Tatvamasi - The Third Ear Music (2020)

Tatvamasi

Grzegorz Lesiak - guitar
Tomasz Piątek - tenor saxophone
Łukasz Downar - bass
Krzysztof Redas - drums
with guests

The Third Ear Music

AUDIO CAVE 2020/013

By Adam Baruch

This is the sixth album by Polish quartet Tatvamasi, which documents a series of music meetings held under the slogan of the album's title, recorded over a period of couple of years by the four members of the ensemble: guitarist Grzegorz Lesiak, saxophonist Tomasz Piątek, bassist Łukasz Downar and drummer Krzysztof Redas and a plethora of guests from Poland and abroad, including Avant-Garde drummers Vasco Trilla from Spain and Peter Orins from France. The album presents seven compositions, all uncredited and assumed to be a result of improvisations by the participating musicians.

The music, as expected from the underlying concept, is a series of extended improvisations, based on sketchy melodic fragments and rhythm patterns, which characterizes Improvised Music. It preserves to some extent the usual Jazz-Rock Fusion modus operandi of Tatvamasi that was dominating their earlier recordings, but expands the horizons and embraces Free Improvisation, basically letting things happen on the fly as they develop. The three pieces recorded by a quartet, with vocalist Marta Grzywacz (and without Piątek) are definitely the high point of the entire album pointing to a direction worth pursuing.

To be perfectly honest, as much as I like Tatvamasi, this stuff just doesn't work for me as well as I expected it would. I admit to being somewhat fed up with the Improvised Music recordings that the Polish scene produces en mass and often without any selective process on one hand, and the fact that throwing a group of unrelated musicians in one room and let them play whatever comes to mind very rarely guarantees a spectacular result on the other hand. I appreciate the will to explore and search, and the courage to try something new, but hope this is a one time extravaganza, and the music will return to more productive exploration in the future.

Overall this is an interesting experiment, and as such worthy of appreciation, but the resulting music, stripped of the circumstantial excitement, is rather pale summa summarum, with just occasional interesting moments. Sorry guys, it's just me.

Tatvamasi - Haldur Bildur (2019)

Tatvamasi

Tomasz Piątek - tenor saxophone
Grzegorz Lesiak - guitar
Jan Michalec - trumpet
Łukasz Downar - bass
Krzysztof Redas - drums
and guests

Haldur Bildur



AUDIO CAVE 2019/010

By Adam Baruch

This is the fifth album by Polish quartet Tatvamasi, led by guitarist/composer Grzegorz Lesiak, which also includes saxophonist Tomasz Piątek, bassist Lukasz Downar and drummer Krzysztof Redas. On this album the quartet is expanded to a septet with the addition of violinist Anna Witkowska-Piątek, cellist Małgorzata Pietroń and trumpeter Jan Michalec (all three participated on earlier albums of the quartet). The album presents just four extended tracks, all composed by Lesiak.

As usual with Tatvamasi's music, it manages to stay beyond conventional categorization, which is obviously its strength and magic. These long expanded sonic vistas are explorations of melodic themes, riffs, groove, beat and World Music influences, completely intertwined within each other. The best strategy is simply to let go of any attempt of analyzing this music intellectually and let it take you wherever it goes by itself, trusting the musicians submissively. The music is considerably less Avant-Garde oriented this time (except for the last piece), with way more melodic contents, which obviously serves the group's ability to communicate with the listener.

Whereas the previous album by Tatvamasi ("Amor Fati") left me somewhat cold/confused, they returned with vengeance this time producing a condensed, fully focused and better recorded piece of superb music, which takes no prisoners. The strings are this time completely integrated within the fabric of the group's sound and add another important dimension. Michalec, who already appeared on two earlier albums by the group, seems to be an integral part of the improvising tour de force.

Overall this is an excellent album, probably the group's best offering to date, which finds the group in top form and takes the listener on a hypnotic and unstoppable ride through a kaleidoscope of sounds, rhythms and melodies, which are continuously changing and chasing one development after another and yet manage to stay focused and coherent for the entire duration. Regardless if you are into Rock, Prog, Jazz or Fusion, this album offers plenty of all of those and more. Hats off!

Tatvamasi – Amor Fati (2017)

Tatvamasi

Tomasz Piątek - tenor saxophone
Grzegorz Lesiak - guitar
Łukasz Downar - bass
Krzysztof Redas -  drums
Anna Witkowska - violin
Michał Ostrowski - violin
Małgorzata Pietroń - cello

Amor Fati


OBUH 33

By Adam Baruch

This is the fourth album by Polish ensemble Tatvamasi, which undoubtedly is one of the most fascinating and totally unpredictable ensembles on the local scene. The core quartet of the ensemble, led by guitarist/composer Grzegorz Lesiak, which also includes saxophonist Tomasz Piątek, bassist Łukasz Downar and drummer Krzysztof Redas, is expanded by a string trio: violinists Anna Witkowska and Michał Ostrowski and cellist Małgorzata Pietroń. Legendary musician/producer and Obuh label owner Wojcek Czern is also featured on electronics. The album presents six original compositions, all composed by Lesiak.

The music is, as usual, quite beyond classification. The addition of the strings and electronics expends the usual ingredients, such as Jazz and Rock, to include also contemporary Classical, Folklore and Ambient elements. This time the Free Improvisation parts are much more dominant and the music is more avant-garde oriented in comparison to their earlier recordings, with the distinct Rocky guitar element almost completely gone.

As already stated, the music of Tatvamasi is completely unpredictable and every track brigs entirely different sounds and emotions. Such diversity has of course its advantages and is very interesting intellectually, but on the other hand lacks certain focus and coherency and is very difficult for "conventional" listeners. In some respects this lack of stability and jumpiness is somehow reminiscent of Frank Zappa's approach, which of course is commendable, but might create a barrier between the music and the audiences.

For a studio recording, the sound quality of the album is somewhat muddy and does not allow the small, delicate details of the music to be easily audible; perhaps purposely recorded/mixed this way, but the result is (for me) somewhat problematic. Overall this is a very interesting album, living up to the ensemble's already established reputation, although personally for me it is not their best work to date and I enjoyed more their earlier recordings. Still this is definitely more ambitious than the vast majority of albums recorded on the Polish scene and anywhere else for that matter. I am sure they will return triumphantly again!

Tatvamasi – Dyliżans Siedmiu (2016)

Tatvamasi

Tomasz Piątek - tenor saxophone
Yedo Gibson - tenor & soprano saxophones, piccolo
Jan Michalec - trumpet
Grzegorz Lesiak - guitar
Łukasz Downar - bass
Krzysztof Redas - drums
Vasco Trilla - drums, percussion



Dyliżans Siedmiu

AUDIO CAVE 2016

By Adam Baruch

This is the third album by Polish ensemble Tatvamasi, led by guitarist/composer Grzegorz Lesiak. On this album the quintet lineup, which also included trumpeter Jan Michalec, saxophonist Tomasz Piątek, bassist Łukasz Downar and drummer Krzysztof Redas, was expended to a septet with the addition of Brazilian saxophonist Yedo Gibson and Spanish percussionist Vasco Trilla. The album presents just three expanded original compositions (two lasting over twelve minutes and one over sixteen minutes), all composed by Lesiak. The album was recorded shortly after the recording of their previous album a couple of years back and released only now.

The music is as unexpected as one might expect from Tatvamasi, presenting a wonderful amalgam of Rock, Funk, Free Jazz, Psychedelia, World, Electronic and Ambient influences. The three tracks are extended jams, which basically provide a platform for all the participants to play extended solos over a steady beat. Most of the solos by brass instruments are pretty Free Jazz oriented, while the guitar playing is more Rocky and Ambient. Several musicians solo simultaneously, conversing between themselves and getting involved into group improvisation. The guitar solos take the music back on track and serve as a buffer between the multilayered Jazzy parts. As usual this music simply shuns classification. To listeners familiar with the work of Miles Davis, this music is conceptually similar to the Miles "electric period", which featured electric guitar as a centerpiece of his ensembles.

It seems that this album is more of an experimental recording of a pre-planned jam session rather than a full-fledged new studio album by the ensemble, which is hopefully following soon. Nevertheless it is a superb piece of music, which has very few equals in its category in Poland or anywhere else for that matter.

The music, being pretty esoteric, might not be easily accessible to a wide audience and is definitely way to open and Jazzy for the average Fusion fans, but on the other hand it offers so much more intellectual stimuli that an effort to listen to it open-headedly is definitely worthwhile. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Tatvamasi – The House Of Words (2015)

Tatvamasi

Tomasz Piątek - tenor saxophone
Jan Michalec - trumpet
Grzegorz Lesiak - guitar
Łukasz Downar - bass guitar
Krzysztof Redas - drums

The House Of Words




REQUIEM 103

By Adam Baruch

This is the second album by Polish ensemble Tatvamasi, led by guitarist Grzegorz Lesiak, which also includes saxophonist Tomasz Piątek, trumpeter Jan Michalec, bassist Łukasz Downar and drummer Krzysztof Redas. The album consists of four lengthy compositions, all by Lesiak. Although not entirely unambiguous, it seems the music was recorded "live in the studio" as it includes applause, but the sound has all the characteristics of a studio recording, contrary to the statement that it was recorded during an open air concert.

Following their sensational debut album released on the American Cuneiform label, Tatvamasi continue their tale of success and manage to produce another piece of music, which is fascinating and highly original. The lineup, extended to quintet with the addition of the trumpeter, has more instrumental possibilities and skillfully uses that advantage on this album. All members of the ensemble contribute superb solo parts and participate in the group interplay amicably and intelligently.

The music, as usual with Tatvamasi, is quite beyond classification stylistically and merges many different cross-genre elements, mostly World Music melodic lines and repetitive chant-like progression, Rocky rhythmic patterns and Jazz improvisation. Lesiak's guitar playing also uses electronic and ambient sound effects. The amalgamated sound produces a trance inducing environment, which allows the soloists to spread their wings and extrapolate into their personal dimensions. Hypnotic and absorbing, this music is simply irresistible.

In contrast to the three soloists, the rhythm section shows a remarkable restrain, simply driving the music skillfully ahead, but not drawing the listener's attention away from the centerpiece. Nevertheless their contribution is an absolutely essential piece of the music, which would have been impossible without it. Tatvamasi successfully pass the "second album" test with flying colors and hopefully will continue to produce more of their unique music in the future. As usual in such cases I can't wait to hear their next album and in the meantime I invite every connoisseur of unusual, challenging music to get hold of a copy of this gem. Well done!

Tatvamasi – Parts Of The Entirety (2013)

Tatvamasi

Grzegorz Lesiak - guitar
Tomasz Piątek - saxophone
Łukasz Downar - bass
Krzysztof Redas - drums

Parts Of The Entirety

CUNEIFORM 371



By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album by Polish quartet Tatvamasi, led by guitarist Grzegorz Lesiak, which also includes saxophonist Tomasz Piatek, bassist Lukasz Downar and drummer Krzysztof Redas. The album comprises of seven original instrumental pieces, all composed by the leader and was released by the prestigious US Cuneiform label, one of the world's leading labels specializing in new cross-genre music, with an impressive catalogue of releases. This makes Tatvamasi one of the very few young Polish groups to earn international attention already with their debut album, which is quite impressive.

Although the leader's background and personal history spin a fascinating tale, the listener should judge the music as it presents itself herein. A cross-genre creation indeed, this music escapes classification and easy categorization, which is actually quite a common phenomenon, especially among the young Polish ensembles, which surprisingly pop up on the local scene with astounding vitality and incredible talent. Tatvamasi are no different and again it's almost impossible to believe that this is a debut recording and a work of such young artists.

The music shows traces of what started many decades ago as British Jazz-Rock Fusion, amalgamating Jazzy improvisation and Rocky rhythmic patterns. Of course this music is as contemporary as it gets, standing firmly within today's music as far as the overall ambience and dynamics are concerned, paying respectful tribute to its origins. But beyond Jazz–Rock there are plenty of other influences present, often very diverse from each other, like Punk, World Music, Ambient, Minimalism and of course Free Jazz and Improvised Music. Considering the fact that this music was recorded practically live in the studio with no overdubs and other studio wizardry, what we hear is what happened, with the creative flow being captured on the fly.

The personal contributions by the four musicians are all commendable; the leader weaves some truly beautiful melody lines and memorable riffs; the saxophonists manages to float high above during his improvisations and the rhythm section keeps the often difficult music in check, driving the dynamics and leading the way securely through the many twists and turns.

The album is a breeze of fresh air and a great fun to listen to. The diversity of the pieces, which are mostly quite extensive, keep the listener on his toes at all times. There is so much happening here that several listening sessions are necessary to really "get" this music at its full bloom. Of course listeners used to improvised music will be able to appreciate this music instantly. This is a most impressive debut release, promising interesting future and establishing once more the Polish scene as one of the leading sources of new and fascinating music. Very well done indeed!

Dwootho - Space Pressures (2010)

This is debut recording let me therefore start with names of musicians as it is proper to introduce them first: Marek Tarnowski (accordion, hammond organ), Tomasz Piątek (tenor saxophone, clarinet), Bartosz Łuczkiewicz (bass), Maciej Dziedzic (drums, percussion) plus Natalia Gllińska (vocal) as a guest. Certainly very interesting still this record is not easy to classify or judge as it melts in one pot flavors rarely heard together. I would rather avoid to name musical genres which echo in this recording (folk, rock, club music and many other) because I feel that the only label describing properly this music is one of jazz which was once defined as simply "sound of surprise". 

Neither mainstream nor avantgarde this music is eluding all classifications and shall not be overlooked by anyone who values creativity, courage and individuality as expressed in melodies and rhythms.

After saying so many nice things about this recording and its authors let me add a small knock. Though I like music on this album I still feel that sometimes artists slump into what is too obvious, easy and predictable. Bass line become at times too mechanical, sax play too sexy, drums somewhat run of mill and only Marek Tarnowski on his accordion never ceases to surprise and amaze. It is done perhaps in order to provide music more accessible for larger audience. Not a bad idea for debut recording but as far as I am concerned I would expect something more free and improvisational next time to make my interest in this band and its music permanent.   

Please listen to a song titled Balkan Groove:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm9W7-NTEFY&feature=player_embedded