Nonesuch to Release Krzysztof Penderecki, Jonny Greenwood Collaboration March 13

(Editor) Whenever modern classical music goes near improvised music I become very, very happy. As for Penderecki it's good to remember that he already collaborated with jazz poeple as evidenced in his recording with Don Cherry "Actions" released in 1971...

Nonesuch Records will release an album of works by Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki and composer/Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood on March 13, 2012; the album is now available to pre-order in the Nonesuch Store, where orders include high-quality, 320 kbps MP3s of the music starting release day. A concert featuring all of the music on the album will take place at Barbican Hall in London on March 22, performed by the AUKSO Chamber Orchestra—the group featured on the Nonesuch recording—led by Penderecki and Marek Moś.

The artists’ work was presented side-by-side in two concerts last September, highlighting Penderecki’s influence on younger composers, at the European Congress of Culture in Wrocław. In its report on the Congress, which celebrated Poland’s presidency of the European Union, London’s Independent called Penderecki “Poland’s godfather of the musical avant-garde” and Greenwood “the doyen of English art-pop,” describing their concert as “rapturously received.” The composers went to Kraków’s Alvernia Studios immediately after the performances to oversee the recording of the same music, along with one other piece by Greenwood.

The Wrocław concert included two works by Penderecki dating from the early 1960s: Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima and Polymorphia(for 48 strings), the latter of which inspired the Greenwood piece on the program, 48 Responses to Polymorphia; all three are on the Nonesuch record. An additional piece by Greenwood, Popcorn Superhet Receiver, which was inspired by Penderecki’s Threnody, also was recorded for the forthcoming album. (Greenwood incorporated material from Popcorn Superhet Receiver in his award-winning score for the 2008 film There Will Be Blood, which was also released on Nonesuch.)

For both the concerts and the recording, the pieces were performed by the AUKSO ensemble, which comprises graduates of Poland’s Katowice Academy of Music. Penderecki conducted the ensemble in his works and AUKSO’s artistic director—the violinist, chamber musician, and conductor Marek Moś—led the group for Greenwood’s pieces. The record was produced by Filip Berkowicz—artistic director of the Sacrum Profanum, Misteria Paschalia, and Opera Rara festivals and curator of the Penderecki concerts in Wrocław—and made in association with the National Audiovisual Institute of Poland.

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Mateusz Smoczynski Quintet – Expressions (TMP, 2008)

Mateusz Smoczyński Quinet

Mateusz Smoczyński - violin
Konrad Zemler - guitar
Jan Smoczyński - piano, tambourine, sleight belles
Wojciech Pulcyn - bass
Łukasz Żyta - drums, percussion

Expressions (TMP, 2008)


By Adam Baruch

This is the 2nd album as a leader by the young Polish Jazz violinist / composer Mateusz Smoczynski. Recorded with a superb quintet, which includes his brother Jan Smoczynski on piano, guitarist Konrad Zemler, bassist Wojciech Pulcyn and drummer Lukasz Zyta, the album presents his talent and obvious virtuosity to the fullest extent. Of the ten compositions included on the album Jan contributed four, Mateusz one, Wojciech another four and the last is credited to all quintet members. 

The music is modern Jazz, which has solid roots in Jazz mainstream, but is open to glimpses of Free, which is not surprising since Mateusz points out John Coltrane as a major influence. Of course he also continues the Polish Jazz violin tradition, naming Zbigniew Seifert (who in turn was also strongly influenced by Coltrane) as another direct influence. However, attentive listening to his brilliant solos brings also memories of the other great Polish violinist, like Michal Urbaniak and Krzesimir Debski and of course the French giant Jean-Luc Ponty. 

Since recording this album, Mateusz recorded another superb album (again with his brother Jan) in a trio setting ("Simultaneous Abstractions"), participated in a Zbigniew Seifert tribute album ("A Tribute To Zbigniew Seifert") and recorded with the Atom String Quartet. All these projects are impeccable pieces of intelligent, rewarding and highly aesthetic music and it seems that Mateusz is heading to the very top of the local (and perhaps also international) scene. 

The album was recorded in the "Tokarnia" recording studio owned by the Smoczynski brothers, and engineered and mastered by Jan. From several other Polish Jazz recordings I've heard, which were recorded there, one can hear that this is probably the best recording studio in the country and Jan (in addition to his musical abilities) is a great sound engineer. Well, it's always a pleasure to give credit, where credit is due, as in this case. Altogether this is brilliant piece of music, which any Jazz connoisseur anywhere should cherish. Most warmly recommended!

Sing Sing Penelope – We Remember Krzeselko (2008) by Adam Baruch

Sing Sing Penelope (band)

Tomasz Glazik - tenor & baritone saxophones, flute, synth
Wojciech Jachna - trumpet, flugelhorn
Daniel Mackiewicz - electric piano, synth, organ, percussion
Patryk Węcławek - bass, double bass, percussion
Rafał Gorzycki - drums
Sebastian Gruchot - violin (track 1,3,4,7)

We Remember Krzeselko (2008)

This is the 3rd album by excellent Polish ensemble Sing Sing Penelope, led by drummer / composer Rafal Gorzycki, one of the most versatile and diligent Polish musicians, who also created and leads other ensembles, like Ecstasy Project. Gorzycki incorporates Jazz tradition with contemporary Classical music, Avant-garde, Rock, Punk and a myriad of other genres and sub-genres, completely ignoring conventions, like many of his Polish contemporaries on the off-centre music scene. 

His recording legacy in the last decade is quite prolific, presenting many quite contrasting, but always intriguing musical vistas. This album is definitely one of the most interesting of his recordings, and one of the best albums coming out of Poland in the first decade of the 21st Century. On this album the ensemble includes trumpeter Wojciech Jachna, saxophonist Tomasz Glazik, keyboardist Daniel Mackiewicz and bassist Patryk Weclawek. Violinist Sebastian Gruchot guests on four tracks. The music, all original of course, is a stunning amalgam of Modern Jazz, Avant-Rock, RIO, contemporary Classical; in short completely beyond classification. Somehow all this makes perfect sense musically and leaves the innocent listener completely stunned. The strange thing is that this music might appeal to Jazz and Rock (especially Progressive Rock) audiences with equal might, but certainly it's extremely unlikely someone might stay indifferent to it.

In short this is a blast of an album, which took me by complete surprise and made me return to it several times already. As to the album's title, I have no idea what the ensemble really meant, even after watching the short video included on the album, but my guess would be that it's a pun on the many Polish Jazz albums dedicated to the memory of Krzysztof Komeda, including the famous "We`ll Remember Komeda" album? In any case this album is an absolute must!

Track listing: 1. "No Title" – 06:35; 2. "James Bond" – 07:25; 3. "Talkin'" – 04:05; 4. "Farewell Dutch Hering" – 10:24; 5. "It Has Just Begun, Doctor" – 10:28; 6. "Third Man On The Moon" – 07:43

By Adam Baruch

http://adambaruch.com/

Kazimierz Jonkisz – Tiritaka (Polish Jazz Vol.62, 1980)

Kazimierz Jonkisz - drums

Krzesimir Debski - electric violin
Andrzej Olejniczak - tenor and soprano saxophone
Janusz Skowron - Piano
Andrzej Lukasik - Bass

Tiritaka (Polish Jazz Vol.62, 1980)

This is an excellent album by a Polish Jazz quintet, led by veteran drummer Kazimierz Jonkisz (ex-Zbigniew Namyslowski quintet). The quintet's two soloists are: the young brilliant violinist Krzesimir Debski (shortly before he formed his own group String Connection, which would dominate the Polish scene in the first half of the 1980s) and saxophonist Andrzej Olejniczak, who fronted the most important Polish groups in the 1970s like Extra Ball and Sun Ship. They are joined by pianist Janusz Skowron (also future member of String Connection and later for many years with Tomasz Stanko) and a young bassist Andrzej Lukasik. Of the six tracks on the album, five were composed by Debski, who already at that time was a most promising composer in addition to his virtuoso violin performances. Packed with talent and great music, this is a superb example of modern Polish Jazz at its best and one of the strongest albums in the legendary Polish Jazz series. The harmonizing between the violin and soprano saxophone creates an unbelievable sound, which has very few parallels on record. This is a must to all Polish Jazz lovers and anybody interested in European Jazz in general.

1. Tiritaka (Krzesimir Debski) 6:09; 2. We're All Waiting (Krzesimir Debski) 9:14; 3. For Slawosz (Krzesimir Debski) 5:20; 4. Tuohitorvi (Krzesimir Debski) 8:32; 5. Joewer (Krzesimir Debski) 8:02; 6. For Marc (Kazimierz Jonkisz) 3:03

By Adam Baruch

http://adambaruch.com/

Tomasz Stanko – Roberto Zucco (Polonia, 1996)

Tomasz Stańko - trumpet

Janusz Skowron - synthesizer
Sławomir Kurkiewicz - bass
Zbigniew Brysiak - percussion
Michał Miśkiewicz - drums
Andrzej Jagodziński - piano (2, 10, 16)
Dorota Miśkiewicz - vocal (2, 16)

Roberto Zucco (Polonia, 1996)

This is a relatively little known brilliant album by Polish virtuoso trumpeter / composer Tomasz Stanko, presenting one of the numerous soundtracks Stanko created for stage and cinema. This soundtrack was used for the Polish production of the theatre play "Roberto Zucco" by Bernard-Marie Koltés, based on the life of infamous Italian serial killer Roberto Succo. The music, which as usual with Stanko's work, stands alone perfectly when removed from the stage context, consists of sixteen relatively short pieces performed by a quintet, quartet or on solo trumpet. Thirteen of these pieces are composed by Stanko and the remaining three are variations on the famous standard "Blue Velvet", of which two include vocal parts by singer Dorota Miskiewicz. This is an ultra rare opportunity to hear Stanko performing a standard, which he almost never does. Other players include pianist Andrzej Jagodzinski, keyboardist Janusz Skowron, bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz, drummer Michal Miskiewicz and percussionist Zbigniew Barysiak. Overall, as always with Stanko, this music is powerful and delicate simultaneously, simply making you wish it just wouldn't stop. This is of course an absolute must to any Stanko acolyte / collector and a great proof of Stanko's versatility as a composer. Brilliant stuff!

Track listing: 1. Roberto Zucco wersja 1 [05:25]; 2. Blue Velvet wersja 1 [03:38]; 3. Roberto Zucco wersja 2 [02:32]; 4. Roberto Zucco wersja 3 [01:53]; 5. Roberto Zucco wersja 4 [01:23]; 6. Roberto Zucco wersja 5 [01:15]; 7. Roberto Zucco wersja solo 1 [02:14]; 8. Roberto Zucco wersja 6 [02:10]; 9. Roberto Zucco wersja 7 [03:12]; 10. Blue Velvet wersja 4 [02:57]; 11. Roberto Zucco wersja 8 [02:19]; 12. Roberto Zucco wersja 9 [02:40]; 13. Roberto Zucco wersja solo 2 [02:04]; 14. Roberto Zucco wersja 10 [05:11]; 15. Roberto Zucco wersja solo 3 [02:17]; 16. Blue Velvet wersja 3 [03:55]

By Adam Baruch

http://adambaruch.com/

Zbigniew Wegehaupt Quartet - Wege (Mazowieckie Centrum Kultury i Sztuki, 2005)

Zbigniew Wegehaupt Quartet (band)

Zbigniew Wegehaupt - double bass

Marcin Masecki - piano

Jerzy Małek - trumpet, flugelhorn
Sebastian Frankiewicz - drums

Wege (Mazowieckie Centrum Kultury i Sztuki, 2005)

Recently deceased Zbigniew Wegehaupt (born 1954) was significant figure on Polish jazz scene for decades. He cooperated with such eminent musicians like Zbigniew Namysłowski, Zbigniew Seifert or Janusz Muniak. But as a leader he was late starter since he debuted with 'Sake' in 1984. For his next release, above mentioned 'Wege', we had to wait another 20 years! But it was worthy to do that!

First, Wegehaupt picked very carefully musicians for this project. They were all young and all prodigiously talented. Moreover their inclinations went in different directions. For example Masecki was interested in avantgarde while Małek was closer to mainstream. That created interesting creative tension in this music. Second, the music written by Wegehaupt for this occasion is refined, sophisticated and deep. Third, a cooperation between musicians is exemplary. These guys really know their instruments perfectly and at the same time understand that jazz is all about team work. 

My only minor objection to this disc is that it is so conservative. I therefore choose to call it perfect example of "classic jazz music". Whether such a attitude in jazz music has any sense is another question. But even if it has I still feel that with artists of such a talent something more adventurous was possible and... pity that it didn't happen...  

Track listing: 1. Zambuko; 2. Manana; 3. Dziewczyna lipcowa; 4. Dominikowi W.; 5. Satoko; 6. Ewe; 7. Namapa; 8. Four Ross

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

Wojciech Staroniewicz - Karambola (Allegro, 1999)

Wojciech Staroniewicz - tenor and soprano saxophones

Robert Majewski - trumpet, flugelhorn
Grzegorz Nagórski - trombone
Cezary Paciorek - accordion
Olo Walicki - bass
Cezary Konrad - drums
Nippy Noya - congas, percussion

Karambola (Allegro, 1999)

(Editor) Very decent mainstream album with virtuoso playing by saxophonist Wojtek Staroniewicz. Few excerpts from translated reviews I found on  www.polishjazz.com:

"Wojtek Staroniewicz... an instrumentally perfect musician, emotionally mature, flawlessly combines in his play the Yang of Coltrane and the Ying of West Coast musicians. His soprano sax sometimes sounds almost exactly like Candless's oboe." 

Grzegorz Tusiewicz - Onet Jazz

"Trying to describe this extraordinary musical event I am left with no option but to capitulate. I was literally staring with my mouth open and listening, absorbing, absorbing the music and drowning in delight. Oh, man! If this carambolic concert is ever to be repeated, do take the risk and spend your last ten zloty (or even more, if jazz is to be subject to inflation) to see it, simply because it is worth it."

Stanislaw Danielewicz "Jazzi Magazine" 28/1998 

"Already the first piece amazed me with the diabolic rhythmic divisions, executed with freedom full of disinvolture. The next thing that followed was, like in Hitchcock, only crescendo...".

Roman Kowal "Jazz Forum" 9/1998 

1. Karambola 6'52; 2. Melo d'Amelie 5'38; 3. Pros & Cons 7'45; 4. How Insensitive 4'28; 5. When You're Sleeping 6'19; 6. Summertime 7'20; 7. Up Train 9'58

Tomasz Stanko - Tales For A Girl (Polonia Records, 1995) by Thom Jurek

Tomasz Stańko -  trumpet 

Janusz Skowron -  synthesizer   

Tales For A Girl, 12 (Polonia Records, 1995)

This is Polish trumpeter and composer Tomasz Stanko at his most confounding. Paired with Janisz Skowron on synthesizer, Stanko claims that these pieces are nothing more than short little musical stories -- not fully realized compositions, but sketches. That's reasonable enough, but when certain pieces -- such as the opener -- are nine minutes in length, that becomes somewhat tenuous as an explanation. The 12 pieces that make up this "suite," if indeed it can be called that, are ephemeral roots and seedlings of ideas not yet realized and not meant to be. This, too, is acceptable as a notion, but why record them? Perhaps Brian Eno can get away with nonsense like this since he's not -- by his own admission -- a musician, but Stanko is an ambitious talent, a sophisticated composer whose control over an ensemble brings out the sublime in them. This is throwaway music, ignoble and forgettable and not worth the time or materials it took to produce. A bitter disappointment.

Author: Thom Jurek

Brad Terry & Joachim Mencel - Live In Fort Andross (Fonografika, 2009)

Brad Terry - clarinet, whistle

Joachim Mencel - piano

Live In Fort Andross (Fonografika, 2009)

(...) "Live in Fort Andross" was recorded during a concert at Fort Andross in Brunswick, Maine (USA). (...) Well, yes - live recordings are not anything special - the history of jazz knows myriad such cases. In this case however, the situation is even a little odd. Since Brad Terry is a very good clarinetist, but he is also famous for a special improvisational technique - whistling. This makes the disc particularly interesting and places the music in a specific mood. (...) In short - the disc consists of a very smooth and melodic musical dialogues with clarinet, piano and whistle. 

American Brad Terry has been working with Polish pianist Joachim Mencel since 1993. They played repeatedly tours in Poland and the USA. Concerts both in duo and in quartet, they even prepared a special project for string orchestra and jazz quartet. CD "Live in Fort Andros"s is the crowning achievement of their cooperation. Duo performs both compositions of Joachim Mencel as well as few well known standards. Modest instrumentation makes the well-known songs sound like a completely different stories. For example (...) 'Just Friends' where you need a good moment to analyze the melody and harmony, to guess what kind of track they are playing. However, these modifications are carried out within acceptable limits, and that makes it especially good - very good. (...)

As far as jazz pianists in Poland, the students at Polish music schools are lucky that level of education is extremely high. There are so many great instrumentalists (...)! Worth mentioning is the case of Marcin Wasilewski, who in recent years added so much to the music of Tomasz Stanko (...). It is interesting that every few years there is some new revelation on the Polish jazz scene, and the audiences and critics - rightly - melt in ecstasy over them. Young pianists come on the scene very quickly and very dynamically. (...) Let us mention super-star Leszek Mozdzer (...), young star - Pawel Kaczmarczyk. And what about very energetic Slawomir Jaskulke? Or lyrical Michal Tokaj? And "multifunctional" Piotr Wylezol? The list is really long. 

(...) However - in this list of brilliant Polish pianists  there should always be a place for Joachim Mencel. He is an instrumentalist who is not afraid of challenges, experimenting a lot, playing with many different musicians, with the smaller and larger ensembles, but he never loses (...) his style. Very lyrical, emotional rather than intellectual, but not devoid of virtuosity. This is presented on the CD "Live in Fort Andross. 

Brad Terry? (...) Terry played with such musicians as Dizzy Gillespie, Red Mitchell and Buddy Tate. (...) Brad Terry is more economical than lavish - which is always appreciated by students and other musicians. Joachim Mencel and Brad Terry get on very well, and despite cameral duo setting, their play is very vigorous, which is perfectly showed on their latest album. 

And one more thing about the whistle: Terry's instrument is much more then musical curiosity, it is actually completely autonomous and as good as any "classical" instrument. After hearing "Live in Fort Andross" indulgent smiles caused by the word "whistler" will disappear for sure. 

Track listing: The Old Country; Free Whistle; Just Friends; Tu i teraz; All Alone; My Home; Springtime; Mark’s Tune; We’re Done!

By Maciej Sabal

Simple Acoustic Trio – Lullaby For Rosemary (Not Two, 2001)

Simple Acoustic Trio (band)

Marcin Wasilewski - piano
Sławomir Kurkiewicz - double-bass
Michał Miśkiewicz - drums

Lullaby For Rosemary (Not Two, 2001)

This is a reissue of the debut album, originally entitled "Komeda", by the superb Polish Jazz trio called Simple Acoustic Trio, which consists of pianist Marcin Wasilewski, bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz and drummer Michal Miskiewicz. This edition includes a bonus track not present on the original release, which is a live recording at the Polish Radio. In retrospect recording a debut album with Komeda's music might have been slightly overreaching, since Komeda's intricate compositions require sensitivity and experience well beyond the age of these musician at the time this album was recorded. Nevertheless they stood up to the challenge admirably, which proved that they were surely not "another" piano trio, but a formidable unit destined for greatness, which of course did materialize later. The bonus track gives a nice point of reference between the original music recorded six years earlier and the trio's abilities at a later stage. In short this is a brilliant piano trio album worthy of an honorable place in any serious record collection and a must for any Polish / European Jazz fan. For more information read my comments on the original album. Superb stuff!

1. Svantetic; 2. Ballad for Bernt; 3. Cherry; 4. Moja Ballada; 5. Astigmatic; 6. Kołysanka; 7. Kattorna; 8.  Sleep Safe and Warm; 9. Moja Ballada

By Adam Baruch
http://adambaruch.com/