Nika Lubowicz & All Stars - Nika sings Ella

Nika Lubowicz & All Stars

Nika Lubowicz – vocals (solo: 1, 2, 4, 7, 10)
Henryk Miśkiewicz – alto saxophone (1-4, 6-9) (solo: 2, 7, 8, 9)
Piotr Baron – tenor saxophone (1-4, 6-10) (solo: 4, 7, 9)
Robert Murakowski – trumpet (1-4, 6, 8, 10) (solo: 1, 3, 6)
Grzegorz Nagórski – trombone (6, 9, 10) (solo: 2, 4, 6, 9, 10)
Dariusz Plichta – trombone (1-4, 8)
Kamil Karaszewski – horn (1-4, 8)
Andrzej Jagodziński – piano (1-10) (solo: 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10)
Wojciech Pulcyn – double bass (1-4, 6-10)
Kazimierz Jonkisz – drums (3, 6, 7, 9, 10)
Marcin Jahr – drums (1, 2, 4, 8)
Wojciech Myrczek – vocals (8, 9)
Wiesław Pieregorólka – bandleader

Arrangements by Wojciech Karolak (3, 8) & Wiesław Pieregorólka (1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 10).

Nika sings Ella (2022)

Wydawca: For Tune

Autor tekstu: Mateusz Chorążewicz

W sierpniu 2022 roku premierę miał album Niki Lubowicz „Nika Sings Ella”, który stanowi hołd dla twórczości „Pierwszej Damy Piosenki”. Na krążku znajdziemy dziesięć kompozycji, w tym takie hity jak „Cheek to Cheek”, „In a Mellow Tone”, czy „It Don’t Mean a Thing”. Za aranżacje odpowiadali Wiesław Pieregorólka oraz Wojtek Karolak, któremu niestety nie dane było wziąć udziału w nagraniach.

Nika Lubowicz zaprosiła do współpracy prawdziwą śmietankę polskiego jazzu. Na płycie usłyszymy takich mistrzów jak Henryk Miśkiewicz, Piotr Baron, Robert Murakowski, Grzegorz Nagórski, Dariusz Plichta, Kamil Karaszewski, Andrzej Jagodziński, Wojciech Pulcyn, Kazimierz Jonkisz, Marcin Jahr oraz Wojciech Myrczek.

Album muzycznie głęboko zakorzeniony jest w tradycji swingu. Nie znajdziemy tu właściwie żadnych odstępstw od tradycyjnego brzmienia tego typu muzyki. Trzeba uczciwie przyznać, że aranże oraz ich wykonanie stoją na niezwykle wysokim poziomie. Ciężko spodziewać się czegoś innego po takim składzie. Uwagę zwraca także fakt, że Nika Lubowicz nie stara się imitować Elli. Frazę prowadzi w charakterystyczny dla siebie sposób, dzięki czemu standardy jazzowe ujęte na płycie, choć na wskroś swingujące, mają w sobie mały element oryginalności.

Niemniej jednak, w głowę zachodzę w jakim celu wydawane są tego typu albumy. Pomimo genialnego wykonania, obecności mistrzów polskiego jazzu i interesującego głosu Niki Lubowicz, nie ma w tej muzyce czegoś ekstra. Płyta niestety nie wnosi nic ciekawego do dorobku polskiej sceny jazzowej. Wszystko jest tu bardzo bezpieczne i ortodoksyjne. Przyjemne dla ucha… i właściwie to wszystko.

W materiałach promocyjnych możemy przeczytać, że album stanowi dla Niki Lubowicz artystyczny hołd dla twórczości Elli Fitzgerald, która była i nadal jest dla Niki wzorem i inspiracją. Jednak porządne wykonanie to niestety w moim odczuciu za mało. Rozumiem koncert ku czci Elli, a nawet całą trasę koncertową po Polsce. Nawet sam bym się na takie wydarzenie wybrał. Nie rozumiem jednak koncepcji nagrania takiego albumu. Jedynie bardzo zagorzali fani swingu być może znajdą tu coś dla siebie.

Andrzej Dąbrowski & All Stars - Live (2022)

Andrzej Dąbrowski & All Stars

Andrzej Dąbrowski – vocals, mouth trombone (1, 4)concert:
Robert Majewski – trumpet, flugelhorn
Henryk Miśkiewicz – alto sax
Michał Tomaszczyk – trombone
Andrzej Jagodziński – piano
Sławomir Kurkiewicz – double bass
Marcin Jahr – drums

bonus track:
Piotr Baron Quintet:
Piotr Baron – tenor sax
Robert Majewski – flugelhorn
Łukasz Żyta – drums
Maciej Adamczak – double bass
Michał Tokaj – piano
Jerzy Semkow Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra
Marek Wroniszewski – conductor

Live (2022)

Wydawca: For Tune

Tekst: Maciej Nowotny

Nagrana w rezultacie projektu ad hoc, niemal bez prób, spontanicznie, płyta ta jest hołdem złożonym wielkości polskiej muzyki rozrywkowej, w jej jazzującej odmianie, i osobie wokalisty, który miał i ma to co w sztuce bardzo ważne: własny, niepowtarzalny styl. Mimo upływu lat Andrzej Dąbrowski zachwyca entuzjazmem, swobodą, dezynwolturą nawet, które mimo niedoskonałości głosu (czy języka angielskiego) nieuchronnie związanych z wiekiem, powodują że płyty tej  słucha się z olbrzymią przyjemnością i chce się to doświadczenie powtarzać. Nie mniejsze słowa uznania należą się akompaniującym mu muzykom, którzy wyczarowali coś niepotarzalnego niemalże z niczego. Co za klasa, co za charyzma, co za DUCH! Wielkie gratulacje także dla wytwórni For Tune, która nie pozwoliła temu nagraniu spocząć gdzieś w szufladzie. Na repertuar koncertu składa się garść standardów w rodzaju "Fly Me To The Moon", "My Romance" czy "Come On Home", które są zaśpiewane z takim "czujem", że brak słów. Ale wśród nich najpiękniej wybrzmiewają cudowne piosenki Ptaszyna do słów Osieckiej: "Zielono mi" czy genialna "Przygoda z Marią". A już ostatni utwór na płycie "Bądź wiernym sobie" z tekstem A. Libery sprawił, żem oniemiał. Poważnie. Podsumowując, sentymentalna podróż na najwyższym poziomie nie tylko dla słuchaczy 50+ (jak piszący te słowa).

Zbigniew Lewandowski - Zbigniew Lewandowski (2020)

Zbigniew Lewandowski

Andrzej Przybielski - trumpet
Piotr Baron - saxophone
Andrzej Olejniczak - saxophone
Paweł Ścierański - guitar
Krzysztof Ścierański - bass guitar
Mieczysław Jurecki - bass guitar
Jose Torres - percussion
Zbigniew Lewandowski - drums, synth

Zbigniew Lewandowski

GAD 121

By Adam Baruch

This is a reissue of the debut album by Polish Jazz drummer / composer / bandleader Zbigniew Lewandowski, originally released on the legendary Poljazz label. The music was recorded in 1983 during two sessions separated by several months, with two lineups. The first lineup was a quintet which included alongside Lewandowski also iconic trumpeter Andrzej Przybielski, saxophonist Piotr Baron, guitarist Paweł Ścierański and bass guitarist Krzysztof Ścierański. The second lineup was extended to an octet and included also saxophonist Andrzej Olejniczak, second bass guitarist Mieczysław Jurecki and percussionist Jose Torres. The original LP presented six tracks but this remastered edition was expanded by two additional tracks from the first session, previously unissued. All the compositions were by the musicians participating in the recording except for one standard.

The music, influenced by the revolutionary work of Miles Davis, has a distinct Fusion tinge, but is very far from an attempt to copy the great Master. Przybielski, aged thirty-nine at the time of the recording, was already Poland's most idiosyncratic Jazz musician and trumpet Genius. He displays the full range of his abilities, and the fact that the music is Fusion oriented, offers a rare opportunity to hear him in that specific idiom, rather than within his "usual" Avant-Garde environment. His performances on this album are amongst the most extensive documents of his playing, including his weird sense of humor. In retrospect this album emphasizes the devastating loss Polish Jazz suffered with his untimely death in 2011. I had the immense luck and pleasure to produce the album "The Book Of Job", just a couple of years after this recording was made, which also featured Przybielski at his absolute best.

Baron, only twenty-two years old at the time, also contributes wonderfully to the album's overall ambience, offering his compositions, most of the arrangements and excellent soloing. The rest of the players were already more experienced and their professionalism and obvious talents are clearly evident in the resulting music. Overall this is a momentous recording, perhaps one of the most important Polish Jazz albums from the 1980s, and beyond. Polish Jazz/Fusion fans should be grateful to GAD Records for resurrecting this gem and saving it from oblivion. Brilliant stuff!

Piotr Baron – Wodecki Jazz (2019)

Piotr Baron

Piotr Baron - saxophones, bass clarinet
Robert Majewski - trumpet, flugelhorn
Michał Tokaj - piano
Maciej Adamczak - double bass
Łukasz Żyta - drums

Wodecki Jazz


POLSKIE RADIO 2213

By Adam Baruch

This is an album by veteran Polish Jazz saxophonist /composer Piotr Baron, which pays homage to the music composed by much respected and loved Polish singer/songwriter/musician Zbigniew Wodecki, who died in 2017. Baron, who plays saxophones and bass clarinet, is accompanied by trumpeter Robert Majewski, pianist Michał Tokaj, bassist Maciej Adamczak and drummer Łukasz Żyta and several guests. The album presents six songs composed by Wodecki (one is repeated twice in vocal and instrumental versions). One of the songs features vocals, one features a short rap part and another one includes spoken word, but most of the material is entirely instrumental.

The music is a usual mainstream Jazz treatment of Pop material, definitely on the lighter side of the spectrum, but very professionally executed by the participating musicians, which is obviously intended for a wide audience of Wodecki's fan base. Contrary to the opinion voiced by Polish Jazz "critics" this album does not cross over to kitsch and as far as the playing by the quintet is concerned it is a perfectly legit mainstream outing. Baron, Majewski and Tokaj are seasoned veterans and their performances are excellent as always, as is the job done by the rhythm section. Of course personally I'd prefer to hear Baron and his cohorts to play a way more ambitious material, as they did many times in the past, but there is nothing wrong with playing a bit of relaxing mainstream, based on the excellent melodies composed by Wodecki. At least they are not playing standards.

Of course the circumstances sound a bit opportunistic, but the album's liner notes explain that Baron and Wodecki, who loved Jazz and even had a Jazz period in his career, intended to record an album together since a long time but Wodecki's untimely death sadly put an end to these plans. So this album is a sort of fulfillment of a promise rather than a less noble intent.

Overall this is a very well rounded mainstream Jazz album, which does justice to Wodecki's compositions and offers highly professional performances, with excellent soloing by Baron and Majewski and superb piano parts by Tokaj. Even the use of rap is tasteful and the arrangements of all the songs are elegant and even sort of cool. I wish the listeners were spared the one vocal part, but otherwise this is a nice, accessible but still very well done album, which will make many listeners very happy.

Piotr Schmidt Quartet - Saxesful (2018)

Piotr Schmidt Quartet

Piotr Schmidt - trumpet
Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski - saxophone
Zbigniew Namysłowski - saxophone
Henryk Miśkiewicz - saxophone
Piotr Baron - saxophone
Maciej Sikała - saxophone
Adam Wendt - saxophone
Grzech Piotrowski - saxophone

Wojciech Niedziela - piano
Maciej Garbowski - double bass
Krzysztof Gradziuk - drums

Saxesful

SJ 032

By Jędrzej Janicki

Dziesiąta autorska płyta w dziesiątą rocznicę muzycznej aktywności to doskonały powód do świętowania. Z podobnego założenia wychodzi trębacz Piotr Schmidt, którego album "Saxesful" jest swego rodzaju ukoronowaniem dotychczasowej kariery. Schmidt znany jest głównie jako znakomity trębacz, natomiast jego niespełnioną miłością pozostaje saksofon. Nic więc dziwnego, ze do swojego ostatniego projektu zaprosił absolutną czołówkę polskich saksofonistów. Efektem pracy tak zacnego grona jest naprawdę udany album.

Owe sławy polskiego saksofonu jazzowego, które wzięły udział w nagraniu płyty, to Henryk Miśkiewicz, Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski, Zbigniew Namysłowski, Maciej Sikała, Piotr Baron, Grzech Piotrowski i Adam Wendt. Trudno wyobrazić sobie jakikolwiek podręcznik do historii polskiego jazzu, w którym te nazwiska nie byłyby wymienione, co podkreśla tylko jak dużym szacunkiem i uznaniem darzony jest Schmidt w muzycznym środowisku. Sukcesu tak dużego przedsięwzięcia nie byłoby jednak bez trzech muzyków, którzy uzupełniają skład "podstawowego" kwartetu Schmidta. Trojkę tę stanowi pianista Wojciech Niedziela (wieloletni muzyczny kompan Schmidta – panowie stworzyli wspólnie chociażby kameralną płytę "Dark Morning") oraz kontrabasista Maciej Garbowski i perkusista Krzysztof Gradziuk, czyli fundamenty genialnego tria RGG.

Całe "Saxesful" zdominowane jest przez eleganckie interpretacje klasycznych utworów muzyki jazzowej, mieszczące się raczej w jej głównym, mainstreamowym nurcie. Rzecz jasna, nie jest to zarzut, wszak nie każda płyta musi być rewolucyjnym eksperymentem. To wyważone granie, w którym bardzo dużo przestrzeni otrzymują zaproszeni goście. Fantastycznie wypada nestor polskiej muzyki Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski w utworze "You Don’t Know What Love Is", jazzowym standardzie, po którego bardzo chętnie sięgają muzycy różnych stylistyk (przypomina się od razu świetna wersja Lee Konitza z Joe Hendersonem). Ptaszyn w niczym jednak nie ustępuje swoim amerykańskim kolegom po fachu i z właściwym sobie urokiem tworzy przepiękną balladę o bardzo romantycznym i melancholijnym nastroju. Świetnie brzmi również bluesowa wręcz melodyjność utworu "Blue Monk" genialnego Theloniousa Monka. Odrobina chropowatości w partiach Piotra Schmidta, a zwłaszcza Adama Wendta, przenosi nas w zupełnie inną rzeczywistość, z której bardzo trudno się później wyrwać i wrócić do tak zwanej „normalności”.

"Saxesful" to płyta, którą traktować należy raczej jako hołd złożony wybitnym polskim saksofonistom i jazzowi samemu w sobie. Jako nagranie niosące radość z samego obcowania z muzyką sprawdza się naprawdę doskonale. Panteon gwiazd zgromadzony przez Schmidta zapewnia różnorodność stylistyczną i pokazuje przeróżne oblicza saksofonu. Właśnie dzięki tej różnorodności "Saxesful" (choć jest albumem długim) nie nuży nawet w najdrobniejszym fragmencie. Godnym najgłośniejszych oklasków jest, że pomimo tylu zaproszonych osobistości, kwartetowi Schmidta udaje się wypracować własne rozpoznawalne brzmienie. To nie jest płyta-ciekawostka, lecz kawałek historii jazzu i naprawdę świetnego grania. Doprawdy, przepiękne te urodziny, które urządził sobie Piotr Schmidt.

Piotr Schmidt Quartet - Saxesful - premiera nowej płyty 01.09.2018

1 września wielbiciele jazzu oraz muzyki improwizowanej staną się uczestnikami wyjątkowego wydarzenia. Tego dnia odbędzie się premiera płyty Piotr Schmidt Quartet – "Saxesful", z plejadą najbardziej znanych saksofonistów polskiego jazzu, której towarzyszyć będzie seria koncertów w największych salach koncertowych w całej Polsce. Będzie to 10-ta autorska płyta trębacza przypadająca w 10-tą rocznicę jego działalności artystycznej. 

Jeden z najlepszych trębaczy polskiego jazzu, Piotr Schmidt, zaprosił do swojego kwartetu pianistę Wojciecha Niedzielę, znanego choćby z wieloletniej współpracy z Janem Ptaszynem Wróblewskim. Schmidt współpracuje z nim regularnie od 3 lat oraz nagrał i wydał dokładnie rok temu płytę "Dark Morning". Do sekcji rytmicznej trębacz tym razem zaprosił Macieja Garbowskiego oraz Krzysztofa Gradziuka, znanych z tria RGG.

Jako goście specjalni na płycie wystąpili jedni z najwybitniejszych i najbardziej znanych polskich saksofonistów jazzowych, a wśród nich: Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski, Zbigniew Namysłowski, Henryk Miśkiewicz, Grzech Piotrowski, Maciej Sikała, Piotr Baron oraz Adam Wendt. Mistrzowie towarzyszyć będą zespołowi Piotr Schmidt Quartet także na trasie koncertowej, która zagości w wielu filharmoniach w Polsce! 

Po premierze 1 września szykuje się także trasa koncertowa. Będą to m.in. Filharmonia Śląska, Podkarpacka, Bałtycka, Częstochowska, Dolnośląska, a także duża sala wrocławskiego Impartu. Repertuar zespołu to hity muzyki jazzowej: znane standardy we własnych aranżacjach plus kilka niespodzianek. Jest to 32 płyta wydawnictwa SJ Records.

Piotr Schmidt, urodzony w 1985 roku trębacz jazzowy, producent muzyczny, wydawca, lider zespołów, wykładowca na AM w Katowicach oraz na Instytucie Jazzu w PWSZ w Nysie. Absolwent Akademii Muzycznej w Katowicach, na której w czerwcu 2016 roku uzyskał tytuł doktora w dziedzinie sztuk muzycznych. Piotr Schmidt jest stypendystą University of Louisville, Kentucky, USA 2006, ponadto w okresie debiutanckim w latach 2006 - 2010 zdobył wiele indywidualnych nagród i Grand Prix na najbardziej prestiżowych konkursach jazzowych organizowanych w Polsce i w Europie.

Piotr Schmidt ma na swoim koncie dziewięć wydanych, autorskich płyt w tym trzy z zespołem Piotr Schmidt Electric Group (Schmidt Electric). Od siedmiu lat w czołówce ankiety Jazz Top magazynu Jazz Forum jako jeden z najlepszych trębaczy polskiego jazzu. Współpracował m.in. z takimi muzykami jak: Walter Smith III, Alex Hutchings, Ernesto Simpson, Grzegorz Nagórski, Dante Luciani, Zbigniew Namysłowski, Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski, Maciej Sikała, Piotr Baron, Wiesław Pieregorólka, Grzech Piotrowski, Adam Wendt, Wojciech Karolak, Wojciech Myrczek, Apostolis Anthimos, Marek Napiórkowski, Dominik Wania, Paweł Kaczmarczyk, Paweł Tomaszewski, Kazimierz Jonkisz, czy Michał Barański. Także z artystami popularnej estrady: Krystyna Prońko, Ewa Bem, Kuba Badach, Ten Typ Mes (Piotr Szmidt) i Miuosh. Piotr Schmidt jest również właścicielem wydawnictwa SJRecords, które w ciągu siedmiu lat istnienia wydało 31 płyt.

Klima/Wyleżoł/Kowalewski - Lutosławski Retuned (2015)

Klima/Wyleżoł/Kowalewski

Szymon Klima - clarinet
Piotr Wyleżoł - piano
Adam Kowalewski - double bass
Piotr Baron - bass clarinet (6)

Lutosławski Retuned

HEVHETIA 0114



By Adam Baruch

This is the debut album by a Polish Jazz trio comprising of clarinetist Szymon Klima, pianist Piotr Wyleżoł and bassist Adam Kowalewski. Veteran Polish Jazz musician Piotr Baron guests on one track playing bass clarinet. The album's music was all composed by the contemporary Classical Polish composer Witold Lutosławski, and includes his five dance preludes (composed in 1954 as a five-parts suite) and a sixth unrelated composition, which was initially published under a pseudonym.

What prompted to rearrange (or retune) these composition for a Jazz environment was probably the Lutosławski Year celebrations in 2013 (his 100 Birthday), which were a big cultural event in Poland and brought the composer to the attention of a much wider audience, including many young Jazz musicians. As a result a long list of Polish Jazz albums, like this one, paid tribute to the great composer; for example "Inspired By Lutosławski" by Grażyna Auguścik, "Bukoliki" by High Definition Quartet, "Atomsphere" by Atom String Quartet and many others.

The dance preludes suite, which was originally composed for clarinet and piano, was later twice (1955 and 1959) re-orchestrated for larger ensembles, but Klima based his Jazzy approach on the original intimate version, which remains intimate under the new arrangement. As almost always with Lutosławski, his music is deeply rooted in the Polish Folklore, and these "dances" all bear resemblance of the characteristic folklore melodies and harmonies, at least to people who are acquainted with that music.

Klima, both as arranger and player, oscillates between the Classical and the Jazz idioms, as his clarinet tone and phrasing are almost completely Classical whereas his improvised parts are of course Jazz related. Of course Wyleżoł and Kowalewski are bona fide Jazz musicians, and their contributions have a decisive weight to turn this music into a wonderful Jazz-Classical Fusion.

The intimacy of this music, the virtuosi performances, the elegant and respectful treatment of the original inspirations all add up to a superbly balanced and delightful musical adventure, which should prove pleasing and satisfying to all connoisseurs of good music. Hopefully some of the listeners will try to find out how the music sounds in its original Classical incarnations, and perhaps venture into more fabulous music created by Lutosławski, other might wish to explore other recordings by Wyleżoł and Kowalewski, also released by the excellent Hevhetia label. If so everybody wins, both of the Classical and the Jazz enthusiasts. This album is a great example of a cross-genre exploration, which treats the origins with respect and love, creating a new, perfectly valid amalgamation, which manages to preserve the aesthetics of its origins. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Lion Vibrations – Lion Vibrations & Friends (2014)

Lion Vibrations

Jorgos Skolias - vocals
Piotr Baron - saxophone
Wojtek Mazolewski - bass

and others

Lion Vibrations & Friends

V 005


By Adam Baruch

This is a wonderful album by veteran Polish Reggae ensemble Lion Vibrations recorded with guests, which presents an ambitious and completely unique amalgam of Reggae and Jazz. The ensemble members, many of which are familiar names on the Polish Jazz scene as well, and their guests perform eleven songs, ten of which are Jazz standards, some of them with new lyrics in Polish, and one is an original song. Beautifully and cleverly arranged these songs preserve the Reggae rhythmic patterns, but become a synthesis of Jazz, Funk and Soul, which is very rarely heard anywhere else.

The list of participating guests includes some of the top Polish Jazz & Pop names, like vocalists Jorgos Skolias, Kamil Bednarek, Natalia Niemen and others, saxophonist Piotr Baron (his son and daughter in law are members of the ensemble) and bassist Wojtek Mazolewski. The album is full of fabulous instrumental solos and not too shabby vocals and altogether is a wonderful example of intelligent and sophisticated music that is also brilliant fun to listen to. Thanks to the excellent arrangements, the familiar standards sound completely natural in the Reggae setting, which is perhaps the album's greatest success.

Albums like these are great examples of the cross genre approach, which is able to achieve superb results and prove again and again that music knows no borders and talent and dedication are what matters. This album should be accessible to the majority of musical audiences, regardless of the age brackets and people who are able to open up to unusual ideas will have a great time listening to it. Excellent idea and perfect execution!

Jaroslaw Smietana – From One To Four (2009) ****

Jaroslaw Smietana - guitar

Janusz Muniak - saxophone

Piotr Baron - saxophone

Krzysztof Scieranski - bass

Antoni Debski - bass

Jacek Pelc - drums

APEX 328

By Adam Baruch

This is the second album as a leader by the fabulous Polish Jazz guitarist / composer Jaroslaw Smietana, who died recently tragically prematurely, succumbing to cruel illness. Smietana was one of the most active players on the local scene and contributed enormously to its development over the years. This album presents him, as the title suggests, in different settings: solo, duo, trio and quartet, playing with some of the best Polish Jazz musicians active at the time: saxophonists Janusz Muniak and Piotr Baron, bassists Krzysztof Scieranski and Antoni Debski and drummer Jacek Pelc. They perform eleven compositions, five of which are originals: three by Smietana and one each by Scieranski and Pelc, and the rest of the material is all standards.

This is one of the Jazziest albums recorded by Smietana, with fewer Fusion ventures, and his beautiful Jazz sensitivity is especially apparent herein. But all the other players also contribute very fine examples of intelligent, intimate musical conversations with the leader. Scieranski's bass and Baron's saxophone are simply delightful. Smietana experiments with the guitar synthesizers and performs on three quite distinctly sounding guitars, with his delicate touch being definitely one of the finest ever. Also the three duets with veteran saxophonist Janusz Muniak are among the album's most enchanting moments.

In retrospect this is a very strong album from start to finish with no weak moments or unnecessary "fillers", and a superb legacy which Smietana left for all of us to enjoy. A must for all Polish Jazz fans!

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.

Wierba / Schmidt Quintet – The Mole People (2012) ***1/2

Michal Wierba - keyboards
Piotr Schmidt - trumpet
Michal Kapczuk - bass
Sebastian Kuchczynski - drums
Piotr Baron - saxophone

SJ 004

By Adam Baruch

This is the fourth album by the Polish Jazz quintet, which was founded by two young players / composers: pianist Michal Wierba and trumpeter Piotr Schmidt. The quintet also includes bassist Michal Kapczuk and drummer Sebastian Kuchczynski. The fifth member of the quintet is a guest artist and in this case it the fabulous Polish saxophonist Piotr Baron. The quintet performs seven tunes, five of which are original compositions by Wierba, one by Schmidt and the remaining one is a Jimmy Rowles standard.

The music sits well within the comfortable boundaries of typical Jazz mainstream, moving vaguely between Bebop and Hard Bop. The original compositions are all quite solid, but overall unremarkable and lack an edge which could keep the listener focused for the duration of the music. The performances are also very good, but than again there's nothing here that every Jazz fan never heard before. Baron, who obviously represents a completely different league, sadly contributes very little, as most of the music is performed without his direct involvement. The only moment when the music becomes truly inspired is when the beautiful standard is performed solo by the pianist.

To make things perfectly clear this is not a bad album; there are plenty of interesting moments and excellent solos (Baron's solos in particular) but it is not enough to make it a remarkable album. In view of the music made by the very young Polish Jazz players, even younger than the ones on this album, constantly breathing on the neck of their slightly older colleagues, the level of competition requires everybody to try ever so harder. Life is a bitch.

Krzysztof Herdzin – Composer's Concert Live (2013) ****

Krzysztof Herdzin - piano / composer / conductor
Piotr Baron - saxophone

DUX 0970








By Adam Baruch

Polish pianist / composer / arranger / conductor Krzysztof Herdzin, who is in his early forties at the time these words are being written, managed to create an entire universe of music in the relatively short span of his life so far; a universe so diverse and overwhelmingly rich in forms, idioms and palette that one begins to wonder if the Artist will ever reach his limits and become finally content and contained.

Herdzin has been tightrope walking for some time now between Jazz and Classical Music, obviously deeply involved in both genres. Sometimes his works try to amalgamate the genres, creating a Jazz-Classical Fusion, but he also composes "strictly" Classical Music, which is presented on this live recording. Here Herdzin conducts the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, which performs seven of his compositions. Five of these compositions are orchestral works, with two involving only strings and the other three the entire orchestra, another one involves an improvising saxophonist – in this case the brilliant Piotr Baron – and the last one is a piano concertino in three parts, on which the composer also plays the piano.

Contrary to what one might expect, Herdzin as a Classical Music composer does not follow the Polish "modernist school", which includes such distinguished composers as Krzysztof Penderecki, Witold Lutoslawski, Henryk Gorecki and Wojciech Kilar, to mention just the most renowned names. His inspiration is obviously much closer to the French modernists / impressionists like Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel and the more avant-garde "Les Six" group, but of course many other distinguished composers he admires. His works are always full of romanticism and lyricism and are beautifully melodic, which makes them sound "easy" / "pleasant", even if they are in fact quite complex in their structure, harmony and form.

The music presented here follows Herdzin's tendency for creating melodic, romantic and mostly joyful music, which can be enjoyed by a wide spectrum of listeners, which can encompass his Jazz listeners as easily as fans of Classical Music. His Jazz persona is evident in the piece involving the saxophone improvisation, which is stunningly performed and definitely is one of the album's highlights. The piano concertino also includes quite a few Jazzy hints and undercurrents. Herdzin does not present any groundbreaking discoveries herein, but his music is a very solid statement and pays tribute to his many talents.

Overall this is a lovely and aesthetically pleasing piece of music, excellently performed and very well recorded, as much as being a great listening experience. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Piotr Baron – Salve Regina (2007) ****

Piotr Baron - saxophone
Leo Smith - trumpet
Darek Oleszkiewicz - bass
Marvin Smith - drums

CELESTIS





By Adam Baruch

Music and religion go hand in hand since the early days of human history and religion has always been a major force and inspiration for artistic activity, musical and otherwise. But as far as Jazz is concerned, the obvious links between religion and music have been, more often than not, hidden either subconsciously or purposefully. Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Piotr Baron is one of the few Jazz artists who wears his religion on his sleeve, openly and consistently voicing his Christian belief, both as a person and an Artists, which is beautifully demonstrated by this album.

As the title suggests this album presents three versions of the "Salve Regina" antiphon, tracing its development over time, starting with its earliest 11^th Century incarnation via a 16^th and lastly 18^th Century ones. In addition the album also includes two traditional religious hymns and two original compositions by Baron, which open and then close the album, both kept in similar spiritual mood as the rest of the album.

But if the subject matter of this music is highly unusual, the actual performances are even more astounding, since the music was recorded in the USA and features a quartet, which also includes the Polish (but resident in US) bassist Darek Oleszkiewicz and two American Free Jazz heroes: trumpeter Leo Smith and drummer Marvin Smith (not related to each other). Nolan Shaheed, who was the sound engineer on this recording, plays cornet on one track. This Polish-American quartet is one of the very few of its kind, which features musicians form two continents and from completely different backgrounds playing highly improvised music, which requires a unity of soul and mind of a higher sphere, which evidently was achieved herein.

This music, although mostly highly improvised, originates in the religious music, stating the melody at the start of each of the tracks and then moves away into the free spirit zone, where the musicians stretch out and make their individual statements as well as improvise collectively. The level of individual performances is obviously stellar, but Baron respectfully takes a step back from the position of the leader, allowing the trumpeter to be the dominant soloist on this album. Oleszkiewicz is simply brilliant, carrying the music almost single-handedly as the steady chord and rhythm indicator, allowing the other players complete freedom. His beautiful tone and solos are simply breathtaking. The drummer also keeps a low profile most of the time, as appropriate for this spiritual music, which has not an iota of aggression or unnecessary haste. When Baron does solo, his superb sound and fluidity wholly complete the music, respectfully wondering in the lyrical plane, which reflects his devotion.

Although not an easy piece of music, this is brilliant artistic experience, which true Jazz connoisseurs should be delighted with anytime anywhere and a superb example of music, which has a meaning way beyond the actual sounds. Thank you, as usual, Mr. Baron!

Krzysztof Herdzin – Looking For Balance (2011)

Krzysztof Herdzin - piano
Gregoire Maret - harmonica
Piotr Baron - saxophone
Marek Napiorkowski - guitra
Robert Kubiszyn - bass
Cezary Konrad - drums
with
Sinfonia Viva Orchestra

UNIVERSAL 602527877860

By Adam Baruch

Polish pianist / composer / arranger Krzysztof Herdzin is without a doubt not only the most versatile musician in his country, but also extremely prolific and obviously accordingly talented. He likes to work with as many different musical settings as possible, from a piano trio to large scale orchestral extravaganzas, seemingly with equal ease and success. This is one of such "out there" projects, which features Herdzin's original music played by a Jazz ensemble and accompanied by a full scale string and woodwinds orchestra.

The ensemble comprises of Herdzin's regular trio, with bassist Robert Kubiszyn and drummer Cezary Konrad, and three guests: guitarist Marek Napiorkowski, saxophonist Piotr Baron and Swiss harmonica player Gregoire Maret (of Pat Metheny Group fame), who is the featured soloist. The Sinfonia Viva Orchestra is responsible for the orchestral parts.

The music belongs broadly to the Jazz & Strings format, which of course was tried many times before. The Jazz ensemble plays a set of very melodic, relaxed and lyrical compositions, taking solos in turn, with Maret being the principle soloist. The harmonica is relatively rarely used as a solo instrument in the Jazz framework and with the exception of a few known cases (most notably the Belgian Toots Thielemans) is usually associated with less challenging music. Of course in the hands (and mouth) of a very talented player it can sound quite virtuosic, as is the case here, but it adds another dimension of "sweetness" to the proceedings, which borders with overdoing it. Personally Baron's contributions on this album are the most interesting, albeit being decisively too limited.

The orchestral arrangements are elegant and kept in good taste, playing only the second fiddle (pun intended) in the proceedings. Although excellently played and masterfully arranged, they seem to be merely ornamentation, contributing little to the actual musical content other than setting an atmospheric background. There is definitely a fine balance and cooperation between the ensemble and the orchestra, but full musical integration is not achieved here, perhaps purposely. Herdzin of course proves that he can easily handle the orchestral arrangements any way he pleases.

Overall this is a very nice album, which many listeners will find pleasing and enjoyable. For hardcore Jazz fans this might be a bit too sweet to swallow (especially those with diabetes like myself), but nevertheless it is professionally executed classy music, accessible to a wide audience, which definitely has its merits.

Piotr Baron – Jazz At Prague Castle (2012)

Piotr Baron - saxophone
Adam Milwiw-Baron - trumpet
Dominik Wania - piano
Maciej Adamczak - bass
Przemyslaw Jarosz - drums

MULTISONIC 320839







By Adam Baruch

This album presents a live recording by the great Polish Jazz saxophonist / composer Piotr Baron and his quintet, which also includes trumpeter Adam Milwiw-Baron (his son), pianist Dominik Wania, bassist Maciej Adamczak and drummer Przemyslaw Jarosz. The music was recorded at the beautiful Prague Castle, which holds Jazz concerts of the highest standard, which are also recorded and released on CD by the Czech Multisonic label. The album includes only three expanded performances, two composed by Baron (both appeared on his superb last album "Kaddish") and one is an arrangement of a 14^th century Polish Easter song. Two of the tracks are almost 30 minutes long and the third is almost 20 minutes long.

The concert in introduced by the Czech President Vaclav Klaus, who personally opens all the Jazz venues at the Castle – a lesson to be studied by all Presidents - in which he talks about the meeting between him and Piotr Baron, which led to the invitation to play at the Castle, and the special relationship between the Czech and Polish Jazz scenes over the years – a subject worthy of a book by itself.

The music is deeply spiritual, as is all music made by Baron, reflecting his profoundly personal relation with belief (and not religion, as Baron surely demonstrates a cross-religion / one God approach). Accepting the model (spiritually and musically) of the great Godfather of spiritual Jazz, John Coltrane, Baron develops his music very much in the same direction, but uses his very own language and cultural affiliations, with his Polish roots being openly noticeable.

This is Jazz with a true capital J, music of the highest caliber, which penetrates the listener's heart and shakes his soul. It is absorbing and captivating, breathtakingly beautiful and intellectually intriguing, all at once. There is very little music of such quality being made these days, so this is even more impressive.

Pianist Dominik Wania, who is definitely one of the best Polish Jazz pianists of the young generation, plays some amazing music here and I'm glad that Baron recognized his qualities and allowed him so much space and opportunity to express his amazing talent. But of course all these musicians play divinely, with the leader magically applying his charm, even when not playing.

This music is way beyond recommendation – it is simply a crying shame that every true Jazz lover will probably not have an opportunity to immerse in its magic. If you can, count yourself lucky and blessed!

Side Note: This album is a part of the “Jazz at the Castle” series, which presents live recordings performed at various venues inside the charming Prague Castle, the residence of the President of the Czech Republic. The series was initiated in 2004 by President Vaclav Klaus and symbolizes the respect and love of all things Cultural by the Czech People.

Piotr Baron - Jazz na Hrade (Multisonic, 2012) by Maciej Nowotny

Piotr Baron – soprano, tenor saxophone

Adam Milwiw-Baron – trumpet
Dominik Wania – piano
Maciej Adamczak – double bass
Przemysław Jarosz – drums

Jazz na Hrade (Multisonic, 2012)

This album may be seen as a concert version of yesteryear highly acclaimed "Kaddish" (2011). Counted by most critics among top five best albums in Polish jazz that year it was exceptional mixture of top notch mainstream jazz and of modern avantgarde experiments all united naturally with leader's fervent religiosity. The outcome was breathtaking: very personal musical utterance not imitating anything, equally rooted in tradition yet facing future.

It is therefore no surprise that I was very happy when few months ago Piotr Baron sent me a sample of music from concert given for Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus at the Prague's Castle (Hrad) hinting it may be released as live album. Music struck me with power and naturalness only the best live recordings posses. It is fortunate turn of events indeed that this material was published so quickly after the event and that we can now all take part in this exceptional artistic feast.

I call it the feast for two reasons. First, though it contains mostly tunes from "Kaddish" (title track and "Modlitwa") there is also one tune - "Chrystus zmartwychwstan jest" - from Baron previous recording "Sanctus" issued in 2008. But even if you know these tracks already, they are so changed and extended that it is basically totally new and fresh listening experience. This last song, based upon Polish XIV c. Easter tune, grew from 8:25 to 19:53 in time! The same applies to other tunes. That may sound like risky decision but the result is extremely satisfying. Music gained in freedom, every detail shines clearly with this unhurried beauty which characterizes best improvised art. 

Second, this effect is enhanced by changes in line-up. Piotr Baron on saxophone and his son Adam on trumpet remain as frontmen in this band. What changed is new, young musicians in rhythm section in persons of  doublebassist Maciej Adamczak and drummer Przemek Jarosz. They brought into game a lot of vitality and agressivness augmented by equally young pianist Dominik Wania who brilliantly met the task to replace fantastic Michał Tokaj.

Finally let me observe that the band should rather be called a sextet instead of quintet. And that is because of a role played by incredibly empathic and sensitive Czech audience which supplied musicians with an energy necessary to make this evening so mesmerizing and unforgettable.

By Maciej Nowotny

http://kochamjazz.blox.pl

Track listing:

1. Kaddish
2. Chrystus zmartwychwstan jest
3. Modlitwa (Prayer)

Piotr Baron - Tango (1996)

Piotr Baron - tenor saxophone

Jacek Niedziela - double bass
Adam Czerwiński - drums

Tango (1996)

This is rather typical mainstream jazz music however lacking some characteristic for Baron spirituality and cross-over creativity he displayed for example on his latest superb "Kaddish" (2012). Its highlight is attractive main theme which makes music coherent. Level of musicianship is also very high as much as interplay between musicians. Perhaps not sufficient to cause "wow!" effect but certainly enough to justify repeated rehearsal even after many years since its recording.

Tracklist:
1. The Last Tango in Paris
2. Tingel Tango
3. Pożegnania; Pamiętasz, była jesień / Farewells; Remember, It Was an Autumn
4. Hasta Siempre
5. Joe Lovano Tango
6. St. Luis Blues
7. Tango Milonga - Oh, Donna Clara

By Maciej Nowotny

http://polish-jazz.blogspot.com/

Jan Ptaszyn Wroblewski - Made In Poland (1995)

Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski - tenor & bass saxophones, leader, arranger

Henryk Miskiewicz - alto saxophone
Piotr baron - tenor saxophone
Robert Majewski - trumpet
Piotr Wojtasik - trumpet
Henryk Majewski - trumpet
Sławomir Rosiak - trombone
Andrzej jagodziński - piano, keyboards
Wojciech Karolak - keyboards (4, 6, 7)
Adam Cegielski - bass
Jacek Olter - drums

Made In Poland (1995)

Easy-going mainstream jazz as usual for Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski but of the highest quality in terms of purely musical performance. When I am listening to it right now it strikes how much it is indebted in best arangements written for ensambles led by legendary Art Blackey or by then young Charles Tolliver. I mean of course arrangements from 70ties last century, it is therefore more than obvious that music on this disc by no means discovered anything new. It is nonetheless more than just able copy mainly because of musicians who at moments play notes with true authencity and enthusiasm so characteric for jazz music. Piotr Baron on saxophone deserves most praise in this context but Henryk Majewski and Piotr Wojtasik on trumpets, Andrzej Jagodziński on piano and Jacek Olter on drums made no worse impression on me. All in all, I do not regret time spent on rehearsing this oldie. 

Track listing:
1. Go Right
2. Mr. Olek
3. Moment Musical
4. For Joseph
5. Drivin'
6. Chcha muzyka objawowa
7. Final Theme / Polka Oj-ra

By Maciej Nowotny

http://kochamjazz.blox.pl

Piotr Baron - Take One (Polonia Records, 1995)

Piotr Baron - soprano and tenor taxophone

Darek Oleszkiewicz - double bass

Jacek Olter - drums

Take One (1995)

Stellar line-up and music as always with Piotr Baron difficult to classify. Certainly mainstream but with some occasional unexpected twists towards more free and open language. The beauty of sound on this recording is breathtaking. Baron improvisations on saxophone are emotional, Oleszkiewicz bass line juicy, Olter drumming timely yet never too obvious. All in all this one surely deserves to be rehearsed from time to time and not cast into oblivion...

Track listing: 1. Kruchy most; 2. Złota rybka; 3. W ciemność;  4. Baronstone; 5. Nie przerywać dożynek; 6. Jeszcze jeden mazur dzisiaj; 7. Ja ci powiadałam Janielo; 8. Czerwone jabłuszko; 9. Moo Man

By Maciej Nowotny

http://kochamjazz.blox.pl

Piotr Baron - Reference (2004)

Piotr Baron - soprano & tenor saxophones

Eddie Henderson - trumpet & fluegelhorn

John Hicks - piano
Darek Oleszkiewicz - double bass
Victor Lewis - drums

Reference (2004)

Saxophonist Piotr Baron is among those musicians in Poland that ALWAYS treat jazz seriously. Like Tomasz Stańko, Zbigniew Namysłowski or, from younger generation, Marcin Wasilewski he never fails in any recording, a mark of musicians of the highest caliber. To realize this project Baron travelled to New York and employed first rank players: Eddie Henderson on trumpet, John Hicks on piano, Victor Lewis on drums and Polish expat living in the U.S. Darek Oleszkiewicz on double bass. They created perfect background for the leader's raging horn. 

As for music it is kind of hommage to bop, not surprisingly taking into account place of recording. For those not acquainted with jazz terminology, bop is style in jazz characterized by strong groove and blues components often featuring saxophone and piano, occasionally trumpet. There is everything listed above on present in this recording plus great tunes and first of all great enthusiasm of all musicians adding to this music invaluable freshness. The highlight of this disc is marvellous interpretation of Polish pop song "Moja i Twoja nadzieja" which in hands of these gifted musicians gain weight of such great jazz standards of pop origin like "Someday My Price Will Come" or "Time After Time". Very enjoyable CD indeed!

Track listing: 1.Reference [07:50]; 2.Moja i twoja nadzieja [15:17]; 3. Blue Butterfly [09:12]; 4. Dense Dance [10:45]; 5. Amen [08:28]

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

Jaromir Honzak - Getting There Together (1995)

Jaromir Honzak - bass   

Piotr Baron - saxophones
Kuba Stankiewicz - piano
Peter Binder - guitar
Martin Zbrozek - violin
Pavel Zboril - drums

Getting There Together (1995)

Ties between Polish, Czech and Slovak jazz musicians are not so tight as between Poles and Scandinavians but in recent times are getting obviously stronger. Many young people from both Czech Republic and Slovakia study in excellent jazz faculty at Music Academy in Katowice. Among those some show themselves as very talented like Stepanka Balcarova or Vit Kristan and are already taking active part in Polish jazz scene (check Inner Spaces Quartet). Other like Nothing But Swing trio from Slovakia turn their attention to Polish jazz as source of inspiration which is evidenced by their fantastic album "Komeda". Finally there are already existing bands uniting best musicians from these countries of which Jaromir Honzak combo is very good example.

Jaromik Honzak is double bassist who apart from being trained in Teplice Conservatory studied for one year in famous Berklee College of Music in Boston. Since returning to Czech Republic he has recorded six albums as a leader with this one being his debut. He is versatile bass player and composer as he penned most of material for this album. He surrounded himself here with pack of young players form both countries in persons pf Kuba Stankiewicz playing on piano, Pawel Zboril on drums, Martin Zbrozek on violin and Peter Binder on guitar (outstanding performance). However all these musicians deserve praise this album owes much of its value to stunning performance of Polish veteran reedist Piotr Baron. His play transcends this music from very solid but typical mainstream to something simply very beautiful (at least in some moments). For example check this ballad titled "Boston Is Cool" from this record: 

Track listing: 1. Boston Is Cool (10:29); 2. October In Poland (7:12); 3. You And The Night And The Music (6:41); 4. Today (3:09); 5. Fossilized Tear (3:36); 6. Woman From "Na Maninach" Buffet (5:45); 7. Say Hello To Marc (6:16); 8. Getting There Together (7:47)

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