Some tunes from RGG trio new album!!!

Recently in this post I have annouced new RGG trio album coming. Now it's getting near and we already know its title: "One" plus we are able to listen to six tunes from this album:

Piotr Lemańczyk announces new album!

Piotr Lemańczyk (source) is excellent double bass player who recently recorded two great albums: "Naha Poeple" (2009) with Tim Hagans and "Three Point Shot" (2010) with Jerry Bergonzi. So I am very happy being able to inform you that for 2011 he plans another album titled "Able To Fly". This time he join forces with excellent saxman Maciej SIkała and drummer Tyler Hornby. The CD will be published by Canadian label Chronograph Records. Accordingly concert tour will follow in Canada (info about venues here).
As for Polish fans they had opportunity to listen to this trio recently in Gdańsk during concert series called "Jazz Nad Mołtawą" and thanks to effort by Kazimierz Zagórski  and his "Radio Patrycjusz" radio station you can listen to podcast of the WHOLE concert. I would like to thank Kazimierz  and artists for such a wonderful present!!!

Maciej Tubis Trio - Live in Luxembourg (2010)

About pianist Maciej Tubis I wrote a lot when reviewing his first album titled "Fulfillment".  So this time I would skip bio data (you can find it at above mentioned link) and answer only question: what music contains his second disc?

His first album did not appeal to me very much because it contained very little of jazz music, mostly classical playing inspired by Arvo Paart and the likes. However in those rare moments when he played jazz it was obvious that his potential is great. So I was very happy upon hearing than in this album, recorded live in Luxembourd, Maciej Tubis went full-scale into jazz. And the outcome of such decision is magnificent! Especially if you happen to like great piano trios as led by Keith Jarrett, Esbjorn Svensson or Tord Gustavsen. Narrative power of Maciej Tubis play stands comparison with those giants of mainstream piano and listening to this album is simply  joy ride from one beautiful melody to another, all performed in best possible way. Maciej Tubis is supported by Marcin Lamch on double bass and Przemek Pacan on drums. Plus at a certain moment this three musicians are joined by Andre Mergenthaler whose play on cello enlivens the trio format and makes music even more original.

Speaking shortly, this is step in right direction by Maciej and his partners who were capable of producing very high quality mainstream play that remains very rewarding one rehearsal after another.

Check this link for incredibly beautiful song titled "Retrospekcja".

PS. More information about Maciej Tubis you can find as well on AAJ.

  

Where to buy records with Polish jazz???

Many requests from people all around the world make me to ask this question: where to buy records with Polish jazz? Up to a very recent times I could only suggest two internet shops, both operating in Poland:

1) http://wsm.serpent.pl/sklep/eng/ - best Polish online shop with avantgarde music and

2) http://www.empik.com/ - biggest online shop with books, music, videos.

Both these sites offer interface in English which makes the process of buying much more comfortable for foreign customers. However a question of high delivery rates remains (I know it well since I am regular customer of Amazon.com). 

Recently Steve Dolan has contacted me and I can now recommend his site http://www.stevesjazzsounds.co.uk/. His is focusing on Polish and Scandinavian jazz so I believe for customers from the UK this may be an interesting option. BTW his story is really interesting: he first became aware of Polish jazz through listening to Mike Chadwick's radio (Jazz FM) show the Cutting Edge. Then he managed to get a CD called the best of Polish Jazz 2005 and that is how, using his words, "he was hooked". It costed him a lot of patience and perseverance to get hold of his favourite discs using sometimes private contacts in Poland or through checking artists' or recording labels' pages. Fortunately he decided to use his so gathered experience to open online store to give others the chance to buy this wonderful jazz without all these problems. Good luck Steve with your project :-) 

Another similar page is: http://www.chazzforjazz.com/servlet/StoreFront.

But to be honest that does not solve the problem as unfortunately none of these web shops cover ALL significant recordings. What we need is site fully dedicated to Polish jazz, with a scope broad enough to comprise its outskirts (pop, rock, avantgarde, etc.) as well as mainstream, both new and old records. For the time being unfortunately I don't see such one-stop-shop...

Michał Tokaj Trio - Bird Alone (2004)

A very strange recording, of utmost beauty, which unfortunately remains in obscurity. Classic cool jazz trio featuring pianist Michał Tokaj, double bass player Darek Oleszkiewicz and drummer Łukasz Żyta. Michał Tokaj career had splendid beginning, he went from one prize to another, and was playing with all the greatest in Poland, concerting extensively here and abroad. This record, issued in Japan (Gats Production), but recorded in Poland, is kind of climax of this early period: accomplished in every detail, it brings music as flawless and perfect an one can expect from one of the best piano trios in a world. Surprisingly, however, it turned out never to be continued. Sadly it remains great but the only Michał Tokaj's album recorded as a leader.  

Why it is that Michał Tokaj stopped recording as leader is beyond me! He is so, so good it is with great loss to Polish jazz indeed. He is active as educator working as scholar in famous Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw and is also appearing on some recordings as sideman like for example on good disc by Aga Zaryan  "Looking Walking Being" recorded for Blue Note last year. Still if he ever read this post by chance, let me tell him in a name of many thousands of jazz lovers in Poland and abroad: Michał we are waiting for your new album far too long!

For more information check artist's web page http://www.michaltokaj.com/.

Finally let me invite you to check this link for one of the gems of this record: Michał Tokaj Trio interpretation of tune from film series "Chłopi" (Peasants) based on novel by Władysław Reymont, who for this novel received Nobel Prize in literature in year 1924.

  

Oleś Brothers with Andrzej Przybielski on new record!!!

Recent departure of great trumpeter Andrzej Przybielski (to whom I dedicated this post) left all jazz lovers in Poland in a state of deep shock. This sadness may be little soothed by recent news from Bartłomiej Brat Oleś revealing plans for issuing CD containing music recorded by Andrzej Przybielski with Oleś Brothers duo. The title of the album will be "De Profundis" suggesing sombre and deep music, with possible spiritual connotations. Providing that Oleś Brothers are one of the best Polish free jazz rhythm sections I am sure this will be one the most interesting records of this year. Available through Fenomedia Records.   

Atom String Quartet rulez at Bielska Zadymka!

This could be a surprise not only for me: Atom String Quartet won Grand Prix of the Lotos jazz Festival (Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa)! David Lubowicz and Mateusz Smoczyński on violins, Michał Zaborski on viola and Krzysztof Lenczowski on cello advertise themselves as first ever (in Poland) string quartet playing jazz. I doubt but still one may feel in their playing this adventurous spirit so characteristic for jazz. Check it yourself here in their interpretation of  famous composition by Chick Corea titled "Spain".

Foton Quartet - Zomo Hall (2010) by Maciej Nowotny

This time it will be very short because it's simply must-have. Would this record arrive a little earlier, not just at the end of the last year, it could very well be a winner in Best Polish Free Jazz album of 2010. But who cares about all this Grammy-like nonsense-talk: good music is good music so trust me and go for this one without hesitation! 

Recorded in some post-industrial production hall among piles of garbage, rubble and twisted reinforcing steel it sounds like. Deep breath. Like 50 or more years ago Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Julian Cannonbal Adderley, Paul Chamber and Jimmy Cobb in "Kind of Blue" when they laid foundations for what was to became cool jazz. As Marcin Kiciński noted in his Polish review it is impossible to describe what music on this album is but it very easy say what it is not: jazzy playing imitating hundreds times over reproduced cliches invented more than half century ago. This is JAZZ as Miles defined it: "any kind of music in process of discovery something new". 

So please remember those names: Gerard Lebik (tenor saxophone, contra alto clarinet), Asrtur Majewski (trumpet), Jakub Cywiński (double bass), Wojciech Romanowski (drums). If you do not know them from bands like Mikrokolektyw, Robotobibok, Slug Duo, Ziemia Planeta Ludzi, it is now the highest time for Foton Quartet or some extraordinary music would pass you by. Let me end this post with word of stef as posted in English review of this record on his blog: "Extremely beautiful! The year has only just begun, and this is to me already a strong contender for the best of the year lists".

Please, it is OBLIGATORY now for you to check this video! Enjoy :-)

PS. The disc was recorded for best Polish recording label Not Two and is available worldwide through its catalogue.

foton zomo hall record session 2008 from gerardlebik on Vimeo.

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

Tomasz Stańko - Leosia (2000)

Of all days in a week I like Saturday most. At least I have enough time to listen to music without haste and with relaxed mind not being distracted by usual worries of private or work life. Additionally in the evenings I often go to concerts with friends which doubles the pleasures of the day. This Saturday I go back to album of Tomasz Stańko titled "Leosia" and continue my unofficial discography of this colossus of Polish jazz. Previous parts of this cycle were (in chronological order): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. 

"Leosia" is in my opinion the best album Tomasz Stańko recorded for ECM: the sound he conjured on his trumpet is truly magical: slow, pensive, meditative. Support he enjoyed from pianist Bobo Stenson and bassist Anders Jormin is exemplary: the level of empathy between them rise to standard as set by great Bill Evans trio with Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian. 

However the man of the day is here Tony Oxley. His play is "parsecs" (again bow to M.L.) away from what other percussionists call "jazz drumming". I find no words appropriate to describe his performance on this record and I would strongly recommend you to simply listen to this music through drums perspective. Follow each beat, each tap, each touch of his drumsticks and your idea of rhythm, this power-base of modern jazz music, will be eventually completely upgraded.   

Here is a link to song from this album titled "Hungry Howl"... 

  

Krystian Zimerman - Grażyna Bacewicz Piano Quintets (2011)

Before I moved to jazz I was immersed totally in classical music for more years than I remember. But even then I was always hungry for what was avantgarde and improvised in classical music. It must be in my genes  since my stepbrother Witold Nowotny, living in Holland, was composer of avantgarde classical music. So although I went through all usual steps of being affascinated by Mozart, Beethoven and Bach, I then traveled   by Wagner and Mahler stations straight to Schoenberg, Webern, Berg and other demigods of European avantgarde of the first half of the previous century. They all came too early: misunderstood, disrespected and despised they became rejected by audiences. But fortunately some people carried on their work among them many Polish composers like Witold Lutosławski, Krzysztof Penderecki, Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, Grażyna Bacewicz and others.

Of all those Polish excellent artists music of Bacewicz has always appealed to me most, especially her strings quartets, which for their restrained, elegant and open form were simply unsurpassed as far as Polish modern music is concerned. Listening to this highly refined music I never imagined that one day I will dedicate all my heart to jazz and that I will discover there the same adventurous, all-or-nothing and radical novelty-seeking attitude. 

As Paweł Baranowski likes to say, whose point of view on modern jazz is very close to mine, there is no jazz other than forward thinking and experimenting. That means that all stylistic boundaries between genres are insignificant and all that counts is simply GOOD MUSIC. From such a perspective you should not be at all surprised that today I recommend to you one of the best Polish jazzman Krystian Zimerman improvising on standards by legend of Polish jazz Grażyna Bacewicz... 

Check this link for a fragment of above mentioned quartets of her. Stellar!