NOVI – NOVI In Wonderland (1998)

NOVI

Bernard Kawka - vocals
Ewa Wanat - vocals
Waldemar Parzyński - vocals
Janusz Mych - vocals
Adam Makowicz - piano
Roman Dyląg - bass
Zbigniew Namysłowski - saxophone



NOVI In Wonderland

MPS 2541

By Adam Baruch

This is a Japanese reissue of the legendary album by the no less legendary Polish Jazz vocal quartet NOVI, led by vocalist/composer Bernard Kawka, which also included Ewa Wanat, Waldemar Parzyński and Janusz Mych. On this album they are accompanied by a rhythm section, which comprises of Polish pianist Adam Matyszkowicz (a.k.a. Adam Makowicz) and bassist Roman Dyląg and American (resident in Europe since 1964) drummer Billy Brooks. American trumpeter Idrees Suleiman and Polish saxophonist Zbigniew Namysłowski participate on selected tracks. The album presents five original compositions, three by Kawka and two by Parzyński, and four standards, three arranged by Parzyński and one by Kawka.

The album was produced by my friend and mentor, Joachim Berendt, and was recorded at the celebrated SABA studio in Villingen, Black Forest, where so many of the great European Jazz albums were recorded between mid-1960s and late 1970s. It was one of the first recordings of a Polish Jazz ensemble made outside is their country and across the Iron Curtain, which was a sensational occurrence at the time. Berendt, who was an avid Polish Jazz lover and supporter, helped the Polish Jazz scene tremendously during its hard times. Sadly he is rarely remembered today, which is of course a crying shame.

Musically as well and sonically this is definitely one of the best recordings by NOVI, recorded at their creative peak. Chronologically this was their second album, but since it was not released in Poland (and still is not available there) it is not usually counted as part of their Polish discography. Both the vocal and the instrumental parts are absolutely perfect and are part on the vocal Jazz canon, created earlier on by the French vocal Jazz ensembles Les Double Six and The Swingle Singers. The original vinyl copy of this album is a mega-rare collectors' item and is priced accordingly. This Japanese reissue is also pretty rare these days. For Polish Jazz collectors and faithful fans, this is an absolute must of course.

NOVI Singers – Chopin (2010)

NOVI Singers

Ewa Wanat - vocals
Bernard Kawka - vocals
Janusz Mych - vocals
Waldemar Parzyński - voclas

Chopin

MUZA 1295



By Adam Baruch

This is a reissue of the third album by Polish Jazz vocal quartet NOVI Singers, led by vocalist/composer Bernard Kawka and including vocalist Ewa Wanat, Janusz Mych and Waldemar Parzyński. The album, originally entitled "NOVI Sing Chopin", presents eleven compositions by the Polish National composer Frederic Chopin, arranged for the vocal quartet singing a cappella.

Obviously following in the footsteps of The Swingle Singers, who recorded arrangements of music by Johann Sebastian Bach and other Classical composers, NOVI undertook this difficult and very ambitious project to sing Chopin's music in a similar Swing fashion and against all odds succeeded beyond all expectations. This recording immediately achieved a status of a cult album, and although not really a Jazz album per se, was warmly embraced by the Jazz community as part of its milieu.

In many aspects the album symbolizes the Polish Culture, as it embodies the idea of Polish Music, which became a part of Polish Cultural Heritage, transforming in time and staying contemporary regardless the changing frame of reference, in this case the Jazz idiom. The vocal performances on this album are absolutely brilliant and remain unmatched by any other vocal group since attempting to tackle Chopin's compositions, not only on the Polish scene, but globally.

This reissue is well remastered from the original studio tapes and presents a wonderful sonic quality, especially in view of the challenging task of recording human voices. It does not correct, unfortunately, the lack of information that has been associated with this album since day one as to the arrangement credits and the name of the bass player who accompanies the vocal quartet (i.e. the album is not strictly an a cappella recording as the vocals are accompanied by a bass player). This is a timeless classic of course and an absolute must have for any Polish music fan, Jazz or otherwise!

NOVI Singers – Torpedo (Polish Jazz Vol.87 Deluxe) (2006)

NOVI Singers

Bernard Kawka - vocals
Ewa Wanat - vocals
Janusz Mych - vocals
Waldemar Parzyński - vocals

Torpedo (Polish Jazz Vol.87 Deluxe)

MUZA 1087


By Adam Baruch

This is a reissue of the second album by the seminal vocal group NOVI Singers, one of the most acclaimed Polish Jazz acts in the 1960s and 1970s, and one of the most influential vocal ensembles of all times. Led by the charismatic vocalist/composer/arranger Bernard Kawka, the group also included the sensational female vocalist Ewa Wanat and two more male vocalists/composers/arrangers: Janusz Mych and Waldemar Parzyński. Following the formula set by their sensational debut album, they perform original music composed and arranged by Kawka, Mych and Parzyński (except for one Classical piece).

The vocal quartet is accompanied by a superb instrumental team, which includes some of the best Polish Jazz musicians at the time, including pianist Adam Makowicz, drummer Czesław Bartkowski and many others, as well as the Polish Radio Jazz Studio Orchestra, led by Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski. The rich instrumental arrangements were one of the differences between NOVI Singers and the earlier European Jazz vocal ensembles like Les Double Six or The Swingle Singers.

This album, as all early recordings by NOVI Singers, is absolutely immune to the tides of time and sounds today as magnificent as it was at the time of its recording. NOVI Singers definitely left a mark on the Jazz vocal idiom, setting an incredibly high standard, which sadly was later on followed by only very few similar ensembles.

Side Note: This is one of those Polish Jazz albums, released by the Polskie Nagrania/Muza label, which should have been released as part of the legendary "Polish Jazz" series at the time, but somehow never made it. From the historic perspective it definitely deserved to be a part of that series and this was partially corrected by this edition, as it is one of the items in the expanded "Polish Jazz Deluxe" series of reissues.

NOVI Singers – Polish Radio Jazz Archives Vol. 24 (2016)

NOVI Singers

Ewa Wanat - vocals
Bernard Kawka - vocals
Janusz Mych - vocals
Waldemar Parzyński - vocals

Polish Radio Jazz Archives Vol. 24 

POLSKIE RADIO 1670


By Adam Baruch

This is the twenty-fourth installment in the series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings from the radio vaults. 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 available additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland's most important Jazz venues, including the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well.

The thirteen tracks collected here were recorded during three separate occasions by the sensational Polish Jazz vocal quartet NOVI Singers: a Polish Radio Studio session from 1968 (four tracks), a live performance at the 1969 Jazz Jamboree Festival (five tracks) and finally a live performance at the 1971 Jazz Jamboree Festival (four tracks). NOVI Singers, formed in 1964 by Bernard Kawka, included also Ewa Wanat, Janusz Mych and Waldemar Parzyński. During the studio session they were accompanied by an orchestra of unknown lineup, during the 1969 concert they were accompanied by a trio comprising of organist Krzysztof Sadowski, bassist Janusz Kozłowski and drummer Andrzej Dąbrowski and finally during the 1971 concert they were accompanied by a Big Band which included trumpeters Stanisław Mizeradzki and Bogdan Skawina, trombonist Stanisław Cieślak, saxophonists Tomasz Szukalski, Janusz Muniak and Zbigniew Namysłowski, guitarist Marek Bliziński, pianist Jan Jarczyk, bassist Tadeusz Gogosz and drummer Kazimierz Jonkisz.

The material is mostly original with five compositions by Kawka, two by Parzyński and one by Mych. Three tracks are standards, one was composed by Namyslowski and one is an arrangement of a Classical piece by Frederic Chopin, which the quartet performs a cappella.

Inspired by such vocal groups like the French Les Double Six and The Swingle Singers, also originally formed in France, NOVI Singers took the vocal group artistry a notch further, presenting a wide and ambitious repertoire ranging from arrangements of Classical Music via complex Jazz compositions, mostly original, featuring advanced vocal shenanigans and finally arrangements of Pop material. They used lyrics in some of their material but were absolutely at their best when singing wordless vocalese, which they brought to perfection.

This particular album had the potential of being one of the most interesting releases in this series, since live material by NOVI Singers is almost completely absent from their recorded legacy, but sadly it suffers from some problems, which make it much less attractive that it should have been. Firstly the tracks recorded during the three separate sessions have been sequenced here quite randomly, rather than being presented grouped together by session. Secondly the recording quality is sadly very problematic on most of these tracks and even the careful restoring and remastering was not able to make them sound better. Of course the human voice is the most difficult recording challenge and considering the limitations present at the time the quality should be judged leniently, but in this case the sound quality seriously hinders the listening experience. Thirdly, as usual for this series, there is no background information about the artists, historic background, etc. which recordings of such importance truly deserve.

Nevertheless all things considered, this is still a very important document of the Polish Jazz legacy and considering the importance of this material this album immediately becomes another must have for all Polish Jazz fans and collectors of Polish Jazz recordings.

Novi Singers – Five, Four, Three (2015)

Novi Singers

Ewa Wanat - vocals
Janusz Mych - vocals
Waldemar Parzyński - vocals
and others

Five, Four, Three

GAD 025



By Adam Baruch

This is the fifth album by the Polish Jazz vocal ensemble Novi Singers, recorded after the ensemble's founder/leader/primary composer/arranger Bernard Kawka left Poland for the greener pastures of the Big Apple, following a whole wave of his compatriots, like Michal Urbaniak, Urszula Dudziak, Adam Makowicz and others. Kawka's departure seemed to have little impact on the remaining three members of the ensemble: Ewa Wanat, Janusz Mych and Waldemar Parzyński. They immediately embarked upon the recording of this album, which as usual included original material, composed by Parzynski (seven of the nine compositions on this album) and Mych (the other two compositions). Three of the compositions included also lyrics (in English).

The ensemble was accompanied by an instrumental combo, which featured top Polish Jazz musicians: keyboardist Wojciech Karolak, guitarist Marek Bliziński, bassist Paweł Jarzębski and drummer Czesław Bartkowski, and the Polish Radio Jazz Studio Orchestra conducted by Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski. In addition to the original album, this remastered edition includes four bonus tracks, two of which feature the vocalist Tomasz Ochalski, who expanded the ensemble to the original quartet lineup for a brief period. The original album was released only three years after it was recorded, which was an example of how political bureaucracy dictated the fate of musicians behind the Iron Curtain.

Musically this album was a continuation of the fantastic work they did on the previous releases, but the stress of loosing their leader and the confusion that followed is pretty obvious. The selection of material and inclusion of songs is obviously a step towards commercialism, but the album still presents several top-notch numbers, beautifully and skillfully executed, which stand up to par with their earlier work. But overall the glory days of Novi Singers were over and although they would record a couple of additional albums, they were moving further away from the revolutionary and innovative vocal achievements of their early days.

Considering the fact that this music has been unavailable for such a long time this is definitely another project by GAD Records, which deserves to be praised. Novi Singers fans will find this an indispensable part of their collection and hopefully we will get a complete set of Novi Singers reissues sometime in the future.

Jerzy Milian Trio – Baazaar (Polish Jazz Vol.17) (2014)

Jerzy Milian Trio

Jerzy Milian - vibraphone, marimba
Jacek Bednarek - bass, gidjak
Grzegorz Gierłowski - drums
with
Ewan Wanat - voclas
Janusz Mych - flute

Baazaar


GAD 017

By Adam Baruch

This is a newly remastered reissue of the debut album by Polish Jazz vibraphonist/composer Jerzy Milian, which was originally released in 1969 as part of the legendary Polish Jazz Series by the state owned Polskie Nagrania/Muza label. The album was recorded in a trio format, with Milian playing vibraphone and marimba, bassist Jacek Bednarek (who also plays the oriental gidjak on one tune) and drummer Grzegorz Gierłowski. Two members of the legendary Polish vocal quartet NOVI: Ewa Wanat (who adds vocals on five tracks) and Janusz Mych (who adds flute on one track) also participate in the recording. The original album presents eight original compositions, seven of which are composed by Milian and one is co-composed by him and Krzysztof Komeda. This expanded edition adds four tracks, recorded couple of years earlier for the Polish Radio, two of which are his original compositions, one is his arrangement of a Kurt Weil song and another is his arrangement of a Frederic Chopin nocturne.

Milian, who started his career on the Polish Jazz scene about fifteen years before this album was recorded, first came into prominence as a member of several ensembles led by Krzysztof Komeda. It was Komeda who persuaded Milian to drop the piano as his main instrument and switch to the vibraphone, thus enabling him to become a member of his ensembles. Later on Milian developed a prolific international career as a vibraphonist and as a composer, being one of the best known Polish Jazz musicians outside of Poland. Many of his achievements are documented by the ongoing archival "Jerzy Milian Tapes" series released by GAD Records, which also released this reissue.

In retrospect this is definitely one of the most idiosyncratic albums in the Polish Jazz Series, presenting one of the first occurrences of the Polish/European Chamber Jazz, which was an amalgam of modern Classical and Cool Jazz elements with many different less audible influences, like early World Music, Free Jazz, Ambient (before it was even called that) and others. The vocal parts by Wanat are completely spine-chilling, typical of her brilliant and unique style, which was the crucial ingredients of the NOVI magnetism. It is definitely a must to all Polish Jazz enthusiasts, wherever they might be on this globe (and beyond).

This album was already reissued a decade earlier, without the bonus tracks, but the entire run of CD reissues (incomplete by the way) of the original Polish Jazz Series LPs disappeared immediately after being released. The fact that these recordings are unavailable is shameful, and a sad testimony to the fact that State owned Cultural treasures are simply being disgracefully completely wasted!

NOVI – Bossa Nova (Polish Jazz Vol.13, 1967)

NOVI (band)

Bernard Kawka
Aleksander Gluch
Waldemar Parzyński
Janusz Mych
Ewa Wanat

Bossa Nova (Polish Jazz Vol.13, 1967)

This is the debut album by the sensational Polish vocal quartet NOVI, which was one of the greatest Polish Jazz acts in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Continuing the tradition of Jazz vocalese groups like the French Les Double Six and Swingle Singers, NOVI expanded the borders further on into more experimental areas and used more instrumental backing, provided the best Polish Jazz musicians at the time. The quartet was led by singer / arranger / composer Bernard Kawka and included also the incredible female vocalist Ewa Wanat and two additional male vocalists Janusz Mych and Waldemar Parzynski. All the singers were also capable instrumentalists. Together they created beautiful vocal harmonies of exceptional sophistication and unique style, unparalleled to this day. On this album they performed all original material, composed by all three male singers with Kawka responsible for six of the fourteen tunes and the incredible arrangements turning everything into a distinctive NOVI vocal signature. This is definitely one of the most unique Polish Jazz acts and an absolute must for every vocal jazz connoisseur!

Track listing: 1. Brownie; 2. Cichy wieczór; 3. Żółty słoń; 4. Trzeba wracać; 5. Nastroje małych misiów; 6. Dwa po dwa; 7. Następny proszę; 8. Pyzate słoneczniki; 9. Jak powrócić do tej chwili; 10. Mini dziewczyna; 11. Bariera uczuć; 12. GOGO; 13. Król Salomon; 14. Tańczące orzechy

By Adam Baruch
www.adambaruch.com

NOVI – Rien Ne Va Plus (Polish Jazz Extended vol..82, 1973)

NOVI Singers (band)

Ewa Wanat - vocals
Bernard Kawka - vocals
Janusz Mych - vocals
Waldemar Parzyński - vocals

Guests:

Zbigniew Namysłowski - alto sax
Janusz Muniak - alto & tenor sax
Tomasz Szukalski - tenor sax
Waldemar Kurpiński - baritone sax
Stanisław Cieślak - trombone
Stanisław Mizeracki - trumpet
Tomasz Stańko - trumpet
Włodzimierz Nahorny - piano
Marek Bliziński - guitar
Wojciech Bruślik - bass guitar
Janusz Stefański - drums
Tadeusz Szostak - trumpet (6, 10)
Paweł Jarzębski - bass guitar (6, 10)
Kazimierz Jonkisz - drums (6, 10)
Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski - conductor 

Rien Ne Va Plus (1973)

This is the 4th album by the sensational Polish vocal quartet NOVI, which was one of the greatest Polish Jazz acts in the 1970s. Continuing the tradition of Jazz vocal groups like the French Les Double Six and Swingle Singers, NOVI expanded the borders further on into more experimental areas and used more instrumental backing, provided the best Polish Jazz musicians at the time. The quartet was led by singer / arranger / composer Bernard Kawka and included also the incredible female vocalist Ewa Wanat and two additional male vocalists Janusz Mych and Waldemar Parzynski. Together they created beautiful vocal harmonies of exceptional sophistication and unique style, unparalleled to this day. The performed a mixture of original material, mostly composed by Kawka, and standards or contemporary Pop material, but the incredible arrangements turned everything into a distinctive NOVI vocal signature. On this specific album they are accompanied by an all-star band, led by saxophonist Jan Ptaszyn Wroblewski, which includes such luminaries as saxophonists Zbigniew Namyslowski, Janusz Muniak and Tomasz Szukalski, trumpeter Tomasz Stanko, guitarist Marek Blizinski, pianist Wlodzimierz Nahorny, drummer Janusz Stefanski and many others. This is definitely one of the climax moments of the Polish Jazz in the 1970s and an absolute must for every vocal jazz connoisseur!

Side Note: This is one of those Polish Jazz albums, released by the Polskie Nagrania / Muza label, which should have been released as part of the "Polish Jazz" series at the time, but somehow never made it. From the historic perspective it definitely belongs to be a part of that series and this was partially corrected by this edition, as it is one of the items in the expanded "Polish Jazz Deluxe" series of reissues.

Track listing: 1. Oh Woman (W. Parzyński - A. Więcko) [04:05]; 2. The Look Of Love (B. Bacharach - H. David) [04:02]; 3. My Own Revolution (B. Kawka - A. Więcko) [04:26]; 4. The Fool On The Hill (J. Lennon - M. McCartney) [04:37]; 5. Second Sight (B. Kawka) [04:34]; 6. Blue Moon (R. Rodgers - L. Hart) [03:25]; 7. Like A Dream In The Sky (B. Kawka - A. Więcko) [06:01]; 8. Rien Ne Va Plus (B. Kawka - A. Więcko) [04:08]; 9. Canto Triste (E. Labo - Eng., Hall) [04:00]; 10. Introduction (Z. Namysłowski)

[03:11]

By Adam Baruch

http://adambaruch.com/

Jerzy Milian – Baazaar (Polish Jazz Vol.17, 1969)

Jerzy Milian -  vibraphone, marimba

Jacek Bednarek - double bass
Grzegorz Gierłowski - drums
Janusz Mych - flute
Ewa Wanat - vocals

Baazaar (Polish Jazz Vol.17, 1969)

This is the debut album by veteran Polish Jazz vibraphonist / composer Jerzy Milian, one of the godfathers of modern Jazz in Poland. Milian started to play in the 1950s and was a member of the legendary sextet led by Krzysztof Komeda, who persuaded him to move from piano to vibraphone. In time Milian became one of the top vibraphone players in Europe as well as an excellent composer with highly personal style. His music was always quite sophisticated and unusual, quite ahead of its time. The early Komeda influence was replaced later on by his own original compositional direction, which flirted with Cool, Third Stream, contemporary Classical and World Music. This album presents eight of his original compositions (one co-composed with Komeda) performed by a trio, which includes bassist Jacek Bednarek and drummer Grzegorz Gierlowski. Two members of the legendary Polish vocal group NOVI: vocalist Ewa Wanat and flautist Janusz Mych also participate. This is a splendid example of European Jazz, which was rapidly developing in Eastern Europe by late 1960s and which still sounds great regardless half a century later. Highly recommended!

Track listing: 01. Memory of bach; 02. My Favourite Band; 03. Rewelacyjny Luciano; 04. Szkice Ludowe; 05. Tempus Jazz 67; 06. Bazar w Aszchabadzie; 07. Serial Rag; 08. Velse Ex Cathedra

By Adam Baruch

http://adambaruch.com/