Krzysia Górniak – Moments (2016)

Krzysia Górniak

Krzysia Górniak - guitar
Zdzisław Kalinowski - keyboards
Łukasz Makowski - bass
Grzegorz Grzyb - drums
Gniewomir Tomczyk - drums

Moments




POLSKIE RADIO 1851

By Adam Baruch

This is the seventh album by Polish Jazz guitarist/composer Krzysia Górniak, recorded in a quartet format with keyboardist Zdzisław Kalinowski, bassist Łukasz Makowski and drummers Grzegorz Grzyb or Gniewomir Tomczyk. The album presents nine compositions, five of which are originals by Gorniak, one is co-composed by her, two are by the Greek bassist/composer Evangelos Tzimkas, who played on Górniak's debut album, and the final one is by Makowski.

The music is all melodic mainstream Jazz, on the easy side of the spectrum, with excellent compositions which present a wide spectrum of emotions and moods. The sound of the guitar dominates the proceedings, playing clear single notes and harmonic chord structures, which basically need only limited support from the rhythm section and the keyboards. Górniak clearly developed a mature sound and style over the years and this album is coherent and professional to the max. Some nice World Music influences are also incorporated into the music on some of the tunes.

All the musicians involved play excellently from start to finish and are given an opportunity to show their chops in solo parts, but Górniak is obviously the leader in charge and dictates the terms. Her guitar sound is sleek and demonstrates her absolute charge of the instrument. She is definitely different from all other guitar players on the Polish scene, and her unique approach to the instrument puts her in a class of her own.

It seems that this album is somewhat more Fusion oriented than I expected, which is not that much evident in the guitar playing but more so in the parts played by the band behind. Luckily there is still enough of the Jazz feel on this album, to make it work within the Jazz framework. Górniak's solos are kept carefully in check and don't enter the typical race with the notes, which makes many Fusion albums hard to bear.

Overall this is a wonderful guitar album, which should make guitar lovers wet their lips with delight, and which is also very accessible to a wide range of listeners, without making any compromises as far as the quality of compositions and performances are concerned. Combined with the superb sound quality the album offers, this is an album music lovers should not miss!

Zbigniew Namysłowski Quintet - Polish Jazz-Yes! (2016)

Zbigniew Namysłowski Quintet

Zbigniew Namysłowski - alto, soprano & sopranino saxophones
Jacek Namysłowski - trombone
Sławek Jaskułke - piano
Paweł Puszczało - bass
Andrzej Święs - bass
Grzegorz Grzyb - drums

Polish Jazz-Yes!


PN 0190295930271

By Krzysztof Komorek

Wrzesień tego roku przyniósł niespodziankę w postaci nowego tytułu kultowej serii wydawniczej Polish Jazz. Jako numer 77 ukazała się płyta kwintetu Zbigniewa Namysłowskiego "Polish Jazz-Yes!", a jej premiera miała miejsce dokładnie w dniu 77 urodzin muzyka. Znakomitemu saksofoniście towarzyszą: Jacek Namysłowski na puzonie, Sławek Jaskułke na fortepianie, Grzegorz Grzyb na perkusji oraz basiści Paweł Puszczało i Andrzej Święs, którzy podzielili się udziałem w nagraniach mniej więcej po połowie. 

Dziewięć nowych utworów autorstwa lidera zespołu odwołuje się w znacznej większości do ludowych źródeł, przede wszystkim do folkloru góralskiego. To oczywiście nie pierwszy taki przypadek w twórczości Namysłowskiego. Już wcześniej mogliśmy przecież znaleźć w karierze tego wybitnego artysty niezwykle udane podobne odniesienia czy też kooperacje koncertowe i płytowe z twórcami ludowymi. 

Trzeba przyznać, że kompozycje zaskakują bogactwem pomysłów i rozwiązań. Każda dostarcza moc wrażeń, począwszy już od samych zagadkowych i wieloznacznych tytułów. Najciekawiej dla mnie wypadły "Chór z gór" z pulsującym basem i świetnym solem fortepianu oraz "Abra-besqua" z orientalnymi nawiązaniami. W pamięć zapada również "Nie O’krzesany", w którym następujące po sobie solówki poszczególnych instrumentów, a także cały utwór, puentowane są zabawnym zakończeniem. Wreszcie bardzo oryginalnie zabrzmiał kończący płytę "Jako tako", a uwagę przykuwa zwłaszcza góralski zaśpiew saksofonu i puzonu na początku utworu. 

Z muzyków – obok samego lidera – wypada wyróżnić Jacka Namysłowskiego oraz Sławka Jaskułke, którego już dawno nie słyszałem w tak wybornej formie. Tradycyjnie seria przyciąga edytorską starannością i bogatymi materiałami dodatkowymi. "Polish Jazz-Yes!" zawiera dwa obszerne teksty towarzyszące: wywiad ze Zbigniewem Namysłowskim przeprowadzony przez Jerzego Szczerbakowa oraz esej o płycie autorstwa Tomasza Szachowskiego. Mam nadzieję, że ta niezwykle udana reaktywacja legendarnej serii jest zapowiedzią i początkiem jej kontynuacji.

Marek Kazana Project – Tangola (2013)

Marek Kazana Project

Marek Kazana - soprano & alto saxophones
Tomasz Licak - tenor saxophone
Marek Mac - electric double bass
Grzegorz Grzyb - drums
Szymon Orłowski - bass guitar (track 10)

Tangola

PRIVATE EDITION

By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album as a leader by Polish Jazz saxophonist Marek Kazana, recorded in a quartet setting with saxophonist Tomasz Licak, bassist Marek Mac and drummer Grzegorz Grzyb. The album was recorded "live in the studio" in Radio Szczecin and presents ten original compositions (the title track is repeated twice opening and closing the album), three of which were composed by Kazana and seven are credited to all four quartet members and are largely improvised.

Kazana is relatively little known on the Polish scene, which is a price many musicians pay when choosing the unbeaten path of individuality, usually in the Free Jazz/Improvised Music idiom. Although he was a member of two seminal Polish Jazz ensembles in the 1980s: Young Power and Free Cooperation and participated in quite a few recordings, his remains almost anonymous and recorded this debut album as a leader only in 2012. The fact that he resides relatively far away from the Polish Jazz centers is probably another reason for the lack of his exposure.

The music played by the quartet is definitely part of the Free Jazz idiom, but surprisingly it is quite accessible, preserving melodic motifs and natural flow on one side and a feeling of rhythmic swing on the other, which enable even a less experienced/radical listeners to enjoy this music with relative ease. The individual statements by the participants are all impressive. The young and well schooled Licak plays with confidence and balances Kazana's less groomed approach. Mac glues the music together with his powerful bass lines and Grzyb, who originates from much more conventional circles, adds a barrage of percussion, which at times is a bit over the top, but overall fits the bill quite well.

In general this is a very interesting recording which deserves to be heard well beyond its niche image. Of course it is also a well deserved achievement by Kazana, who certainly should be better known and recognized for his contributions to the Polish Jazz scene. Recommended!

Zbigniew Namyslowski – Mozart Goes Jazz (1999) ***

Zbigniew Namyslowski - saxophone
Krzysztof Herdzin - piano
Olo Walicki - bass
Grzegorz Grzyb - drums

JAZZ FORUM 019






By Adam Baruch

This is probably the least known as well as most unusual album by veteran Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer / band leader Zbigniew Namyslowski, who is associated with the local scene continuously since the late 1950s. The album consists of a live recording captured by the Polish Radio, which presents a Jazz arrangement of Amadeus Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A major, K 622, performed by Namyslowski's quartet, clarinetist Wojciech Mrozek and the Camerata string quartet. The Zbigniew Namyslowski quartet at the time of the recording included also pianist Krzysztof Herdzin, bassist Olgierd Walicki and drummer Grzegorz Grzyb. Mozart's masterpiece, which was his last completed work before his untimely death, consists of three movements, but this extended interpretation adds five more "variations". All the pieces were arranged by Namyslowski, except the middle movement of the original concerto, which was arranged by Herdzin.

Of course this is by far not the first attempt of creating Classical-Jazz Fusion, which has been attempted countless times before. The matching of these often distant musical idioms is probably the most perilous area, and this album is a "classic" (pun intended) example why. The idea behind such attempts is of course to fuse the two idioms and create an amalgam, which somehow manages to preserve the best of both ingredients and create a new flavor, previously unknown. Sadly the music presented here fails completely in that sense, as far as I am concerned. The resulting music mixes Mozart's melodic themes with Jazz rhythms and improvisations, but the resulting music simply sounds unsavory. Sort of "pickles with marmalade", which makes sense to pregnant women only.

Of course Namyslowski and his crew are all wonderful musicians and perform spotlessly all the way through, as do their Classical counterparts. There are many showcases of splendid musicianship and inspired soloing. However the overall atmosphere simply doesn't let one enjoy this music. Mozart dancing calypso is simply not my cup of rum…

But considering Namyslowski's remarkably long and otherwise spotless career and tremendous contribution to Polish Jazz, this excursion is easily forgiven, as it is forgotten.

(0-58) – Do Dziesieciu (2001) ***1/2

Krystyna Stanko - vocals
Maciek Grzywacz - guitar
Olo Wolicki - bass
with
Cezary Paciorek - accordion
Cezary Konrad - drums
Grzegorz Grzyb - drums
Adam Pieronczyk - saxophone

OLO 003


By Adam Baruch

This is the second album by Polish Jazz vocalist Krystyna Stanko and her debut recording with the group (0-58), which placed her as a co-leader with guitarist / composer Maciej Grzywacz and bassist / composer Olgierd Walicki. The group also included accordionist Cezary Paciorek and alternating drummers Cezary Konrad and Grzegorz Grzyb. Saxophonist Adam Pieronczyk guests on two tracks. The album includes nine original compositions, four each by Grzywacz and Walicki and one by Stanko with lyrics all written by Stanko.

Musically the album presents a process of searching after a unique identity, which takes the musicians exploring many different avenues, such as Blues, chanson, alternative Pop and of course Jazz. The songs are very diverse in their tempi, moods and melodic ranges and the album keeps changing quite dramatically between one song and another. Listening to the album is like embarking on a journey with destination unknown. On the whole the approach is acoustic and rather intimate.

The instrumentalists perform splendidly, improvising extensively between the vocal parts. Grzywacz and Walicki both play some outstanding instrumental parts as do the guest soloists. Stanko is theatrical and somewhat reserved, perhaps still not aware or her formidable vocal ability, which will flower on her later recordings.

In retrospect this is a very interesting document of the Polish Jazz scene at the turn of the Millennium. Obviously the young generation of musicians is looking for something different than the mainstream tradition and with Yass paving the way in the previous decade, everything is open and nothing is taboo any more. The album is unfortunately out of print since many years and it took me ages to track a copy down – lucky me!

Marek Kazana Project - Tangola (2013) ****

Marek Kazana Project

Marek Kazana - soprano & alto saxophones
Tomek Licak - tenor saxophones
Marek Mac - electric double bass
Grzegorz Grzyb - drums
Szymon Orłowski - bass guitar (track 10)

Tangola (2013)

By Maciej Nowotny

Nowadays we often forget that jazz has always been as much music as life style. Stripped off all its existential  features it looks rather artificial, kind of "new" classical music of Afro Americans, dream-come-true of Marsalis clan and others thinking alike. But for me, and for many people round this globe, jazz is first of all a big force changing, through music, our way of thinking. Opening our eyes. Our hearts. Our souls. Seen from this perspective playing it requires much more than good craftsmanship alone, it is a mission, destiny or even fate. Jazz musicians who were able to reconcile these two elements, the music and its meaning, were always among the most influential of their kind.

First example of such an artist that comes to mind is of course John Coltrane. Incidentally saxophone player as is the leader of this ensemble Marek Kazana. Like Trane Kazana started pretty conventional by winning in 1979 Grand Prix at Jazz Nad Odrą Festival and joining Young Power, probably the most significant collective of young musicians in 80ties in Polish jazz. But like his famous predecessor at certain moment he turned toward spirituality, joined famous Free Cooperation band, and his style become more influenced by such free jazz players like Ornette Coleman or Albert Ayler. Political and economic collapse that took place in Poland at 80ties unfortunately hindered natural development of his career which resulted in almost no significant recordings made by this talented player in last decade or two. Therefore this album seems all the more important being one of rare opportunities to listen to Kazana at all!

Regardless his little recording activity he was always deemed by other musicians as force to reckon with in Polish music. It allowed him to gather a very interesting team for this project. On electric double bass he is accopanied by long time friend Marek Mec, on tenor saxophone by young Tomasz Licak whose album "Trouble Hunting" was among Polish Jazz Top Ten 2012, and on drums by experienced Grzegorz Grzyb, a member of legendary Zbigniew Namysłowski ensambles, one of few drummers in Poland having his own, unique style, feeling equally at ease as much in mainstream as in free jazz.

The experience and youth proved to be truly an explosive mixture producing one of the most outstanding recordings of recent years. Rooted in free jazz tradition, rich in Ornettian grittiness, in Albert Ayler marching rhythms, in Thelonius Monk angular harmonies, it is above all a testament to jazz as spiritual force.  From first to last note packed with action, fresh, improvised but never chaotic, is successfully overstepping some technical difficulties and shows that jazz is capable, still, of transcending popular music into true and timeless art!

Zbigniew Namyslowski / Remy Filipovitch – Go! (2003) ***1/2

Zbigniew Namyslowski - saxophone
Remy Filipovitch - saxophone
Krzysztof Herdzin - piano
Olgierd Walicki - bass
Grzegorz Grzyb - drums

ALBUM 66919





By Adam Baruch

This is a recording by Polish Jazz veteran Zbigniew Namyslowski and his quartet: pianist Krzysztof Herdzin, bassist Olgierd Walicki and drummer Grzegorz Grzyb, with the Lithuanian saxophonist Remy Filipovitch as a co-leader. They perform nine original compositions, six of which are by Namyslowski and the remaining three by Filipovitch.

Although excellently played by all the musicians involved, the album brings little adventure to the listeners. Namyslowski's compositions are brilliant, but they are not new and were recorded previously on other albums. The two saxophonists cooperate very little except for a few unisono statements of the themes, soloing separately and not playing against each other or soloing together or even exchanging licks. Therefore the whole idea of a double-sax front line seems to be missed completely here.

Nevertheless this is still Namyslowski and a bunch of first-class players so the music sounds great and is a classic example of European modern mainstream Jazz at its best. With two saxophones up front the rhythm section gets naturally a bit less opportunity to shine, but Herdzin manages to squeeze in a few very nice piano solos. Walicki and Grzyb support the soloists steadfastly, as always.

Perhaps not the strongest album in Namyslowski's lifelong and legendary legacy, but then again nothing he should regret or be ashamed of. Polish Jazz fans will find this a pleasant addition to their collection.

Zbigniew Namyslowski – 3 Nights (1999)

Zbigniew Namyslowski - saxophone
Krzysztof Herdzin - piano
Olo Walicki - bass
Grzegorz Grzyb - drums
with
Piotr Wojtasik - trumpet
Grzgorz Nagorski - trombone
Cezary Paciorek - accordion
Jose Torres - percussion

POLONIA 174/176

By Adam Baruch

This album by Polish Jazz Colossus saxophonist Zbigniew Namyslowski documents a live recording captured during three consecutive nights at the legendary Warsaw Jazz Club "Akwarium". Accompanied by his regular (at the time) quartet, with pianist Krzysztof Herdzin, bassist Olgierd Walicki and drummer Grzegorz Grzyb, as well as guest musicians: trumpeter Piotr Wojtasik, trombonist Grzegorz Nagorski, accordionist Cezary Paciorek and percussionist Jose Torres, Namyslowski played a different program each night, which comprised entirely of his original compositions, twenty three of them in total.

Although not intended as such, this recording is a sort of retrospective, both for Namyslowski the composer and Namyslowski the player. Approaching the age of sixty Namyslowski celebrated four decades of activity on the local and international scenes: recording some of the Polish Jazz milestone albums, grooming generations of Jazz musicians and playing countless concerts, an impressive record, which only very few other musicians share with him. Among the compositions performed one can find a few of his early tunes, going over thirty years back before the date of this recording, as well as some recently composed ones.

The three nights seem to have quite a different character, although it's difficult to guess if that was intended. The first night is all up-tempo tunes, performed by a septet with strong presence of the percussion, which spices the music with a Cuban feel. The second night is more modern mainstream, performed by a sextet and the last night is the most adventurous, with odd meters and World Music influenced compositions, which are often Namyslowski's trademark. Overall the quality of the compositions and the performances are of course excellent. Namyslowski always knew how to pick up his group members, almost always from the ranks of one young generation after another. Walicki and Grzyb represent the youngest (at the time) generation and both prove to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the veterans. Herdzin, who played for several years with Namyslowski in the late 1990s, was still relatively unknown at the time (in the years to come his career was about to literally explode) and is the most interesting soloist on this album except the Boss of course. The guest players are all well known and their contributions are professional, but not very inspiring, except perhaps for Paciorek, who is so original that his playing is always fascinating.

In the long discography by Namyslowski, this is perhaps not one of his milestone recordings, but in retrospect it definitely reflects his exceptional abilities as a player, composer and bandleader. The sound quality of these live recordings is spotless and has a warm aura and superb presence. This is a must have for the many Namyslowski fans and Polish Jazz buffs in general!

Zbigniew Namyslowski – Standards (2003)

Zbigniew Namyslowski - saxophone
Slawomir Jaskulke - piano
Krzysztof Pacan - bass
Piotr Grzyb - drums
guests:
Jacek Namyslowski - trombone
Piotr Wojtasik - trumpet

PRIVATE EDITION


By Adam Baruch

This is a very unusual album by veteran Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Zbigniew Namyslowski, which finds him performing standards, whereas he usually performs only his own compositions. Of the eleven tracks present on this album, ten are standards and one is a composition by Namyslowski, based on the harmonic structure of a well known standard, with a different meter. All the ten standards have been elaborately arranged by Namyslowski, taking them in some cases quite far away from the origin. The music is performed by a superb quartet, which finds the leader in the company of pianist Slawomir Jaskulke, bassist Krzysztof Pacan and drummer Grzegorz Grzyb. Namyslowski's son Jacek Namyslowski guests on three tracks and trumpeter Piotr Wojtasik guests on one.

The album is an absolute masterpiece from start to finish: the arrangements are innovative and intelligent, the performances are perfect and the overall level of artistry is simply overwhelming. Namyslowski again proves that time means absolutely nothing as far as he's concerned and he is still the Grand Master of Polish Jazz, at least as far as modern mainstream Jazz is concerned. The album shows yet again his role as a Godfather, with his group over and over again featuring young and upcoming musicians, who play with him for a period of time before going their own way and becoming leaders on their own right. Namyslowski's playing never ceases to amaze me; for the last half a century (and more) he sounds confident, stable and beautifully creative. I only wish he'll continue to be this way forever.

The pianist Slawomir Jaskulke is the great surprise of this album, as his very modernist and forceful style, which he displayed on his early recordings, has been "tamed" by the leader and his ability to change styles from early Jazz to modern compositions and perform all of them equally fluently with virtuosic ability is very impressive.

Overall this is a wonderful album, which should put a smile on the face of every Jazz connoisseur in this planet. There is no way one could not enjoy this music, both intellectually and emotionally. These standards never sounded better that here, dressed up, invigorated and revitalized, thank to the genius of Namyslowski, which rejects the tides of time and keeps alive and kicking.

This is an absolute delight. Respect!

Zbigniew Namyslowski – Dances (1997)

Zbigniew Namyslowski - saxophone, flute, trombone
Krzysztof Herdzin - piano
Olgierd Walicki - bass
Grzegorz Grzyb - drums
Cezary Paciorek - accordion
Maciej Strzelczyk - violin
Jose Torres - percussion

POLONIA 133



By Adam Baruch

This album by veteran Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Zbigniew Namyslowski summarizes many years of his career by concentrating on one of the most important characteristics of his music: the symbiosis of Jazz and World Music, or more precisely Jazz and folklore, as represented by dances from different regions. The album comprises of fourteen original compositions by Namyslowski, all of which are based on specific dance rhythms, like tango, waltz and samba or Polish folk dances like mazurka, kujawiak and oberek. Several of the compositions included on this album are new arrangements of compositions recorded and released previously over time.

The music is performed by a quartet, which besides Namyslowski, who plays saxophone, flute and trombone (his original instrument) includes also pianist Krzysztof Herdzin, bassists Olgierd Walicki and drummer Grzegorz Grzyb. Three additional players expand the lineup to a septet: accordionist Cezary Paciorek, violinist Maciej Strzelczyk and percussionist Jose Torres. A Cuban percussion group guests on one tune (obviously the samba).

Namyslowski's ability to compose melodies, which fit the various rhythms and meters, including some very odd meters indeed, is absolutely phenomenal. This album is full of such clever tunes, which happen also to be delightful and sound completely "easy" in spite of their complex and capricious nature. The actual performance is of course first-rate, as always with ensembles led by Namyslowski, who is very strict and meticulous as far as playing is concerned.

In many respects this is the most unconventional album ever recorded by Namyslowski in which Jazz plays still a central role, but is intertwined with the folkloristic elements so tightly, that is sounds often like a soundtrack to a documentary produced by National Geographic. Jazz connoisseurs will find this album absolutely charming in every respect, even though it covers musical ground not habitually associated with Jazz.

It might be very difficult to find, but I urge every Polish Jazz enthusiast to lay their hand on a copy of this gem. Listening to this music is such a great fun!

Zbigniew Namyslowski – Nice & Easy (2009)

Zbigniew Namyslowski - saxophone
Jacek Namyslowski - trombone
Slawomir Jaskulke - piano
Andrzej Swies - bass
Grzgorz Grzyb - drums

ITM 14125




By Adam Baruch

This superb album by Polish saxophonist / composer Zbigniew Namyslowski was recorded with a quintet comprising of young musicians including his son trombonist Jacek Namyslowski, pianist Slawomir Jaskulke, bassist Andrzej Swies and drummer Grzegorz Grzyb. It presents ten new original compositions by Namyslowski. It was recorded at the excellent Studio Tokarnia and engineered by Jan Smoczynski – a guarantee of sonic fidelity.

At the time of the recording Namyslowski was almost seventy years old, being one of the few remaining last Mohicans of the first post-WWII Polish Jazz generation still active on the local scene. There is absolutely no evidence on this recording of Namyslowski's age, surely not in the negative sense. He seems to be completely confident both as a composer and a performer and stands hip to hip with the "youngsters" not giving up an inch. It is hard to believe that the same person took part in the legendary 2^nd Sopot Jazz Festival in 1957 and was a member of the Krzysztof Komeda quintet that recorded "Astigmatic" in 1965, and yet these are just a few of Namyslowski's amazing career milestones.

Namyslowski's compositions were always his forte, as he manages consistently to present a completely unique musical signature, which includes many different characteristics, like the odd meters he so often uses or the unexpected tempo changes, all those on top of beautifully structured melodies, which are simply magnificent. Therefore the musicians playing with him are supplied with a perfect vehicle for their respective solos. Although the music conceptually belongs to mainstream Jazz, it always comes with a twist which makes it anything but predictable or simplistic. On the contrary these tunes take a while to get used to and have a wonderful quality of growing on the listener with every listening session.

The quintet performs like a dream, obviously inspired and directed by the Master. These young and extremely talented musicians keep the splendid tradition of the Polish Jazz alive and kicking, this time also learning from the best. Namyslowski continues his tradition to lead groups comprising of young musicians, which keep him invigorated and at the same time serve as a hothouse growing generation after generation of new players.

The album was released on the German ITM label and the album's booklet includes liner notes by the excellent Jazz critic Bert Noglik, who is familiar with Namyslowski's music since many years. All in all this is a superb modern Jazz album, which should keep happy even the sternest Jazz connoisseurs, and of course deserves a honorable place in any serious Jazz collection alongside the earlier albums by this great Artists. A must!

3 Jazz Soldiers – Odlamkowa (2012)

3 Jazz Soldiers (band)

Krzysztof Misiak – gitara
Filip Sojka – bas
Grzegorz Grzyb – perkusja

Odlamkowa (2012)

This is the debut album by the Polish Jazz-Rock / Fusion trio 3 Jazz Soldiers, led by the veteran guitarist Krzysztof Misiak, with bassist Filip Sojka and drummer Grzegorz Grzyb. Of the twelve tracks on the album, four are original composition by Misiak and the rest are Jazz and Rock standards ranging from Miles Davis to the Beatles.

The group is a typical Jazz-Rock power trio with a stronger Rock than Jazz affiliation rhythmically, but the music is mostly improvised, as appropriate for the Jazz-Rock milieu. The guitar is of course the most dominant instrument, leading the music most of the time, with the rhythm section providing all the background and basis for the leader to ride upon. The bassist has very nice chops and the drummer is rock-steady and keeps time, which in these circumstances is exactly what the doctor prescribed.

Misiak is a gifted and very experienced player, who is able to make his guitar sound "retro", which is quite nice and effective. The overall atmosphere of the album is very much the 1970s, which in this case is a good thing. The selection of tunes is versatile enough to present a whole spectrum of guitar bravado, from slow and smoky ballads to up-tempo energetic rockers. The music is funky and enough to dead dance.

There are no great musical innovations or challenges here, this is good time stuff, which is meant to entertain, something music should definitely do, at least occasionally. But being entertaining without being vulgar or overly simplistic is rare these days and this album is just a nice example how to do it.

For guitar aficionados this is a must, especially those, who like the Rocky side of Jazz-Rock / Fusion. Definitely worth investigating!

By Adam Baruch
http://www.adambaruch.com/



Tracklisting:
1. Summertime (G.Gershwin) feat. Roch Poliszczuk – voice
2. Król Kanapy [King of The Couch] (K.Misiak)
3. (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction (M.Jagger/K.Richards)
4. You Can’t Do That (J.Lennon/P.McCartney)
5. Ryba, Ręcznik [Fish, Towel] (K.Misiak)
6. Jean Pierre (M.Davis)
7. Highway to Hell (B.Scott/A.Young/M.Young)
8. Blues 816 (K.Misiak) feat. Dave Latchaw – synth solo
9. Norwegian Wood (J.Lennon/P.McCartney)
10. Get Back (J.Lennon/P.McCartney)
11. Wykryto Niepewne Prawidłowości [Detected Uncertain Regularity] (K.Misiak)
12. Little Wing (J.Hendrix)

Andrzej Jagodziński / Marcin Masecki - Tribute To Marek & Wacek (Polonia Records, 1998)

Andrzej Jagodziński / Marcin Masecki

Marcin Masecki - piano
Andrzej Jagodziński - piano
Wojciech Pulcyn - bass
Grzegorz Grzyb - drums

Tribute To Marek & Wacek (Polonia Records, 1998)

That is kind of enterprise in Polish Jazz one could only dream of. Old generation master Andrzej Jagodziński meets young prodigy Marcin Masecki. But instead of dreams-come-true music it resulted in nightmare. Their styles so competely do not fit each other that in order to save this session they had to make music as shallow, unimaginative and trivial as possible. I am witing all this without satisfaction. I had great expectances towards meeting of both these artists, the more so the idea of this project is very interesting. Marek & Wacek was legendary piano due in Polish music which was verging gracefully between pop, classical and jazz music. Imagination and flair they displayed in their music surely deserves tribute but... not of that kind...

Track listing:
1. Wesoły wieśniak (Schumann)
2. Symfonia nr 4 „Włoska” (Mendelssohn-Bartholdy)
3. Uwertura do opery „Wilhelm Tell” (Rossini)
4. What'll I Do (Berlin)
5. 24 Kaprys (Paganini)
6. Koncert a-moll (Grieg)
7. Blues (Masecki)
8. Suita „Peer Gynt” (Grieg)
9. Badineria (Bach)
10. America (Bernstein)
11. Kołysanka (Brahms)

By Maciej Nowotny

http://kochamjazz.blox.pl

Krzysztof Fetras Trio - Night in Praha Live (2005)

Krzysztof Fetras - guitar & guitar synthesizer, composer 

Piotr Żaczek - fretless bass guitar
Grzegorz Grzyb - drums

Night in Praha Live (2005)

I wrote more about Krzysztof Fetras music when describing his debut recording 'Caravan'. This is his third album which brings much more mature music. Located firmly in mainstream jazz it brings sense of equilibrium, internal coherency, almost therapeutic effect. Unfortunately after recording this CD Krzysztof Fetras has had a break in his career lasting few years. Fortunately lately he announced his first new album in more than 6 years for Spring this 2012 year. I am waiting impatiently to see what it will bring to us. In a meantime please enjoy sounds from his last recording...  

Track listing:  1. Krzysztof FetrasFew Warm Notes 00:58; 2. Krzysztof Fetras Treaty of Joy 08:45; 3. Krzysztof Fetras We Are Together Today 07:47; 4. Krzysztof Fetras Mr. Kaz 15:38; 5. Krzysztof Fetras Night in Praha 08:26; 6. Krzysztof Fetras Don’t Go Away Now 11:51

By Maciej Nowotny
http://kochamjazz.blox.pl

Zbigniew Namyslowski – Assymetry (Quartet Publishing, 2006)

Zbigniew Namyslowski - alto & soprano,

Jacek Namyslowski - trombone,

Slawek Jaskulke - piano,
Michal Baranski - bass,
Grzegorz Grzyb - drums,
Pawel Dobrowolski - drums

Assymetry (Quartet Publishing, 2006)

This is a brilliant album by veteran Polish saxophonist / composer Zbigniew Namyslowski, one of the Founding Fathers of modern Polish Jazz active on the scene since the late 1950s. First as a member of the legendary Krzysztof Komeda ensemble and later as a leader, Namyslowski was always a superb musician and an intriguing composer. His early work was often characterized by incorporating Polish folklore motifs into his compositions, which was highly unusual at the time in US or Western Europe, but relatively common behind the Iron Curtain. This amazing album, as the (slightly twisted) title suggests, is all about odd meters, you know all those 7/4, 5/4, 7/8 and other crazy rhythmic patterns that only highly skilled musicians are able to play correctly. As much as they are a nightmare to play, they are surely a wonder to listen to and enjoy and this albums offers nine lengthy tunes, one better that the other. Performed by a brilliant quintet: trombonist Jacek Namyslowski (yes the next generation), pianist Slawek Jaskulke, bassist Michal Baranski and drummers Grzegorz Grzyb and Pawel Dobrowolski (on two tracks only), the music is simply divine, clever and enjoyable, all at the same time, which of course id pretty rare. It certainly seems that Namyslowski is getting younger with age, a rare quality indeed. Brilliant!

1. Poćwiart; 2. Powinnowaci; 3. Gradient 90; 4. Blues 4-2; 5. Another 5 (Inna Piątawka); 6. Polly Arrhytmic; 7. Za kłodą kloc, za klocem kłoda (Log Behind The Clog); 8. Trion; 9. Lou Duff Kha

By Adam Baruch
http://adambaruch.com/

Zbigniew Namysłowski Quintet - Nice & Easy (2009)

Zbigniew Namysłowski is one of the pillars on which Polish jazz edifice was erected. He counts among those great and legendary as Krzysztof Komeda, Andrzej Trzaskowski, Tomasz Stańko, Mieczysław Kosz, Tomasz Szukalski, Jan Ptaszyn-Wróblewski, Adam Makowicz and others without whom there could be no jazz on this side of iron curtain. Since he is present in Polish jazz from it's very beginning in 50ties last century and was present in the recording of many of the most known recordings his sound is as deeply rooted in our hearts as Stańko melancholic trumpet or Kosz light-as-a-feaver piano improvisations. One can described his sound as emotional yet restrained in this best Polish music tradition of dialogue between heart and mind with prevalence of heart.   

"Nice & Easy" his latest album does not in the least disappoints Namysłowski's fans and although placed in territory between mainstream and smooth jazz it is as classy as any of his previous recordings. Like other great saxophonists of our time who are recording in full maturity (b. 1939), like Sonny Rollins or Wayne Shorter, he shows vitality, creativity and enthusiasm proving that his love towards jazz is as strong as ever. Excellent musicians are following his leader example showing extraordinary level of musicianship on this album: Jacek Namysłowski (trombone), Sławek Jaskułke (piano), Andrzej Święs (double bass) and Grzegorz Grzyb (drums).

To sum up: it's joyful, it's cheerful, it's energetic, it's obligatory for any smooth or mainstream jazz lover. Check following link for sample of his music. 

Author: Maciej Nowotny

http://kochamjazz.blox.pl/html