Oles Brothers / Theo Jorgensmann / Christopher Dell – Fragment & Moments (2012) ****

Marcin Oles - bass
Bartlomiej Brat Oles - drums

with

Theo Jorgensmann - clarinet
Christopher Dell - vibraphone

PRIVATE EDITION




By Adam Baruch

This is a limited edition album celebrating the tenth anniversary of musical cooperation between Polish Jazz musicians: bassist Marcin Oles and drummer Bartlomiej Brat Oles, collectively known as Oles Brothers and German clarinetists Theo Jorgensmann. The album also features the German vibraphonist Christopher Dell and together as a quartet they present eight original compositions: four of which are credited to all quartet members, two are by Jorgensmann and one each by the Oles brothers.

The album follows the pattern set by the three earlier albums recorded by the Oles Brothers with Jorgensmann, but is also somewhat more "conventional" in a way, with clear melody lines and beautiful serene atmosphere, which turns the listening to this album into a truly relaxed experience. Jorgensmann plays beautifully, as always and the rhythm section accompanies him with superb sensitivity, with the bass taking the lead from time to time as well. Dell is the least dominant participant, which is pretty understandable considering the long and established understanding between the other three musicians, but his solos are perfectly suitable for the music as is his accompaniment behind the clarinet.

Overall this is another example of the great music the Oles Brothers are always involved with, and a document of a fruitful musical cooperation between European musicians. Full of great music and perfect delivery this album should satisfy even the sternest Jazz connoisseurs and provide a listening experience worthy of being revisited.

Oles Brothers – Other Voices Other Scenes (2010) ***1/2

Marcin Oles - bass
Bartlomiej Brat Oles - drums

and others

FENOMMEDIA 010







By Adam Baruch

This is a double CD compilation of works by Polish Jazz musicians: bassist Marcin Oles and drummer Bartlomiej Brat Oles, collectively known as Oles Brothers. It includes thirty six short pieces of music, which are parts of eight separate soundtracks created to serve as music for theater, film and animation, which were premiered between 2004 and 2009. The entire music was composed and performed by the duo, with four guest musicians participating on some of the tracks. They both play several other instruments apart from the obvious bass / drums, including keyboards, guitar, marimba and others.

Polish Jazz connoisseurs are of course well aware of the Oles Brothers achievements, especially in view of their status as the most formidable Polish Jazz rhythm section, which played over time with a plethora of local and international musicians. However this album focuses more on the music composed by them rather than on its execution. Of course Oles Brothers were also the composers of part of the music played on their earlier albums, but this album really puts their excellent compositional skills right in the focus of the listener's attention.

Stylistically the album covers a very wide range of different genres / influences / atmospheres, which encompass contemporary Classical, World Music, Jazz of course, Ambient and minimalistic / incidental music. It is often very melodic and even when there are no clear melody lines present the overall atmosphere is serene and inviting.

Music, which is meant to serve as a soundtrack is not really required to stand alone, when separated from its visual / theatrical component. But in rare occasions it does possess an intrinsic value, which allows it to be fully meaningful and complete on its own. The music included on this album belongs to that category, which of course is quite remarkable. But on the other hand it is definitely not for a casual listener, and as such has a limited accessibility.

With this album Oles Brothers firmly establish their position on the contemporary Polish music scene, beyond their initial Jazz association. They are definitely a musical force to be reckoned with and one can only hope that their future project will be every bit as ambitious and meaningful as those presented on this album.

Various Artists – Polish Radio Jazz Archives Vol.13 (2014) ****

Zbigniew Namyslowski - saxophone
Wlodek Gulgowski - piano
Tadeusz Wojcik - bass
Czeslaw Bartkowski - drums

and others

POLSKIE RADIO 1663



By Adam Baruch

This is the thirteenth 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 a second volume of recordings made in 1963 during the sixth Jazz Jamboree festival in Warsaw. It starts with two lengthy tracks, both treatments of classic Jazz standards, by the legendary American saxophonist Johnny Griffin and his quartet. Prior to this recordings Griffin, like many of his Afro-American colleagues, moved to Europe, where Jazz was experiencing an explosive development and was considered an Art Form and racial discrimination was almost completely absent. The quartet includes fellow American pianist Kenny Drew, who settled in Europe a couple of years earlier, Dutch guitarist Wim Overgaauw and Dutch bassist Ruud Jacobs. Followers of this series are of course aware of the fact that the eleventh volume already presents a double CD with material recorded by Griffin at the same festival with the same musicians. Personally I'd have preferred to have that release expanded into a triple CD set and have all the Griffin sessions together, but I'm not the series' editor.

Next come three tracks by the Danish trumpeter Allan Botschinsky and his quintet with American born saxophonist Ray Pitts, who moved to Denmark in 1962, pianist Atti Bjoern (name most probably miss spelt), bassist Benny Nielsen and American drummer Robert Joseph (real name Robert Joseph Durham or Bobby Durham as he was known to all – Polskie Radio should have known this, especially since I already made this comment / correction on the a.m. Griffin album – please read people! The music is all original and includes two compositions by Pitts and one by Botschinsky. It is typical bee bop, well played, especially by the leader who was a first rate trumpeter, but not extraordinary in any sense.

The two tracks closing the album are the most interesting for the Polish Jazz fans and they present the Zbigniew Namyslowski quartet with pianist Wlodek Gulgowski, bassist Tadeusz Wojcik and drummer Czeslaw Bartkowski, the same quartet that would record several months later in Britain the legendary album "Lola", the first significant exposure of Polish Jazz behind the Iron Curtain. Both are original compositions by Namyslowski, the first would be the title track of the British LP and the second seems to be the only appearance of this composition on record. These are the initial steps of the first golden decade of Polish Jazz, and as such their documentation is priceless, as is the music.

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 Jazz in Poland. Nevertheless this is an absolutely essential piece of Jazz history which every Jazz fan will surely consider an absolute must.

Kuba Płużek - First Album (2014)

Kuba Płużek - piano
Marek Pospieszalski - tenor saxophone
Max Mucha - double bass
Dawid Fortuna - drums

V 003




By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz pianist/composer Kuba Płużek, recorded partly in a trio setting with bassist Max Mucha and drummer Dawid Fortuna and partly as a quartet which adds saxophonist Marek Pospieszalski to the trio. The album presents seven original compositions, all by Pluzek, three of which are parts of an extended three-part suite.

After just a few moments it becomes immediately apparent that this is a very unusual album in every respect. The music is simply "different" from anything else one usually hears on a Jazz recording today. It is melodic, but the melody is often quite elusive; it is rhythmic, but the rhythm keeps changing constantly; it dresses up as modern mainstream, but in fact it is almost completely Free at times. All those factors create a confusing haze at the first exposure, but very soon it all begins to make a perfect sense. However, this music never rests and keeps an attentive listener on his toes at all times, as anything can and most probably will happen while this music evolves.

The individual performances are all first rate, which is hardly surprising to people familiar with the Polish Jazz scene and previous recordings by the musicians involved, except the leader of course, who is a novice. Surprisingly it is the saxophonist that gets the most exposure and his convulsive solos fit the music perfectly. Płużek plays along splendidly, arm in arm with the rhythm section, inserting complex chords and odd timed vamps, but he solos sparingly and when he does play solos, those are rather minimalistic as far as the number of separate notes present, being more chords oriented. Even on the trio pieces the bass and drums seem to bee actually often busier than the piano, which sort of "leads from behind".

The bass/drums team plays a much more significant role in this particular music than usually in Jazz, as the music is mostly based on a vamping pattern that is held and driven by them. Both instruments are recorded with strong presence and high up in the mix, which also adds to the overall sonic "strangeness". They both do a splendid job for sure. It seems that the leader wanted to present a team effort rather than boast his ego, which is commendable and honorable.

Overall this is a very impressive album, which of course is very rare these days, as it becomes more and more difficult to be unique, inventive and yes, impressive. Considering that we are talking about a debut, this is even more important. It is difficult to say if Płużek will indeed become the great hope of Polish Jazz, as the PR material accompanying this album announces, but he certainly enters the ring with a bang; only time will tell, of course, but he deserves our best wishes. Well done indeed!

Kaluza / Majewski / Mazur / Suchar – Tone Hunting (2013) ****

Anna Kaluza - alto saxophone
Artur Majewski - trumpet, cornet
Rafal Mazur - acoustic bass guitar
Kuba Suchar - drums, percussion, kalimba, megaphone

CLEAN FEED 285






By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album by the Improvising Music quartet, which consists of German saxophonist Anna Kaluza and three Polish musicians: trumpeter Artur Majewski, acoustic bass guitarist Rafal Mazur and drummer Kuba Suchar. Majewski and Suchar are or course known as the excellent duo Mikrokolektyw and Suchar is a member of the TRC Trio. The album presents five extended improvisations, credited to all quartet members and was released by the excellent Portuguese Clean Feed label.

The music is a great example of the vitality of the Polish / European Improvising Music scene, which is enjoying a tremendous Renaissance and involves a new generation of players and enthusiasts. These four musicians are among the most innovative and interesting representatives of the genre and have been already recognized internationally as important creative forces. Listening to this album clearly shows why they deserve such recognition.

Although improvised, the music presents a diverse stylistic collage of sound vistas, from minimalistic and delicate breathing tones to expressive collective forceful statements. Most of the sounds and tones heard on this album are quite remote from what one would expect from the conventional usage of the instruments involved, and yet they somehow make all perfect sense and create a wonderful amalgam, which is obviously unlike almost anything heard before. In most cases the quartet members produce a series of rapid staccato sounds, which then are all intermixed into one sonic whole.

In contrast to most "conventional" music, which once stated becomes unwavering in consequent listening encounters, this music is constantly alive and chameleonic, changing each time one listens to it. That elusiveness and constant ability to be transformed is of course what makes this music so fascinating.

Obviously this is definitely not something for a casual listener and its overall accessibility is limited to connoisseurs of the genre, but as such, it is unquestionably one of its finest exhibits.

Artur Dutkiewicz – Hendrix Piano (2010) ***1/2

Artur Dutkiewicz - piano
Darek Oleszkiewicz - bass
Sebastian Frankiewicz - drums

PIANOART 5907760035028






By Adam Baruch

This is the fourth album as a leader by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Artur Dutkiewicz, recorded in a classic Jazz piano trio setting with bassist Darek Oleszkiewicz (bassist Daniel Biel plays on three tracks) and drummer Sebastian Frankiewicz as his partners. The music, as the title suggests, is a tribute to the legendary American guitarist / songwriter Jimi Hendrix and presents nine instrumental arrangements of songs from his repertoire, seven of them composed by Hendrix and two composed by others. The album was recorded at the excellent Studio Tokarnia and was engineered by Jan Smoczynski with spectacular sonic results.

This album was recorded at the same sessions which produced the previous album by Dutkiewicz, called "Niemen Improwizacje", which pays tribute to the music of Czeslaw Niemen, the legendary Godfather of Polish Pop / Rock. Therefore these two albums share not only the recording dates but also basically the same musical concept, i.e. the transformation of Pop / Rock music into the mainstream Jazz environment.

Of course the music of Hendrix, who was a major Rock star with a worldwide following, was already arranged and performed by many Jazz artists earlier, with varying results, some absolutely spectacular and other utterly worthless. Although seemingly words apart, Niemen and Hendrix shared one obvious characteristic: their deep affinity to the Blues, which Dutkiewicz cleverly exploits on both these albums, and uses this opportunity to highlight his own Blues chops.

The fact that these two albums were recorded basically together and present a common concept obviously "asks for" a comparison, which I'd rather avoid, but unfortunately that is quite impossible. Personally this album works slightly less effectively for me than its companion, which probably has nothing to do with the music but my own perception of the music Hendrix created and I was fortunate to hear live on several occasions. I seem to be unable to free myself from the stunning guitar sound which my memory / brain stores under the Hendrix pointer. This music played by a piano, however well, simply does not cut it for me as well as it should.

But of course this album shares many of the same beautiful qualities present on its companion: great performances, intelligent arrangements, wonderful interplay between the trio members and so on. It is a great piano trio album in every respect and an admirable tribute to the Genius of Hendrix. Obviously Jazz connoisseurs all over the globe should be able to enjoy this music without reservation.

Nahorny Trio - Hope (2014) ****1/2

Nahorny Trio

Włodzimierz Nahorny - piano
Mariusz Bogdanowicz - acoustic bass
Piotr Biskupski - drums

Hope (Confiteor, 2014)

By Maciej Nowotny

Włodzimierz Nahorny (born 1941) is one of those key figures without which such a phenomenon as Polish jazz would be simply unimaginable. Not only he cooperated with nearly all significant musicians on our scene with his collaboration with Andrzej Trzaskowski, Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski and Andrzej Kurylewicz being especially memorable. But as evidenced by his long and successful career his music embodies all constitutive qualities of Polish jazz as a unique combination of jazz, pop and folk music build upon strong base of classical music harmony. The outcome of such a melange, at least as delivered by Nahorny, is breathtaking: light, inspiring, joyous and dance-like. It resonates with the energy of debutante while offering the riches of the fully matured artist whose technical proficiency is awesome and whose musical language is entirely his own.

On this record as on other his projects in last decade we find along him a double bassist Mariusz Bogdanowicz who recently is quite active (check for example his last year "Syntonia") and drummer Piotr Biskupski. These two middle-aged guys are respected musicians on our scene but - as I have had an opportunity to see during concert premiere - they treat this project in a very special way and are well aware what a privilege it is to be able to play together with the musician of Nahorny caliber. On the other hand they fully reciprocate his trust rising on this album to the very heights of their abilities!

As for the program of music on this disc one can seldom find a better one and it shall not be surprising since it is the fruit of many years of work. We will find here a title track "Hope" which clearly is inspired by great patriotic music by Chopin such as "Polonaise Brillante" and other pieces. But apart from that there is on this disc  for example lovely medley of three folk songs from Kurpie region rewritten in jazz harmonies. Or "Jews" where trio pays hommage to musical tradition of Polish Jews. But I like the most the music composed for theater "I love O'Keefe" and "Czyścica": nor folk, nor classical, nor jazz, nor pop or anything else though containing all these traditions. It is simply the music of Nahorny and his trio, the one like no other in Poland, or elsewhere...

Kasper Tom 5 on European tour !!!

Drummer and composer Kasper Tom has assembled a group of significant, international musicians from the European jazz scene. The band is put together in an attempt to create a new sound of original compositions that require and challenge each musician's individuality and artistic identity. The band covers a wide musical spectrum, from catchy melodies to complex structures and expressive construction and deconstruction of the material. Seriousness and oddity reign together, the music exudes innovation and creativity and pushes the boundaries without forgetting tradition. Kasper Tom 5 is a band with a serious take on contemporary "Danish jazz". The debut CD "Ost Bingo Skruer" was released December 5th 2013 on Barefoot Records.

Danish drummer Kasper Tom Christiansen is one of the most interesting composers in the vibrant Danish jazz scene. As many other like-minded composers in this scene, he does not bind himself to the jazz legacy. His distinct musical personality references elements of contemporary music, and free improvisation. His compositions often bend catchy melodies into complex structures, while playing with seriousness. He challenges with odd segments and constantly attempts to push the boundaries without forgetting formative legacies. Impressive performances of demanding and challenging compositions.

Rudi Mahall - bass clarinet
Tomasz Dabrowski - trumpet
Petter Hängsel - trombone
Jens Mikkel Madsen - bass
Kasper Tom - drums + composition

22.04 b-flat - Berlin
23.04 Pardon, To Tu - Warszawa
24.04 Zamek - Nidzica
25.04 Mózg - Bydgoszcz
26.04 Ciagoty i Tesknoty - Lodz

Artur Dutkiewicz – Niemen Improwizacje (2009) ****

Artur Dutkiewicz - piano
Darek Oleszkiewicz  bass
Sebastian Frankiewicz - drums

PIANOART 5907760035011






By Adam Baruch

This is the third album as a leader by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Artur Dutkiewicz, recorded in a classic Jazz piano trio setting with bassist Darek Oleszkiewicz (bassist Daniel Biel plays on one track) and drummer Sebastian Frankiewicz as his partners. The music, as the title suggests, is a tribute to the legendary Polish singer / songwriter Czeslaw Niemen and presents ten instrumental arrangements of songs from Niemen's repertoire, eight of which were also composed by him and two which were composed by others. The album was recorded at the excellent Studio Tokarnia and engineered by Jan Smoczynski with spectacular sonic results.

Niemen was always associated with Jazz and was a pioneer of the Polish Jazz-Rock Fusion movement, but he actually never quite crossed over into Jazz, and this album does it for the first time. Niemen's songs, stripped of their dramatic vocals and poignant lyrics, can be hear here for what they really were; a superb amalgam of Blues soaked Rock, Rhythm & Blues, Soul, Groove and Folkloristic themes, which are all obviously quite timeless.

Dutkiewicz took quite a risk here, as transforming Niemen's music into a swinging Jazz environment might have trivialized it or even turned it into grotesque muzak. Luckily all this was cleverly avoided by the intelligent arrangements and highly sensitive performance, which simply transformed the music into a completely different plane. Many musical Icons seem to be simply untouchable, and most attempts, which try to utilize or update them, fail miserably. This is a rare example of a successful attempt of transplanting iconic music to a new environment without destroying the original.

The trio's performance is of course spotless, as nothing less should be expected from musicians of such class. The players concentrate on playing the music and there are no lengthy individual solo sports, which would be quite inappropriate here, but a wonderful togetherness and concise delivery. Intelligence, sensitivity and grace are the name of the game and the music is never trivial or banal.

Listeners familiar with Niemen's original performances of these songs will find this album quite fascinating of course, when trying the find the parallels and the divergences. But even people who never heard of Niemen (obviously beyond Poland's borders) should find this to be an excellent piano trio album worthy of repeated listening.

Sambar - Melt! (2014)

Sambar 

Paulina Owczarek - baritone saxophone
Tomasz Gadecki - baritone saxophone

Sambar

NOT TWO 899



By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album by Polish Avant-garde/Improvised Music duo Sambar, or saxophonists Paulina Owczarek and Tomasz Gadecki, both playing the baritone saxophone exclusively on this album. It captures a live performance by the duo at the legendary Alchemia club in Kraków, which is edited into four separate parts. Although not specifically attributed as such, the music is obviously co-created by the duo members. Both Owczarek and Gadecki are very active and prolific members of the Polish Avant-garde scene.

Avant-garde by definition knows no limitations or preconceived boundaries, and therefore we should actually never be surprised by anything artists active in that sphere will come up with. But there are always innovations that make us raise the proverbial brow, and this is certainly one of those. The baritone saxophone is not a very popular instrument in general and in Improvised Music in particular and a duo of baritone saxophones freely improvising is simply almost unheard of. And yet, once one listens to this album, even that surprising setup proves workable when handled by daring and creative artists.

The music on this album challenges the very fabric of our conception as to what music actually is. The traditional elements of melody, harmony and rhythm are almost completely irrelevant here and one is left only with pure sound and the way our brain interprets it. In fact listening to this music is really similar to taking part in the process of actually creating it. Sadly this is also this music's greatest weakness, not intrinsically but as a result of the inability of the vast majority of listeners to engage in such process. 

As a result this music will be fascinating to a very selective group of listeners but completely unacceptable (if not unlistenable) to the majority. This is the price tag associated with innovative artistic search processes and I have always had the deepest respect to those artists who are willing to pay that price. Overall this is a bold and very interesting artistic statement condemned to limited appeal. I wish the world was different, but I have no illusions on that subject. Respect!