pędziwiatr and others.

Formally this album is a tribute to the city of Warsaw, commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the tragic Warsaw Uprising against the Nazi German occupation and the album was issued by the Warsaw Uprising Museum. To be honest I completely fail to see any connection and for me this is not a tribute to Warsaw but a tribute to NY and contemporary American music scene. It offers a mixture of Rap, Hip-Hop, Groove, Blues and a bit of Jazz, with a distinct Afro-American feel, which to people familiar with Urbaniak´s current activity is hardly surprising. Most of the music is attributed to Urbaniak, but there are also two classic Jazz standards dressed up to fit with the rest of the album. And yes, it offers a lot of superb playing on the way.

The album proves that Urbaniak wishes to stay relevant and up to date with contemporary trends, which is certainly more than other musicians of his group age are doing. It has a strong Jazz tinge, but certainly is not meant as a Jazz album per se; and why not? Urbaniak does not have to justify his musical choices to anybody, and his extensive legacy proves that he paid his dues and can do whatever he wants to do. The "critics", who dismissed this album outright, fail to see the point here – it is up to the musician to play what see thinks is right and it is up to the listener to decide if he wishes to listen/buy the album. Urbaniak is simply well beyond scrutiny by self proclaimed "critics" - he has been around for long enough to ignore this bullshit.

It was a pleasure to meet Michał again a couple of month ago at the after party of the Singer Festival, where he gave me an autographed copy of this album. Nigel Kennedy, the star of the final concert and an accomplished musician by all standards, looked at Michal with love and admiration deserved by an older Master… certainly good enough for me. Even if this music is not exactly my glass of vodka, if this is what he wants to play, who am I to tell him otherwise? Respect!

AUKSO plays Urbaniak - koncerty w Mediatece Tychy

16.02 | godz. 19:00
AUKSO PLAYS URBANIAK
Michał Urbaniak – skrzypce, saksofon
UrbSymphony
Marek Moś – dyrygent

"On ma sound. Niech mu już będzie, że biały, z takim brzmieniem może być nawet zielony i pierdzieć na czerwono" – taką recenzję wystawił mu kiedyś ponoć Miles Davis, angażując skrzypka z Polski do swojego zespołu. Granie z geniuszem jazzu to zapewne najbardziej spektakularny epizod artystycznej biografii Urbaniaka, ale to tylko fragment jego bogatego dorobku. Tu nasiąknięty polską muzyką ludową jazz przechodzi w fusion, by za chwilę ustąpić miejsca hip-hopowi. Trudno nadążyć za niezliczonymi wspólnymi projektami i scenicznymi lub studyjnymi spotkaniami z gigantami muzyki (listę otwierają Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea i Quincy Jones), nie wspominając o całym katalogu muzyki filmowej. Wszystkie te światy spotykają się w suitach "Sketches of Poland" i "Sketches of Manhattan", które Michał Urbaniak zaprezentuje z towarzyszeniem swojego zespołu UrbSymphony oraz orkiestry AUKSO.

Rolf Kuhn Quintett – Solarius (2012)

Rolf Kuhn Quintett

Rolf Kuhn - clarinet
Michał Urbaniak - tenor & soprano saxophones
Joachim Kuhn - piano
Klaus Koch - bass
Czesław Bartkowski - drums

Solarius



CONTENT 4029759080473

By Adam Baruch

This is a reissue (first time on CD) of the seminal album by legendary German clarinetist/composer Rolf Kuhn (born 1929), recorded with a quintet, which also included his younger brother pianist/composer Joachim Kuhn (born 1944), bassist Klaus Koch and two Polish Jazz legends: saxophonist Michał Urbaniak and drummer Czesław Bartkowski. The album presents six pieces: three original compositions by Rolf Kuhn, two original compositions by Joachim Kuhn and one arrangement of a folk tune.

Over the years this album achieved a legendary status and became a highly sought after collector's item, because of its political implications, as well as being one of the earliest East European Jazz recordings and an important cornerstone of European Jazz in general. The album was recorded three years after the Berlin Wall, which divided the city until 1989, was constructed and served during that period not only as a symbol of division of Germany into two separate States living in a constant state of political tension, but in fact also as a symbol of the imaginary Iron Curtain, which divided the European Continent into two opposing political camps, engaged in the Cold War, which periodically threatened to become "hot".

Rolf Kuhn left East Germany (or DDR as it was called at the time) in 1950, shortly after Germany was split into two separate states, and moved to West Germany. For several years he lived and performed in the USA, establishing his position as one of the top clarinet players in the world. Upon his return to West Germany he continued his prolific career. Meanwhile his younger brother Joachim Kuhn lived in DDR and led his own trio, which was a pioneering Free Jazz outfit at the time.

The fact that the meeting of the Kuhn brothers captured on this album happened is one of those "against all odds" situations that often happened in East Europe. This was by all means a meeting of the Giants of East European modern Jazz, with Urbaniak arriving from the legendary Krzysztof Komeda quintet, Bartkowski from the no less legendary Zbigniew Namyslowski quartet, Koch who played in the Joachim Kuhn trio and finally the two brothers, who despite the age difference are true musical twins.

Together the quintet plays some of the best modern European Jazz ever captured on record, with great melodies expanded into lengthy solos played perfectly by all the musicians involved. Listeners familiar with the Polish Jazz scene will find this music quite similar to the Komeda and Namyslowski albums receded around that time, which present the same formula and even sound very similar to this album. Rolf Kuhn plays some of the best Jazz clarinet ever and no true Jazz connoisseur can honestly afford not to have this album in his collection.

The rapport and incredible telepathic communication between these musicians, as well as the incredibly tight musical environment that pushed the players to their limits resulted in one of the all time best Jazz albums recorded in East Europe, which lost absolutely nothing of its beauty and incredible power in the five decades that passed since. They don't make music like that any more, which means this is an absolute must and an essential piece of music history!

Side Note: As all the East European countries under the Socialist regime, East Germany, or DDR as it was known at the time, had only one state owned and controlled Music Company, which released most of its productions on the Amiga label. Among the many Amiga releases the legendary "orange J" series was dedicated to Jazz recordings, many of which were licenses from the West, but others were original productions, mostly of Jazz made in DDR. Some of these releases, like the one described above, were absolute gems. Following the unification of Germany, the Amiga albums disappeared from the face of the earth and only in 2012 a German label reissued 15 Amiga Jazz albums on CD. They are all worth checking out!

SBB – SBB & Michał Urbaniak (2015)

SBB

Józef Skrzek - bass/keyboards
Apostolis Anthimos - guitar
Jerzy Piotrowski - drums
Michał Urbaniak - violin

SBB & Michał Urbaniak

POLSKIE RADIO 1982



By Adam Baruch

This is a live recording at Polish Radio Studio Three by the legendary Polish trio SBB (keyboardist bassist/composer Józef Skrzek, guitarist Apostolis Anthimos and drummer Jerzy Piotrowski), who are joined on four tracks by no less legendary Polish violinist/composer Michał Urbaniak. The album presents nine compositions, most of them by Skrzek, which originate mostly from their early albums, which are now about forty years old.

I have attended a similar live gig by SBB at about the same time at the underground concert hall located in the "Guido" coal mine in Zabrze (Silesia) and my reflections are quite similar in both cases. SBB are a living legend and absolutely masterly musicians, who changed the face of Polish Music and even Polish Culture, but they continue to play the same material for far too long to be attractive any more. Of course the music is great and the atmosphere is electric, but every SBB fan has heard this music many times before. Even Urbaniak's contributions, as electrifying as they are, make to impact whatsoever as to the basic feeling of déjà vu.

One very positive factor about this specific recording is the fact that this is the best sounding recording by SBB ever, which is perhaps good enough reason to buy this album. Other than that, nihil novi sub sole…

Various Artists – Polish Radio Jazz Archives Vol. 22 (2015)

Various Artists

Krzysztof Komeda - piano
Tomasz Stańko - trumpet
Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski - saxophone
Michał Urbaniak - saxophone
Zbigniew Namysłowski - saxophone
and many others

Polish Radio Jazz Archives Vol. 22

POLSKIE RADIO 1874

By Adam Baruch

This is the twenty-second installment in the series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings from the radio vaults. Radio recordings are always a fabulous source of remarkable material, and as far as Polish Jazz history is concerned, the Polish Radio, which was a state monopoly for 45 years, recorded over time a plethora of invaluable material, which apart from the albums released by the Polskie Nagrania record company (also a state monopoly), is the only available additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland's most important Jazz venues, including the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well.

The ten tracks collected here were recorded during the seventh Jazz Jamboree Festival, which took place between October 24 and 26 1964 in Warsaw. This is the third part of the Jazz Jamboree 1964 recordings. The music was performed by four different ensembles, which are: the Italian Flavio Ambrosetti All Stars (five tracks), led by saxophonist Flavio Ambrosetti with trumpeter Franco Ambrosetti, Swiss pianist George Gruntz, Polish bassist Tadeusz Wójcik and Swiss drummer Pierre Favre and three Polish Jazz ensembles, Krzysztof Komeda Quintet (one track) with trumpeter Tomasz Stańko, saxophonist Michał Urbaniak, bassist Janusz Kozłowski and drummer Czesław Bartkowski, Polish Jazz Quartet (two tracks) led by saxophonist Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski with pianist Wojciech Karolak, bassist Juliusz Sandecki and drummer Andrzej Dąbrowski and Zbigniew Namysłowski Quartet (two tracks) with pianist Włodzimierz Gulgowski, bassist Tadeusz Wójcik and drummer Czesław Bartkowski.

This is by far the most interesting of the three volumes of the Jazz Jamboree 1964 recordings, as it presents the modern Polish Jazz about to explode into modernism, which will shape its destiny for generations to come. Stanko, Urbaniak, Wroblewski, Bartkowski are still active on the Polish scene, fifty years latter, carrying the fire which was first sparkled around the time these recordings were made. The Ambrosetti set is also interesting, as it allows a glance at two legendary Jazz figures: Gruntz and Favre, at their early days. Most of the music performed on this album is original.

The beautifully restored sound quality is excellent and the warm ambience of the analog recording is a true joy. As usual with this series, which is very reasonably priced, I miss the presence of "in depth" liner notes/booklet, which should convey the circumstances at which this music was recorded and its importance to the development of Jazz in Poland. Nevertheless this is an absolutely essential piece of Jazz history which every Jazz fan will surely consider an absolute must.

Krzysztof Komeda – Krzysztof Komeda W Polskim Radiu Vol.04 – Sophia`s Tune (2014)

Krzysztof Komeda

Krzysztof Komeda - piano
Tomasz Stanko - trumpet
Michal Urbaniak - saxophone
Janusz Kozlowski - bass
Maciej Suzin - bass
Czeslaw Bartkowski - drums

Krzysztof Komeda W Polskim Radiu Vol.04 – Sophia`s Tune

POLSKIE RADIO 1864

By Adam Baruch

This is the fourth installment in a new series of albums launched by the Polish Radio, which presents radio recordings by the Godfather of Polish Jazz, pianist/composer/bandleader Krzysztof Komeda. Komeda is of course the most familiar name associated with Polish Jazz and his legacy is of crucial importance to Polish and European Jazz. Considering the fact that Komeda's studio recordings are relatively scarce, the radio recordings are in fact the main source of his recorded legacy, as they include among others the Jazz Jamboree festival appearances by Komeda and his various ensembles over the years.

Recorded in 1963 and 1964 during the sixth and seventh edition of the seminal Jazz Jamboree Festival in Warsaw, this collection showcases the legendary Komeda Quintet, which in many respects was the quintessential vehicle, which presented Komeda's music at its pinnacle. The quintet included, besides Komeda of course, trumpeter Tomasz Stanko, saxophonist Michal Urbaniak and drummer Czeslaw Bartkowski, who play on both dates, and bassist Maciej Suzin who plays on the 1963 date and Janusz Kozlowski who plays on the 1964 date. The album includes only five compositions, all originals by Komeda, which get an extended treatment which stretches around seventeen minutes for three of the tunes, twelve minutes for the fourth and six minutes for the tune which gives the album its titles, dedicated to Komeda's wife Zofia.

This is obviously some of the most important Jazz music recorded in Poland during the early days of modern Polish Jazz, but also some of the most important European Jazz, which was shaping out at the time as a new wave of independent thinking, based on American Jazz tradition, but expanding the known realm with new ideas and European legacy, melancholy, folklore and other prominent factors, which eventually were to create a completely new genre altogether. Komeda's outstanding ability to weave beautiful melodies, combined with the virtuosity of his quintet's members, reach unprecedented emotional and aesthetic levels, which to this day can hardly be matched.

This music is a cradle of modern European Jazz, ultra modern and even avant-garde at the time, which almost completely rebels against American mainstream Jazz, simply doing whatever feels right, in complete disregard of conventions and stylistic limitations. The tunes develop almost spontaneously, often from a riff or a chord sequence, which hints of the melodic theme, which is often developed later on and sometimes remains hidden behind the chord changes and is never actually stated in full. The rhythmic patterns change several times during each tune, often without warning. Such dramatically novel approach is amazingly bold even today, almost fifty years later.

Overall this is a collection of excellent Jazz music, superbly performed, which is an absolute delight to anybody who loves Jazz. It is a fundamental piece of every decent Polish Jazz record collection, especially in the case of the younger generation of listeners, which is just getting acquainted with the enormous legacy of Polish Jazz.

The recordings are splendidly restored and remastered and nicely packaged in an elegant digipak/slipcase. Dates, places and lineups are faithfully included and even personal liner notes by Polish Jazz critic Maciej Nowotny are present, but there is no in-depth background material about Komeda and his music, however considering the plentitude of published material and several excellent books on the subject, an intelligent listener can easily bridge the knowledge gap. The only small reservation one might have is the fact that these recordings have been already released many times, more or less legally on the somewhat untamed Polish music market, which means they is already owned by the serious Polish Jazz collectors, probably more than once.

Michal Urbaniak Group - Inactin (1973)

Michal Urbaniak Group

Michal Urbaniak - electric violin, violectra, soprano sax
Urszula Dudziak - vocal, Dynacord, Echocord, percussion
Adam Makowicz - Fender piano, Hohner clarinet
Roman Dylag - Barcus Berry bass and electric bass
Czeslaw Bartkowski - drums, Paiste cymbals
Branislav Kovacev - conga-drums

Inactin (2014)

By Maciej Nowotny

If one were looking for a single most important contribution of Polish jazz musicians into world jazz heritage that would perhaps be the rediscovery of a violin in jazz. Works by Zbigniew Seifert paved the way for other Polish jazz violinists to be eventually recognized worldwide. Among them Michał Urbaniak plays the pivotal role as one of the most famous due to his collaboration with Miles Davis in 80ties on "Tutu" and "Music from Siesta" albums.

Urbaniak's career prior to collaboration with Miles remains as one of the most interesting adventures in Polish jazz history. He was among those who very early realized that jazz is taking great twist toward fusion incorporating in its idiom influences from rock, funk, rhythm'n'blues and folk music from all over the world. Michał plunged into this stream where he found his own place and uniqueness of his language eventually drew the attention of Davis. While rehearsing this album recorded in 1973 one can only admire the quality of this music which did not grow old even a bit.

But this album is memorable not only due to Urbaniak's violin but also due to breathtaking performance by his then wife Urszula Dudziak. Undisputable Polish jazz singer number one at that era she was as powerful and original voice as Urbaniak's. On this album her voice plays role of the one more instrument, there are no songs, no words are spoken, but Dudziak's vocalizes are just beyond the praise. As much as are performances of other musicians taking part in this session, all cream the creme of Polish jazz: pianist Adam Makowicz, double-bassist Roman Dylag, drummer Czeslaw Bartkowski and Serbian congas player Branislav Kovacev. What more can I say save that this is the Polish jazz at its best and simply the kind of album that is nothing less than a pure must!

Tracks Listing
1. Inactin (6:58)
2. Alu (3:58)
3. Ekim (5:49)
4. Silence (3:31)
5. Fall (7:42)
6. Groovy Desert (5:01)
7. Lato (8:06)

Various Artists – Polish Radio Jazz Archives Vol.12 (2014) ***1/2

Jerzy Milian - vibraphone
Krzysztof Komeda - piano
Michal Urbaniak - saxophone
Tomasz Stanko - trumpet
Maciej Suzin - bass
Leszek Dudziak - drums
Czeslaw Bartkowski - drums

POLSKIE RADIO 1632



By Adam Baruch

This is the twelfth installment in the new series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings. Radio recordings are always a fabulous source of remarkable material, and as far as Polish Jazz history is concerned, the Polish Radio, which was a state monopoly for 45 years, recorded over time a plethora of invaluable material, which apart from the albums released by the Polskie Nagrania record company (also a state monopoly), is the only available additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland's most important Jazz venues, including the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well.

The material collected here presents recordings made in 1963 during the sixth Jazz Jamboree festival in Warsaw. The majority of the material, i.e. thirteen of the seventeen tracks, is performed by Dutch vocalist Rita Reys (who died a few months ago in July 2013) accompanied by a trio led by her husband pianist Pim Jacobs with guitarist Wim Overgaauw and Pim's brother bassist Ruud Jacobs. In addition one instrumental track by the trio is also included. The remaining three tracks are performed by the top Polish Jazz musicians at the time: two by vibraphonist / composer Jerzy Milian accompanied by the Krzysztof Komeda trio with bassist Maciej Suzin and drummer Leszek Dudziak; the last track is by the Komeda quintet, with saxophonist Michal Urbaniak, trumpeter Tomasz Stanko, bassist Maciej Suzin and drummer Czeslaw Bartkowski. All the tracks are Jazz standards except for the last one, which is a Komeda composition.

Reys performs a set of classic vocal material, comprising of popular songs known to all Jazz listeners. Her singing is beautifully expressive, but not virtuosic and copying mannerisms from American vocal Jazz stars. She also has a slight foreign accent, but definitely passable. The accompaniment is elegant and supportive, with Pim's piano playing being truly exceptional. The guitar plays sadly only a few solo spots, and when not soloing it is mostly hidden in the recording balance; as a result is seems Reys is accompanied mostly by a piano / bass duo only. Overall this is a fine presentation of mainstream Jazz vocals, nothing spectacular but a nice document of the moment in time.

The Milian tracks are also rather pale, well performed and all, but again nothing special. Komeda plays some great piano phrases, which are always delightful and the rhythm section is doing its job as expected. The Komeda quintet is obviously the most interesting track herein with a typical beautiful melody line only he could weave and the quintet playing along splendidly. One may wonder why these three tracks were selected as the "filler" for this album, as both ensembles (Milian's and Komeda's) played full sets, which would be very interesting in their entirety.

The beautifully restored sound quality is excellent and the warm ambience of the analog recording is a true joy. As usual with this series, which is very reasonably priced, I miss the presence of "in depth" liner notes / booklet, which should convey the circumstances at which this music was recorded and its importance to the development of Jazz in Poland. Nevertheless this is an absolutely essential piece of Jazz history which every Jazz fan will surely consider an absolute must.

Karolak / Urbaniak / Bartkowski – Moving South (2009) ****

Wojciech Karolak - keyboards

Michal Urbaniak - violin

Czeslaw Bartkowski - drums

ANEX 314






By Adam Baruch

This is the only album recorded by the fabulous Polish Jazz trio, comprising of keyboardist / composer Wojciech Karolak, violinist / saxophonist / composer Michal Urbaniak and legendary drummer Czeslaw Bartkowski. In many respects this is a companion album to the groundbreaking album by the Michal Urbaniak Constellation, which was released as part of the Polish Jazz series ("In Concert", Vol.36) and recorded the same year as this album. Both Karolak and Bartkowski were members of Constellation and therefore it's hardly surprising that stylistically the music is very similar.

The album includes five compositions (one is a three-part suite), four by Karolak and one by Urbaniak, which can be roughly categorized as Jazz-Rock Fusion, but they are so unique and eons ahead of their time that simplistic labeling is not doing them justice. This is truly visionary music, capturing all three musicians at the peak of their creative powers. Although Karolak composed most of the music on this album, Urbaniak's concept of Fusion / Funk are the primary forces at work here. His use of electronics to enhance the sound of his violin is simply brilliant and completely innovative. Karolak plays also brilliantly, with his Hammond ripping the sound-space to shreds. Bartkowski is driving the music forward like mad, being the Jazziest element of the music, busy but not intrusive, with fantastic polyrhythmic feel and incredible technique.

In retrospect this is one of the most important Polish Fusion albums, which sadly remains mostly unknown even to the local fans and especially so abroad. This reissue creates another chance for this album to be re-discovered, and I recommend to all the Fusion diehard fans to start looking for this gem ASAP!

Side Note: The Poljazz label, which originally released this album, was active for 20 years (between 1972 and 1991) and was owned by the Polish Jazz Society. Considering the fact that the music industry in the Socialist State was centralized and totally controlled, with just one State owned music company producing all the albums, the possibilities to record and release Jazz albums were extremely limited. Poljazz was conceived and founded in order to allow for many more Jazz (and other) albums to be released independently from the State owned Polskie Nagrania / Muza and as such revolutionized the music industry at the time, being the only such enterprise in Eastern Europe. The Polish label Anex reissued many of the original Poljazz albums on CD, bringing this fabulous music back to life.

Andrzej Trzaskowski – Polish Radio Jazz Archives Vol.05 (2013)

Andrzej Trzaskowski - piano
Zbigniew Namyslowski - saxophone
Michal Urbaniak - saxophone
Roman Dylag - bass
Juliusz Sandecki - bass
Adam Jedrzejowski - drums
Andrzej Dabrowski - drums

POLSKIE RADIO 1609


By Adam Baruch

This is the fifth installment in the new series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings. Radio recordings are always a fabulous source of remarkable material, and as far as Polish Jazz history is concerned, the Polish Radio, which was a state monopoly for 45 years, recorded over time a plethora of invaluable material, which apart from the albums released by the Polskie Nagrania record company (also a state monopoly), is the only additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland's most important Jazz venue, the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well.

The material presented here presents the iconic figure of the post WWII Polish Jazz pioneer, pianist / composer Andrzej Trzaskowski. Of the twelve tracks on this album, first five are live recordings from the 1962 Jazz Jamboree Festival and the remaining seven are studio radio recordings from the same year. The material was recorded by three different lineups: The Wreckers quintet (which alternated bass players), which included saxophonists Zbigniew Namyslowski and Michal Urbaniak, bassists Roman Dylag or Juliusz Sandecki and drummer Adam Jedrzejowski, the Andrzej Trzaskowski Quintet, which had the same lineup as The Wreckers, except for drummer Andrzej Dabrowski and the Andrzej Trzaskowski Trio, which included bassist Roman Dylag and drummer Adam Jedrzejowski. The material includes both original compositions by Trzaskowski (four of the five live tracks) and modern Jazz standards.

Listeners familiar with the Polish Jazz history will of course notice immediately that the core of Trzaskowski's group (Namyslowski and Urbaniak) was also the core of the soon to be formed revolutionary ensemble led by Krzysztof Komeda, and Dylag already played with Komeda as a member of his trio at the very same Jazz Jamboree 1962 Festival. This brings on the issue of the buried controversy as to who was in fact the pivotal Godfather figure of the Polish Jazz, Andrzej Trzaskowski or Krzysztof Komeda. Komeda (born 1931), who was a couple of years older from Trzaskowski (born 1933) but they both definitely belonged to the same generation, both dominated the scene in the late 1950s and early to mid 1960s and both were breaking new ground with their music, as performers and composers. Of course Komeda will go down in history as the overall winner of this little debated contest, due to his enormous international success as composer of film music, which Trzaskowski also dealt with but with a much lesser success.

Considering the fact that Trzaskowski's recorded legacy is lamentably limited, this album is a superb addition to his heritage, especially in view of the top-form performances and fantastic remastering work, which makes the music herein sound fresh, clear and vibrant. Namyslowski and Urbaniak fans will also have a field day with this music, which documents the early days of their illustrious careers. This album is therefore a "must have" for any Polish Jazz fan, old and young alike, as this music is ageless and its historic significance is priceless.

Marta Krol – The First Look (2011)

Marta Krol - vocals

Dawid Glowczewski - saxophone

Pawel Tomaszewski - piano

Andrzej Swies - bass

Pawel Dobrowolski - drums

Tomasz Kalwak - keyboards

SLASKIE TOWARZYSTWO MUZYCZNE 05



By Adam Baruch

This is the debut solo album by Polish vocalist Marta Krol, a beautiful Silesian Princess whose looks turn men into stone on sight ;) On the album she presents ten Jazz and Pop standards, dressed up in excellent new arrangements, by keyboardist / arranger Tomasz Kalwak, who also plays some additional keyboards on the album. She is accompanied by a wonderful quartet of Polish Jazz musicians: saxophonist Dawid Glowczewski, pianist Pawel Tomaszewski, bassist Andrzej Swies and drummer Pawel Dobrowolski.

Krol has a delightfully warm voice, which she uses most effectively and with a natural charm and sex-appeal. Her musical education is immediately apparent, as she stays in tune at all times, even during the tricky passages and obviously keeps well in-synch with her band. The accompaniment is excellent, with many interesting solo spots by Glowczewski, beautiful piano and Fender Rhodes parts by Tomaszewski and solid and sympathetic support from the rhythm section with virtuosic, but kept in low profile bass parts by Swies, who is consistently perfect every time he appears on record and earns a well deserved position among the best contemporary Polish bassists.

However, in spite of the Jazzy arrangements and instrumental passages, this album is only marginally Jazzy per se. Krol lacks the Jazz sensitivities and fundamental improvisational approach, singing mostly "straight forward". That does not mean she is doing anything wrong, but if the purpose of this album was to present her as a Jazz singer, it fails to do so. Nevertheless it is a very pleasant and well done piece of music, which deserves all praise, especially in view of the fact that it is her debut effort.

Of course there is the usual problem of Polish vocalists stubbornly trying to sing in English, which is an insurmountable barrier, which simply keeps reappearing on almost all vocal albums recorded in the country. It's not that Krol's pronunciation and accent are terribly wrong; in fact they are not too bad at all, but her struggle to sound "right" takes away her attention from the music, as always.

My advice to the lovely young lady would be perhaps to try and find out her unique own style, which would amalgamate Soul, Pop, Blues and just a dash of Jazz, and which would serve her vocal talents to the max. And of course perhaps a bit more risk-taking and ambitious material, original if possible and preferably in Polish – with such a formula she is destined to reach places. But than again, who am I, an old fart, to give advice to lovely young ladies singing the Blues?

Overall this is an impressive debut, which holds many promises for those with patience to wait for the lady's future endeavors. I certainly intend to do so.

Alex Kolosov / Big Sky – 3 Days (2012)

Alex Kolosov - guitar

Lev Lebedev - clarinet

Vladimir Ivanov - keyboards

Andrey Rozdobudov - drums
with

Michal Urbaniak - violin





By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album by the group Big Sky, formed and led by veteran Russian guitarist / composer Alex Kolosov. The group also includes clarinetist Lev Lebedev, keyboardist Vladimir Ivanow and drummer Andrey Razdobudov. A special guest, Polish Jazz violinist Michal Urbaniak, appears on five of the eight tracks, all of which were composed by the leader. The album was recorded at the legendary Rainbow studio in Oslo, celebrated for its fabulous sound quality and ambience.

The music is quite typical Jazz-Rock Fusion, strongly based in Blues and incorporating some World Music influences. The presence of the clarinet adds an unusual dimension to the overall sound of the group, as the delicate tone of the clarinet contrasts with the distorted guitar, which dominates the proceedings. Urbaniak's violin parts are definitely the highlight of the entire recording and Lebedev's parts, although mostly brief, are also delightful.

The album suffers from several disadvantages; First the lack of a bass player, which would add some kind of basic rhythmic pulse to the music, which the drums and keyboards are not capable of providing and without which the music simply lacks the drive it should have. Than the sound of the guitar, which is highly distorted and condensed, is simply unpleasant, especial since it does not change an iota almost for the entire duration of the album. And inviting Urbaniak to play on the album simply emphasizes the colossal difference in the level of the musicianship between him and the regular members of the group.

Altogether this is not a bad album, which Fusion fans might enjoy, but unfortunately not good enough to become a part of the Fusion canon. But considering the fact that Western listeners are rarely exposed to Russian Jazz, this might be worth investigating.

Michal Urbaniak – Fusion III (Columbia Records, 1975)

Michał Urbaniak - electric violin, violin synthesizer

Urszula Dudziak - voice, percussion, electronic percussion
Wlodek Gulgowski - electric piano, Moog, and electric organ
Anthony Jackson - bass guitar
Gerald Brown - drums
Steve Gadd - drums
Larry Coryell - guitar
John Abercrombie - guitar
Joe Caro - guitar
Bernard Kafka - voice

Fusion III (Columbia Records, 1975)

This is the 3rd and last album released in the US on the Columbia label by Polish violinist / composer Michal Urbaniak. In retrospect it is also one of the best Fusion albums ever recorded on this planet. Urbaniak, a veteran of the Polish Jazz scene, first came to prominence as the member of the legendary groups led by the Godfather of Polish Jazz, pianist / composer Krzysztof Komeda. While with Komeda, Urbaniak played the saxophone and switched to violin only after founding his own group in the late 1960s, when he also changed his musical direction from Modern / Free Jazz to Fusion, inspired by the groundbreaking innovations created at the time by Miles Davis. 

In his group he included his wife, the extraordinary singer Urszula Dudziak and together they quickly developed a completely unique type of Fusion, which was light-years ahead of anything else happening in that genre at the time anywhere in the world. Mixing Jazz, Rock, Folklore and Avant-Garde vocals, they established a completely new approach to composition and multilayered complexity, as documented on the two albums the group recorded as part of the legendary "Polish Jazz" series of albums, which was simply brillant.

Frustrated by the state of affairs in his country, which suffered under a Socialist Regime and harsh economic conditions, Urbaniak, like most of his colleagues, constantly looked for an opportunity to leave Poland and establish a career behind the Iron Curtain. He managed initially to record a couple of albums in West Germany, but the real break came when Columbia offered him a recording deal. He and his wife left Poland and settled in the USA, as did several other Polish Jazz musicians at the time, like his ex group member pianist / composer Adam Makowicz for example. The three albums Urbaniak recorded for Columbia (and several more for other US labels, especially the dazzling "Funk Factory" album recorded shortly after this one and also reissued on Wounded Bird) were outstanding and simply much better than anything the local scene could muster, but unfortunately Urbaniak's US career never really took off, same as the careers of all other Polish Jazz musicians who tried to make it there, in spite of their immense talents. The reason was simply the narrow-mindedness of the US Jazz community (listeners and critics alike), which considered Jazz to be exclusively an American Art Form and failed to recognize anything originating outside of the US as artistically valid and meaningful, even if it hit them in the face. 

On this album Urbaniak is accompanied by top US Fusion players like guitarist John Abercrombie, bassist Anthony Jackson and drummer Steve Gadd, as well as Polish compatriot Keyboardist Wlodek Gulgowski. Guitarist Larry Coryell guests on one track, guitarist Joe Caro guests on another and Polish vocalist Bernard Kafka guests on yet another track. Drummer Gerald Brown replaces Gadd on two tracks. Dudziak's vocals are simply out of this world and alone are worth listening to this album repeatedly. Urbaniak wrote almost all the dazzling music except for three tracks: a Dudziak improvisation, a superb composition by Polish saxophonist Zbigniew Namyslowski, which fits this album's mood like a glove and one tune by Gulgowski. As already said, this is timeless, heavenly, unparalleled music, which I've been listening to in the last almost 40 years without any trace of getting tired by it any time soon. This is an absolutely essential Fusion music, and anybody who has not heard this music does not know the true meaning of Fusion. God bless Wounded Bird for finally releasing this divine album on CD!

Track listing:
1. Chinatown (part 1) (Urbaniak)[05:24]
2. Kujaviak Goes Funky (Z. Namysłowski)[06:12]
3. Roksana (Urbaniak)[05:42]
4. Crazy Kid (Dudziak)[02:35]
5. Prehistoric Bird (Gulgowski)[05:19]
6. Bloody Kishka (Urbaniak)[04:21]
7. Cameo (Urbaniak)[04:41]
8. Stretch (Urbaniak)[06:20]
9. Metroliner (Urbaniak)[04:44]
10. Chinatown (Part II)[03:56]

By Adam Baruch
http://www.adambaruch.com/

Jan Ptaszyn Wroblewski – Sprzedawcy Glonow (Polish Jazz Vol.90 Deluxe, 1973)

Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski - tenor saxophone (1, 2, 4, 6), conductor

Studio Jazzowe P.R. - directed by Jan 'Ptaszyn' Wróblewski
Tomasz Szukalski - tenor sax, soprano sax, bass clarinet (1, 3-6)
Michał Urbaniak - violin (1), soprano sax (2)
Zbigniew Namysłowski - alto sax, flute (1-6)
Tomasz Stańko - trumpet (2, 3, 4, 6)
Adam Makowicz - Fender electric piano (4)
Marek Bliziński - guitar (1, 4, 5)
Wojciech Karolak - Hammond organ (1, 5)
Włodzimierz Nahorny - alto sax, flute (1-6)
Zbigniew Seifert - alto sax (2,3), violin (6)
Stanisław Mizeracki - trumpet (1,2,3,4,6);
Bogdan Dembek - trumpet (1,3,4,5,6)
Bogusław Skawina - trumpet (2)
Laco Deczi - trumpet (5)
Józef Grabarski - trumpet (1)
Stanisław Cieślak - trombone (1-6)
Andrzej Brzeski - trombone (1,2,3,4,6)
Andrzej Piela - trombone (2,3,5,6)
Jan Jarczyk - trombone (1,4,5)
Dariusz Filiochowski - French horn (1,3,5,6)
Dariusz Szewczyk - French horn (4)
Zdzisław Piernik - tuba (2,3,5,6)
Janusz Muniak - tenor sax, soprano sax, flute (2,3,5,6)
Waldemar Kurpiński - baritone sax, clarinet (1,3,4,5,6)
Andrzej Trzaskowski - piano ( 6)
Paweł Jarzębski - bass (1,2,4,5)
Bronisław Suchanek - bass (3,5,6)
Janusz Stefański - drums (2,3,5,6)
Czesław Bartkowski - drums (1,4), percussion (5)
Kazimierz Jonkisz - percussion (1,3,4,5,6)

Sprzedawcy Glonow (Polish Jazz Vol.90 Deluxe, 1973)

This relatively little known brilliant album presents Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer / arranger / bandleader Jan Ptaszyn Wroblewski mainly in the capacity as the director of the Polish Radio Jazz Orchestra, a superb collection of top musicians, which functioned as a catalyst and incubator to generations of Polish Jazz musicians as well as a first rate workshop and recording platform. Wroblewski, one of Polish Jazz veterans and Godfathers, led the orchestra for many years with great success and these recordings prove how great it really was. He also composed three of the six extended compositions included here with the other three composed by Tomasz Stanko, Zbigniew Namyslowski and Andrzej Trzaskowski each contributing one composition. The arrangements are absolutely brilliant as are the performances, with the orchestra fronted as such first rate soloists like Stanko, Namyslowski, Michal Urbaniak (playing sax on one track and violin on another), Tomasz Szukalski, Adam Makowicz, Marek Blizinski, Wojciech Karolak, Zbigniew Seifert and of course Wroblewski himself, in short the crème de la crème of the Polish Jazz scene at the time. The music is very modern and even borders on Free at times, presenting very rare examples of Jazz orchestra accompanying a freely improvising soloist. This album is an absolute must to all Polish Jazz lovers and in retrospect is of the best Polish Jazz albums ever recorded. Grab it!

Track ,listing: 1. Sprzedaż glon [06:18] 2. Bez wyciszenia (Namysłowski) [06:04] 3. Cytat z samego siebie (Stańko) [09:09] 4. Wyznacznik pierwszy ('Ptaszyn' Wróblewski) [09:50] 5. Jan Szpargatoł Mahawiśnia ('Ptaszyn' Wróblewski) [06:26] 6. Magma (Trzaskowski) [05:18] 

By Adam Baruch
http://www.adambaruch.com/

Krzysztof Komeda – Sophia`s Tune (Power Bros, 1998)

Krzysztof Komeda - piano

Simon Kopel - drum
Tomasz Stańko - trumpet, stief-bass
Michał Urbaniak - tenor sax

Sophia`s Tune (Power Bros, 1998)

This album presents a live recording by a quintet led by Polish pianist / composer Krzysztof Komeda, the legendary Godfather of Polish Jazz, recorded live at the Copenhagen Montmartre Jazz club. At that time Montmartre was one of the most important European Jazz venues and had the privilege of hosting the crème de la crème of worldwide Jazz performers, which testifies as to Komeda's reputation in Scandinavia. The quintet also includes trumpeter Tomasz Stanko, saxophonist Michal Urbaniak, Danish bassist Bo Stief and drummer Simon Kopel. They perform three original Komeda compositions, one of which ("Svantetic") gets an expanded treatment of over 20 minutes. The same composition was recorded later the same year as part of the legendary "Astigmatic" album. The remaining two compositions are: "Repetition", which was recorded a couple of years later on the also legendary "Meine Susse Europaische Heimat" album of Jazz and Polish poetry (produced by Joachim Berendt) and "Sophia's Tune" dedicated to Komeda's wife Zofia. The performances are absolutely stunning as this is European Jazz at its absolute peak, eons ahead of its time and light-years ahead of anything else played at the time. Stanko's trumpet, already at that time, prophesizes the fact that he will have no competitors, as we can witness now, almost 50 years later. Komeda's music is so completely enthralling and engulfing that is remains completely untouched by time, resistant to fads and fashions and intrinsically timeless. This time capsule, which we are lucky to be able to listen to, is a Godsend. Absolutely essential!

Komeda's Tune: A Krzystof Komeda Tribute by Másàjazz on Mixcloud

Track listing: 1. Repetition (K. Komeda) [10:27]; 2. Svantetic (K. Komeda) [22:15]; 3. Sophia's Tune (K. Komeda) [10:12]

By Adam Baruch
www.adambaruch.com

Krzysztof Komeda - Live at the Jazz Jamboree Festival 1961 - 1967 (Polskie Nagrania, 2011)

Krzysztof Komeda - piano

Adam Skorupka (tracks: CD1: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) - bass
Janusz Kozłowski (tracks: CD1: 6; CD2: 1; CD3: 3, 4) - bass
Maciej Suzin (tracks: CD3: 1, 2) - bass
Roman Dyląg (tracks: CD1: 7, 8, 9; CD2: 2) - bass
Adam Jędrzejowski (tracks: CD1: 4, 5) - drums
Czesław Bartkowski (tracks: CD1: 6; CD3) - drums
Leszek Dudziak (tracks: CD1: 1, 2, 3) - drums
Rune Carlsson (tracks: CD1: 7, 8, 9; CD2) - drums
Jimmy Gourley (tracks: CD1: 4) - guitar
Bernt Rosengren (tracks: CD1: 5) - tenor saxophone
Michał Urbaniak (tracks: CD3) - tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone
Tomasz Stańko (tracks: CD2; CD3) - trumpet
Jerzy Milian (tracks: CD1: 6) - vibraphone

Live at the Jazz Jamboree Festival 1961 - 1967 (Polskie Nagrania, 2011)

This is absolute and pure gem as far as Polish jazz is concerned. Dug out of Polskie Nagrania vaults it was released at the end of year 2011. It brings to us mind blowing music comprising live recordings of different bands all led by legendary pianist Krzysztof Komeda which played during Warsaw's legendary Jazz Jamboree Festival from 1961 to 1967. Musicians featured in these recordings are no less prominent. As Miles Komeda could pick up whom he wanted on Polish scene and abroad as evidenced by presence of some Scandinavian players as well. Only 2500 copies are available of this 3 CDs set making it on top of wanting list for any true Polish jazz lover...

Track listing:

CD 1

Krzysztof Komeda Trio (1961, 1962, 1964)
1. This Or This
2. My Ballad
3. Love For Sale
4. Three Little Words
5. An Oscar For Treadwell
6. Basin Street Blues
7. Ballet Etude I
8. Ballad For Bernt
9. Crazy Girl

CD 2
Krzysztof Komeda Quartet (1965, 1967)
1. Kattorna
2. Nighttime Daytime Requiem

CD 3
Krzysztof Komeda Quintet (1961, 1962, 1964)
1. Ballad (z filmu "Nóz w wodzie"/from the movie "Knife in the Water")
2. Alea
zapowiedz / announcement
3. Sophia's Tune
4. Svantetic

By Maciej Nowotny
http://kochamjazz.blox.pl

Michal Urbaniak - Songs For Poland (1989)

Michał Urbaniak - violin

Obstreat Orchestra

Songs For Poland (1989)

Michał Urbaniak is one of main exponents of famous Polish school of jazz violin  with others like Zbigniew Seifert, Henryk Gembalski or Krzesimir Dębski. His carreer has spanned over 40 years and two countries: Poland and the US where he is currently residing. Its highlight  is cooperation with Miles Davis who hired him for his 'Tutu' album. Like Davis in his later years Urbianiak tried to get in touch with popular music but with mixed success. In this album I find more of this "mixed" than "success" element. Mixed are multiple ingredients: most often disco, folk, funk but also rap and hip hop, all served in fusion sauce. Unfortunately unlike Mile's famous 'Doo Bop' for example this dish is really hard to digest. Then why do I write about this album? Just to inform you: do not be repelled by this album as other works by Urbaniak are much much better than this one... 

Tracklisting: 1. Simple Solution; 2. Polish Jazz; 3. Zomocop; 4. Decadence from the Film 'Farewell to Autumn'; 5. The Party Is Over; 6. Can't Complain; 7. Carouselski; 8. Boleronez; 9. Imigrants Songs

By Maciej Nowotny

http://kochamjazz.blox.pl

Dzamble - Wolanie o slonce nad swiatem (Polskie Nagrania Muza, 1971)

Dżamble (band)

Jerzy Horwath - pno, org
Marian Pawlik - bg, g
Jerzy Bezucha - dr
Andrzej Zaucha - voc

featuring:
Marek Alaszewski - voc (5, 6)
Jerzy Bartz - perc (1, 5, 9)
Jozef Gawrych - perc (1, 5, 9)
Janusz Muniak - ss, ts, fl (4-9)
Marek Pawlak - voc (5, 6)
Zbigniew Seifert - as (6, 7, 9)
Tomasz Stanko - tr (6, 7, 9)
Michal Urbaniak - ss, ts, bs, viol (1, 3, 6-9)
vocal quartet (2, 9)
string quartet (7)
vocal band ZHP w Warszawie (2)

Wołanie o słońce nad światem (Polskie Nagrania Muza, 1971)

This is simply terrific album evidencing what influence rock or as it was called in Poland "big beat" had on Polish Jazz in 60ties and even more in 70ties. Such names as Tomasz Stańko, Zbigniew Seifert or Michał Urbaniak taking part in its recording should persuade you that it is worth listening to this little gem! If you happen to know Polish language then your pleasure will be doubled because texts are very strong side of this album (written by poets Leszek Moczulski and Jerzy Ficowski). Set up in 1966 this band in 1969 won a prize at famous Jazz Nad Odrą Festival. Individual award went then to vocalist Andrzej Zaucha who was destined to make great career later in Poland and whose tragic end made him a cult singer in our country. "Wołanie o słońce nad światem" (transl. the cry for was the sun over the world) when released became a major success but the band unfortunately dissolved in next year. And although it was reactivated in 1978  Dżamble never got momentum back to record new material. Great pity!

Track list: A1 Święto Strachów; A2 Hej Pomóżcie Ludzie; A3 Muszę Mieć Dziewczynę; A4 Naga Rzeka; A5 Dziewczyna W Którą Wierzę; B1 Masz Przewrócone W Głowie; B2 Wymyśliłem Ciebie; B3 Szczęscie Nosi Twoje Imię; B4 Wołanie O Słońce Nad Światem

Author: Maciej Nowotny

http://kochamjazz.blox.pl/html