S.P.P.T Chalturnik / Polish Radio Jazz Studio Orchestra – S.P.P.T Chalturnik / Polish Radio Jazz Studio Orchestra (2009) ***1/2

Jan Ptaszyn Wroblewski - saxophone / composer / arramger / bandleader
Janusz Muniak - saxophone
Zbigniew Namyslowski - saxophone
Tomasz Szukalski - saxophone
Wojciech Karolak - keyboards
Jan Jarczyk - piano
Bronislaw Suchanek - bass
Czeslaw Bartkowski - drums

POLJAZZ / ANEX 312

By Adam Baruch

The material presented on this album originates from two separate LPs released by the Poljazz label, each contributing one side of the original LP. The logic behind it is that the original Poljazz releases often included two sides of completely unrelated material, artificially combined for a variety of reasons, mostly economic. These two sides of two separate LPs are connected by the central personality behind the music, the Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer / arranger / bandleader Jan Ptaszyn Wroblewski.

Wroblewski was the founder and leader of the band S.P.P.T Chalturnik, which was formed in order to present Jazz with a humorous and tongue in cheek attitude, featuring well known standards as well as original material by the leader. The band included the absolute crème de la crème of the Polish Jazz scene: saxophonists Janusz Muniak, Zbigniew Namyslowski and Tomasz Szukalski, keyboardist Wojciech Karolak, bassist Bronislaw Suchanek and drummer Czeslaw Bartkowski. The wonderful arrangements and whimsy performances are all brilliant, especially in view of the fact that they show that Jazz doesn't have to be treated always so seriously.

Wroblewski was also the director of the Polish Radio Jazz Studio Orchestra during the years 1968-1978, which was one of the most important incubators and places of refuge for the young Polish Jazz musicians under the Socialist regime, providing them with a steady income. The orchestra performs a very ambitious piece of music composed by the young pianist Jan Jarczyk called "A Double Concerto For Five Soloists And Orchestra", which features as soloists top Polish Jazz players of the time: violinist Zbigniew Seifert, saxophonist Tomasz Szukalski and Janusz Muniak and trumpeter Tomasz Stanko. Legendary American drummer Stu Martin also participates in the recording. The music is a very interesting example of early Orchestral Jazz works, which combine contemporary Classical techniques with Free Jazz improvisation.

Side Note: The Poljazz label, which originally released this album, was active for 20 years (between 1972 and 1991) and was owned by the Polish Jazz Society. Considering the fact that the music industry in the Socialist State was centralized and totally controlled, with just one State owned music company producing all the albums, the possibilities to record and release Jazz albums were extremely limited. Poljazz was conceived and founded in order to allow for many more Jazz (and other) albums to be released independently from the State owned Polskie Nagrania / Muza and as such revolutionized the music industry at the time, being the only such enterprise in Eastern Europe. The Polish label Anex reissued many of the original Poljazz albums on CD, bringing this fabulous music back to life.

Janusz Muniak – Placebo (2009) ***1/2

Janusz Muniak - saxophone
Wojciech Puszek - piano
Andrzej Cudzich - bass
Krzysztof Zawadzki - drums

POLJAZZ / ANEX 325






By Adam Baruch

Polish saxophonist / composer / bandleader Janusz Muniak was one of the most important Polish Jazz figures during the early post WWII period, which flourished in the 1960s / 1970s. He was part of the emerging revolutionary movement of Polish Jazz, where he played along such legendary pioneers as Andrzej Trzaskowski, Krzysztof Komeda and Tomasz Stanko. Since the late 1970s Muniak leads his own groups and records as a leader. This is his second album as a leader and since then he continued to record a plethora of albums over the years, both as a leader and sideman. He also owns his own Jazz club in Krakow, called "U Muniaka", which is one of the oldest continuously active Jazz venues in the country.

This album presents Muniak in a quartet setting, with pianist Wojciech Puszek (playing the Fender Rhodes electric piano), bassist Andrzej Cudzich and drummer Krzysztof Zawadzki. They perform four lengthy originals, all by Muniak, which allow for extended improvisations, mostly by the leader. The presence of the electric piano sets the overall ambience of this recording, pushing it slightly towards Jazz-Rock Fusion, but the leader keeps the situation in check and well within the modern mainstream bounds. Muniak's performances on both the soprano and tenor saxophones are first rate as are those by the rhythm section, creating together some excellent, but not very innovative modern Jazz, which most Jazz listeners should enjoy.

Side Note: The Poljazz label, which originally released this album, was active for 20 years (between 1972 and 1991) and was owned by the Polish Jazz Society. Considering the fact that the music industry in the Socialist State was centralized and totally controlled, with just one State owned music company producing all the albums, the possibilities to record and release Jazz albums were extremely limited. Poljazz was conceived and founded in order to allow for many more Jazz (and other) albums to be released independently from the State owned Polskie Nagrania / Muza and as such revolutionized the music industry at the time, being the only such enterprise in Eastern Europe. The Polish label Anex reissued many of the original Poljazz albums on CD, bringing this fabulous music back to life.

Michał Gorczyński / Uchihashi Kazuhisa - Michal Gorczynski Uchihashi Kazuhisa (2013) ***

Michal Gorczynski - clarinet, bass clarinet

Kazuhisa Uchihashi - guitar, electronics

Michal Gorczynski Uchihashi Kazuhisa (2013)

By Maciej Nowotny

Let me put it quick as I write honestly that this music is not my cup of tea. Uchihashi Kazuhisa is a guitarist who is best known from playing in such a experimental bands as Altered States or Ground Zero. He is especially actve in all kind of arts based upon improvisation - the recent key word to almost everything that is going in music and elsewhere. Michał Górczyński is equally diverse person though his activities are mainly musical with projects like Cukunft and the collaborations with Mikołaj Trzaska and Marcin Masecki making him one of the most prospective young instrumentalists in Poland, at least as far as clarinet is concerned.

However, Górczyński's achievements as a leader and author of his own projects are IMHO rather dissapointing. He started quite well pairing with local legend tubist Zbigniew Piernik on "Energa". His other duo, seemingly his favourite format, was with Polish beat boxer Patrik 'Tik Tak" Matela with whom they recorded "Animarium" which was unfortunately a failure. One cannot deny Górczyński the courage to experiment, but the outcome of these experiments is doubtful, bringing forth records containing interesting sounds but no coherent, well thought music.

I was therefore a bit worried about this new project of his, especially since his Japanese counterpart Kazuhisa has recorded already with Polish young musicians one record "Broken Strings" which was nothing close to success. Fortunately this release is much better than their last discs, they clearly are much better paired, being both good musicians with significant achievements. Still I wouldn't call this record my favourite but at least I manage to stay with music until the end and can see some hope in Górczyński artistic development, especially since I value his talent a lot. I would be more than happy to see his next project to be recorded with some top musicians, having well though and original music content and be done in other format than duo.

Anna Maria Jopek – Lustra (2011) ****1/2

Anna Maria Jopek - vocals
Robert Kubiszyn - bass
Pawel Dobrowolski - drums
a.m.o

UNIVERSAL 602527835242







By Adam Baruch

Polish vocalist extraordinaire Anna Maria Jopek (a.k.a. AMJ) never stops to amaze her faithful fans and devoted listeners, but this, her latest box set (or rather book set), which consists of not one, not two but three full-fledged musical projects released simultaneously, is simply awe-inspiring. The three projects, entitled "Polanna", "Haiku" and "Sobremesa", were also released separately, but this set includes all three of them packaged with a marvelous book full of photographs and background information, elegantly designed and exquisitely printed, in a format similar to her previous 3 CD set "Dwa Serduszka Cztery Oczy", released three years earlier.

The three projects, although diametrically different from each other, form a coherent "whole", which reflects AMJ's complex artistic vision of this world, which bridges different cultures, traditions and backgrounds, finding the common beauty in all of them, and engulfing her inner spirit. Obviously she feels completely "at home" with her music, regardless if it is rooted in the Polish melancholy, Japanese introversion and minimalism or Portuguese / African pulsations. Spanning the entire world this music is simply a living proof that geography, language and nationality have absolutely no meaning when artistic expression is concerned.

As usual AMJ is surrounded by excellent musicians, some from Poland, other from around the world. The list is very long and can be studied by reading the book, but the most significant names include Japanese pianist / composer Makoto Ozone, Cuban pianist / composer Gonzalo Rubalcaba, American keyboardist / producer Gil Goldstein and many more. Polish musicians include, among others, bassist Robert Kubiszyn and drummer Pawel Dobrowolski. The music on all the albums is superbly recorded and mastered, being not only perfect musically but also sublime sonically even to the most uncompromising sound quality connoisseurs. This is a "total" listening experience, which is so incredibly rare these days.

I must say that every time I confess my love of AMJ's work my Jazz friends give me a "funny" look, which I find often infuriating. This is not Free Jazz, it's not freely improvised music, and in fact it is only marginally Jazz at all, or rather a Jazz-World Fusion. So what? I find it fulfilling, challenging, aesthetic and meaningful nevertheless. The fact that this music can be enjoyed by a wide circle of listeners without losing an iota of quality and dedication testifies of its inherent value, which I'm always ready to defend.

So overall this is a serious piece of excellent music, diverse and surprising, deeply heartbreaking at times and unboundedly cheerful at others, but always honest and straight to the point, again a rare quality these days. Keep doing what you are doing girl, never look back!

Polish Jazz Mixtape: Vol. I

I was surrounded by Polish jazz records as long as I can remember. Thanks to my dad, who is a great jazz enthusiast himself and was collecting Polish jazz for decades, I was introduced to such big names as Nahorny, Karolak, or Laboratorium already in my early years. However, being that young, I could not understand it or appreciate it as much as they deserved. My dad's collection and influence, though, were a solid basis for my present vast interest in this genre.

As a DJ and a record collector, I have realized that there is a certain shortage in quality mixtapes with Polish jazz and coming up with an idea of recording one myself was quite natural. I have been toying with this idea for a while, but finally it all took shape couple of months ago when I contacted Maciek Nowotny with a proposition of collaboration. He agreed to support and promote it and it happened later that the idea of recording a Polish jazz mixtapes then developed even further to my decision to record a collection of such mixtapes and inviting other DJ's and producers to take part. Our aim is to reach all kinds of audiences. As much as the younger generation who would presumably enjoy listening to a modern DJ mix as the more experienced Polish jazz enthusiasts who could simply enjoy one more time listening top quality Polish jazz tracks recorded and served in entirely fresh way .

I had the pleasure of recording the very first of the mixtapes which is available to listen here:

Sonus - Polish Jazz Mixtape Vol.1 by Polish Jazz Mixtape on Mixcloud

It features tracks recorded by Polish jazz musicians between 1963 to 2010, including "Polish Jazz" series by Muza Polskie Nagrania and recent tracks from Ninja Tune and Obuh Records.

The opening track is a drum solo by Czesław Bartkowski - "Rozmowa Ze Śliwką Bez Pestek" from 1976 which perfectly intertwines with the modern composition "Not Too Bad" by Skalpel (Marcin Cichy and Igor Pudło) from 2004 which was sampled from the archives of Polish jazz music. As for the more modern approach, I would also like to mention "Symfonia Zmysłów" by Robotobibok (2005) and "Walczyk Stabilizacyjny" by Semafor Combo (2010) as two modern bands worth your special attention. Their style and understanding of Polish jazz undisputedly adds a new level to this already highly valued genre. Also, you can find here the godfather of Polish jazz Andrzej Kurylewicz (who is featured on the cover designed by Funklore - http://cargocollective.com/funklore) and his "Foxtrot - Lisi Krok" from the first album recorded in 1965 as a part of Polish Jazz series. Last, but not the least, of many other interesting gems of this mixtape you will find "From Greenhills" by Tomasz Stańko. It appears on a hard to find album tilted Almost Green, recorded in 1978 in Helsinki. My personal favourite, though, would be "Foot Prints", a Wayne Shorter composition, arranged and performed by by Sami Swoi. It is a perfect example showing where Polish musicians looked for inspiration and what influenced them most. Not to mention the amazing double bass that sounds as if it was playing just next to you. For the closing track I chose the playful Band's Signature by Gold Washboard which is truly enjoyable to listen to and gives away the atmosphere of a jazz concert in the 1970s Poland.

All the tracks were specially selected to match the tempo, key, and the mood of every one of them to ensure a smooth listening experience. Enjoy the ninety minutes of pure vinyl sound!

Text by Łukasz Kępiński

jaZZ i okolice / jaZZ & beyond festiwal 2013

The autumn concert series under the name: jaZZ I okolice / jaZZ & beyond starts on 29 of September and ends on 1 of December 2013, in Katowice. Additionally, concerts will take place in several cities of Silesian agglomeration: Bytom, Chorzow, Gliwice and Sosnowiec. The organizers will present the latest trends in contemporary improvised music, its charismatic leaders and bands who are widely recognized as leaders of that kind of music - Uri Caine & Han Bennink, John Abercrombie Quartet, Maciej Obara International Quartet, the Fonda / Stevens Band featuring Irek Wojtczak, Jim Black Trio and also John Scofield Band Uberjam and Możdżer / Daniellson / Fresco – those two bands will present their latest album, which will be released in autumn 2013. Moreover, concerts will be accompanied by Silesian premiere of the movie about the yass band Milosc and conference dedicated to problems of culture managers in promoting concerts and jazz festivals.

Sunday, September 29th, 8 pm
Jazz Club Hipnoza, Katowice, pl. Sejmu Śląskiego 2

Uri Caine/Han Bennink - Sonic Boom
Uri Caine - piano
Han Bennink - drums

Sunday, October 13th, 7 pm
Chorzowskie Centrum Kultury, Chorzów, ul. Sienkiewicza 3

The John Abercrombie Quartet
John Abercombie – guitar
Marc Copland - piano
Drew Gress - bass
Joey Baron – drums

Saturday, November 2nd, 7 pm
Jazz Club Fantom, Bytom, ul. Karin Stanek 1

Fonda/Stevens Group + Irek Wojtczak
Michael Jefry Stevens - piano
Herb Robertson - trumpet
Joe Fonda – bass
Harvey Sorgen – drums
Irek Wojtczak - tenor sax, bass clarinet

Saturday, November 9th, 7 pm
Sala Koncertowa Zespołu Szkół Muzycznych, Sosnowiec, ul. Wawel 2

Jim Black Trio
Elias Stemeseder - piano
Thomas Morgan – bass
Jim Black – drums, electronics

Sunday, November 17th, 7 pm
Klub Muzyczny 4art, Gliwice, ul. Wieczorka 22

Maciej Obara International Quartet
Maciej Obara - alto sax
Dominik Wania - piano
Ole Morten Vaagan - bass
Gard Nilssen - drums

Friday, November 22nd, 8 pm
Kinoteatr Rialto, Katowice, ul. Św. Jana 24

John Scofield Uberjam Band
John Scofield - guitar
Avi Bortnick - guitar
Andy Hess - bass
Louis Cato - drums

Sunday, December 1st, 7 pm
Centrum Kultury Katowice, Katowice, Plac Sejmu Śląskiego 2

Możdżer/Danielsson/Fresco
Leszek Możdżer - piano
Lars Danielsson - double bass
Zohar Fresco - drums, percussion

Various Artists – Polish Radio Jazz Archives Vol.07 (2013) ***1/2

Romal Dylag - bass
Leszek Dudziak - drums

Various Artists

POLSKIE RADIO 1626






By Adam Baruch

This is the seventh 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 additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland's most important Jazz venue, the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well.

The material collected here presents recordings made during 1961 (with one exception from 1962) by visiting Jazz musicians, mostly from Scandinavia. Although the Iron Curtain separating Eastern Europe from the West was still very much intact and pretty impregnable, Poland's relations with the northern Scandinavian neighbors were much more relaxed and allowed for two-way contacts between musicians and mutual visits. As a result Scandinavian Jazz, mostly Swedish, had a major impact on the Polish Jazz scene in the early 1960s and allowed exposure to new musical developments that were happening in the US and Western Europe at the time via smuggled LPs and personal contacts.

The first four tracks present the giant Swedish saxophonist / composer Bernt Rosengren, one of the founding fathers of modern European Jazz, in a quartet setting with the brilliant Romanian pianist Jancy Korossy and a Polish rhythm section comprised of bassist Roman Dylag and drummer Leszek Dudziak. The next three tracks preset the Korossy trio with the same rhythm section. Then comes one track by the Swedish Lasse Lystedt quintet, followed by three tracks by another Swedish ensemble, the Lars Werner trio, and finally the album is rounded off with a vocal track by Norwegian vocalist Nora Brockstedt accompanied by the Polish Radio Orchestra.

The music includes mostly Jazz standards, except for the tracks by Lars Werner, which are all originals. Although based mostly on Bebop, it shows already early signs leading to the development of a new European Jazz style, which would crystallize over the next few years. The performances are all excellent and their invaluable historical significance is beyond reproach. Beautifully restored sound quality 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.

Various Artists – Polish Radio Jazz Archives Vol.06 (2013) ***1/2

Andrzej Kurylewicz - trumpet
Wanda Warska - vocals
Wojciech Karolak - piano
Jan Tomaszewski Big Band
Jerzy Matuszkiewicz Swingtet
New Orleans Stompers

POLSKIE RADIO 1625




By Adam Baruch

This is the sixth 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 additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland's most important Jazz venue, the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well.

The material collected here presents a second batch of recordings made during the 5^th Jazz Jamboree Festival, which took place between October 27 and 29, 1962 in Warsaw. The artists include mostly Polish Jazz ensembles: Andrzej Kurylewicz quintet (with Kurylewicz playing trumpet rather than piano), legendary singer Wanda Warska with pianist Wojciech Karolak trio, Jan Tomaszewski Big Band, Jerzy Matuszkiewicz Swingtet and New Orleans Stompers. In addition the album also includes two tracks by the Hungarian pianist Atilla Garay and his trio and one track by Soviet pianist Vadim Sakun and his sextet, which includes legendary Soviet Jazz players like guitarist Nikolaj Gromin and saxophonist Aleksiej Kozlov. In many respects this is a review of Eastern European Jazz at the time.

The music includes original compositions (Kurylewicz, Garay and Gromin) and Jazz standards, from Dixieland to Bebop, which were the model for most modern European Jazz musicians at the time, leading to the development of a new style, which would crystallize over the next few years. The performances are all excellent and their invaluable historical significance is beyond reproach. Beautifully restored sound quality and a warm ambience of the live 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 meaning to the development of Polish Jazz in particular and Polish Culture in general. Nevertheless this is an essential piece of history which every Polish / Eastern European Jazz fan will surely consider an absolute must.

Various Artists – Polish Radio Jazz Archives Vol.03 (2013) ***1/2

Various Artists incl.
Wojciech Karolak - piano
Krzysztof Komeda - piano
Jerzy Milian - vibraphone

POLSKIE RADIO 1599






By Adam Baruch

This is the third 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 additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland's most important Jazz venue, the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well.

The material collected here presents recordings made during the 5^th Jazz Jamboree, which took place between October 27 and 29, 1962 in Warsaw. The artists include two Scandinavian Jazz ensembles: Swedish trombonist Eje Thelin and his quintet and the Jazz Fraktionen quintet featuring the Danish saxophonist John Tchicai. One track features the American trumpeter Don Ellis accompanied by a Polish trio led by pianist Wojciech Karolak, which was already presented on volume 2 of this series, offering here an alternate take. Another track presents the quintet led by Polish vibraphonist Jerzy Milian, which features the legendary Krzysztof Komeda on piano. The last track presents the Danish vibraphonist Louis Hjulmand also accompanied by pianist Wojciech Karolak and his trio. At the time Poland kept a relatively open relation with the Scandinavian countries, as opposed to the Western Europe, which explains the presence of several Scandinavian players at the festival. Also some Polish Jazz managed to play in Scandinavia at that time, including Komeda.

Except for Ellis, who plays an original composition, all the other ensembles play Jazz standards, mostly Bebop, which was the model for most modern European Jazz musicians at the time, leading to the development of a new style, which would crystallize over the next few years. The performances are all excellent and their invaluable historical significance is beyond reproach. Beautifully restored sound quality and a warm ambience of the live 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 meaning to the development of Polish Jazz in particular and Polish Culture in general. Nevertheless this is an essential piece of history which every Polish Jazz fan will surely consider an absolute must.

Dabrowski/Sorey Duo – Steps (2013) ****

Tomasz Dabrowski - trumpet
Tyshawn Sorey - drums

FOR TUNE 0005









By Adam Baruch

The trumpet / drums duos have been a source of several milestone Jazz collaborations and recordings in the past and this challenging format stimulated the duo members to reach new musical heights and discover previously untraveled paths. This album is another example of this format, this time by two young musicians originating seemingly from two different cultures and born thousands of miles apart: the Polish trumpeter / composer Tomasz Dabrowski (age 28) and the American drummer / composer Tyshawn Sorey (age 32). The album was recorded in New York and comprises of ten original compositions, all by Dabrowski.

The music is all about freedom, but remains beautifully confined within defined structures, both melodically and rhythmically. The themes and improvisations stated by the trumpet go perfectly hand in hand with the rhythmic patterns and polyrhythmic excursions produced by the drum set. The duo format is, a priori, extremely difficult as far as managing a balance between the two participants, especially for the entire duration of an album, but this is one of the most well balanced duo albums ever recorded. Dabrowski and Sorey simply float along each other like a pair of lovers in perfect emotional harmony. It is difficult to estimate how much of this was pre-arranged and rehearsed and how much is spontaneous, but considering that it was all recorded in one session, the unity and cooperation are simply stunning.

The individual statements by the two players are also first rate. Dabrowski is steadily climbing to the very top of Polish Jazz trumpet player's league, being incredibly prolific as a composer and polishing his virtuosity as a player. His versatility is also quite incredible, considering the different settings and stylistic areas he was involved with in the relatively short span of his career. Sorey, who already established his position as one of the most interesting young generation players in the US, displays his masterly technique but above all his wonderful musicality and sense of melody. These two lions are definitely part of the Jazz future, proving again that geography and nationality have absolutely no meaning when artistry prevails.

Music connoisseurs around the world should find this album worthy their attention for many reasons: the rarity of the setting, the excellence of the performances and the honesty and elegance that this project radiates to the listener. Hopefully this meeting of souls will take place again sometime in the future with similar results.

The album was released by the excellent new Polish For Tune label, which presents not only specific aesthetics as far as musical choices are concerned, but also a unified graphic design, all in the best tradition of European Jazz labels. This album also features liner notes by my friend and colleague Maciej Nowotny, which are informative and well written. A true gem!