Aga Zaryan - Looking Walking Being (2010)

In Jazz Forum magazine Aga Zaryan's "Looking Walking Being" was voted as best album in 2010. And it certainly deserves your attention especially if you happen to like jazz singers because with this album she simply outclassed any other jazz singer in Poland. Moreover her singing is so individual and unique that she may very well count on being also recognized abroad. In fact she already made significant step in this direction by recording this CD for legendary Blue Note label. 

One of the advantages of having behind you marketing power of such a renown company as Blue Note is that potential listerner has plenty of information in English regarding Aga, situation not that typical with other Polish jazz musicians. Let me therefore put in this post only the most basic information plus links of web pages where you can find more extensive informations.

Born in 1976 as Agata Skrzypek she attended music schools in Warsaw and was tutored by legendary Polish jazz singer Ewa Bem. Her first album "My lullaby" was issued in 2002 with next "Picking up pieces" coming in 2006 (double platinum status). In 2007 she recorded "Umiera piękno" (when beauty dies) dedicated to those who perished in tragic Warsaw Uprising in 1944 (among them her relatives). For this effort she got Fryderyk Award in 2008 - the most significant prize in Polish music industry and was also nominated for Women Of The Year 2008 Award by Gazeta Wyborcza, one of the most influential newspapers in Poland. Finally she was voted as best jazz vocalist in 2007, 2008 and 2009 by above mentioned Jazz Forum magazine. More info about her bio you can find here.

But music is of course most important so let me add that beside interesting and creative jazz singing, you will also find on this album excellent sidemen: Michał Tokaj (piano), Michał Barański (kontrabas), Łukasz Żyta (percussion), David Doruzka (guitar) and fantastic Munyungo Jackson (percussion)! They contribute greatly to the success of this album. Check following pages for samples of music from this noteworthy issue:   

http://www.zaryan.com/

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

Wojciech Staroniewicz - Afreakan Project (2011)

By Maciej Nowotny

When I put CD containing the newest Wojciech Staroniewicz album in my Marantz player and music began to flow from Tannoy loud speakers my wife which happened to pass through our living room exclaimed: "At least!" "What?" - I asked. She answered: "At least some music normal people can listen to...".

So my beloved free jazz discs were put aside and "Afreakan" reigns in my CD-player since then and to my own delight  since although mainstream it is so light-hearted, so exhilarating and so well played that I cannot stop  listening to this music which is simply no less than pure joy. 

Apart from Wojciech Staroniewicz who is mastering his tenor saxophone, you will find here as sidemen great musicians indeed like: Przemek Dyakowski (tenor saxophone), Darek Herbasz (baritone saxophone), Irek Wojtczak (tenor and soprano saxophone), Dominik Bukowski (marimba, vibraphone, kalimba), Janusz Mackiewicz (bass), Adam Czerwiński (drums, udu drum, african cowbell), Larry Okey Ugwu (african percussion - bass jembe, osha, chekere, agogo, ekwe) and Sławomir Berny (percussion - darabuka, bongos, marakas, shaker, cabasa, cowbell). From listing of instruments you can very well say that this time Staroniewicz venture on African safari succesfully blending typical Polish jazz virtuosity and musicality with etno climates. These excursions of Polish musicians toward so-called world music are recently more and more often with excellent example of this tendency being "El Buscador" by Adam Pierończyk. In both instances these trips are very attractive although Pierończyk moved in avantgarde direction while Staroniewicz has rather smooth jazz azimuth. However both are so well done that I cannot do anything else but recommend them together to any jazz loving heart.    

Although I have no music from this album please listen to fragment of concert with material from his previous album titled "Alternations" evidencing how high level these musicians represent.
Update: a song from new album now available. Check this link - fantastic indeed!!!

Zbigniew Namysłowski Quintet - Nice & Easy (2009)

Zbigniew Namysłowski is one of the pillars on which Polish jazz edifice was erected. He counts among those great and legendary as Krzysztof Komeda, Andrzej Trzaskowski, Tomasz Stańko, Mieczysław Kosz, Tomasz Szukalski, Jan Ptaszyn-Wróblewski, Adam Makowicz and others without whom there could be no jazz on this side of iron curtain. Since he is present in Polish jazz from it's very beginning in 50ties last century and was present in the recording of many of the most known recordings his sound is as deeply rooted in our hearts as Stańko melancholic trumpet or Kosz light-as-a-feaver piano improvisations. One can described his sound as emotional yet restrained in this best Polish music tradition of dialogue between heart and mind with prevalence of heart.   

"Nice & Easy" his latest album does not in the least disappoints Namysłowski's fans and although placed in territory between mainstream and smooth jazz it is as classy as any of his previous recordings. Like other great saxophonists of our time who are recording in full maturity (b. 1939), like Sonny Rollins or Wayne Shorter, he shows vitality, creativity and enthusiasm proving that his love towards jazz is as strong as ever. Excellent musicians are following his leader example showing extraordinary level of musicianship on this album: Jacek Namysłowski (trombone), Sławek Jaskułke (piano), Andrzej Święs (double bass) and Grzegorz Grzyb (drums).

To sum up: it's joyful, it's cheerful, it's energetic, it's obligatory for any smooth or mainstream jazz lover. Check following link for sample of his music. 

Author: Maciej Nowotny

http://kochamjazz.blox.pl/html

Smashing news from Polish virtuoso trumpet player Robert Majewski!

In December Robert Majewski held recording session in Warsaw Polish Radio studio. Nothing extraordinary untill you look closer at lineup where you can find beside above mentioned trumpeter following musicians: Bobo Stenson (piano), Palle Danielsson (double bass) and Joey Baron (drums). Wow! Correct if I am wrong but it seems to me as planetary first division of mainstream jazz players. It sounds as we may expect melodic, ballad and very beautiful music. The premiere of this album is planned for 9th February. Time to start countdown to this date...  

In meantime check legendary interpretation of "Ballad For Bernt" by Krzysztof Komeda whose interpretion shall appear on this album as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpSP_a5XdNQ

Maciej Trifonidis Bielawski - Downtown Project (2010)

Bartek Adamczak vel (Free) Jazz Alchemist is starting his small cycle of 3 posts on new recordings of young Polish saxophonist Maciej Trifonidis Bielawski:

Maciej Trifonidis Bielawski could be known to some of you as the bass player in Horny Trees trio - clarinet-bass-drums band led by Pawel Szamburski which released its first cd on Kilogram Records - Mikolaj Trzaska's label. But he's also a multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, working in and leading his own projects in very different musical environments, from raw freejazz improvisation (would love to hear his upcoming trio concert with Pawel Szpura and Ksawery Wojcinski - rhythm section from Hera) up to large groups with strings, accordions, brass, horns, playing mostly composed, strictly arranged music, balancing classical and popular influences (the biggest of those - Trifonidis Orchestra - is 16 men strong). His recent releases on his own Slowdownrecords label prove his vast talents and multiple skills. And while I'm not that big fan of such orchestral ventures, the sonic richness they can offer and many of simply charming melodies he delivers are definitely not to be missed because of such a prejudice.

First recording I want to write about (next reviews will come accordingly) titled "Downtown Project" is clearly outside the jazz genre and can be described as musical soundtrack dedicated to Warsaw. A city that, like any other urban centre nowadays, is torn apart between the fast tempo of modern life, and history, those oases where time seems not to rush anymore but walk slowly, telling stories of the past. With string quartet, accordion, tuba or ethnic percussion in the line-up this offers a wide range of colours to choose from and Bielawski does create a varied set of pieces, to tell you about whole lot of different things - a bad hangover in the "Morning" or a "Football Match" watched with his friends. The stories sometimes quite dramatic, sometimes quite joyful, trivial or pensive - not surprising if you squeeze "Dreams" between "Rush Hour" and "China Soup".

Most of those are portraits or miniatures - with only 4 out of 18 tracks over 3 minutes, and majority around 1:30. Stunning melange indeed with sounds of the city mixed in, echoes of some folk melodies, different cultures' backgrounds present, as well as Michael Nyman or Philip Glass influences (especially in the chord patterns of the "Space Beyond the City"). Bielawski does to Warsaw what Yann Tiersenn did to Paris in "Amelie". And though I guess Warsaw is not as seductive nor romantic as Paris (not a big surprise), but at least in the way how depicted by Trifonidis, it gains intriguing, if sometimes a bit disturbing, charm. 

Speaking shortly, this music is classic example of a soundtrack music to the film that has not been made, but still stands well on its own. If there are silent movies, maybe there could be also one that has no moving pictures but just the moving sounds?

("Minutes" from the album, compare it with the not so peacefull "Rush Hour" also available on YouTube)
http://youtu.be/q8kSWABEccU
Author of review: Bartek Adamczak vel (Free) Jazz Alchemist

Find him on his blog http://jazzalchemist.blogspot.com/ or on air http://radiofrycz.pl/ at 20.00 on Monday.

Zbigniew Seifert - Man of Light (1976) by Maciej Nowotny

This is a note for absolute beginners in Polish jazz: welcome :-))) Perhaps you feel a little awkward when entering a world where there is so many difficult signs in musicians' names: ę, ą, ś, ć, ż, ź and others. But fortunately the grammar and spelling of jazz music is all the same around the world so if you pass by these opening obstacles, you will find further there beauties beyond description. And this is not only my opinion by opinion of many non-Polish experts worldwide. 

But if it is your first contact with Polish jazz so where should you start? Let me recommend you three recordings from different times and different musicians (though closely bound to each other): 

1) Krzysztof Komeda - "Astigmatic" (1965)

2) Tomasz Stańko - "Leosia" (1997)

3) Zbigniew Seifert -  "Man of Light"(1976)

and I would start with Seifert recording being inyour place. It is dedicated to McCoy Tyner and is as energetic as it is refined. Seifert is showing his genius here in full blossom, his violin unsurpassed by any other jazz violinist previously or after. Accompanied by fantastic set of musicians in persons of Cecil McBee (bass), Billy Hart (drums), Joachim Kuhn and Jasper vant't Hof (on pianos). Immortal music, not in slightest degree outdated, its CD reissue has been chosen by John Kelman from allaboutjazz as one of the best recordings in 2010 regardless it has pass almost 35 years since it was recorded!!!

Check links for source articles:

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=35905

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=38321

and another one with sample of music from this magnificent album:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02LntQbYATY

    

Mikolaj Trzaska Ircha Clarinet Quintet feat. Joe McPhee - Lark Uprising (2010)

Few words of introduction: this is first text of Bartek Adamczak (Free Jazz Alchemist) on this site. I feel obliged that he agreed to publish his reviews regarding Polish jazz here as well as on his site and thus contribute to idea of making  music from our country better known worldwide. Please, check his blog where you may find much more information about his jazz amusements updated frequently. Thank you Bartek :-)))  

Text:

Imagine a foggy night at the sea, and the sound of ships sirens emerging from the silence and the darkness, five of them, calling each other out, responding to voices coming from all directions. Finding a friendly waters, where they can exchange some personal stories, with the listening choir commenting on those all the time. They reach an agreement and start singing together (absolutely stunning and oh so peaceful harmonies in the middle of the track) and then move back and forward between the solo narration, duos and the entire choir parts, with everyone finding a role to play and never looking for a front spot. That is how this albums starts on "Ant-hill Builder".

It's amazing how majestic is the sound of the clarinet when multiplied, coming from all angles, all directions, warming up the air of this foggy night, clearing up the sky so You could see the moon shine.

"City Shepherds" begins with clapping of the clarinets' keys that sound like a rain in a tropical forest. "Sleeping Deep in the Moss" brings You the sound of the ocean waves and introduces gently another so deeply harmonic duo, joined later by bass clarinet underlying it from miles away with a simple motiv, coming to a short tutti outburst of a heated debate, which suddenly stops as if it never happened. All pieces are rich in texture and with so many layers appearing in the music, the Quintet manages to achieve a rare thing - contain a complex inner structure in a form that seems simply. 

I don't mention the names on purpose (though, thanks to the fantastic stereo realisation of this recording, You could identify individual parts). This is some of the most democratic playing I've heard in a while, a true conference of birds - where one has an ability to both talk and listen at the same time, finding a perfect balance in the overall sound. This is a breathtaking and a completely fresh and original experience (how many clarinet quintets have You heard so far?). 

And be warned this is definitely not jazz, much more a chamber music (sometimes reminding me a bit of Philip Glass's work), with a lot of structure, with a lot of repetitive motives appearing, whole lot of caring for the overall form of all the pieces, slowly pacing through both ensemble and solo parts, some abstract moments as those of stunning harmonic touch. The description on the digipack says : "all composition by Quintet" which make me doubt my assumptions about material being improvised, but does it really matter? All musicians are worthy of praises, masters of the clarinet, but this album is more than anything a perfect example of a whole that is bigger than a sum of its parts. 

A whole that is unique and absolutely captivating, don't miss it.

ps.1 While Joe McPhee, Waclaw Zimpel and Mikolaj Trzaska should all be known to jazz maniacs all over the world (I hope so), Pawel Szamburski and Mikolaj Gorczynski have not reached this level of recognition, their playing (among various bands they play in) can be heard in Cukunft - polish group revitalizing klezmer music, You can find mine post about their concert in Krakow here. 

ps2. The music was recorded during Tzadik Festival in Poznan at July 17 2009, and, with clarinet being so crucial to the jewish musical culture, one could be tempted to look for klezmer influences but, in my ears, there are none really.

WWW where you can find samples of music: http://wsm.serpent.pl/sklep/albumik.php,alb_id,23041,Lark-Uprising,Mikolaj-Trzaska-Ircha-Cla

Author of review: Bartek Adamczak vel (Free) Jazz Alchemist

Find him on his blog http://jazzalchemist.blogspot.com/ or on air http://radiofrycz.pl/ at 20.00 on Monday.

Loskot - Sun (2005)

Although I am focused on this blog on what is going on in polish jazz at this moment, it is very important for me to be able to go back from time to time. Like today when I decided to recall excellent recording by Łoskot (din) titled "Sun".

If you like such fantastic bands of today  as Pink Freud, Contemporary Noise Sextet or Dziki Jazz (title of album), you should definitely check this record as well because all above mentioned bands are deeply indebted in music as created by  Łoskot.

Mikołaj Trzaska on bass clarinet and alto sax, Piotr Pawlak on guitar, Olo Walicki on double bass and Tomek Gwinciński on drums were all involved in yass revolution in Poland, here they created a very special blend of jazz, psychodelic rock, music build on trance-like grooves, catapulting us effectively in alternate dimensions of out-of-mainstream reality.

Since then this surprising melange of self-ironic avant-garde with pop-like accessibility has became new Polish bands specialite-de-la-maison and allowed them to persuade more and more listeners to music so much better than Lady Gaga, Madonna or Seal.   

Please, listen to sample of music from this album:



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

Premiere of new album of Wojtek Mazolewski Quintet set for 18th February 2011

Wojtek Mazolewski is hot stuff lately with his last year record "Monster of Jazz" by Pink Freud winning Best Jazz Band in yearly poll by prestigious Jazz Forum magazine. In new 2010 year he is not going to slow down however and intends to publish new album titled "Smells Like Tape Spirit" with another of his bands called Wojtek Mazolewski Quintet. Many not only feminine jazz listeners are waiting impatiently for this new record as well as concerts.
In the meantime check a song from his above mentioned last year album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFa-SbxUp18

Rafał Mazur, Keir Neuringer - Unison Lines (2010)

I got this album over a month ago with an idea of reviewing it as soon as possible. This however turned out to be impossible because music from this CD encompassed me like Black Hole and only with utmost effort I was able to detach myself from its enchanting influence. Before I write few words about music, let me introduce musicians first.

Keir Neuringer is American saxophonist born and living in New York who feels himself as much jazz musician and avantgarde performer as political activist with clear leftist political ideas. He is against his own goverment en gross, a privilage that can enjoy citizens of only the most democratic and wealthy nations in the world. In musical terms he focuses on avantgarde and improvised music and had opportunity to play together with Evan Parker and Misha Mengelberg.

Rafał Mazur is double bass player, resident of Cracow where he studied in Music Academy. This is actually the place where they met each other with Keir who was there as a Fulbright Scholar. Since then Mazur engaged himself in all kinds of activities and projects provided they were free, spontaneous, spiritual and full of improvisation whether it's music or Chinese martial art studies.

It is fascinating that this glorious record would be impossible without relationship established between those two musicians more than 10 years ago and cultivated dilligently regardless different problems and obstacles. So this disc comes as a prize not only of their exemplary creativity but also for patience and perseverance: features not so often present in artists' souls.

In the end we got music that is holistic, gravitational, massive and which engages not only our aural apparatus but also our mind, soul, body. We feel like certain inner chords in our hearts begin to sing which reminds us old Plotinus idea that there is light in everyman's soul reflecting perfect glamor of divine idea resting in heaven.

Mastery level of design and artwork as projected by Piotr Jakubowicz from RedBoxDesign and great support by the best Polish jazz recording label NotTwo Records: all these elements make this album special enough to be obligatory in collection of every free jazz lover throughout the world.

Samples from concert given in 2008:

Neuringer, Mazur, d'incise @ Kawiarnia Naukowa (1 of 2) from Keir Neuringer on Vimeo.