This is the debut album by a Polish Jazz sextet, which changed its lineup and name several times before settling with the name Special Jazz Sextet, before this album was recorded. It is led by keyboardist Bartek Krzywda and includes saxophonist Szymon Zuehlke, trombonist Artur Olewniczak, trumpeter Marcin Gawdzis, bassist Janusz Mackiewicz and drummer Grzegorz Sycz. Saxophonist Przemek Dyakowski guests on five tracks and guitarist Jaroslaw Smietana and violinist Jerry Goodman each guest on one track. The album presents eight original compositions, all by Krzywda.
The music is melodic mainstream Jazz bordering on Jazz-Rock Fusion. The brass section is skillfully used in the arrangements to support the keyboards/rhythm section passages and overall the sextet functions as a solid well synchronized unit, achieving a polished and highly professional effect. There are plenty of excellent solo parts by all the participants and the guests.
The individual contributions by all the participants are truly outstanding and although these are not "famous" Polish Jazz musicians, their level of technical proficiency and skillful delivery are as good as those by musicians from the "premier league", which of course is a testimony of the incredibly high level of Polish Jazz in general. Overall this is a very well played mainstream Jazz album, which should be satisfying to all listeners the world over. It is fun to listen to and presents first-class musicianship and interesting compositions.
Festiwal Muzyki Improwizowanej - jaZZ i Okolice / jaZZ & Beyond jest bezpośrednią kontynuacją cyklicznej imprezy muzycznej, realizowanej pod tym samym tytułem od 9 lat w Katowicach, jednak początki naszych muzycznych propozycji sięgają 2004 roku, kiedy to rozpoczęliśmy realizację koncertów w Górnośląskim Centrum Kultury i Jazz Klubie Hipnoza w Katowicach jako cykl: jaZZ i okolice. Od 2012 roku Festiwal jaZZ i Okolice / jaZZ & Beyond realizowany jest jako wydarzenie odbywające się w kilku miastach regionu: Chorzowie, Katowicach, Sosnowcu, Jaworznie, Częstochowie, Tychach i Gliwicach w okresie trzech jesiennych miesięcy: od końca września do połowy grudnia.
Celem festiwalu jest zaprezentowanie melomanom najnowszych obszarów muzycznych poszukiwań w dziedzinie improwizacji, w mniejszym stopniu związanych z tradycyjnym dziedzictwem jazzu, pojmowanym na sposób purystyczny i akademicki, natomiast w większym stopniu stawiającym akcent na aktualności muzyki improwizowanej oraz tworzące go kreatywne artystycznie środowiska w Polsce i na świecie.
Prezentowana muzyka to wielowątkowa podróż po świecie różnorodnych kultur i tradycji, która swoje inspiracje czerpie zarówno z historii amerykańskiego, europejskiego i polskiego jazzu, muzyki soul, rhythm and bluesa, rozmaitości muzyki etno-folkowej, jak również z brzmień muzyki pop-rock, elektroniki, muzyki klasycznej i eksperymentalnej oraz współczesnej kameralistyki.
Pomysłodawcą, autorem programu festiwalu i jego głównym promotorem jest Andrzej Kalinowski, kulturoznawca, wielki pasjonat muzyki, producent muzyczny, autor tekstów o muzyce i wywiadów z muzykami. Tegoroczną, IX edycję festiwalu jaZZ i okolice/jaZZ & beyond 2015 określa motto: "etno inspiracje, brzmienia nowe i źródłowe/jaZZ & beyond Improvised Music Festival 2015: ethnic heritage, new sounds and roots music".
Program festiwalu:
Irek Wojtczak "Folk Five" Polish Quintet / Inauguracja Festiwalu oraz konferencja prasowa
26 września 2015 godz. 19:00
Zespół Pieśni i Tańca "Śląsk" im. Stanisława Hadyny
Bilety do nabycia w sieciach ticketpro.pl, ticketportal.pl oraz w siedzibie Centrum Kultury Katowice, przy pl. Sejmu Śląskiego 2. Punkt czynny: poniedziałek - piątek w godz. 9.00 - 17.00
This is the debut album by young Polish keyboardist/composer Patryk Krasniewski, recorded in a trio format with bassist Piotr Lewanczyk (who also plays synthesizer parts) and drummer Jerzy Markuszewski. The album presents seven tunes, six of which are original compositions by Krasniewski and one is by Tomasz Wendt, a fellow student at the Wroclaw Music Academy. There is some confusion as to the album's tracks, as there are seven tracks listed but only six present on the actual CD? Go figure!
Krasniewski seems to be a kind
of prodigy according to his CV, which tells about prizes won at piano
competitions, composition competitions etc. and involvement with many music
genres from Pop to Classical Music from a very early age. This album is also a
result of winning the yearly competition for Jazz debut recording offered by
the Polish Institute of Music and Dance.
Of course this album tells only
the story contained within, which sadly is pretty disappointing. The musicians
are very skilled of course but the music seems to be completely lost in between
genres. It is only very marginally Jazzy and is rooted somewhere in alternative
Pop/Rock more than in Jazz. The classic piano trio parts have an obvious
reference to Jazz, but the synthesizer parts manage to break the charm. Apparently
Krasniewski is still looking for his true self as a composer and musician, and
this album is just a step on the path of discovery.
There are some interesting
moments of course, which disclose potential and talent. It's a pity Krasniewski
did not stick to the motto chosen for the album's title, which might have saved
the day. Without the synthesizer parts and less show off this might have been a
much better album perhaps. In any case this is an unusual album,
which deserves merit for trying and hopefully is a forerunner of great things
to come.
This is (finally!) the debut album by Polish cellist/guitarist/composer Krzysztof Lenczowski, one of the most prominent representatives of the young generation of Polish musicians, who is characterized by a total cross-genre approach to music, tipping his fingers in anything from Pop, Rock, Fusion, Jazz and deep into contemporary Classical music, always with grace and sublime talent. The fact that this is his debut album, already preceded by dozens of albums recorded as a group member or sideman, is surprising, but on the other hand nothing about Lenczowski should be really surprising, as he is an Artist of the unexpected.
This album, recorded in a
quartet setting with saxophonist Grzech Piotrowski, organist Jan Smoczyński
and drummer Tomasz Waldowski, was recorded at the Tokarnia Studios (owned by
Smoczyński who also engineered the recording with the usual spectacular sonic
results) presents eight original compositions, all by Lenczowski. From the very
first tones heard on this album it becomes immediately apparent that this is a
piece of music completely unique and incomparable to anything else happening
anywhere. Yes, completely unexpected in every aspect: sound, melody, use of
instruments, atmosphere and overall feel of this album are all absolutely
stunning.
Cello is by far not the most
popular instrument outside of the Classical Music idiom and Lenczowski's
determination to stick with this instrument despite the obvious difficulty, is
commendable. But the entire instrumentation of his music on this album is far
from being easy on the ear: Jazzy saxophone playing complex extended solos,
organ playing mostly bass lines and very limited melody/chord lines and a
Rocky drummer on top – a strange recipe to say the least. And yet against all
odds this music works splendidly and extremely effectively.
Lenczowski's cello parts are of
course incredible all the way through, which is hardly surprising in his case.
Surprisingly (again) Piotrowski plays beautifully and ambitiously as well, and
Lenczowski's decision to use him here turned out to be the right one, in spite
of Piotrowski's problematic flirts with Smooth muzak in the past. Smoczyński,
as always, turns out to be an island of serenity and his somber, church like
organ sound, creates a solid layer upon this music solidly rests, or floats
above. Waldowski's drums become an integral part of the ensemble and his
sensitivity, elegance and coolness are exemplary. As usually the strength of
the entire ensemble only works out if all the participants contribute on the
same emotional level, which obviously happens in this case.
Lenczowski also deserves praise
for his compositions, which are all not only beautifully melodic, but also
delightfully lyrical and emotionally deep. The music sounds at times like medieval
chant, or charmingly discloses touches Middle Eastern mystique, or brings fond
memories of early days of Progressive Rock glory. Regardless of the many
associations, it is always inspired and rewarding.
Overall this is a most
impressive debut album by an experienced and mature musician, who is still
searching and ready for the challenges of the future. It is definitely one of
the finest albums released this year on the Polish scene, with very few
challengers around. An absolute must for any true music lover!
This is the debut album by young Polish Jazz bassist Paweł Wszołek recorded with his quartet with also includes guitarist Łukasz Kokoszko, pianist Sebastian Zawadzki and drummer Szymon Madej. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Wszołek and was released on the Spanish Fresh Sound label as part of the prestigious New Talent series.
The music is all within the
melodic modern mainstream boundaries, solid and well crafted, but not
particularly ambitious. It is, however, excellently executed, especially due to
the superb piano parts by Zawadzki and sensitive drumming my Madej, who have
both already appeared with great success on other Polish Jazz recordings in the
last few years. Wszołek also plays well, handling the bass solos with self
confidence and playing alongside his cohorts amicably. Of course, although he
is the quartet's leader, playing a bass solo on every track of the album is a
bit excessive. The guitar, however, I find a bit overbearing, as it is loud in
the mix and its sound is slightly harsh (too much echo?), not fitting ideally
to the acoustic piano trio setting of the rest of the band. Stylistically the
round guitar sounds are definitely way too related to Pat Metheny for my taste.
Nevertheless this is still a
very strong debut effort, which should satisfy most mainstream Jazz fans and
serve as a sold proof of the talents of these young musicians, who are after
all at the very early stages of their career. I look forward to hear more of
Wszołek's music in the future, after he matures a bit and gains the experience
so much needed when playing Jazz.
This is the second album by veteran Polish Jazz saxophonist/composer Wojciech Staroniewicz and his A'Freak-aN Project ensemble, which consists of a four saxophones front line: Staroniewicz on tenor, Przemek Dyakowski on tenor, Dariusz Herbasz on baritone and Marcin Janek on soprano. The extended rhythm section includes vibraphonist Dominik Bukowski, bassist Janusz Mackiewicz, drummer Roman Ślefarski and percussionist Larry Okey Ugwu. As the title suggests, the album is dedicated to the music of Krzysztof Komeda and four of the six tracks presented here were composed by Komeda, and the remaining two are original composition by Staroniewicz, who also arranged all the music.
The African influences on this
album, similarly to its predecessor, are relatively subtle and are wisely
intertwined with the Jazz content, being felt primarily on the rhythmic plane
and the overall atmosphere of the music. As a result this music is still very
much mainstream Jazz, and not overtly a Jazz-World Fusion, although African
spirit is present during the entire proceedings.
The arrangements of Komeda's
tunes work all very nicely, which on one hand proves that Komeda's music is
completely universal, and on the other that Staroniewicz and his colleagues do
a great job here, lovingly and respectfully treating the creations of the great
composer. The two originals by Staroniewicz ale also first rate tunes, fitting
the overall atmosphere of the album.
The four saxophones section plays
both superb ensemble arrangements and inspired individual solos, which are a
true delight. Bukowski is also excellent, as usual, as is the solid rhythm
section, which simply does a perfect job here. The level of instrumental work
on this album is highly professional and full of joy and elegance.
Altogether this is a superb
mainstream Jazz album, which features great music, intelligent arrangements and
perfect execution. The almost impossible task of saying something innovative in
relation to Komeda's music was successfully achieved here as well. Therefore
hopefully as many Jazz fans as possible will decide to check out this beautiful
little gem and share its gift of music. Once again I'd like to say that
the graphic design of this album, which continues its predecessor's idea, is
among the most elegant and eye-catching album designs on the Polish Jazz
market.
This is a reissue (first time on CD) of the third album by Polish Jazz keyboardist/composer Krzysztof Sadowski recorded with an ensemble called Organ Group, which also included flautist/vocalist Liliana Urbańska, saxophonists Vesselin Nikolov and Tomasz Szukalski, guitarist Winicjusz Chróst, bass guitarist Wojciech Bruslik, drummers Zbigniew Kitliński and Wojciech Morawski and finally percussionists Andrzej Zieliński and Bożena Bruszewska. The reason for the long lineup is the fact that the album was recorded during two separate sessions with two different lineups.
This album was released at the
time as part of the legendary "Polish Jazz" series (as Vol.47) and
included originally only four tracks, the first of which gave the album its
title and was a twenty one minutes long suite originally found on side A of the
LP. The three tracks on side B were shorter and spanned between three to nine
minutes in duration. Two of the compositions were originals, both composed by Sadowski;
one was a Keith Jarrett tune and one was a Classical piece. This remastered
reissue adds three bonus tracks recorded at the Polish Radio.
The music on this album shows
Sadowski at full swing as a Jazz-Rock Fusion musician, firmly based in the
Fusion idiom, which was pretty well established by then both on the Polish
scene and abroad. He expands his arsenal and uses electric piano and early
synthesizer (ring modulator) gadgets. The flute parts are more daring and the
vocalese more developed, clearly following the work of Urszula Dudziak. Nikolov
adds a tinge of Balkan spice and Szukalski blows away like only he could,
touching upon Free at times. The rhythmic support is very Rock oriented and the
overall sound and feel of the music resembles to some extent the best Fusion
ensembles active in the West but maintains an East European identity both
harmonically and melodically.
In retrospect the album is a
great document of the time at which it was recorded, proving that in spite of
the relative separation from what was happing beyond the Iron Curtain, Polish
Jazz was responding rapidly to the changes in the Jazz idiom, often with
ferocity and ingenuity, which were impossible to hold back by the political
regime. The grammar mistake in the English version of the title (preserved for
historic consistency) is a nice reminder of Socialist bureaucracy (an insider's
joke). As usual it is my duty to thank
GAD Records for taking care of the Polish Jazz heritage, who is sadly a lonely
rider on that trail. This superb music definitely needs to be fondly remembered
and discovered by new generations!
This is the third album by Polish guitarist/composer Marcin Wądołowski, this time recorded in a trio setting with superb bassist (both acoustic and electric) Piotr Lemańczyk and drummer Adam Czerwiński. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Wądołowski.
If the two earlier albums by
Wądołowski flirted with Jazz to some extent, this one abandons all Jazz
connections and concentrates on Blues or Blues-Rock entirely. Of course the
rhythm section comes from the Jazz environment, but they too play along
splendidly within the Blues idiom, retaining their superb technique and
feeling. Of course Wądołowski improvises extensively during his extended solos,
but this is typical Blues-Rock improvisation.
It becomes plainly evident from
the early moments of this album that Wądołowski really feels great in this
environment and his playing is not only more daring and adventurous but also
much gutsier than earlier on. Of course Lemańczyk also adds a few bass solos of
his own, which are, as always, absolutely breathtaking, but he easily complies
with the Bluesy atmosphere.
Wądołowski writes great melodic
tunes, which are ideal vehicles for his guitar pyrotechnics and combine some
Funk and Groove on top of the basic Blues-Rock stuff. In short, this music
should not be judged by Jazz standards, as it is not Jazz music. It is a down
to earth Blues-Rock, excellently played and ideal for the many fans of the
genre. It is a great listen and a true fun, without any compromise whatsoever
as far as musicianship and integrity are concerned.
This is a reissue of a solo piano album by the brilliant Polish Jazz pianist/composer Adam Makowicz, which was originally recorded in Czechoslovakia and released on the Supraphon label. It was the third solo piano album by Makowicz (see "Live Embers" and "Piano Vistas Unlimited" recorded earlier), recorded shortly before he left for the US, where he recorded his first American album, also solo piano, and entitled simply "Adam". Both these albums were released more or less in parallel. This album presents ten original compositions by Makowicz. Several tunes on this album were also recorded for the US album, some under different names, which included in addition to Makowicz originals also five standards.
Makowicz was one of the very
few Polish Jazz musicians that managed to establish a solid career in the US and lived there for many years, before moving
to Canada.
His technical brilliance and extensive Classical Music background allowed him
to establish a concert pianist career. He was banned in Poland after moving to the US and the ban
was lifted only after the fall of the Socialist regime, but this Czechoslovak
album was available during that dark period.
Makowicz is known for his love
and interpretation of the music of Frederic Chopin and his original music bears
Chopin's influence almost in every aspect: melodically, harmonically and
lyrically. One might speculate that if Chopin would have lived in our times,
his music might have sounded very similar to that of Makowicz. In the US
Makowicz was often compared to Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson, but quite honestly
these comparisons are quite inappropriate, as Tatum and Peterson might have
been symbols of piano playing technique but did not possess the European
idiosyncrasies that only European born musicians are blessed with.
In retrospect this album lost
nothing of its charm and elegance and personally is still my favorite Makowicz
album, perhaps because it is entirely based on his original music. A classic Jazz
piano album and a must for all fans of Polish Jazz of course!
Jeden z najważniejszych polskich perkusistów, Rafał Gorzycki, pracuje właśnie nad nagraniem i wydaniem najnowszego albumu swojego tria. W tym celu na platformie crowdfundingowej Polak.Potrafi.pl został stworzony specjalny projekt, którego celem jest prezentacja muzyki tria poprzez nagranie, wydanie i promocję płyty - "Playing".
Przygotowywana płyta jest pierwszym albumem tryptyku triowego i kontynuacją rewelacyjnie przyjętego tryptyku duetów nagranych z Kamilem Paterem, Sebastianem Gruchotem oraz Jonathanem Dobie'em. Muzyka skomponowana na potrzebę tego otwierającego serię tria, jest nową i intrygującą odsłoną zainteresowań Gorzyckiego. Krótka trasa koncertowa zagrana na przełomie 2014/15 roku w celu zbadania na żywym organizmie tego projektu pokazała, iż ta muzyka jest bardzo dobrze odbierana zarówno przez odbiorców niesłuchających jazzu na co dzień, jaki i wytrawnych melomanów, których serca już podbiły poprzednie projekty, jak choćby Sing Sing Penelope, Ecstasy Project czy Dziki Jazz.
Rafał Gorzycki jest zaliczany obecnie do najważniejszych, najbardziej twórczych muzyków jazzowych, kompozytorów i perkusistów w Polsce oraz Europie. Współtworzone przez niego zespoły zostały okrzyknięte muzycznymi odkryciami ostatniej dekady, które przyczyniły się do zmiany pokoleniowej w polskim jazzie. Konsekwentnie promuje polską muzykę, występując na scenach i festiwalach całej Europy, Azji i USA, wydając swoje autorskie albumy wyróżniane przez media w Europie i USA.
Gorzycki ma 41 lat, mieszka w Bydgoszczy, jest twórcą i współzałożycielem zespołów Sing Sing Penelope, Ecstasy Project, Dziki Jazz, A-kineton, Maestro Trytony, czy ostatnio 3 duetów oraz tria. Gra na perkusji i komponuje muzykę, nagrał ponad 20 autorskich płyt. W 2010 r. jego album „Dziki Jazz” był nominowany do „Fryderyka”. Rok później został laureatem konkursu Nagrody Polskich Melomanów, przyznawaną przez Program Trzeci Polskiego Radia. W 2012 r. amerykańska wytwórnia płytowa „Moon in June” (wyd. Soft Machine) zaprosiła go, jako jedynego Polaka, do udziału w albumie-kompilacji z najciekawszą muzyką jazzową z całego świata. Jest stypendystą Ministra Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego, Marszałka Województwa Kujawsko-Pomorskiego, laureatem Nagrody Artystycznej Prezydenta Miasta Bydgoszczy oraz członkiem zarządu Stowarzyszenia Artystycznego Mózg. W latach 2006, 2009, 2012 i 2013 był uznawany w podsumowaniach muzycznych roku za Artystę Roku i klasyfikowany zawsze w pierwszej 10-tce artystów jazzowych.
Marek Malinowski to absolwent Akademii Muzyczne im. Feliksa Nowowiejskiego w Bydgoszczy na wydziale Jazzu w klasie prof. Piotra Olszewskiego. W 2013 r. powołał do życia kwartet, w skład którego wchodzą utalentowani młodzi, ale znani już muzycy: Michał Michota (trąbka), Paweł Urowski (kontrabas) i Albert Karch (perkusja). Grupa promuje obecnie debiutancki album, który został wydany w renomowanej wytwórni Requiem Records. Marek swoje brzmienie kształtuje poprzez stosowanie oszczędnych środków. Łączy nastrojową melodykę, przestrzeń, z odważnym podejściem do partii improwizowanych. Jest lirykiem, nie boi się też eksperymentować w poszukiwaniu nowych brzmień.
Wojciech Woźniak - W roku 2008 Minister Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego przyznał mu honorową odznakę „Zasłużony dla kultury polskiej”. Kształcił się w klasie kontrabasu w Pańtwowej Szkole Muzycznej w Bydgoszczy. Jest kompozytorem i współzałożycielem zespołu Variété, w którym tworzył w latach 1983-2006 r. Jest autorem muzyki do pięciu płyt - "Bydgoszcz" (1986), "Variété" (1993), "Koncert Teatr STU" (1995), "Wieczór przy balustradzie" (1996), "Nowy materiał" 2004 . Wielokrotny laureat FMR w Jarocinie. W roku 1989 otrzymał wyróżnienie na Ogólnopolskim Przeglądzie Piosenki Aktorskiej we Wrocławiu. W 2006 r. założył zespół The Cyclist, z którym wydał bardzo dobrze przyjętą płytę "Gymnastics" (2008) oraz „Etiudy miejskie” (2013) z udziałem Daniela Mackiewicza z Sing Sing Penelope i Jacka Buhla znanego z zespołu: 4/5 Syfon, czy duetu Jachna/Buhl.
Celem projektu jest zebranie środków, które zostaną przeznaczone na wynajęcie studia nagraniowego Recpublica gwarantującego światowe brzmienie płyty, mix, mastering i wydanie/wytłoczenie płyty CD w nakładzie 1000 sztuk. Premiera albumu jest przewidzana na 28.02.2016, a w ramach trasy koncertowej PLAYING MUSIC TOUR zespół odwiedzi wszystkie najważniejsze ośrodki muzyczne w Polsce, a jesienią także Europy.
Ze względu na realia, którymi rządzi się polski przemysł jazzowy, projekt nie będzie miał możliwości realizacji bez Państwa pomocy. Na płycie znajdą się wyłącznie utwory będące autorskimi kompozycjami, a dodatkowo jeśli wsparcie projektu przekroczy 8.000 zł na dodatkowej płycie przeznaczonej dla wspierających projekt znajdzie się bonusowo jeden utwór specjalny. Jeśli dofinansowanie przekroczy 10.000 zł nakład albumu zostanie zwiększony o 250 egz. Jeśli przekroczy próg 12.000 zł zostanie zrealizowany klip video, który zostanie umieszczony bezpłatnie w sieci (z możliwością ściągnięcia) oraz emitowany będzie w TVP Kultura. Jeśli dofinansowanie osiągnie ponad 14.000 zł wytłoczone zostanie kolejne 250 cds, które zespół roześle bezpłatnie do Instytutów Polskich oraz Instytucji Kultury na Świecie celem promocji Kultury Polskiej!
