This is the debut album by the Polish (resident in NY) Jazz vocalist Bogna Kicinska, recorded with a core quartet comprised of violinist Mateusz Smoczynski, pianist Kuba Cichocki, bassist Edward Perez and drummer Colin Stranahan. Electric bass player John Benitez plays on two tracks replacing the regular bassist, and a string quartet is utilized on two other tracks. The album includes nine tracks, five of which are originals by Kicinska (only one of those includes lyrics) and the remaining four are standards.
I approach albums by Polish
vocalists with an almost pathological fear of the dreaded "English vocals
sung by non-native English speakers" syndrome, which for many years time
after time consistently proves to be a failure, sometimes of catastrophic
proportions. The exceptions are few and far between, and luckily this album
manages to slip into the class of exceptions, which does not mean that the
English vocals work – they simply don't. But there is enough merit on this album
to make it interesting and the English vocals are after all the less
significant ingredient of the entire package.
What does work wonderfully is
the fact that Kicinska uses her vocals as an instrument, singing scat and
vocalese, which combined with the excellent instrumental backing, works out wonders.
She emerges as a very interesting composer and arranger, with her original
compositions being the highlight of this album musically and her arrangements
of the standards being very original, non-trivial and intricate. She combines
wonderfully her Polish roots by using folkloristic themes and mixing them with
other elements, most importantly Jazz improvisation. With the violin behind
her, these originals bring fond recollections of the work done by Michal
Urbaniak and Urszula Dudziak four decades earlier. Considering the fact that four
of her five original compositions do not involve lyrics at all and concentrate
on vocal explorations is very promising and hopefully shows the way towards the
future.
The two Polish players on this
album: Smoczynski, who is a violin virtuoso and swings like hell and Cichocki,
who is a delicate poetic player yet also swings magnificently, both support the
vocalist intelligently and elegantly. The rhythm section is accommodating and
handles the sometimes complex tempi changes well, but remains in the background
without leaving a very strong impression.
Overall this is a very
promising debut, full of potential and holding many promising developments in
the future. Just skip the lyrics (and the standards) next time and you will get
far girl. Thanks for the thrills and keep doing your thing!
This is the debut album by Polish Jazz drummer/composer Cezary Konrad, one of Poland's top drummers since many years, recorded with a core trio consisting of himself, bassist Piotr Zaczek and guitarist Darek Krupa, which is extended by additional players up to a quintet on some tracks with the addition of saxophonist Marek Podkowa and two keyboardists: Zbigniew Jakubek and Leszek Mozdzer. The album includes nine original compositions, all by Konrad.
Most of the music on this album
is closely associated with Jazz-Rock Fusion, obviously influenced by the work
of Allan Holdsworth and his groups. The electric fretless bass and synthesizers
and of course the sound of the guitar imitate almost exactly the sound of
European Fusion popular during the 1990s. The compositions are all quite
interesting, with nice melodic themes and interesting harmonic approach, but
overall the music is not remarkable enough to leave a deep impression,
certainly not leaving a lasting impression.
The personal contributions are
all quite excellent, with all the participants obviously being highly skilled
musicians. There are some impressive solos and the overall level of playing is
certainly satisfactory. Surprisingly the highlight of the album is the acoustic
piano performance by Mozdzer on the only track, which is actually not a Fusion
piece.
In retrospect, the album
definitely sounded better at the time of its recording than now and does not
withstand the tides of time well. This is unfortunately the fate of most Fusion
albums, which proved to be mostly repetitive and derivative, with a very few
exceptions.
This is the debut album by the Polish bassist/composer Marcin Bożek, recorded solo using electric bass. The album includes just three tracks, the longest of which is almost half an hour in duration. The music is all spontaneously improvised.
Since the day I've heard Barre
Phillips' "Journal Violone" in 1968 (and later on Dave Holland's
"Emerald Tears" almost a decade later) I have learned not to take
anything for granted, especially so solo bass albums, which in some cases
emerged as cornerstones of modern music, Jazz or otherwise. However, there is
always also a possibility that a solo bass album might simply turn out to be a
worthless masturbation.
One must always admire the
boldness of an artistic statement, such as this album. Regardless if one is
able to connect to this music or not, one should at least respect the inner
urge of an artist to express his emotions. After all nobody is forcing anybody
to listen to a particular album after all.
This music suffers from the
same problem that other avant-garde explorations also often suffer from; it is
a total statement completely disregarding the listener, a self-concentrated
satisfaction of an urge rather than an attempt to communicate. Therefore it
remains mostly uncommunicative, and probably unable to make the listener to
enjoy the experience. Notwithstanding however, art is not always meant to be
pleasurable, en contraire, some best examples of artistic expression are
deliberately non pleasurable, in order to shock and subvert.
To put it plainly, this is not
music for everybody, or even better put it is music for very few listeners, who
are able to take the plunge with the artists into the unknown, regardless of
the result. Avant-garde is here to stay, and this is avant-garde at its
boldest. If only because of that, I'm all for it.
This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz ensemble Quartado, which consists of keyboardist Jan Rejnowicz, guitarist Marcin Wadolowski, bassist Karol Kozlowski and drummer Tomasz Losowski. The album presents ten original compositions, eight of which are by Rejnowicz and one each are by Wadolowski and Losowski.
The music can be generally
classified as Jazz-Rock Fusion, but it certainly has quite an unusual approach,
mixing the standard Fusion tricks of the trade with Latin rhythms, Jazzy
acoustic piano passages and many other devices, which sets the quartet apart
from most of their competition. The level of the compositions is quite
surprising, with solid melodic and harmonic ideas rather than the usual Fusion
chord progressions which only purpose is to serve as a basis for endless
doodling.
The personal contributions are
all impressive, with the rhythm section driving the music forcefully forward.
The bass has a very thick sound and the drums are very busy, and although together
they are well synchronized, personally I think that the rhythm section is too
dominant and comes way to forward in the mix, which causes a listening fatigue
after about half the album, actually hurting the listeners ears. The overall
sound is not great either, sounding muddy and condensed as if recorded in a
tiny box, which is a great pity as this album could have sounded infinitely
better.
Rejnowicz, who wrote most of
the music, comes up as a gifted composer, but his playing is not sensational
and fails to make a unique personal statement, probably due to the fact that he
is still very new at it. However, Wadolowski, who has been very busy in the
last few years and participated in quite a few recordings, is the absolute star
of this album, playing his heart out and sounding really good from start to
finish. His solos are inventive and well developed, obviously making hordes of
young guitarist to cringe with envy. It is truly satisfying to follow a
musicians for a period of time and see (or rather hear) his progress and
development.
Overall quite a nice debut with
many fine moments and a lot of potential, just take it a bit easy next time around
and channel the testosterone elsewhere.
7 października w Jazz Clubie Hipnoza w ramach festiwalu jaZZ i Okolice zagra Ralph Alessi Baida Quartet.
Ralph Alessi gościł w Katowicach wielokrotnie: w 2008 i 2009 roku poprowadził warsztaty z kreatywnego podejścia do improwizacji na AM w Katowicach, i grał koncerty w Jazz Klubie Hipnoza, jako SIM Faculty Band wraz z innymi pedagogami tej nowojorskiej szkoły, muzykami takimi jak Ravi Coltrane, Tony Malaby, Mark Helias, Jim Black, Brad Shepik, Matt Mitchell, Nasheet Waits. Ponadto występował w projekcie kontrabasisty Drew Gressa 7 Black Butterfiles w 2006 i 2009 roku, Tim Bern’s Science Friction Band w 2004 oraz zespole Macieja Obary w 2010. Grał także koncerty w Sopocie - Zatoka Sztuki i Warszawie w ramach festiwalu Warsaw Summer Jazz Days 2012.
Ralph Alessi Baida Quartet
Ralph Alessi - trąbka
Gary Versace - fortepian
Drew Gress - kontrabas
Nasheet Waits – perkusja
Dziewiąta płyta w dyskografii Ralpha Alessiego jest przy okazji wielką nobilitacją jego muzycznego talentu. Co by nie pisać tutaj o samej muzyce, realizacja nagrań dla monachijskiego ECM jest dziś wyróżnieniem i olbrzymim promocyjnym wsparciem dla każdego muzyka i zespołu. Wszystkie dotychczasowe nagrania Alessiego stanowiły dla słuchacza poważne wyzwanie w zakresie wiedzy o muzyce, jej kontekstach, związkach harmoniczno – rytmicznych, melodii w improwizacji, strukturze kompozycji, stylu gry na trąbce i technice. Kolejną wartością była doskonała współpraca trębacza z zespołem oraz dialogi z poszczególnymi instrumentalistami. Omawiany album jest kwintesencją współpracy z czterema muzykami od dawna towarzyszącemu Alessiemu w karierze, zarówno czysto muzycznej, jak i pedagogicznej – na poziomie nowojorskiej The School For Improvisational Music.
Znakomite dialogi z pianistą Jasonem Moranem, precyzyjna praca sekcji: Drew Gress /Nasheet Waits, niezwykle spójne brzmienie całego zespołu, są swoistym ukoronowaniem długoletniej współpracy – zarówno na polu artystycznym jak i warsztatowym – zasługującym na wysokie noty względem wszystkich biorących udział w nagraniach muzyków. Album „Baida” doskonale wpisuje się w estetykę od lat kreowaną przez Manfreda Eichera, nie tracąc przy tym niczego z autonomiczności i charakteru wcześniejszych realizacji Alessiego dla Clean Feed, CAMJazz czy RKM Rec.
Jednak tym razem otrzymujemy muzykę jakby o półtorej tonu bardziej liryczną, obfitującą w wysublimowane wybrzmienia, szlachetne unisona i wyciszenia. Muzykę nawiązującą nastrojem do tak skrajnie odległych brzmień jak dodekafonia, z jednej, a z drugiej strony do lekkości muzyki Nino Roty. Czasem trąbka Alessiego zabrzmi punktowo i „groźnie” jak ta Milesa Davisa, aby za chwilę wypełnić przestrzeń bardziej malarsko – niczym Tomasza Stańko lub Dave Douglas. Alessi porusza się ze swobodą, wielką kulturą i erudycją po rozległym terytorium przeróżnych skojarzeń, nie tracąc ani przez chwilę własnego tonu i sposobu prowadzenia muzycznej narracji.
Podczas słuchania nagrań z „Baida” jesteśmy na styku tego, z czego ECM jest znany w jazzie, jak i muzyce klasycznej. Nie mogę oprzeć się wrażeniu, że zależało na tym zarówno Alessiemu jak i Eicherowi, który z pewnością jest jednym z największych dyktatorów brzmienia współczesnej, ponad-kontynentalnej muzyki improwizowanej. Przy czym nie jest to muzyka konceptualna, najeżona cytatami bez znajomości, których trudno zrozumieć jej przewodni motyw – nic z tych rzeczy, można tej muzyki słuchać na wielu różnych poziomach, wystarczy skupić się na przepięknie brzmiącej trąbce Alessiego, delikatnych solach Jasona Morana (mocno zestrojonego z grą lidera), wsłuchać w szczegóły kompozycji, zachwycić melodyką improwizacji. Poszczególne utwory tworzą jednolitą całość, jakby dłuższą muzyczną suitę, co dodatkowo podkreśla tytułowa Baida – pierwsza i ostatnia na płycie kompozycja. Muzyka płynie raz bardziej dynamicznie, innym razem niespiesznie mieni się paletą wielu barw i odcieni, przez cały czas jej trwania jest nieco nostalgiczna, to także znak firmowy ECM i wszystko wskazuje na to, że Alessi dobrze się z nim czuje. Nie chcę się dalej powtarzać, z pewnością „Baida” nie odkrywa niczego nowego jest natomiast jedną z piękniejszych płyt tego roku. (Andrzej Kalinowski)
Ralph Alessi to wybitny amerykański trębacz, kompozytor i pedagog – dyrektor SIM: School for Improvisational Music w Nowym Jorku. Alessi jest kreatywnym improwizatorem i wymagającym instrumentalistą. Od 1991 roku jest aktywnym uczestnikiem nowojorskiej sceny jazzowej i avant-jazzowej, nagrywa i występuje z takimi muzykami jak: Steve Coleman, Jason Moran, Uri Caine, Don Byron, Ravi Coltrane, Sam Rivers, Fred Hersch, Drew Gress, Tim Berne, Kenny Werner, Michael Cain, Curtis Fowlkes, Tony Malaby, Jim Black, Chris Speed, Matt Mitchell, Nasheet Waits.
Jako pedagog jest członkiem wydziałów w Five Towns College i w Eastman School of Music, od 2002 roku wykłada na wydziale jazzowym w New York University. Jest założycielem i dyrektorem SIM, niekomercyjnej instytucji, która zajmuje się prowadzeniem warsztatów muzycznych dla poszukujących muzyków. SIM pod jego kierownictwem kilkakrotnie zrealizował workshop także w Polsce. Jako lider nagrał dziewięć płyt, m.in. dla takich wytwórni płytowych jak: ECM, Clean Feed, CAM Jazz. Jego najnowsza płyta: „Baida” zrealizowana dla prestiżowej ECM Records, otrzymała wysokie noty od krytyków muzycznych na całym świecie. Koncert w Katowicach jest częścią europejskiej trasy koncertowej promującej to wydawnictwo. Ralph Alessi kilkakrotnie odwiedzał Katowice, a jego muzyka zawsze wzbudzała szczere zainteresowanie publiczności.
This is the debut album by the young Polish Jazz trio, called J.A.S.S. Trio, which consists of violinist Stanislaw Slowinski, bassist Justyn Malodobry and drummer Adam Stepniowski. The album presents nine original compositions, all credited collectively to the trio, and one arrangement of a Krzysztof Komeda theme. The album is packaged in a round metal can, which is a nice, although definitely not a new gimmick.
The music is mostly freely
improvised, based on basic melodic themes, which serve as skeletons and
reference points for the improvisations. The pieces created by the trio could
be perceived as imaginary soundtracks created on the spot. The violin is
obviously at the center of attention, but the excellent rhythm section is an
integral part of the creation and keeps the music afloat. Together the trio
members achieve a magical, eerie atmosphere, which sometimes sounds like
electronic ambient music, but the rhythmic pulse keeps the listener on his toes
and emphasizes the Jazz reference behind this music. They often use a drone / repetitive
effect to create an unearthly ambience, which is both enchanting and scary.
The individual contributions
are all first rate, and as usual, considering the young age of the musicians, quite
phenomenal. The entire concept and musical adventure undertaken by this trio is
highly unusual and openly bold, which happens very rarely these days. Hopefully
they will solidify and purify their musical ideas in time, to produce even more
wonderful music than on this album, which has a few weaker moments, having an
adverse effect, like the pretentious closing track which is thirteen minutes of
white noise – who do they think they are after all?
Overall this is a surprising
debut, which shows tons of potential, to be explored in the future. Not bad at
all!
This is the second album by the fabulous young Polish Jazz drummer/composer Marek Jakubowski, recorded with the same trio that recorded the sensational debut ("My Own…") just a few months earlier, which includes pianist Adam Bieranowski and bassist Piotr Max Wisniewski. The album comprises of eleven original compositions, all by Jakubowski, two of which are short interludes and the rest are fully developed pieces.
Everything I already wrote in
my review of the debut applies yet again to this album. Jakubowski's
compositions are all little gems, beautifully melodic and harmonic and yet
completely non-trivial and full of twists and turns. The strength of the
material is consistent and diverse, which makes listening to this album a real
pleasure. This compositional attitude is a wonderful example of how mainstream
Jazz can still be creative and inventive.
The level of execution is also
excellent from start to finish with Bieranowski displaying incredible lyricism
and delicate touch, which result in elegant and intelligent delivery. Wisniewski
is supportive and his solos are beautifully modest and concise. Jakubowski is a
very versatile drummer, using an array of different sounds produced by his
sticks and brushes, always at the appropriate volume and fitting the music
ideally. This trio is emerging as one of the classic piano trios on the Polish
scene, following in the footsteps of the established leaders like RGG or Marcin
Wasilewski's trio.
The album is very well recorded
and its sonic quality contributes greatly to the overall result, creating is a
superb piano trio achievement, which many listeners around the world could
enjoy. It is great to see that Jakubowski and his trio managed to repeat their
success yet again and hopefully thy will continue to do so in the future. I can't
wait to hear more of this music!
Słuchając materiału zaprezentowanego na „Sundial”, nie mogę przestać myśleć o Tomaszu Stańce, który niczym krwiożerczy wampir przez lata wysysał z o wiele młodszych od siebie Wasilewskiego, Kurkiewicza i Miśkiewicza życiodajną energię, w efekcie generując wspólnie niemal intuicyjne porozumienie sceniczne. Owa swoista symbioza była przed długi czas synonimem nowej jakości w polskim jazzie. Jak się potem okazało, skorzystały na tym obydwie strony – Stańko zyskał dużo świeżości, a trio Wasilewskiego stało się grupą na najwyższym poziomie już nie tylko w Polsce, ale i na świecie.
W przypadku Wojciecha Jachny różnica wiekowa między muzykami jest o wiele mniejsza, ale zasada może okazać się podobna – oto doświadczony cat, uczeń innej legendy polskiej trąbki, Piotra Wojtasika oraz jazzman, który nabierał szlifu u boku wielkiego Andrzeja Przybielskiego, spotyka dwóch nieopierzonych młodzieńców, z którymi tworzy nie tyle swingujące trio wyrastające wprost z jazzowego korzenia, co próbuje raczej zdefiniować coś na kształt otwartej, improwizowanej kameralistyki, gdzie subtelne, kontrolowane free spotyka klasyczne, fortepianowe formy.
Grzegorz Tarwid, kreujący obok Sebastiana Zawadzkiego czy Kuby Sokołowskiego nowy rozdział polskiej pianistyki, nie jest przesadnie sentymentalny i cukierkowy. On wie, że należy cenić Nahornego, Makowicza czy Jagodzińskiego, ale kontekst jego gry, w połączeniu z inspiracjami Szostakowiczem czy impresjonistami, podpowiada bardziej kierunek zdefiniowany przez Paula Bleya, Andrew Hilla czy Matthew Shippa. Albert Karch z kolei, elegant, jest niczym Tony Williams z drugiego wielkiego kwintetu Milesa Davisa – młodzian obdarzony wielką wyobraźnią i wyrazistością sceniczną. Niesamowite, że w tak młodym wieku obydwaj wprowadzają tak nieoczywistą, brudną narrację. To gra w kierunku nie tyle dzikiego nieokiełznania czy totalnego łamania schematów, co raczej ich twórczego modyfikowania. Z reguły taka świadomość przychodzi znacznie później. Tym bardziej należą się wielkie brawa za kreatywność.
Wojciech Jachna pochodzi z Bydgoszczy, miasta naznaczonego yassową rewolucją. Jak większość terminujących w słynnym klubie Mózg, tak i on wywodzi się z pewnego specyficznego korzenia i choćby nie chciał, dotyka go tradycja, która w założeniu miała burzyć wszystko to, co zastane. Problem w tym, że ta post-yassowa łatka niemal na stałe niepotrzebnie przylgnęła do bydgoskich muzyków, a ci dawno porzucili rewolucyjny idiom i nic burzyć już nie muszą. Ten sztywny gorset uwiera szczególnie w kontekście tworzonych przez nich nowych projektów, które nie mają za wiele wspólnego z koncepcją sprzed lat, pachnącą obecnie wtórnym resentymentem. Jeśli jesteś z Bydgoszczy, niekoniecznie musisz identyfikować się z yassem. Udowadnia to właśnie „Sundial” - nowe, akustyczne rozdanie Wojciecha Jachny. Nie ma już „Muzyki z Mózgu”, jest nowe trio Jachna/Tarwid/Karch. I tego się trzymajmy.
Lista utworów:
1. Sundial
2. Attic Salt
3. Mazurka
4. Terpischore's Chant
5. Sundial, Variation 1
6. Little Draft
7. Intermezzo
8. Sudden Rush
9. Sundial, Variation 2
10. Terpischore's Chant, alternate take
This is the third album by the young and very gifted Polish Jazz pianist/composer Michal Wroblewski, which sees him returning to the piano trio format with bassist Michal Jaros and drummer Pawel Dobrowolski. The album presents eight original compositions, all but one by Wroblewski, with the exception being a piece based on the music by Frederic Chopin and arranged by Wroblewski. The music was recorded (same as his debut album) at the now legendary Studio Tokarnia, with Jan Smoczynski doing his usual sound magic with spectacular results.
The music, as stated by
Wroblewski, was influenced by playing a concert tour in 2013 with American
superstar trumpeter Terence Blanchard, but the experience influenced also the
trio's approach to music, which became much more focused and intense. As a
result this album is remarkably stronger and vital than the two earlier
efforts, even though those two were already first class achievements, and
places Wroblewski just a notch higher on his way to fame and fortune. His
compositions, as usual, combine the right amount of melodic substance with
lyrical contents and harmonic beauty, very much like many Jazz standards do. Listening
to this album is a true delight from start to finish, with time passing by in a
breeze.
Of course a piano trio is only
as strong as all three musicians involved and Wroblewski is extremely lucky to
find two partners who fulfill him completely, match his sensibilities, his
virtuosity and his elegance. This piano trio is a classic example of what a
piano trio should sound like in the mainstream Jazz milieu. Yes, this music
does not make any groundbreaking discoveries as far as Jazz is concerned, but
we need to keep the legacy alive and this trio is just perfect in that
capacity.
It is difficult to predict how
Wroblewski's career will develop from this point on, but he certainly already
made his mark both as a pianist and a composer. I am certainly keeping my eye,
or rather ear, on his moves, as he managed to impress me for the third time in
a row. Jazz fans who love the piano trio format will have a field day with this
one. Well done indeed!
This is the third album by the Polish Jazz guitarist / composer Rafal Sarnecki, who currently lives in NY. It presents eight original compositions, all by Sarnecki, which are performed by a sextet led by him, which also includes vocalist Bogna Kicinska, saxophonist Lucas Pino, pianist Glenn Zaleski, bassist Rick Rosato and drummer Colin Stranahan. One of the tunes uses lyrics by the great Chilean poet Pablo Neruda.
The music is a beautiful blend
of many influences, based on the Jazz tradition but incorporating various other
influences, like World Music, Fusion, Progressive Rock and Contemporary
Classical, creating a unique universe of sound. The compositions are very
diverse and present a wide vista of Sarnecki's inventions; also distinctly
melodic, they are quite complex with frequent tempi changes and intertwined
melodic themes, which keep developing, often unexpectedly. In fact this music
requires quite an attentive listening in order to be properly comprehended. It
is truly refreshing to hear such ambitious music being made today.
The individual performances are
all excellent and the album is above all an ensemble effort. But the talents of
all the players are plainly exposed. Kicinska sings wordless vocalese (except for
one case), using her voice as an instrument, which blends well with other
instruments in the ensemble. Her presence is a stimulating factor, which adds
to the overall success of this album. Pino plays some excellent solos
throughout, which are fluent and expressive. Zaleski and the rhythm section
keep the music moving ahead smoothly and elegantly, exactly as needed,
obviously keeping their ears open and handling the tricky parts with ease and
elegance. I'd love to hear them in a piano trio format. And of course Sarnecki
and his guitar are, as always, the cherry on the cake. I've always liked his
tone and phrasing, but his playing on this album is definitely stronger than
ever.
Overall this is an ambitious
effort, splendidly performed and beautifully recorded, adding up to an album of
true artistic value, so rare these days. Sarnecki shows a distinctive process
of growing up and developing his talents, one of which is surrounding himself
with great musicians. This is definitely one of the most interesting recordings
released so far in 2014 and I hope it will be received open-mindedly both by
the audiences and the critics, which for projects like these is, sadly, far
from being self-understandable. This is the kind of aesthetic approach I'd
personally love to hear in many other recordings, especially those originating
in the US, but in the case of Sarnecki he simply managed to maintain his
European qualities unblemished. Brilliant stuff!
