Joanna Gajda Quartet - Heaven Earth Earth Heaven (2010)

When I was young I trained for a swimmer, usually swimming in sprint relays, being young however I preferred to swim solo. To my objections my old and experienced trainer always responded in such words: "Maciej, only the strongest teams may field winning relay, that's why I appreciate medals in relays many times more than solo ones". That is very much true in jazz as well and that is also why this recording is so astonishing. Because all of a sudden from the deepest ranks of Polish Jazz team has come forth Joanna Gajda and recorded the CD that is simply outstanding!

Most of data to this article I take from interview Mrs Gajda gave to Jan Cegiełka in Jazz Forum November issue. We learn from it that Mrs Gajda graduated piano from renowned Katowice Music Academy. She is now teaching herself in Kalisz Music Academy but she testifies that only two years before she has became assertive enough (through influence of Piotr Wojtasik to whose mentorship she owes a lot) to start enlisting musicians to her own band. And she managed to gather around herself very talented ones: Borys Janczarski (tenor saxophone) has very smoky sound and his virtuosity reminds the style of magnificent Bobby Watson; Andrzej Święs is promising young bassist, his play provides rock-solid base for this hard-swinging jazz; Sebastian Frankiewicz is quick as a silver young drummer who already recorded interesting album Hendrix Piano with Artur Dutkiewicz Trio this year. As guest appears on this album: Marian Pawlik ona bass, star drummer Kazimierz Jonkisz and fantastic singer Natalia Przybysz.

And exactly the little cameo of Natalia Przybysz who sings wonderful tune to words of St Luke Gospel Don't be afraid little flock is where I would like to turn spotlights first. Vocal of Przybysz is simply smashing, thoughtful and yearning piano of Gajda is flying sky high and support by Swięś & Frankiewicz sensitive enough to blow your mind away! I find no words apt to express my wonder what they do to mainly modal jazz in one piece after another: yes, it is mainstream play but their ability to invoke emotions is revelatory. Strong gospel connotations are omnipresent in this music pointing clearly enough where an idea of the title of album comes from. Finally let me add that all these excellent compositions are written by Joanna Gajda. Great jazz woman appeared in Polish Jazz. People please believe in her! And I do and shall wait for her next CD very impatiently...

I you want to buy this record check this link: http://wwylomie.com/heaven-earth-eart-heaven-cd.html

If you want to listen to more music from this album: http://www.myspace.com/joannagajdaquartet

Author of text: Maciej Nowotny (http://kochamjazz.blox.pl/html)

Dwootho - Space Pressures (2010)

This is debut recording let me therefore start with names of musicians as it is proper to introduce them first: Marek Tarnowski (accordion, hammond organ), Tomasz Piątek (tenor saxophone, clarinet), Bartosz Łuczkiewicz (bass), Maciej Dziedzic (drums, percussion) plus Natalia Gllińska (vocal) as a guest. Certainly very interesting still this record is not easy to classify or judge as it melts in one pot flavors rarely heard together. I would rather avoid to name musical genres which echo in this recording (folk, rock, club music and many other) because I feel that the only label describing properly this music is one of jazz which was once defined as simply "sound of surprise". 

Neither mainstream nor avantgarde this music is eluding all classifications and shall not be overlooked by anyone who values creativity, courage and individuality as expressed in melodies and rhythms.

After saying so many nice things about this recording and its authors let me add a small knock. Though I like music on this album I still feel that sometimes artists slump into what is too obvious, easy and predictable. Bass line become at times too mechanical, sax play too sexy, drums somewhat run of mill and only Marek Tarnowski on his accordion never ceases to surprise and amaze. It is done perhaps in order to provide music more accessible for larger audience. Not a bad idea for debut recording but as far as I am concerned I would expect something more free and improvisational next time to make my interest in this band and its music permanent.   

Please listen to a song titled Balkan Groove:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm9W7-NTEFY&feature=player_embedded

Pulsarus - FAQ (2009)

Trio Pulsarus consists of Dominik "Doministry" Strycharski (flutes), Aleksander Papierz (saxophones) and Jakub Rutkowski (drums) which are on this recording accompanied by following guests: Wojciech Waglewski (guitars), Adam Pierończyk (saxophones), Mikołaj Trzaska (alto saxophone) and Jan Peszek (voice). Certainly one of the most interesting records in Polish Jazz last year proved to have prolonged influence one me so I decided to go back to it and write few words about it encouraging others to get to know it. 

Pulsarus as a band was created in 2003 and they debuted in 2005 by Digital Freejazz, next year followed by CD titled Squared Rotoscope and after 3 years FAQ arrived, "the best one we've made so far" as the leader of the band claims. Musically we have here electro-acoustic jazz which I like very much and associate wit such excellent jazzmen as Evan Parker and Rob Mazurek, or, if we want to dig deeper Steve Reich and Karlheinz Stockhausen. It is therefore very praiseworthy that in these Polish Jazz territory we have this electro-acoustic field as well and cultivated by such talented musicians!

What marks this CD out is its artistic unity to which contributes the fact that almost all music on this album was composed by Strycharski. But this effect is evident also in such details as the cover of this CD which reminds me in mood the old sci-fi horrors as Ridley Scott's Alien. Let us therefore note that for production of the album Piotr Pawlak was responsible on behalf of Biodro Records.

The most controversial point in this astonishing music production is the part in which Polish famous actor Jan Peszek takes part. It takes form of some theatrical monologue, accompanied by music but it sounds really whacky and rather unconvincing to me. On the other hand there is a project that the music on this album will be accompanied by a film then this presence of the Peszek voice on this recording might be more justified. 

All in all this is certainly recording worth your your while let me therefore encourage you strongly to visit following site and listen to the samples of music from this session: http://www.myspace.com/pulsarus 

AUthor: Maciej Nowotny (http://kochamjazz.blox.pl/html)

Piotr Wyleżoł - Children's Episodes (2009)

Marcin Wasilewski, Przemysław Raminiak and Piotr Wyleżoł - certainly names to remember if you are interested in Polish Jazz. They all excel in classic jazz trio format and over years attained level of perfection that cannot be praised too much. Of them all Piotr Wyleżoł style is closest to great Bill Evans tradition or Polish jazz piano genius Mieczysław Kosz. His piano sings, yearns and sighs as if whispering to the ear of lover girl (or boy).   He evokes emotions with ease of true master and takes us on a ride where everything may happen from tenderest lyricism to utter despair and finally to hard swinging jazz redemption. 

Awesome display not only on side of this fantastic pianist but also on the side of his equally gifted companions: bassist Michał Barański and drummer Łukasz Żyta. Honestly speaking the quality of jazz trio owes as much to the competence of the pianist as to the quality of interplay between members of the trio. In this case the level of interplay between artist is breathtaking. And to no surprise as they have been already playing together for 10 years and recorded  such gems  as "Piano Trio" (2006).

This year however may be turning point in Piotr Wyleżoł career because he not only sees this CD issued by well established Fresh Sound New Talent label but he also recorded "Live" (2010) CD in quintet format with fantastic new musicians Pierończyk, Dorouzka, Kowalewski, Dziedzic and also played important role in new Nigel Kennedy jazz project "Shhh!" (2010). Well, so this star on Polish Jazz firmament that shines so brightly cannot be anyone's but his. Congratulations Piotr!

Piotr Lemańczyk - Naha People (2009)

Too few people in Poland noticed and appreciated this album as it deserved. In my opinion however this was not only one of the best jazz recordings last year but also one of the most intriguing over last couple of years. Moreover I honestly cannot recall anyone in Poland playing on trumpet (Tomasz Stańko apart of course) on a level Tim Hagans is playing on this CD. Speaking shortly this is item that every jazz lover shall definitely inspect more carefully and listen many times over.

Certainly mainstream jazz but it has all charm of modern jazz as it is forward thinking, complex and infinitely refined. All musicians involved in this project play simply masterfully. Tim Hagans who is one of the best trumpet players on this planet shows that his artistic potential is simply limitless. His trumpet weavers and meanders as butterfly on a spring meadow in full blossom. Piotr Lemańczyk bass is rock solid and deep as some far away storm on the edge of dream and reality. He is assisted by fantastic young vibraphonist Dominik Bukowski whose strokes are as light as first raindrops on freshly opened flowers in the morning. Nor worse is veteran drummer Kazimierz Jonkisz whose intricate play reminds me of sun beams hide-and-seek game with shadows in some old and mysterious forest. On tunes 1,6,7 excellent saxophonist Maciej Sikała appears his presence subtle and unobtrusive as moon waning in morning light. Finally, I would like to notice very high level of recording and mastering of the sound for which Michał Mielnik and Tomek Cybula were responsible.

All compositions are by Piotr Lemańczyk and are very good but if I was to find some fault in this magnificent project I would say that tempos of tunes might be a bit more diversified. But apart from this minor objection I find this album very rewarding and cannot but listen to it over and over again. Fantastic music! 

To learn more about the leader please visit: http://www.piotrlemanczyk.com/. To hear some music from this album: http://www.myspace.com/lemanczykpiotr.

By Maciej Nowotny

http://kochamjazz.blox.pl/html

Wojciech Myrczek Quintet - We'll Be Together Again (2010)

This record was added to summer (7-8/2010) edition of Jazz Forum magazine and this music was very well coupled with this season of the year. It is warm, tender and and cheerful. Young singer embarks on journey across jazz standards as if cruising round some Caribbean island. One can imagine not only luxurious ship and its captain with cigar in his mouth but also refined and cultured passengers that can appreciate jazz standards played and sung with such a elegance. I see them chatting, mashing and dancing to this music flowing from the scene so effortlessly, so easy, so skillfully. Certainly Myrczek is the most interesting debutant in male jazz vocalists for years. And honestly speaking there never have been too many of them in Poland too. With few exceptions Polish Jazz can be associated with all kind of musicianship but rather not with male jazz singers. Is it possible that Myrczek or other young artists may change this situation? Time will show... 

To listen to one of songs sung by this artist please visit following web page: http://www.myspace.com/wojciechmyrczek. Finally let me note hat Myrczek enjoys solid backing by following musicians: Marcin Kaletka (tenor saxophone), Michał Wierba (piano), Michał Kapczuk (double bass) and Sebastian Kuchczyński (drums)

Witold Janiak - Mainstreet Quartet (2010)

The cover of this CD very well reflects the mood of the music inside: sunny, relaxing evening, drinks, smiling girls as brown as a berry. And from speakers music as mellow and elegant as Martini is sipping. However if someone decided to listen to it more carefully he would discover how masterfully it is accomplished, that it is by no means prosy but has links to such great formations of the past as fusion jazz Chick Corea's Return To Forever, Herbie Hancock's Headhunters or smooth jazz giants David Sandborn (clearly inspiration for saxophonist Michał Kobojek) or Bob James (the same for piano player Witold Janiak). Other musicians in this quartet are bassist Marcin Błasiak and drummer Emil Waluchowski who give a very solid support in rhythm section.

This recording prove that many prizes that befell on this group, among them Grand Prix of Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa, the festival organized under auspices of Tomasz Stańko himself, were by no means accidental. By this album they show that there is still something worthful to say on smooth side of jazz and that jazz is so interesting because it has so many faces, not only free or avant garde, but also easy-to-listen and melodic, sometimes traditional and dance-like.

Please, listen to one song from this album Thursday Evening. More music is available on following web page where you can also find in my opinion the best track on this album, the interpretation of Herbie Hancock's Chameleon (http://www.myspace.com/mainstreetquartet), a truly wonderful tune! I am waiting impatiently for their next recording where I hope they will go deeper in this direction, rehearsing hidden gems jazz of undervalued jazz of fusion era...

Author of text: Maciej Nowotny (http://kochamjazz.blox.pl/html)

Tomasz Sowiński & The Collective Improvisation Group - Synergy (2010)

Goddamn Polish Jazz so motherfucker strong! exclaimed one of my American colleagues upon hearing this recording. And indeed it is extremely funky although names of musicians involved in this project may be totally unknown and impossible to spell for foreign listeners. Nonetheless they are all creme de creme of Polish young jazz players and they really do hit the roof with this music!

Groove is strong in this music as once force in Luke Skywalker. Recently in one of my texts I cried over the fact that we lack in Poland of drummers of calibre of Jack DeJohnette, Jim Black or Jeff "Tain" Watts. But this record headed by young Polish drummer Tomasz Sowiński proves that I was completely wrong. His work on both drums and Łukasz Ruszkowski's on percussion  is so creative and forward-thinking that I simply find no words to express my admiration for them. Everything rustles, bounces and leaps in this music! Rhythm is omnipresent as Holy Ghost in hearts of true (jazz) believers. 

In file with such other jazz orchestras as Paweł Kaczmarczyk AudioFeeling Band (http://kochamjazz.blogspot.com/2010/01/paw-kaczmarczyk-audiofeeling-band.html), Contemporary Noise Sextet (http://kochamjazz.blogspot.com/2010/03/contemporary-noise-sextet-unaffected.html) or Jerzy Małek Group (http://kochamjazz.blogspot.com/2009/12/jerzy-maek-group-bop-beat-2009.html) Tomasz Sowiński and his The Collective Improvisation Group lead Polish jazz audience towards Promised Land of long forgotten jazz big bands. Darek Herbasz (tenor sax), Jerzy Małek (trumpet, flugelhorn, cornet), Piotr Mania (piano), Piotr Pawlak guitar&additional sounds), Żuchowski Adam (bass) and Ruszkowski Łukasz (percussion) plus leader, seven jazz musicians, the magnificent seven, the seven samurai who cut through ten consecutive tunes like damasacen steel through all doubts that modern jazz can be both avant garde and sexy.

Finally let me underline the role played in this recording by Piotr Mania. His presence on the piano reminds me very much of Kenny Drew style. Like Drew Mania remains low profile, subtle and vigilant to slightest changes in complicated rhythms of music but he never fails to support, nurture and expand it. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01jZZhXTY3Y&feature=player_embedded

Stańko, Szukalski, Holland, Vesala - Balladyna (1976)

My Stańko quest continues with Balladyna, his first CD for ECM, recorded with Tomasz Szukalski (saxophone), Dave Holland (bass) and Edward Vesala (drums). With this disc Stańko made farewell to his previous style dominated by Stańko's own, highly original version of Ornette Coleman's free jazz (as evidenced in Twet album which was recorded prior to this one). Step by step his music on this album changes by gaining more space, breath, gravitating towards silence and thoughtfulness so characteristic for all recordings made for Manfred Eicher. But this transformation is not complete yet and it still needed many years to finally take place. In meantime his cooperation with ECM ceased and his career took somewhat chaotic course over next couple of years. But this good beginning for ECM was never forgotten and made his great come back to this company possible many years later when he matured enough to get control over his doping habit.

Balladyna is certainly no easy-to-listen piece of music. I believe that for many mainstream jazz lovers it sounds repulsive or abhorrent. Stańko was of course fully aware of this effect. His choice of Balladyna as the title for this record is meaningful as Balladyna, the character created by XIX century poet Juliusz Słowacki, is as much violent, lustful and unpredictable as Shakespeare's Lady Makbet.  She murders her own sister, exiles her mother and plays her lovers against each other all in order to get power she is mad about. Eventually she goes unharmed by human justice or revenge.

Therefore I advise strongly to listen to this music remembering all these connotations because if there is any conventional beauty in it, it is the charm of crime, rape or tragedy, that is so attractive to flock of peaceful and well-fed citizens of great cities, since times of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides.

Finally it is necessary to recall that this recording was recently re-printed by ECM in Touchstones series at a bargain price which I invited with  gratitude as prices of ECM records remain, in my opinion, exorbitantly high. This reprint was accompanied by Stańko drafting musicians for what he called New Balladyna Project. He gave concert in Denmark accompanied by Tim Berne (saxophones), Anders Jormin (bass) and Stefan Passborg (drums) with material from this record. In Poland he did the same although with different cast including talented Maciej Obara on sax (http://kochamjazz.blogspot.com/2010/03/obara-alessi-waits-helias-four-2010.html). Although there were many hopes that new record may arise of collaboration of those renowned musicians unfortunately these expectations remain unfulfilled.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Mg6N4cWNco&feature=player_embedded

Soundcheck - III Druglum (2010)

This year I planned holidays in such a way as to be able to reconcile them with my passion for jazz. Therefore we took for Croatia, splendid place which I can only wholeheartedly recommend, but instead of flying there by plane we traveled by car. As a result I have plenty of time to listen to many great jazz recordings of this year while driving from North to South through this beautiful continent of Europe.

Among the best recordings I listened to this almost 48 hours long session (with stopovers in Wien and Venice) is the newest, third in row, CD Druglum by Polish quartet named Soundcheck. Musicians' names are following: Maciej Kocin Kociński (saxophones), Krzysztof Dys (piano), Andrzej Święs (bass) and Krzysztof Szmańda (drums and percussion). They started to play together in 2002 and since then have scooped up numerous prizes in international and Polish jazz contests including prestigious Grand Prix of Jazz Nad Odrą festival in 2005. Plus they've recorded three excellent CDs, all very ambitious, moody, complex and brooding. Truly excellent music executed with utmost attention to details.

I am especially astonished by Maciej Kociński play on alto saxophone. Himself he acknowledges  influences from Micheal Brecker and Kenny Garret. But I myself also hear even closer affinities to Jimmy Giuffre (in the past) and David Binney (now), very unique voices in modern jazz, highly individual, avant garde, yet very, very musical. There is also some resemblence in Kocin style and the style presented by one of the best saxes in Poland at the moment Adam Pierończyk on his last CD titled El Buscador. One can only dream that they meet one day to record something together, it would be like meeting of basic nature elements, fire and water, wind and earth. For the time being we can hear them in two seperate recodings, both strong contenders for the title of best Polish jazz recording this year.

I would also like to notice an excellent play on bass by Andrzej Święs whose sound is round, deep and thoughtful. No worse is  timely accompaniment by Krzysztof Dys' piano. Last but not least we shall also sight that Krzysztof Szmańda playing on drums and percussion appeared on second breathtaking recording this year together with excellent Kattorna which makes him the most obvious runner for the best Polish jazz drummer of 2010 (at least in my opinion).

Author of text: Maciej Nowotny (http://kochamjazz.blox.pl/html)

Please listen to the piece of fantastic music cooked for us by this quartet: