Bossa Norkah – Na Moim Brzegu (2018)

Bossa Norkah

Honorata Kożuchowska - vocal
Andzej Jagodziński - piano
Rafał Sarnecki - guitar
Wojciech Pulcyn - double bass
Michał Jaros - double bass
Krzysztof Szmańda - drums
and others

Na Moim Brzegu


MULTIKULTI MPJ 024

By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album by Polish Jazz ensemble Bossa Norkah, led by vocalist Honorata Kożuchowska, which also includes some of the top Polish Jazz instrumentalist: pianist Andrzej Jagodziński, guitarists Rafał Sarnecki/Piotr Aleksandrowicz, bassists Wojciech Pulcyn/Michał Jaros, drummer Krzysztof Szmańda and several other guests appearing on selected tracks playing brass and a plethora of percussion instruments. The album presents thirteen songs (two of which appear twice in alternate versions), all of which were written by Polish songwriter/poet Antoni Muracki.

The music has a distinct Bossa Nova flavor, which is the main climate of all the songs. On the other hand the album is also clearly a Jazz & Poetry project, since Muracki's songs are all deeply lyrical and evocative. The songs are kept in pretty reticent attire, featuring the vocals clearly in the center of the attention and the instrumental work kept to a bare minimum, with the piano providing the steady accompaniment and the rhythm section keeping the rhythm in check. There are only a few instrumental solos, which is a pity as those might have added a spark to the proceedings.

Kozuchowska handles the vocals well, which is not an easy task in this case for many reasons; the lyrics are complex and often difficult to express in rapid succession and admittedly South American rhythms are hardly native to East European singers. The vocals therefore lack the sensual and often plainly erotic sensitivity of Bossa Nova, which are native and natural to Brazilian vocalists. But all things considered, the album works fine and offers a pleasant listening experience with an added value of excellent texts (sadly relevant to Polish-speaking listeners only). Overall this is an album floating between Pop and Easy Jazz, which can be enjoyed by a wide range of listeners, offering both musical and lyrical values combined with highly professional musicianship.

Zakrocki/Olak/Wielecki – Spontaneous Chamber Music Vol.1 (2016)

Zakrocki Olak /Wielecki

Marcin Olak - electric and acoustic guitars
Patryk Zakrocki - viola, electric mbira, tuning forks
Mikołaj Wielecki - percussion

Spontaneous Chamber Music Vol. 1

FSR 05/2016

By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album by Polish Improvised Music trio comprising of violinist Patryk Zakrocki, guitarist Marcin Olak and percussionist Mikolaj Wielecki. Together they perform eight pieces, all of which are spontaneously improvised and the album is an exact presentation of the music as it was created during the recording session.

The title seems to describe the music pretty accurately, as the intimate mostly acoustic ambience and the melodic proximity certainly belongs to what is considered as Chamber Music. Of course in this case the music is entirely improvised, as opposed to the Classical Chamber idiom, but music is moving ahead and definitions and borders of our musical terminology are changing on the fly.

The pieces are also Chamber in their very nature, due to the fact that they have a relatively short duration and are based on intimate relationships between the three performers, who are "changing positions", i.e. constantly changing the focus of the music from one instrument to another. The level of interplay and telepathic communication between the musicians is truly astounding and this is immediately reflected in the music itself, which remains calm and non-aggressive / non-competitive at all times.

Improvised Music does exist really only at the very moment it is creation and in the vast majority of cases completely loses its meaning and purpose the moment its over, which of course means that recording Improvised Music is an oxymoron of sorts. In some very rare cases however, Improvised Music is able to create a lasting, coherent, meaningful piece of music, which still makes sense after being recorded and then consequently played back. This is definitely one of such magical moments.

It is important to know, however, that contrary to the brand Improvised Music is often trying to "sell" to the listener, there is nothing really revolutionary or innovative in this music, to be honest, regardless of how good it is. Improvised Music exists both in the Classical Music and Jazz idioms for many decades and experimentation and border crossing much bolder than the music recorded here have been achieved many times before. In fact in many respects this music is pretty conservative in most respects and for that reason it is more accessible to a much wider audience than most Improvised Music recordings.

Overall this is a beautiful musical moment captured for posterity on this album, which many open-minded listeners should be able to enjoy. I encourage the people who usually avoid Improvising Music to try this one and perhaps discover an entire universe of music they have been missing earlier.

Włodek Pawlik – Struny Na Ziemi (2011)

Włodek Pawlik

Lora Szafran - vocals
Marek Bałata - vocals
Robert Więckiewicz - recitation
Włodek Pawlik - piano
Paweł Pańta -  bass
Cezary Konrad - drums
Mikołaj Wielecki - percussion

Struny Na Ziemi


POLSKIE RADIO 1395

By Adam Baruch

This is a beautiful album by Polish pianist/composer Włodek Pawlik, which presents a Jazz & Poetry project dedicated to the poetry of Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, one of the most renowned 20th Century Polish literary figures, although quite controversial on the convoluted Polish political landscape. Pawlik created sixteen musical settings to poems by Iwaszkiewicz, which are executed by a fabulous cast which includes vocalists Lora Szafran and Marek Bałata, actor Robert Więckiewicz, bassist Paweł Pańta, drummer Cezary Konrad and percussionist Mikołaj Wielecki.

The Jazz & Poetry idiom has always been one of great fortes of Polish Jazz and the beautiful Polish poetry seems always to magically inspire musicians and makes them to come up with their best work. This album is another example of this phenomenon and it is absolutely wonderful from start to finish. Pawlik seems to be completely comfortable with the short "song" oriented environment and weaves a series of beautifully melodic, expressive and impressive pieces, which are certainly among his strongest manifestations as a composer.

The vocals and recitation are also superbly executed, with Szafran demonstrating again that she has but a few equals. A pity she does not record more, as her singing is always a source of heavenly pleasure. The instrumental quartet performs spotlessly, with Pawlik sensitive and lyrical phrases amicably and masterfully accompanied by the excellent rhythm section.

Overall this is a classic example of the Jazz & Poetry idiom, which glorifies the Polish Culture in the best possible way. The combination of words and music is probably the most powerful tool to bring the best out of the Artists and the listeners. Of course the lyrics in Polish seemingly limit the audience to the Polish speakers, but honestly this album can move the hearts of listeners who do not understand a word of Polish by the sheer magic of its intelligence and intellectual content. Strangely this album made very little impact on the Polish scene at the time of its release. Some people probably can't bury political hatchets even when it comes to Culture.

Zakrocki/Olak/Wielecki - Spontaneous Chamber Music Vol. 1

Zakrocki/Olak/Wielecki

Marcin Olak - electric and acoustic guitars
Patryk Zakrocki - viola, electric mbira, tuning forks
Mikołaj Wielecki - percussion

Spontaneous Chamber Music Vol. 1

FSR 05/2016

By Piotr Wojdat

Czytelnikom bloga Polish Jazz improwizacja z pewnością kojarzy się przede wszystkim z jazzem. To zrozumiałe i słuszne zarazem - wszak swobodne formy są immanentną cechą tego gatunku muzycznego. Jeśli są dodatkowo poparte dużymi umiejętnościami instrumentalistów wchodzących w artystyczne interakcje, to w dużej mierze stanowią o atrakcyjności wspomnianego nurtu. Improwizacja może mieć jednak mniej skonkretyzowane podłoże gatunkowe i zarazem być wynikiem różnych inspiracji oraz doświadczeń. Przykładem potwierdzającym ten stan rzeczy jest "Spontaneous Chamber Music Vol. 1".

W skład tria, które odpowiada za zawartość omawianej płyty, wchodzą artyści nieszablonowi i charakterystyczni w tym, co robią: gitarzysta Marcin Olak, skrzypek Patryk Zakrocki oraz perkusista Mikołaj Wielecki. Pierwsi dwaj mieli już okazję ze sobą współpracować, m.in. w duecie pod szyldem Ryba czy przy okazji rezydencji hiszpańskiego pianisty Agustiego Fernandeza na Festiwalu Ad Libitum w 2014 roku. Można zatem powiedzieć, że w pewnym sensie szlaki dla muzyków zostały przetarte i panowie mieli już przed nagraniem płyty rozeznanie w swoich umiejętnościach.

"Spontaneous Chamber Music Vol. 1" jest efektem swobodnej, czy jak sugeruje tytuł albumu, spontanicznej improwizacji. Muzyka zawarta na płycie w wielu momentach urzeka filmową narracją i nieoczywistymi rozwiązaniami brzmieniowymi. Niekiedy wprowadza w przyjemny, melancholijny trans, innym razem, ale rzadziej, kojarzy się z eksperymentami w duchu muzyki współczesnej. Bardzo ciekawym zabiegiem jest użycie nietypowych instrumentów: Patryk Zakrocki gra na skrzypcach i altówce, ale stosunkowo często sięga też po afrykańską mbirę elektryczną, co nadaje orientalnego, niemal bajkowego kolorytu. Znakomitym uzupełnieniem jest też wykorzystanie instrumentów perkusyjnych z różnych stron świata przez Mikołaja Wieleckiego znanego między innymi z Ritmodelia czy współpracy z Natalią Przybysz. Nie sposób też nie wspomnieć o Marcinie Olaku, czołowym gitarzyście na naszej scenie, który dobrze czuje się zarówno w repertuarze klasycznym, free jazzowym, orkiestrowym, czy kameralnym. Na "Spontaneous Chamber Music Vol. 1" skupia się raczej na improwizacji w obrębie szeroko pojętej kameralistyki.

Efektem współpracy Olaka, Zakrockiego i Wieleckiego jest wielowymiarowa muzyka. Jej siłą jest autorski charakter, szeroki wachlarz inspiracji oraz dojrzałe i wyważone podejście do improwizacji samej w sobie. Płyta tria dowodzi, że artyści mają wiele ciekawego do powiedzenia, a zarazem odsłania szerokie perspektywy i możliwości dalszej współpracy. A jeśli tak jest w istocie, liczę na to, że na drugą odsłonę tej kolaboracji nie będziemy musieli zbyt długo czekać.

Enigmatik Quartet - Yanko (2014)

Enigmatik Quartet

Marcin Świderski - tenor & soprano saxophones
Jacek Cichocki - piano, keyboards, accordion
Piotr Filipowicz - double bass
Łukasz „Samba” Dmochewicz - drums
Mikołaj Wielecki - percussion
Michał Rudaś - vocal


Yanko 

By Maciej Nowotny

Ten kwartet to autorski projekt saksofonisty Marcina Świderskiego. Muzycy są mi właściwie nieznani, z wyjątkiem Piotra Filipowicza, który wydał w 2012 koszmarek zatytułowany "Tribute To Michael Jackson", i Mikołaja Wieleckiego, który z kolei pojawił się na naprawdę zacnym albumie tria Marcina Olaka "Crossing Borders". Zastanawiam się, co sprawia, że tej płyty nie da się słuchać? To prawda, że zagrane to jest przeciętnie - zbyt szybko i za głośno, że koncepcja wykorzystania muzyki ludowej czysto cepeliowska z ducha, że improwizacji, czegoś indywidualnego, niepowtarzalnego, zaskakującego po prostu na tym krążku nie uświadczysz. To chyba jednak nie jest jeszcze najgorsze. Przeraża po prostu płytkość, brak czegoś ciekawego do przekazania, jakiegokolwiek oryginalnego pomysłu. Zastanawia mnie, czego Ci muzycy w życiu słuchali, co czytali, co przeżyli? Jaką wiadomość chcą przekazać myślącemu, czujnemu i czującemu słuchaczowi? Tytuł mówi wszystko: "Yanko" - jakby muzycy w swoim umysłowym i duchowym rozwoju zatrzymali się na etapie lektur dla klasy piątej szkoły podstawowej. Zresztą posłuchajcie sami tej "podróbki" jazzu...

Polish-Jazz blog provides media patronage for new album by Marcin Olak Trio !!!

Marcin Olak Trio

Marcin Olak - classical and acoustic guitar
Maciej Szczyciński - bass
Hubert Zemler - drums
Mikołaj "Miki" Wielecki - percussion (tracks 7 & 8)

Crossing Borders (Luna Music, 2012)

Marcin Olak Trio is an exciting, new jazz group from Poland. Music - mostly Marcin's own compositions - can be placed somewhere between jazz and contemporary chamber music. It's concentrated around theacoustic and classical guitar sound, widened with double-bass and prepared drum set. What's interesting: Marcin Olak Trio is one of the few jazz bands in the world (!) when classical and acoustic guitars are are the lead instruments. Electronic instruments are not used, every sound is natural, and musicians become the only source of energy on stage, and a quite efficient one. The Trio played on the most important Polish jazz festivals, like:Warsaw Summer Jazz Days (2008 - that concert was recorded by Polish TV, TVP Kultura), Guitar City (2005, 2008), Jazz na Buduku (2006, 2008), Jazz w Ruinach (2007), Jazz Juniors (2005),Warsaw Underground Jazz (2003) etc. One of the most interesting events was Warsaw Guitar Festival (2008), when Marcin's concerto for jazz trio and symphony orchestra premiere performance took place.

Marcin Olak is one the most interesting Polish jazz guitar players. He is one of the few, who can play modern jazz on classical and acoustic guitars, using specific sound and articulation possibilities of those instruments; sometimes he plays electric guitar as well. He moves between various styles: jazz, classical and contemporary pieces, fully composed and improvised music. Marcin Olak peforms solo and in various bands: from free - jazz combos, through a classical guitar ensambles, up to the symphony orchestra. His own project: Marcin Olak Trio, is especially worth mentioning. The trio has released its first CD, Zealot in 2005. In 2008 another album, Simple Joy was released.

Marcin graduated Fryderyk Chopin's Musical Academy inWarsaw (PL) on classical guitar. He took part in numerous master classes with both classical guitarists (like David Russel or Jorge Cardoso) and jazz performers (like Ralph Towner or Scott Henderson).

Marcin Olak played on some cool guitar and jazz festivals: Warsaw Summer Jazz Days (2008), Warszawska Jesień (2007, 2009), Jazz na Buduku (2006, 2008), Jazz w Ruinach (2007), Guitar City (2005, 2008), Jazz Juniors (2005), Warsaw Underground Jazz (2003) and some more. Warsaw Guitar Festival in 2008 seems especially worth mentioning, as Marcin's own concerto for jazz guitar trio and orchestra was performed there for the first time. Marcin played in the most important concert halls in Poland, National Philharmony Hall inWarsaw and Polish Radio Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio among them. He made numerous recordings for polish radio and TV. He doesn't avoid jazz clubs anyway...

Marcin's improvising art has been appreciated by polish guitarists. As he is one of the very few improvising classical guitar players, Marcin's been asked to write workshops on jazz improvising and harmony in all - polish magazine: Top Guitar.

Tracklist: 1. Crossing Borders – episode 1, 2. Hej, od Krakowa jadę (Blue Deconstruction), 3. Ach, mój Jasieńko (Quasi ad libitum), 4. Na jabłoni jabłko wisi (Work Song), 5. Just One More Day, 6. Blue Study, 7. Waterfall, 8. Olive Tree, 9. Responsorium, 10. Katwar, 11. Infundybuła chronosynklastyczna, 12. Crossing borders – episode 2.

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