Jazz Alchemist radio with New York Crasnals from 23.06.2008

From the vast vaults of Jazz Alchemist radio a special program that has little to do with jazz music at all. Aired originally 23.06.2008 with special guests in the studio - Michal and Jacek from New York Crasnals, a Cracow band that was about to make a noticeable impact on polish indie scene (the band is less active now as Michal plays a lot with a new project he leads - Bad Light District). So here you have - Indie Rock / Jazz Alchemist radio with New York Crasnals. Enjoy! :)

1. New York Crasnals - Hello Cold Child
2. Do Make Say Think - Auberge Le Mouton Noir
3. Kristen - Extra Trash Logic
4. The Bad Plus - Slim
5. Battles -
6. Mice Parade - Focus on the Rollercoaster
7. Ulan Bator - Pensees Massacre
8. The Album Leaf - The Outer Banks
9. The Eternals - Silbet
10. E.S.T. - Unstable Table and Unfable Fable
11. Holy Fuck - Casio Bossa Nova
12. Hasidic New Wave - A.K.S.
13. Hasidic New Wave - V'Smakhta

Jazz Alchemist Radio 23.06.2008 with New York Crasnals by Jazzowy Alchemik on Mixcloud

Concerts Concerts for the week 28.05 - 03.05

Quite frankly the sunny Krakow is recently too beautiful to stay indoors for anything more than necessary which is the reason for no new reviews in a while and probably it will stay so until some bad weather weekend (hoping to get to firt listen with a whole pile of cds). In the meantime there are still a lot of concerts going on and here's a bunch of suggestions for the next week in Krakow

Monday 28.05
Jacaszek at Alchemia. A well known figure of polish electronic scene. Dark and mysterious and hauntingly beatiful music.
(this one also means another archive radio program for tomorrow).






Thursday 31.05
High Definition Quartet (quite a lot about them on the blog recently) - a very promising young polish jazz quartet, definitely a band you need to know.
Harris Piano Jazz Bar.




And a dilemma for Sunday 03.05
Another concert in the series of "Protruding Ear" by Maszyna Alladyna - Krakow based improv group. PiecArt. Something for the experimental-minded ears. Starts around 8pm.



Alternatively Wojtek Mazolewski Quintet at Harris Piano Jaz Bar with modern take on classic jazz sound. Starts around 9pm. Make your choice.

Jazz Alchemist radio

I was supposed to put it here yesterday but didn't make it in time. The Bezdroza concert was great (especially the duo with Agnes Szelag and Tomek Chołoniewski - fantastic playing). Hope you made it today to see the Krakow Improvisers Orchestra.
For all of you, but especially for those who can't follow the concerts this week in Krakow (see the previous post) another program from the Jazz Alchemist radio archives. Originally aired on 26.05.2009 it is dedicated to my mother (as 26.05 is Mother's Day in Poland), to Miles Davis (as 26.05 is Miles' birthday), Oles Brothers (as they were about to play a duo concert in Krakow I decided to present a selection of their previous projects to begin with their first band Custom Trio). Plus birthday appearance courtesy of Dee Dee Bridgewater (27.05), Marshall Allen (25.05) and rock punch to end the playlist from Enon that had played a week before the program was made. Hope you'll like it.

1. Custom Trio - Mr M.B.
2. Miles Davis Quintet - Well You Needn't
3. Oles / Werner / Oles - Shape & Shade
4. Marshall Allen / Kidd Jordan / William Parker / Alan Silva / Hamid Drake - V
5. Miles Davis - Petits Machines
6. Miles Davis - Sivad
7. Dee Dee Bridgewater - Dansez Sur Moi
8. Oles / Przybielski / Oles - Afroblue
9. Miles Davis - What I Say
10. Oles / Trzaska / Oles - IX
11. Bartłomiej Brat Oleś / Ken Vandermark - Drumsax County
12. Enon - Plesure and Privilege

Jazz Alchemist radio 26.05.2008 with Miles and Oles brothers by Jazzowy Alchemik on Mixcloud

Weekly concerts list. Lot of them (20.05-27.05)

There's a lot of concerts this week in Krakow so don't sit around,come, listen and enjoy.


Sunday 20.05
I already wrote last week about tonight's concert in Piec'ART by Krakow(Now Huta)-based improv group Maszyna Alladyna with its cycle of concerts Odstające Ucho (Protruding Ear). Starts at 8pm. free entrance. Good way to finish the weekend (especially if you're not an NBA fan planning to watch Indiana - Miami game 4)
http://www.myspace.com/maszynaladyna/radio


Monday 21.05
Bezdroża (Crossroads) cycle in Alchemia with some experimental/improv projects.
Trio with Michal Dymny/Paulina Owczarek and Tomek Glus (it's too simplyfing to say they play guitar / bari sax / drums & drum machines as all of them are experimenting a lot with musical language extending the sonic palette of their respective instuments in various ways).
Duet Agnes Szelag with Tomek Chołoniewski follows (cello, voice, electronics, drums, percussion) and Krakow Active Ensemble (led by Agnes) ends the evening with some musical visualisations of child's plays theory (whateve should that mean, I'm curious).
Starts 8pm. Entrance 10/15 zl.
Event's page on facebook




Tuesday 22.05
As part of Nowa Huta festival an Improv Orchestra which includes most of the Krakow-based improv artists will play a set of directed and spontaneous improvisations. Should be a blast.
Teatra Laznia Nowa (Os. Szkolne 25), starts 8 pm. Free Entrance.
Event's page on facabook










Wednesday 23.05
As part of the celebration of 10 years of activity of Kawiarnia Naukowa (a place of support for all kinds of hardcore/indie/alternative/punk/underground/noise etc. events in Kraków) an improv concert with Aloes band (free improv/dub/noise/ambient sort of thing) also Konrad Gęca with solo dubcore project : noise india, and Ziemia Ludzi.
Free entrance.
event's page on facebook




Thursday 24.05
The last before the summer break concert of Muzykoterapia series. Three sound artitst Martyna Poznana, Kacper Ziemianin and Bartosz Ignacy Wrona. Klub Dobre Bity (Jozefa 6), starts 8pm, entrance 10 zl.
Event's facebook page









Kacper Ziemianin with Anna Kaluza and Rafal Mazur:

Matthew Shipp & Mateusz Walerian duo at Alchemia (16.05)

Mateusz Walerian is a young polish jazz saxophone player that, although he has not yet recorded a cd, plays regularly with the likes of Hamid Drake and Matthew Shipp which should be prove enough that he's a musician to observe closely. The duo tour with Matthew Shipp arrived also to Krakow to share its music with audience at Alchemia.

Matthew Shipp remains one of the most characteristic piano players of the generarion, his musical language rooted in the classical avant-guarde music from one side and solemn church hymns on the other. Heavy chords, contrasted by gentle suspension of the notes and subtle modulations  and shifts within the repetitive lines or reinforced by thunderous storm of hands on the keyboard. 

Mateusz Walerian's playing is rooted in the early free-jazz, with heavy echoes of bluesy tone. His lines can be jazzy in the spirit of post-bop as well as angular and abstract, he goes for more direct approach on alto, while searching for more sonic shades on bass clarinet. He tends for modest and minimal, selecting carefully the means of his expression.

Together they created a program that shifts between tension between their styles of playing and comunication, between here and there, now and then, between solemn hymnos, romping jazz tune with boogie piano line, idyllic and peacefull meditations in the form of ancient mantra of serial music. Thunderous explosions of expression contradicted by chamber-like subtle moments of lirycism. With the variety and the span of the performance (80 minutes long continuous piece) the concert was a bit overwhelming, nonetheless rewarding well the attention. 

While it was Matthew Shipp who in my ears dominated the evening (not at all surprising given his style and power of expression) I treat Mateusz Walerian's playing as a promise and it remains to be seen how he manages to keep it. I'd like to see him step up more as a leading voice in the near future.

 ps. the duo is playing next days in

Wroclaw (17.05)

Warszawa (18.05)

Poznan (19.05)

Szymbark (20.05)

so hopefully you have a chance to catch them live.

Mateusz Walerian - alto sax, bass clarinet, clarinet, flute
Matthew Shipp - piano

Alchemia. Krakow. 16.05.2012

Jazz Alchemist radio birthday!!!

Jackie McLean

So here we are, the Jazz Alchemist radio program is 5 years old. Which is just one among the birthdays of the week - we got Sidney Bechet and Woody Herman, Dewey Redman and Jackie McLean, Robert Fripp and Bill Bruford. Plus I added some fun good-mood tunes I hope you'll enjoy.


1. Woody Herman - Caldonia (Woody's birthday on 16.05)
2. King Crimson - Cat Food (Robert Fripp's birthday on 16.05, Bill Bruford's birthday on 17.05)
3. Jackie McLean - Demon's Dance (Jackie's birthday on 17.05)
4. Keith Jarrett Quartet - Common Mama
5. Sidney Bechet - Muskrat Ramble (Sidney's birthday on 14.05)
6. Monthy Python's SPAMALOT - Tuning
7. Monthy Python's SPAMALOT - Monk's chant / He is not dead yet
8. Monthy Python's SPAMALOT - He is not dead yet (playoffs)
9. Miąższ - Awangardowa Suszarka
10. King Crimson - Pictures of a City (live from Summit Studios, Denver 12.03.1972)
11. Woody Herman - Opus De Funk
12. Complainer & The Complainers - Substytuty

Woody Herman

13. Complainer & The Complainers - Metka
14. King Crimson - Discipline (live from Philadelphia, 30.07.1982)
15. Jackie McLean - Floogeh
16. Ray Anderson Big Band - Don't Mow Your Lawn
17. Jack Walrath and Master of Suspense - Love Enough for Everybody
18. Monthy Python's SPAMALOT - Always Look on the Bright Side of the Life

Jazz Alchemist radio birthday with Sidney, Woody, Robert from 14.05.12 by Jazzowy Alchemik on Mixcloud

Concerts again and radio invitation

My life is a little bit crazy recently and I hardly have to time sit down in front of the keyboard but I'd like to very kindly invite you
1. to listen tomorrow (Monday) evening, the usual time (8 pm CET), the usual place (www.radiofrycz.pl) for the very unusal, special indeed, birthday radio playlist with Katarzyna Dziubinska back as co-host and mixture of fun tunes, jazz and otherwise.

2. concerts, concerts, concerts!
First of all there's Matthew Shipp & Matuesz Walerian duo touring in Poland this week, among the gigs, Alchemia, this Wednesday.

Maszyna Alladyna, Krakow-based (or Nowa Huta-based) improv group is playing in a week, Sunday at Piec'ART.
Come and enjoy

(Edit: also, if you enjoy more indie-electro-altern-rock-pop things check the Digit All Love concert, Thursday, Alchemia. Samples on the myspace, 3-piece string section, electronics, and aetheric voice, sound really intriguing)

Jazz Alchemist radio with Carla, Keith, Gary and Ahmed

Today we celebrate birthdays of some key figures in jazz history. Nothing else to say about it, hope you'll enjoy the music.

1. Carla Bley Big Band - Sing Me Softly of the Blues (Carla's birthday on 11.08)
2. Keith Jarrett Quartet - The Rich (and the Poor) (Keith's birthday on 08.05)
3. Keith Jarrett Trio - Dancing (Gary Peacock's birthday on 12.05)
4. Ahmed Abdullah Quartet - Mayibeu (Ahmed's birthday on 10.05)
5. Ahmed Abdullah Solomonic Quintet - Gypsy Lady

6. Carla Bley Big Band - Who Will Rescue You?
7. Keith Jarrett Quartet - De Drums
8. Ahmed Abdullah Quartet - Ebony Queen
9. Ahmed Abdullah Solomonic Quintet - Canto II
10. Keith Jarrett Trio - God Bless The Child
11. Piotr Orzechowski - Coral (composition by K. Jarrett)

Jazz Alchemist radio 07.05.12 with Keith, Gary, Carla and Ahmed by Jazzowy Alchemik on Mixcloud

Concerts Concerts!!!

I invite you tomorrow at 8pm CET to listen to www.radiofrycz.pl. We'll celebrate birthdays of Keith Jarrett, Carla Bley, Gary Peacock and Ahmed Abdullah with their music. In the meantime there are many things happening in Krakow and here are some recommendations for you for the next week.

8 may

muzykoterapia : GłuChoRut / Głuc & Chołoniewski & Rutkowski

Three Krakow based drummers in one place. I am curious. If you're too, come to Klub Dobre Bity at 20:00 (Jozefa 6 street)

event's page on facebook

10 may

MJUD : Marek Pospieszalski and Joanna Duda with synths. Could be interesting duo. 21:30 at Harris Piano Jazz Bar (Rynek Głowny 28)

11 may

Vladimirska plays a mix of indie pop-folk-circus tunes. Should be a fun friday  evening at Kolanko no. 6 (Jozefa 17), come, dance and enjoy. Also Ashia and the Bison Rouge from USA (have never heard but the name sounds cool, doesn't it?).
event's facebook page

13 may

Experimental group from Warsaw with Paweł Szamburski and Piotr Zakrocki and Hubert Zemler will play music to avant-guarde movies from the 30's as a part of MuLaKuŻ cycle (music laboratory of jewish culture) at Cheder Cafe.

event's facebook page


Hope to see you this week

Paweł Kaczmarczyk Directions in Music with Jorgos Skolias - Ray Charles at Harris Piano Jazz Bar (04.05)

Directions in Music project led by Paweł Kamczarczyk pays hommage to the pianist's leaders and among previous editions were to be heard innovative arrangaments of music by Eric Dolphy, Sam Rivers, Freddie Hubbard and many more. The concert in Harris las friday was dedicated to Ray Charles, quite a change as we move away from jazz legends to a legend of pop culture, yet no one would debate its connection to jazz world (apart from r'n'b & pop chart hits Ray played some jazz as well in fact).

The main artistic risk and general question in projects like that is how to approach the original music and Pawel Kaczmarczyk takes an adventurous approach to Ray's songs. The originals are completely restuructured and reorganized on all levels of harmony, rhythm, melody's cadence. Bluesy and smooth "Georgia on my mind" might be the closest to the original. Other songs are filled with sudden twists and surprising ideas. "I can't stop loving you" circles in contrasts as the funky groove intro stops suddenly before a ballad verse. There's also expanded keyobard solo and Pawel's joy of music is infective as he seems like a kid playing a video game when he toys with cosmic sounds, fat beats and spacious echoes. There's hypnotic, extended, impressionistic solo on a ripetitive bass patern "Here we go again" that. "Hit the road Jack" focuses on walking piano labirynth-like line and galloping d'n'bass drum rolls. "Hallelujah I love her so" starts with gospel intro but then hits a hard-bop brakes with a salsa twist in the middle. Ambitious and fun, and Paweł Kaczmarczyk also found the right guys to play the material with - Jorgos Skolias is a singer with warm voice and very personal expression, Dawid Fortuna is one the best groovers right now, he's way of playing is only deceivingly simple, he can hit it hard or lay it smooth and light, Maciej Adamczak anchors the music with ease, mantaining order when young guns are hitting it off.

Adventurous and entertaining. A croud pleaser? Jazz for masses? If so, who cares, I want more. This was a lot of fun, check some samples from the previous concert below and see for yourself.

Jorgos Skolias - voice
Paweł Kaczmarczyk - piano
Maciej Adamczak - double bass
Dawid Fortuna - drums

Harris Piano Jazz Bar. Kraków. 04.05.2012

Piotr Orzechowski / Inner Spaces with David Dorouzka at Manghha (26.04)

Next to the last concert in this year's edition of jazz festival Starzy i Młodzi. I have written recently often about Piotr Orzechowski (couple of pieces from his solo cd can be heard in our last radio playlist) yet it was first time I could hear his solo recital live. Orzechowski is pure talent, as confirmed by al the prizes he got already, he has keen ear and it's clear he's searching for his own kind of expression, drawing on the vast inspirations from film music, jazz, classical. 

Jazz Alchemist Radio with Duke, JB and others

As all Poland is on the vacation due to the bank holidays on 1st and 3rd May (unfortunately, me excluded) I invite to you to relax while listening to a spring playlist that aired originally on 28.04.2008. We celebrate birthdays of Duke Ellington (Ella Fitzgerald gets also her share) and the one and only James Brown. Enjoy the music, enjoy the time outside the office, enjoy the sun (that's my plan).

The tracklist is:
1. Ella Fitzgerald sings Duke Ellington - Take the 'A' Train (Duke born at 29.04; Ella born at 25.04)
2. James Brown - Think (James born on 03.05)
3. Nicole Mitchell's Black Earth Strings Ensemble - Ayaa's Rainbow
4. Grencso Bio Kollektiv - Regi Nota (Old Song)
5. Iza Zając - Times'a'wastin'
6. Duke Ellington Trio - Caravan
7. Mina Agossi - Caravan
8. Ella Fitzgerald sings Duke Ellington- I'm Beginning To See The Light
9. James Brown - My Thang
10. Lester Bowie Brass Fantasy - Papa`s Got a Brand New Bag
11. Bobby McFerrin - I Feel Good
12. Sex Mob - Please, Please, Please
13. Spaceways Inc. - She Just Got Here
14. Grencso Bio Kollektiv - Lougras (Horse Step)
15. Duke Ellington Trio - Money Jungle
16. Duke Ellington and his Orchestra - Perdido
17. Nicole Mitchell Indigo Trio - Thankfulness
18. Nicole Mitchell's Black Earth Strings Ensemble - Wade
19. Ella Fitzgerald sings Duke Ellington- In a Sentimental Mood

Jazz Alchemist Radio for may holidays by Jazzowy Alchemik on Mixcloud

Pink Freud at Lizard King (25.04)

Pink Freud is an example of a band that manages to exist on the fringes of jazz, alternative rock, electronics. Started as a trio a couple of years back, only the band's leader - Wojtek Mazolewski, remains from the original line-up but the group is coming back strong with another album - Horse and Power, and the concert in Krakow was part of the promotional tour.