SBB – Live Jazz Nad Odra 1975 (2013) ****

Jozef Skrzek - keyboards, bass
Apostolis Anthimos - guitar
Jerzy Piotrowski - drums

GAD 008








By Adam Baruch

This is a live recording by the legendary Polish Prog / Jazz-Rock Fusion group SBB, captured during the annual Jazz Nad Odra Festival in Wroclaw, one of Poland's most important Jazz events running uninterruptedly since its first edition in 1964. Over the years the festival exposed generation after generation of Polish Jazz players to the wide audience, as a result of the competition held every year, which presents the best musicians under the age of thirty. Winning this competition was the first major step in the careers of many of the most important Polish Jazz musicians.

This recording presents the original lineup of SBB with guitarists Apostolis Anthimos, keyboardist / bassist Jozef Skrzek and drummer Jerzy Piotrowski. They perform original material, which at the time was mostly not yet recorded in the studio and would eventually be released on their second ("Nowy Horyzont" released 1975) and third ("Pamiec" released 1976) albums. The group was at the time in a transition from their Progressive Rock phase, which started while they were still members of the Czeslaw Niemen's band, into the Jazz-Rock Fusion, which would be their home turf for many years to come. Since there are relatively very few recordings from this period, the very existence of this recording is a miracle and the fact that we can enjoy it now, almost forty years later, is a blessing.

The music comprises mostly of lengthy pieces, which were the group's trademark, that include extended improvisations and atmospheric passages, building up slowly towards a dramatic climax or even several climatic peaks, one after another. The overall impression this music created was a trans-like state of mind, which drew the listeners into a magic world of dreamy, almost psychedelic reality. Obviously such music making relied heavily on the virtuosic abilities of all the three members of the group. Skrzek, as the primary composer, sets the melodic framework and the moods; Anthimos creates the dramatic guitar arpeggios and musical peaks and Piotrowski brilliantly keeps it all moving forward and invigorates the music with his pulsations.

For many SBB followers, and Polish music lovers this period of the group's activity is, in retrospective, their most inspired, fascinating and mind-boggling. This music epitomizes the process of constant search for the undiscovered, the manic restlessness and the audacity to step into the unknown, which characterizes it. There is no doubt that this is one of the artistic peaks of Eastern European music, brewed behind the Iron Curtain. And honestly, as far as Prog and Jazz-Rock Fusion are concerned, very few of the things that happened since can stand up to this level.

The sound quality of this material is a bit muffled and with a limited sonic range and clarity, but considering the fact it was recorded live and never intended for release, it is certainly more than adequate. Of course both musically and historically it is absolutely superb and should not be missed by anybody who cares about SBB or Eastern European music from the 1970s. Grab it and enjoy!

Wlodzimierz Nahorny – Jej Portret (2013) ***1/2

Wlodzimierz Nahorny - piano, saxophone, flute

GAD 006









By Adam Baruch

This is a reissue of an album recorded by the saxophonist / flautist / pianist / composer Wlodzimierz Nahorny, one of the Godfathers of modern Polish Jazz, who is still active on the local scene. This particular album presents the lyrical side of Nahorny, which is quite different from his Jazz activities, but not really surprising considering his diversity and affinity to different music genres, as demonstrated for example by his association with the Blues-Rock group Breakout, which happened at the same period this album was recorded.

The concept behind this album was to present Nahorny as an instrumentalist playing piano, saxophone and flute and supported by a large orchestra conducted by another Polish Jazz legend: Jan Ptaszyn Wroblewski. The material, which comprised of a selection of Polish Pop songs popular at the time, was carefully arranged by three arrangers: Wroblewski, Tomasz Stanko and Tomasz Ochalski, who also contributed one original composition each, as did Nahorny himself. The resulting material was a mixture or some excellent lyrical songs written by some of the best Polish songwriters at the time and some melodic Jazz compositions composed for the occasion. Although obviously a commercial enterprise, this album was still pretty serious music making, with sophisticated, elegant and clever arrangements, superb solos by Nahorny and excellent music, which sounds quite impressive forty and change years later.

This reissue adds six bonus tracks, all of which are radio recordings done by Nahorny between 1965 and 1970, which also reflect his involvement with the lighter side of Jazz, rather than the avant-garde Jazz he was mainly associated with at the time. All the music was beautifully remastered and the sound is really excellent.

Considering the fact that this album appears here on CD for the first time and is by itself a pretty extraordinary episode on the local scene, this album is an important piece of modern Polish Jazz history and should be considered as a part of every serious music collection of the genre. Of course it is also a great fun to listen to. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Jazz Autumn in Bielsko-Biała!!!

Bielska Jesień Jazzowa (Jazz Autumn in Bielsko) is one of the most exciting jazz festivals in Poland. It owes a lot to its Artistic Director Tomasz Stańko and it features mostly artists related to ECM recording company. This year guests are not exception to this rule and apart from Polish stars - Stańko Vision Project (with Mark Helias, Sylvie Courvoisier, Mark Feldman) and Marcin Wasilewski trio -  we will have an opportunity to listen to David Virelles with Andrew Cyrille, John McLaughlin with Zakir Hussain, Anouar Brahem and Fly Trio (Jeff Ballard, Mark Turner and Larry Grenadier) to name just a few artits whose names appeal most to the one writing this short note. Great music awaits us soon as the event starts on 13th and lasts until 17th November this year with two concerts every evening. 

Full program, dates and fees are available here:
http://www.jazzowajesien.pl/index.php?page=3&id=31

Mieczyslaw Kosz – Polish Radio Jazz Archives Vol.10 (2013) ****1/2

Mieczyslaw Kosz - piano

POLSKIE RADIO 1629









By Adam Baruch

This is the tenth installment in the new series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings. Radio recordings are always a fabulous source of remarkable material, and as far as Polish Jazz history is concerned, the Polish Radio, which was a state monopoly for 45 years, recorded over time a plethora of invaluable material, which apart from the albums released by the Polskie Nagrania record company (also a state monopoly), is the only available additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland's most important Jazz venues, including the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well.

The material collected here presents recordings made between 1967 and 1971 by the legendary Polish Jazz pianist / composer Mieczyslaw Kosz, all of which ale solo piano pieces. The material covers a mixture of Jazz standards, Jazz arrangements of Classical pieces and original compositions by Kosz (six of the sixteen tracks of the album). Kosz, who was blind since the age of 12, died tragically in 1973, at a ridiculous young age of 29. During the short period he was active on the Polish Jazz scene (1967-1973) he managed to record just one single studio album released as part of the "Polish Jazz" series ("Reminiscence" Vol.25) and some radio and concert recordings were released posthumously, but of course his overall legacy is criminally limited. Therefore every bit of music he managed to record is absolutely priceless.

Although often compared to Bill Evans due the obvious lyrical similarities, Kosz was infinitely more than a Bill Evans impersonator. He had a unique style, which was a mixture of Classical and Polish Folklore roots and Jazz, which was completely distinctive. He also had a very personal sound and technique, which created the impression that he barely touched the keys even during the most powerful passages. And of course he was also a superb composer, spinning superb melody lines, which often included sophisticated hooks and twists. His expression "only sadness is beautiful" reflects perfectly his tormented personality and private life, as well as most of his compositions. Some of his later compositions encompassed strong Free Jazz elements, which would have probably played a more central role in his music, which sadly remains a speculation.

But above all Kosz was a virtuosic pianist, which is immediately apparent to anybody listening to any of his recording. His technique and even more importantly his wonderful feel for Jazz was simply phenomenal. His playing is captivating and mercilessly overwhelming, and in retrospect emphasizes the scale of the loss Polish and European Jazz suffered as a result of his death.

The beautifully restored sound quality is excellent and the warm ambience of the analog recording is a true joy. As usual with this series, which is very reasonably priced, I miss the presence of "in depth" liner notes / booklet, which should convey the circumstances at which this music was recorded and its importance to the development of Polish Jazz. Nevertheless this is an absolutely essential piece of Jazz history which every European Jazz fan will surely consider an absolute must.

Various Artists – Polish Radio Jazz Archives Vol.09 (2013) ***1/2

Zygmunt Wichary - piano
Jerzy Matuskiewicz - saxophone
Jan Tomaszewski - trombone
Janusz Zabieglinski - clarinet

and others

POLISH RADIO 1626




By Adam Baruch

This is the ninth installment in the new series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings. Radio recordings are always a fabulous source of remarkable material, and as far as Polish Jazz history is concerned, the Polish Radio, which was a state monopoly for 45 years, recorded over time a plethora of invaluable material, which apart from the albums released by the Polskie Nagrania record company (also a state monopoly), is the only available additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland's most important Jazz venues, including the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well.

The material collected here presents recordings made between 1957 and 1962, all of which represent Traditional Jazz (Ragtime, Dixieland, New Orleans and Swing genres called collectively Trad Jazz for short). The artists include visiting musicians like the American clarinetist Albert Nicholas and the German clarinetist Emil Mangelsdorff, both of which were guests of the second Jazz Jamboree Festival in 1957. Other performers are Polish and include pianist Zygmunt Wichary and his orchestra, clarinetist Janusz Zabieglinski and his quintet, saxophonist Jerzy Matuskiewicz and his octet, trombonist Jan Tomaszewski and his Big Band and the New Orleans Stompers. The various ensembles perform mostly Trad standards, with just a couple of tunes being originals among the total nineteen tracks present.

The performances are all very good and show that the Polish scene also enjoyed the Trad revival, which was very popular in Western Europe at the time. The legendary division between the traditionalists and the modernists on the Polish scene was not as radical as beyond the Iron Curtain, with musicians often playing both Jazz camps simultaneously (in different ensembles of course). Overall this music is very good and the invaluable historical significance of these recordings is beyond reproach. Beautifully restored sound quality is not perfect, but considering the problematic and often faulty source material, it is a remarkable job and a warm ambience of the analog recording is a true joy.

As usual with this series, which is very reasonably priced, I miss the presence of "in depth" liner notes / booklet, which should convey the circumstances at which this music was recorded and its importance to the development of Polish Jazz. Nevertheless this is an essential piece of history which every European Jazz fan will surely consider an absolute must.

"Meet Meat"

Marek Kądziela? Tomek Dąbrowski? Kasper Tom Christiansen? Te nazwiska nic Państwu nie mówią? Proszę się nie przejmować. To całkiem naturalne w przypadku jazzu, który jest muzyką, o której tożsamości stanowią ciągłe zmiany i innowacje. Może za to znają Państwo takie nazwiska jak Miles Davis, John Coltrane czy Krzysztof Komeda? Oczywiście! To przecież giganci jazzu, których znają i podziwiają wszyscy. Jednak Ci wielcy zaczynali w sposób bardzo skromny. Taki na przykład Miles grał w latach 50tych w Nowym Jorku w knajpach tak małych, że na scenie z trudem mieściły się kontrabas i zestaw perkusyjny. Publiczność stanowiło nieraz zaledwie kilka albo kilkanaście osób, często innych muzyków, a najczęsciej prostytutek i złodzieji. Tłumy waliły wtedy za to na koncerty “gwiazd” w rodzaju Dave’a Brubecka, Stana Getza, Gerry Mulligana czy Cheta Bakera, o których Miles wyrażał się pogardliwie, jako zaledwie imitatorach kopiujących po genialnych czarnych mistrzach jazzu.

Dlatego nie szukajcie dobrego jazzu wyłącznie na prestiżowych festiwalach, w wielkich salach koncertowych, w radiu czy telewizji. Jak kiedyś na 52 ulicy gości on często w małych salkach, w klubach, o których wiedzą tylko wtajemniczeni, wśród publiczności nielicznej, chimerycznej, lecz o bardzo wyszukanych gustach. Zresztą za publiczność wystarczy niekiedy zaledwie jeden człowiek, zwłaszcza jeśli miłość do muzyki połączy się w nim szczęśliwie z posiadaniem dużej ilości pieniędzy. Czyż to nie dzięki hojnej ręce księcia Esterhazy’ego, cierpliwie przez lat trzydzieści finansującego Josepha Haydna, możemy teraz cieszyć ucho boską harmonią jego ponad 100 symfonii?

Pytania retoryczne, ale zadane nie bez kozery. Wróćmy bowiem do wymienionych na początku nazwisk młodych i nieznanych muzyków. Marek Kądziela, założyciel zespołu, gra na gitarze, Tomek Dąbrowski na trąbce, a Kasper Tom Christiansen na perkusji i razem tworzą zespół o nazwie Hunger Pangs, którego płyta “Meet Meat” dała asumpt do tego pseudo-mini-eseju. Teraz powinniny nastąpić liczne etykietki, które pomogłyby czytelnikowi tę produkcję jakoś zaszufladkować. Ale żyjemy w epoce post-gatunkowej i etykietki są przydatne wyłącznie muzycznym krytykom, aby wprowadzić publiczność w błąd co do swoich kompetencji. Z reguły skutecznie.

Ale ja dzisiaj nie jestem w nastroju do stroszenia piórek, do puszczania do publiczności oczka, do krygowania się. Niech wystarczy zatem, że Państwu powiem, iż muzyka ta mi się podoba, ponieważ... jest bardzo dobra. Głupie zdanie, nie przeczę, ale czyż nie do tego sprowadza się w istocie każda recenzja. Argumenty, by jakoś płytę pochwalić lub zniszczyć, dobry krytyk zawsze ma pod ręką. Co innego z wybitną muzyką. Tej jest niewiele jak dziewcząt jednocześnie cnotliwych i pięknych . A jednak ciągle ich szukamy! Mam na myśli płyty oczywiście. Oto przed Państwem jedna z nich: uśmiecha się zalotnie, świeża, nikomu nieznana, lecz kryje w sobie rozkosze, o których filozofom się nie śniło!

Jak mam jeszcze Państwa zachęcić do jej spróbowania? Nie będę przecież udowadniał, że przesłuchałem tysiące płyt, poświęciłem lata na zgłębianie muzyki, że szukam dobrego jazzu z pasją i wytrwałością z jaką niektórzy kopią w poszukiwaniu złotych samorodków, stąd być może warto posłuchać mojej opinii w tej drobnej sprawie. To wszystko prawda, lecz obawiam się, że nie zabrzmi to zbyt przekonywająco. Cóż, zatem powiem inaczej: posłuchajcie Państwo tej płyty i tych muzyków, zanim staną się sławni, bogaci i zepsuci. Za dekadę lub dwie wielbić ich będą wszystkie miernoty jakich wiele pisze o muzyce lub twierdzi, że się na niej zna. I wtedy Państwo, z uzasadnioną wyższością, wspominać będą jak to Wy, już dawno temu, słuchaliście tych genialnych muzyków i poznaliście się na ich niezrównanym talencie! Bezcenne, nieprawdaż?


Autor: Maciej Nowotny

Sadki Jazz Festival!!!

Small Sadki (just 2,000 inhabitants) are great as far as jazz is concerned. Hometown of very talented guitarist Kamil Pater since 3 years it hosts a compact but very strong representation of jazz musicians. This year citizens of Sadki will have opportonutity to listen to such a great bands as Mikrokolektyw but also Irek Wojtczak & The Bees Knees and Tobiasz Staniszewski. The concerts will take place on 16th November 2013 at the local cultural centre starting  from 9 p.m.

Link do informacji o festowalu po polsku:
http://www.sadki24.pl/Swieto_muzyki_w_Sadkach,10983.html

Leszek Kulakowski / Big Band – Koncert Monograficzny (2012) ****

Leszek Kulakowski - piano / composer / arranger

PRIVATE EDITION

By Adam Baruch

This is a live recording by the Big Band comprised of students of the Music Academy in Gdansk, directed by the Polish pianist / composer / educator Leszek Kulakowski, who teaches at this Academy. He also plays piano on some of the tracks. The album includes ten original compositions, all by Kulakowski, who also wrote the arrangements (I assume so, as that is not explicitly mentioned on the album's cover), four of which include vocals and the rest are instrumentals.

The Big Band is of course the pinnacle of Jazz and requires perfect discipline and vast experience to make it "click" at all, not to mention performing brilliantly. Therefore the fact that these kids are able to pull this off the way they do is truly amazing. Although obviously somewhat hesitant and far from clock-like perfection, the Big Bands performs the rather difficult and often complex music quite admirably, all things considered. Hats off to Leszek Kulakowski for undertaking such a challenging project.

But as usual with Kulakowski's music, the charm is hidden in the music itself, which is simply superb. Additionally the unusual arrangements, which are completely different from what one expects to hear in a Big Band setting, are a complete surprise. Closer to contemporary Classical or perhaps Third Stream Music (which on second thought is not surprising at al in Kulakowski's case) these arrangements are a beautiful example of what can be achieved with a Big Band. This is quite typical as far as European Big Bands are concerned, when the traditional American Big Band norms are rethought and refreshed, creating a new approach.

Although somewhat naïve and beautifully imperfect, this is overall a great piece of music, which deserves to be heard and is far from a "school souvenir" to the graduates. Strongly recommended to Big Band fans but anybody who likes slightly "twisted" Jazz is most welcome!

Leszek Kułakowski - Slap & Caress (2005)

Leszek Kułakowski - keyboards
Dominik Bukowski - vibraphone
Piotr Bukowski - bass
Jacek Pelc - drums

MUSIC VOX 001






By Adam Baruch

This is an excellent quartet recording by the Polish pianist / composer / educator Leszek Kułakowski with the superb veteran vibraphonist Dominik Bukowski, bassist Piotr Kułakowski and drummer Jacek Pelc. The album includes nine original compositions, all by Leszek Kułakowski.

Kułakowski is recognized as one of the most respected Polish Jazz musicians, with many achievements as a leader of his own ensembles, composer of Jazz and Jazz-Classical Fusion pieces and distinguished Jazz educator since many years. This album presents just one of his diverse activities in the field, i.e. small ensemble Jazz.

The piano / vibraphone quartet, a sadly neglected lineup, opens up many possibilities of expression, which would be otherwise unattainable and Kułakowski makes the best out of this opportunity. The keyboards / vibraphone dialogue is the focal point of this music, which allows the melodic themes to be separately developed by both players simultaneously. The excellent rhythm section supports the soloists sympathetically and elegantly, maintaining the delicate balance between the foreground and the background. Overall the performances are first-rate and the level of professionalism is amazing, as expected.

But of course the real forte of this album is the superb level of the compositions, which are all simply stunning. Kułakowski manages to construct his own language, which encompasses elements of Jazz and contemporary Classical idioms, even if those are somewhat hidden beneath the surface. These are hardly the average ditties, which often appear on Jazz albums only to disappear into obscurity soon after. They all have a character and maintain a level of intellectual curiosity, which deserves all praise.

Kułakowski is often associated with the Polish Jazz legend Krzysztof Komeda in many contexts. Although his compositions are not directly derived from Komeda's legacy, they show the same conciseness and ability to condense a deeply emotional musical message into a seemingly simply melodic theme. And of course Komeda also had a vibraphonist in his early groups - the legendary Jerzy Milian. Capish?

So here we have a beautiful mainstream Jazz album, which is full of great music, excellent performances and sophisticated, delicate scents of European Jazz at its best. Who can ask for anything else in these circumstances? Oh well, a bottle of good wine would be nice…

250 KG – Podwazna (2013) ****

Tomasz Gadecki - saxophone
Suavas Lewy - guitar

Nasze Nagrania 003







By Adam Baruch

This is a debut recording by the Polish Avant-Garde / Free Jazz duo 250 KG, which comprises of saxophonist Tomasz Gadecki and guitarist Suavas Lewy. Gadecki is known to the followers of the Polish scene as half of the excellent Olbrzym I Kurdupel duo. The album includes seven improvised pieces, which as the duo members state in the liner notes, are based on "carefully prepared compositional assumptions", which is a typical example of irony associated with the Polish Avant Garde, mixed with a grain of truth. And again, quoting the a.m. liner notes, any attempt to describe the music any further is simply futile and contradicts the very essence of this music, which is supposed to be listened to without any preconceptions.

Improvised Music is by its very nature extremely personal and does not often cross the bridge spanning between the improvisers and their audience, regardless of everybody's best intentions. Strangely, this music, which is as improvised as improvised music gets, is also very communicative, which is truly extraordinary. I enjoyed the conversations between the duo members from the moment the music started and hardly even noticed the time moving on, with the album being over much too soon.

Gadecki and Suavas definitely seem to be on the same wavelength, intertwined within the music and bonding constantly, which after all is the essence of collective improvisation. Sonically the tone and timbre of both players is mellow and pleasant, in complete comparison to the usual Avant-Garde harshness and aggression. I'd even go as far as suggesting that this music would be listenable even to audiences beyond the inner circle of the Improvised Music hard core.

So here we have one more example of the creativity and constant development of the Avant-Garde / Free Jazz / Improvised Music scene in Poland, which seems to have no borders or limits and keeps astounding its followers the world over. Such quality and imagination are seeds of hope that the world and its Culture are not yet doomed, after all.

I'd recommend to other musicians belonging to the same musical sphere to listen to this album and learn from it how to be creative and not alienate your public at the same time. At least for me this one is an instant classic of the genre.