Wlodek Pawlik – Grand Piano (2009)

Włodek Pawlik - piano

Grand Piano (2009)

Polish pianist / composer Wlodek Pawlik has been one of the most prolific and multifaceted / versatile musicians on the local scene. His activity spans cross-genre projects, ranging between contemporary Classical, Jazz and music for films, all of which have been warmly received by critics and the public. His discography since the late 1980s includes over 20 albums, which is a remarkable achievement by any standard. This double CD package presents Pawlik playing two sets of solo piano music, recorded during two consecutive night recording sessions. The music is completely improvised and consists of a series of pieces, or as the artist calls them impressions, which were created on the spur of the moment. They are left unnamed and are listed as Track 1 to Track 11 on the first CD and Track 1 to Track 14 on the second, perhaps in order to avoid and unnecessary associations while listening to the music.

Solo piano albums, and double albums at that, can present an enormous challenge both to the performer and the listener. Two hours of improvised music can and often do evolve into obsessive New Age doodling, pretentious pseudo-intellectual masturbation or deadly boring elevator muzak. Pawlik skillfully and intelligently manages to avoid any of the above traps, producing a sequence of musical vistas, which sound like a soundtrack to an imaginary movie, constantly changing moods, tempi and harmonic structures, but unified and consolidated by a certain frame of mind of the artist, which he passes to the listener. This is certainly a challenging music, stimulating the listener to take part in the creative process when absorbing it into his consciousness or perhaps sub-consciousness. Perhaps not suitable for everybody, this music can serve as a great source musical pleasure to the apt listener. It is also deeply European in character, with distant echoes of Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Debussy and others at least in spiritum. The obvious Keith Jarrett association also comes to mind, although Pawlik's approach to on the spot composition / improvisation is much more introvert and relaxed than Jarrett's. Solo piano lovers will find this album a chest a treasures, as all serious music connoisseurs. This is a treat!

By Adam Baruch
http://www.adambaruch.com/

BemiBem – Bemowe Frazy (Polish Jazz Vol.96 Deluxe, 1974)

Ewa Bem - vocal, precussion

Paweł Dąbrowski - bass

Mariusz Mrockowski - piano, vocal

Tomasz Jaśkiewicz - guitar

Aleksander Bem - percussion, vocal

special guests:

Marek Bliziński - guitar, 12-strings guitar

Jan Jarczyk - Fender piano

Wojciech Kowalewski - percusion, vocal

Zespół Instrumentalny - Tomasz Ochalski - conductor

Bemowe Frazy (Polish Jazz Vol.96 Deluxe, 1974)

This is the only album by the Polish Jazz-Rock ensemble BemiBem, which was formed by the siblings Ewa Bem and Aleksander Bem, both vocalists and percussionists. The group was formed after the ensemble Bemibek fell apart and the Bems remained as leaders of the new one. Aleksander composed nine of the eleven songs included here, which are all very melodic and quite sophisticated. The music is a mixture of Pop, Rock and Jazz, featuring excellent vocal harmonies accompanied by a great band and guest musicians like guitarist Marek Blizinski, pianist Jan Jarczyk and others. The vocal parts are somewhat similar to the style pioneered by the great Polish vocal ensemble NOVI. In retrospect this album is an overlooked gem, almost forgotten, but still sounding great after all these years. Although only marginally Jazz as such, it has a lot of Jazzy influences, which are clearly evident in the arrangement, instrumental backing and overall attitude. Ewa Bem would of course carry on becoming the First Lady of the Polish Jazz in the next decade, with this album being a nice reminder of the times when we were all much younger and innocent. It was an immense fun to listen to this album again after all those years and it remains to be a source of great musical fun. A must!

Track listing:

1. Podaruj mi trochę słońca
2. Bemowe frazy
3. Nie bójmy się wiosny
4. Dlaczego nas tam nie ma
5. Kolorowe lato
6. Nigdy w życiu
7. Podróż bez dziewczyny
8. Już ci nigdy nie przyrzeknę
9. Wędrowiec i Pegaz
10. Zawsze mamy siebie
11. Jajecznica

By Adam Baruch
http://www.adambaruch.com/

Krzysztof Fetraś Project & Tomasz Król – Different Guitar (2012)

Krzysztof Fetraś - guitar, acoustic guitar BSG

Tomasz Król - electric & acoustic guitar, banjo
Jarek Gaś - drums
Mikołaj Nowicki - double bass

Different Guitar (2012)

Polish guitarist / composer Krzysztof Fetraś and his trio, which consists of bassist Mikolaj Nowicki and drummer Jarek Gas, are joined on this album by the young guitarist Tomasz Krol, creating together an unusual double-guitar quartet, which plays quite differently from what listeners usually associate with guitar led Jazz music. The album includes eight tracks and the music is almost entirely original, with the exception of one tune by Ornette Coleman, and was composed by Fetras or co-composed by him and his wife Iwona Fetras, with one tune credited solely to Iwona and another credited to Krol, Fetras and Nowicki. 

Although the guitarists use both electric and acoustic guitars, the sound of the guitars is not that much different from each other, as the session has largely an acoustic ambience. The melodies are stated usually quite overtly at the start of each track, to be followed by extended improvisations by both guitarists, some straightforward and other quite free. The guitarists play mostly together, accompanying each other on their respective solos, with the acoustic and electric guitars blending together harmonically and textually and there is plenty of inspired interplay. Both guitarists offer quite excellent phrasing, playing around the melody lines and sometimes flirting with time, wrapping things up nicely by the end of each tune. The rhythm section provides a solid and mostly delicate background, which is essential for the soloists to be able to soar above it. Their playing is elegant and imaginative, without being obtrusive on one hand and over-ornamental on the other.

It is a relief to find people who treat the guitar differently from what the fashion dictates, i.e. flashy Fusion oriented doodling, which makes little sense and provides no challenge whatsoever. The music you'll find here keeps the listener on his toes at all times, either in order to follow the complex improvisations or the multilayered ambient atmosphere the music evolves into at times. Overall this is an album guitar lovers everywhere should listen to attentively, as it presents a unique and quite unusual guitar playing, which offers a pleasant listening experience without being trivial or simplistic. Warmly recommended!

Alber-Strobel – Duet Gitar Klasycznych (Polish Jazz Vol.86 Deluxe, 1981)

Alber-Strobel (duo)

Henryk Alber - guitar
Janusz Strobel - guitar

Henryk Alber & Janusz Strobel (Polish Jazz Vol.85 Deluxe, 1972)

This is the second album by Polish acoustic guitar duo Alber-Strobel with guitarists / composers Henryk Alber and Janusz Strobel recorded a decade after their debut. Years of experience playing together and the process of growing up turned them into a formidable musical unit and this album, although quite similar in spirit to their debut, is much more tight, elaborate and simply brilliant. The material is mostly original on this album, again in contrast to the debut, which was mostly Brazilian music. The duo was quite an unusual phenomenon on the Polish Jazz scene, as they opted for playing in the intimate duet format and completely acoustically, whereas most guitarists opted of course for the electric version of the instrument. They played a mixture of original compositions and well known, mostly Brazilian pieces, composed by the best Brazilian composers. The elaborate arrangements and obvious virtuosic performances make this album an obvious choice for listeners, who love the acoustic guitar and South American flavor in music. Although only marginally Jazz per se, the element of improvisation is very strongly present here and it is one of the best examples of Polish Jazz-World Fusion. Definitely worth investigation and a must for guitar lovers!

Track listing:
1. Po piątej / After Five - Poobiednia drzemka / Afternoon Nap - Po trzeciej / After Three 8'38"
2. Mambo'68 2'26"
3. How Insensitive 5'10"
4. Na chodzie / In Good Condition 2'15"
5. Zdarzyło mi się coś takiego / Something Happened To Me 3'25"
6. Jestem przypadkiem / Incidentally I Am 5'16"
7. W środku ważnych dat / Amidst Important Dates 3'46"
8. Impresje barowe / Impressions From Night Club 6'07"

By Adam Baruch
http://www.adambaruch.com/

Mazzoll & Arythmic Brain - From The Beginning To The End (2003)

Mazzoll & Arythmic Brain

Mazzoll- metal and bass clarinet, prepared A,B,C clarinets
Sławek Janicki - double bass
Jacek Majewski - drums & percussion

guest: Tim Flavio - prepared piano

From The Beginning To The End (2003)

Mystic, misterious and mithycal. Recording of session in his beloved Mózg club in Bydgoszcz. Jerzy Mazzoll who operates bass clarinet is acompanied by long-term companions Sławek Janicki on double-bass and Jacek Majewski on drums & persussion. They are suppoted by guest pianist Tim Flavio. Music as usual on Mazzoll projects is adventourous in spirit, original and creative. Maybe not the easiest and most accessible of his works it is nonetheless worthy to get to know and listen to it.

By Maciej Nowotny

http://kochamjazz.blox.pl

Alber-Strobel – Henryk Alber & Janusz Strobel (Polish Jazz Vol.85 Deluxe, 1972)

Alber-Strobel (duo)

Henryk Alber - guitar
Janusz Strobel - guitar

Henryk Alber & Janusz Strobel (Polish Jazz Vol.85 Deluxe, 1972)

This is the debut album by Polish acoustic guitar duo Alber-Strobel with guitarists / composers Henryk Alber and Janusz Strobel. The duo was quite an unusual phenomenon on the Polish Jazz scene, as they opted for playing in the intimate duet format and completely acoustically, whereas most guitarists opted of course for the electric version of the instrument. They played a mixture of original compositions and well known, mostly Brazilian pieces, composed by the best Brazilian composers. The elaborate arrangements and obvious virtuosic performances make this album an obvious choice for listeners, who love the acoustic guitar and South American flavor in music. Although only marginally Jazz per se, the element of improvisation is very strongly present here and it is one of the earliest examples of Polish Jazz-World Fusion. Definitely worth investigation!

Track listing:

1. Czarny Orfeusz - Orfeo Negro (L. Bonfa) [03:07]; 2. Se Acasso Voce Chegasse (L. Rodrigues) [02:19]; 3. Mossa (A.C. Jobim) [03:57]; 4. Motyle - La Mariposta (J. Strobel) [03:10]; 5. Samba (brazylijska melodia ludowa) [02:47]; 6. Walc Nr 1 - Valse No. 1 (A. Laura) [02:08]; 7. Taniec brazylijski Danza (H. Villa-Lobos) [02:06]; 8. Felicidade (A.C. Jobim) [03:17]; 9. Dindi (A.C. Jobim) [02:30]; 10. Romans miłosny - Romanca d'amore [03:32]; 11. Samba Dees Days (C. Byrd) [02:02]; 12. Ł [03:05]; 13. Uściski - un abraco no Bonfa (G. Gilberto) [01:44]; 14. Odeon (E. Nazareth) [04:06]

By Adam Baruch
http://www.adambaruch.com/

Wojtek Traczyk - Free Solo (Multikulti, 2012)

Wojtek Traczyk - double bass 

Free Solo (Multikulti, 2012)

"I have recently rediscovered the simple yet easily forgotten truth that the path to what I look for in art leads through total commitment almost loosing oneself letting go of ambition and ego yet not backing down staying driven and focused and playing always playing playing sounds playing the sounds that I hear in my head and focusing sounds coming from above and sending them forth like a giant letter L. 

L for Love.

Performing solo pulls me out of everyday lif and puts me out there in that high place of danger and awareness that I long for risking everything giving everything not knowing yet believing and brings purification and freedom that is so hard to find." (Wojtek Traczyk) 

source: linear notes

Big Band Katowice – Music For My Friends (Polish Jazz Vol.52, 1978)

Big Band Katowice

guests:
Andrzej Olejniczak - tenor saxophone (3, 5)
Władysław Sendecki - piano (3, 5)
Jarosław Śmietana - guitar (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8)
Zbigniew Wegehaupt - bass (1, 2, 4)

Music For My Friends (Polish Jazz Vol.52, 1978)

Katowice, the Capital of Upper Silesia - Poland's industrial region, was very important to the development of the Polish Jazz scene due to the fact that the local Music Academy was the first and for many years the only higher educational facility teaching a Jazz programme which awarded a degree in Music. The highly dedicated faculty and stuff directed generation after generation of young Polish musicians towards a career in Jazz music and in time the majority of the local Jazz scene was indeed a collection of the Katowice Music Academy alumni, the names of which are simply too numerous to mention. This phenomenon emphasizes the crucial importance of music education and its contribution to Culture. This album presents a Jazz Big Band led by trumpeter / composer Zbigniew Kalemba and comprising of the students of the Katowice Music Academy and guest soloists, some of which were ex-students, such as guitarist Jaroslaw Smietana, bassist Zbigniew Wegehaupt, pianist Wladyslaw Sendecki and many others. They perform eight compositions, five of which are originals and three standards, all beautifully arranged and passionately performed. The majority of the music has a distinct Jazz-Rock Fusion feel, which is not surprising as the genre ruled the local scene in the late 1970s. Since the Polish Jazz series includes only a handful of Big Band recordings, this is a most valuable addition to the overall presentation of the Polish Jazz scene. Warmly recommended!

Track listing:

01. Happening
02. Lil' Darlin'
03. Sorcery
04. Ballada dla Alicji
05. Madrox
06. Hey, Man
07. Music For My Friend
08. Experience

By Adam Baruch
http://www.adambaruch.com/

Mazzoll - Muzyka dla supersamow (2000)

Jerzy Mazzoll - bass clarinet

Andrzej Major Przybielski - trumpet
Tomasz Gwinciński - perkusja, guitar
Daniel Mackiewicz - keyboards
Michał Bunio Skrok - bass, samples



Muzyka dla supersamow (2000)

Outstanding! Jerzy Mazzoll, a clarinetist, enjoys on our scene somewhat a status of Thelonius Monk, Albert Ayler or Cecil Taylor. Undoubtely one of greatest innovayors by many he is still seen as force a bit too unpredictabile and out of control. Yet exactly because of such his traits he never ceases to surprise thus reviving spirit of freedom in Polish jazz. 

On this album he decided to enter a dialogue with major social changes that take place in Polish society since it adopted capitalism in 1989. One of its manifestions is spreading of great shopping centers in cities. They become places where people not only meet, they also stroll, flirt, pray. It is therefore great move by Mazzoll and his collegues to bring improvised music into such a space and let it resound it with an atmosphere of those places. In this task he was accompanied by his long time friend Tomek Gwinciński on drums and guitar, legendary trumpeter Andrzej Przybielski, Daniel Mackiewicz on keyboards and Michał Skrok who was responsible for electronically  generated samples.  

Music is challenging in best meaning of this word: communicative, obvioulsly referring to elevator-type typical supermarket music (tracks' titles are simply names of products in shop) but at the same time a bit weird, unquieting and very inspiring. Speaking shortly, outstanding achievement and clearly influencing by its aesthetics many projects of younger generation musisians such as as Pink Freud, SzaZa or recently Horny Trees.

Tracklisting:
01. SAŁATA LODOWAI+ 1X
02. OGÓREK DŁUGI I+0.535kgx2.99
03. SALAMI WYKWINTNE 0.190kg x33.95
04. WYKAŁACZKI 300SZT
05. KETCH. PIK 1X 3.65
06. MIET. SZCZEC. 12P 1X1.19
07. MAJONEZ BABUNI 400ML
08. BROKUŁY 1X 6.03
09. BROKUŁY 2X 3.12
10. PSTRĄG FIL.B/S+
11. KWOTA OPODATKOWANA A
12. KWOTA OPODATKOWANA B
13. KWOTA OPODATKOWANA C
14. Podatek PTU "Gaj" (sł. A. Osiecka, muz. M. Grechuta)

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

Warsaw Stompers – Warsaw Stompers (Polish Jazz Vol.01, 1963)

Warsaw Stompers (band)

Henryk Majewski- trumpet
Waldemar Kurpinski- clarinet
Wlodzimierz Kruszynski - clarinet
Jerzy Kowalewski - trombone
Andrzej Dobrawa - trombone
Dimitr markiewicz - trombone
Wojciech Kacperski - piano
Wlodzimierz Gulgowski - piano
Tomasz Ochalski - piano Bogdan Ignatowski - banjo
Zdzislaw Orlowski - bass
Adam Skorupka - bass
Tadeusz Wojcik - bass
Janusz Kozlowski- bass
Marian Zabek - drums
Mieczyslaw Wadecki - drums

Warsaw Stompers (Polish Jazz Vol.01, 1963)

This album presents a series of recordings made by the polish traditional Jazz ensemble Warsaw Stompers (earlier called New Orleans Stompers), which was one of the first and certainly the best of its kind. Led by the excellent trumpeter Henryk Majewski and drummer Mieczyslaw Wadecki the ensemble changed the membership over the years and included in its ranks some of the best future Polish Jazz musicians like saxophonist Zbigniew Namyslowski and keyboardist Wlodzimierz Gulgowski. The traditionalists vs. modernist Jazz War raged in Poland in the 1950s similarly to what happened all over Europe at the time with the New Orleans revival emerging as a counterforce of the new Bebop and beyond. However, beyond the heated discussions running into the wee hours of the night between the opponents, Jazz as music coexisted peacefully, resulting in outstanding results in both fields. The Warsaw Stompers played an all original programme, which is quite remarkable for the time, again emphasizing the deep involvement of the Polish scene with the Jazz tradition, which started even before the WWII. The level of the compositions as well as the performance is truly stellar and anybody who loves traditional Jazz should be able to enjoy this music to the fullest. Highly recommended!

Side Note: Although some Polish Jazz albums were recorded and released in Poland before this album, it marks the very beginning of the legendary Polish Jazz series, which over the years documented the development of the Polish scene and resulted in total 76 releases, which in retrospect include some of the best European Jazz recorded beyond the Iron Curtain. The Polish Jazz LPs and CDs are highly collectable and many fans all over the world try to complete the collection, which is not an easy task these days. The CD reissues (called Polish Jazz Deluxe) expanded the original series with some 20 additional titles, which somehow missed the original series at the time but belong to be a part of it in retrospect.

Track listing:
01. Warsaw Ragtime No.1 (3:25)
02. Bluesoragtime No.2 (2:15)
03. Melba Rag (3:31)
04. Roztanczony Kundel (3:03)
05. Zabawny Charlston (2:52)
06. Kas Bil Rag (3:23)
07. Czarny Lad (3:10)
08. Marzenie Misia (2:52)
09. Ej Przelecial Ptaszek (3:08)
10. Starzyk (3:16)
11. Motywy Goralskie (3:06)
12. Gdyby Rannym Slonkiem (3:02)
13. Rozbawiony Klarnet (2:40)
14. Madras (3:13)
15. Upal (3:06)
16. Nietoperz (2:58)

By Adam Baruch
http://www.adambaruch.com/