100nka - Lose Weight (2012)

100nka (band)

Tomek Leś - guitar
Adam Stodolski - double bass
Przemek Borowiecki - drums, bells, paper

Lose Weight (2012)

By Maciej Nowotny

100nka is a band which has become legendary among such a free jazz/yass freaks as I am supposed (by many, not myself!) to be. Three their previous releases: "Zimna Płyta" (2004) recorded with Mikołaj Trzaska, "Potrawy, sTrawy + Kompot Gratis" (2007) and "Superdesert" (2009) featuring Herb Robertson were full of creative energy, wild, even crazy at moments. But at the same time, unlike many free jazz albums, these were always coherent proposals, with some clear idea behind music. One could agree with artistic vision they delivered or not but they did not leave the listener indifferent.

This record retains all these positive features of previous recordings but at the same time it brings a complete change in band's music. Instead of free jazz the musicians turn to the composition, to structure, to form. Although I will miss "old" crazy 100nka I want to congratulate these guys on such a decision. I believe jazz is about change, about "searching for new land" and without readiness to cast aside everything behind yourself and embark on new path, it often loses its soul, becomes artificial, sad. These three musicians: guitarist Tomek Leś, bassist Adam Stodolski and drummer Przemek Borowiecki show courage and determination which is seldom found even among the greatest of jazz, in Poland or worldwide.

But of course music is the most important. What is the artistic outcome of all these changes? Intriguing. Though no perfect. Whole new world suddenly opened before these musicians! The world of composing, of finding fresh melodies, of creating moods and first of all of finding their own sounds. There is everything of those on this album. Sometimes sparking like real gems but sometimes (to be honest!) dim and vague, still in "statu nascendi". There is obviously a lot of work to be done to be able to call it great music but it augurs well and it may be the beginning of a path leading to something as important as old 100nka was. Though reluctantly I want to step with them on this new path... 

100nka & Herb Robertson - Superdesert (Not Two, 2009)

100nka (band)

Tomek Leś - guitar

Adam Stodolski - double bass
Przemek Borowiecki - drums, bells, paper

Herb Robertson - trumpet, mutes, megaphone, voice

Superdesert (Not Two, 2009)

Herb Robertson has to be one of the most intrepid trumpeters around. He seems to be most willing to put himself in anomalous situations: the two-trumpet group he shares with Dave Ballou (MacroQuarktet), work as a sideman in various groups, membership in ad hoc assemblies like a trio with Evan Parker and Agustí Fernández or guesting with Pierre Dørge's New Jungle Orchestra. OnSuperdesert, Robertson collaborates with the Polish trio 100nka.

This reviewer was unfamiliar with 100nka (guitarist Tomek Les, bassist Adam Stodolski and drummer Przemek Borowieki) prior to this release. Based on this recording, they're a scrappy group, seemingly concerned more with splintering sound and rhythm, textural explorations and group interaction than with standard improvising. Robertson and the trio are clearly on the same wavelength as, in his own music, the trumpeter seems concerned with these properties as well. One hears lots of improvisation but very little soloing on this disc; it's true group music. There are long periods of quiet, tension-building explorations that are abruptly shattered by full-tilt aggressive explosions. (i.e. the first three tracks that lead into "Donkey Shit").

Much of Superdesert is filled with short pieces (in the one- to three-minute range) with lengthier explorations interspersed. Perhaps the most standard piece would be "Dog Shit" where Robertson is to the fore, sounding (surprisingly) a bit like Miles Davis in one of those languid interludes during his Agharta (Columbia, 1975) phase. The 13 pieces flow and jam into each other with artful deliberation belying their improvised natures. While much of this is off-the-cuff, it sounds like a lot of thought went into the sequencing and if there may be some reference points (Davis, Ornette Coleman's Prime Time, a bit of Sonny Sharrock in Les' playing), most of this disc doesn't sound like anything else. And I can't believe I got through this review without making any bad jokes tied to this disc's shitty song titles.

By ROBERT IANNAPOLLO
http://www.allaboutjazz.com

100nka + Mikołaj Trzaska - Zimna płyta (Not Two, 2004)

100nka (band)

Adam Stodolski - double bass
Tomek Leś - guitar
Przemek Borowiecki - drums

Mikołaj Trzaska - sax (3, 4, 9, 12)

100nka is a 90-year-old contrabass, the drums from 1956 and the guitar with a huge power plant. On their first album entitled "Zimna Płyta" as a guest played Mikołaj Trzaska. Then, on their second, two-disc album "Potrawy Strawy + Kompot Gratis" plays Ziut Gralak. The third album is "Superdesert" featuring an outstanding representative of the New York underground scene, trumpeter Herb Robertson. Crazy, improvised, speed and excellent reviews meant that musicians interested in jazz festivals in Germany, Austria and Hungary. 100nka`s sounds should introduce vibrations into the organisms of even the strongest jazz conservatives. Being fascinated with classics such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman or contemporarily playing Tim Bern, Jim Black, Elery Eskelin, Medeski Martin and Wood, DJ Logic, Yuka Honda they create the world of sounds which combine both modernity with a classic approach to jazz music, contemporaneousness and oldschool.

Author: ankh

100nka - Potrawy, sTrawy + Kompot Gratis (2007)

Colorado beetle (stonka=100+ka) became in Poland quite a famous bug. There were times when plenty of these small insects ravaged not only potato fields but, even in bigger numbers: radio, newspapers, cinema, all due to communist propaganda. "Stonka" played important role in secret alliance led by Uncle Sam directed at weakest point of communist regime in Poland: farming industry. Strangely, however, when in 1989 political system in this country changed, almost immediately shops became abundant with food (though on other hand few could then afford it). Stonka miraculously left spotlights of country media and become normal pest as any other, stripped of all its demonic aura. 

OK, not all of them disappeared. At least couple of them still cherished idea to be superstars again and they succeed! Their way back to fame was easy: they changed potatoes for weed (title of the album translates into something like "dishes of weed and heroine shot free of charge"). Yeah! That's cool I would say and I hope that you are not hypocritical: in my country everyone's boozing as hell, hundreds of people are killed by alcoholised drivers but that's OK with our government. Why? Because our spirit industry is powerful lobby and all vodka is heavily taxed. And weed? Weed is so easy to grow and so difficult to tax. Then weed is bad, very bad indeed for our government. 

Going back to 100nka: they recorded this double CD album in 2006 and it's pure fun. Psychedelic fusion avantgarde free improv cosmic jazz that is the simplest label I find to describe what kind of music it comprises. First CD is recorded in studio by Przemek Borowiecki playing drums, Adam Stodolski on double bass and Tomek Leś on guitar. The music really is great stuff but with second CD, recorded LIVE and with addition of trumpeter Antoni Ziut Grala they do really hit a roof! It rocks as hell and shows that this small ugly beetle is BACK as evil and pissed off as ever and willing to be force in Polish jazz to be reckoned with. The story will be continued...