Waclaw Zimpel Quartet - Stone Fog [For Tune]

Waclaw Zimpel - clarinets
Krzysztof Dys - piano
Christian Ramond - double bass
Klaus Kugel - drums






For Tune 2013

Waclaw Zimpel has appeared on this blog a handful of times already (most recently with the Hera XL "Seven Lines"), the fact, in my ears remain very simple - every single project Zimpel dedicates himself to is an artistic success, there's a vision behind every single one of them, a specific between preparation and spontaneity, between passion and thought, and the results continue to be spot on. 

Daunik Lauzro / Joelle Leandre - Hasparren [No Business]

Daunik Lazro - baritone sax
Joelle Leandre - double bass, voice






No Business Records 2013

This is one for those who love low tones and deep timbres. Baritone sax and double bass in the hands of Daunik Lazro and Joelle Leandre sound like a meeting of two soulmates. The two has played together, in various settings, for over 30 years now.

Krakow Concert Schedule 24.02-02.03

Slow start this week but once again, as weekend comes, there's abundance of choices and a certain headache for those torn between them.

27.02 The Silver Owls, Dżindżer Project, By Proxy at Alchemia
The shared initiative by the Krakowska Scena Muzyczna (association that promotes Krakow based bands) and students from the Culture Managament department, three completely different bands put together, dream-americana by The Silver Owls, groovy and smooth Dzindzer projekt and heavy electronica by By Proxy. Everyone should find something to his liking.

Raphael Roginski and Polish New Jewish Music part 2 - Shofar [Kilogram Records] and Sisters [Multikulti]

Shofar - Ha-Huncvot

Mikolaj Trzaska - alto saxophone, bass clarinet

Raphael Roginski - guitar

Macio Moretti - drums

 Kilogram Records 2013

That's the band it all begun with. "Shofar" (Kilogram Records 2007) was a deep dive into heritage that seemed to be completely lost at the moment. A journey to the past in order to understand's one identity and roots. It turned out that that music, it's feeling lives deep inside the three musicians and many others that followed on trying to explore the tradition of hasidic music with the contemporary context. (the topic appears few times in the interview with Mikolaj Trzaska)

Raphael Roginski and Polish New Jewish Music part 1 - Cukunft [Lado ABC]

Raphael Roginski has appeared quite a few times on the blog already and the reason for this is quite simple, I believe he's one of the most original artists around, his guitar playing sound is completely unique and he's quite a multi-tasker leading a handful a different project. Named, with a reason, the animator of the revival of jewish music in Poland in recent years. A trend which treads its beginnings to the release of "Shofar" cd in 2007 - a trio with Mikolaj Trzaska and Macio Moretti playing together music that Roginski found in the archives of ethnomusicologist Moshe Beregovsky. It so happens that, after quite a long hiatus, two of Roginski's bands released new music in 2013 so I decided to gather them together.

(for previous references on Roginski you might check the posts about Hera XL, Cukunft's concert with Maria Raducanu, his new band Wovoka as well as the special Yemenite music project). 

Cukunft - Wilde Blumen
Raphael Roginski - guitar
Pawel Szamburski - clarinet, bass clarinet
Michal Gorczynski - clarinet, tenor sax
Pawel Szpura - drums

Lado ABC 2013

Cukunft (yiddish for "Future") is quite a band of madmen on stage (you most definitely need to see, whilte it's still on the web, their concert with Maria Raducanu that took place on Krakow Jewish Festival 2013) - it's punk-rock energy and crazy circus madness applied by two raving clarinets, guitar and drums.

Krakow Concert Schedule 17-23.02

Enjoy the free week and prepare for the weekend as things get busy with a bit of americana, indie rock and, for the after-relax, bit of mainstream jazz.

(EDIT)
20.02 Marcin Masecki plays Scarlatti at Bomba
Masecki is one of the most original piano voices of new generaliton. Post-modern, post-intellectual or post-trivial. His deconstruction of Scarlatti's sonatas are definitely worth hearing.

Glod / Piket / Tokar / Kugel - Op Der Schmelz Live [Nemu]

Roby Glod - alto and soprano saxophones
Roberta Piket - piano
Mark Tokar - double bass
Klaus Kugel - drums

Nemu Records 2013

This is an international quartet with US citizens Roby Glod on saxes and Roberta Piket on piano, Klaus Kugel on drums from Germany and Mark Tokar on bass from Ukraine (a rhythm section that appears together in other groups as well, ie Undivided or the trio with Andre' Pabarciute). 

The name of the collective means "At the Foundry" which is metaphorically quite accurate.  There are six pieces on the cd, everyone with a seed of sketched melody, to be filled and surrounded differently with each execution, not unlike working with a fused metal in a factory.

Russian music in the key of New Jazz on Leo Records part 4 - Anastasia Masloboeva, Evgeny Masloboev and Alexey Kruglov

The final chapter and the cd that gave the title to our mini-cycle.

Russian Folksongs in the Key of New Jazz
Anastasia Masloboeva - voice, cymbalo

Evgeny Masloboev - percussion, drums, plastic bucket, metal washbasin, speaker
Alexey Kruglov - soprano and alto saxophones, clarinet, baby saxohphone, prepared saxophones and clarinet, mouthpieces
Sergey Starostin - russian folk wind instruments
Renat Gautalin - piano, prepared piano, programmed synth
Arkady Shilkloper- french horn, alpine horn; Anton Kolosov - bass guitar; Vitaly Labutin - el. guitar

Leo Records 2012

"Russian Folskongs in the Key of New Jazz" was recorded when Anastasia and Evgeny came from Irkutsk to Moscow and met with Alexey Kruglov, a busy-bee of the Moscow's improvising scene. The three are joined by Sergey Starostin on folk wind instruments and Renat Gataulin on piano and synth (Arkady Schilkoper plays on three tracks and Vitaly Labutin and Anton Kolosov guest on one).  The music included on the cd is truly an amalgam of personal styles and musical genres.


There's something truly beautiful in the contrast between the pure crystal voice of Anastasia and Alexey's raw sax sound. "Kukushechka" is possibly my favourite song, and it opens the cd (after a short instrumental interlude) with Anastasia's voice surrounded by the frenetic sax, joyful flutes played by Starostin and lyrical piano ornaments by Gataulin. The cd will close with the similarly happy tones of "Gulbushka" (with a particularly soulful sax solo and proud tone by Arkady Shilkloper). The "Pacification" gives a chance to listen to Kruglov-Masloboeva duo alone and the two connect on every level as they entangle together the tone and timbre of human voice and saxophone.
"Over the River" is a bit whimsical battle of whistling, a reminder of how folk music is for Homo Ludens, while minimalistic "Nora" or "Lullabye" bring back the ethereal, metaphysical feeling from the Evgeny-Anastasia duo cds (the first one features as well majestic tone of Arkady Shilkloper's horn again). "Kvashnya" is the other favourite of mine, a mixed bag of sounds with tumultuos drums and bass-drum tone, rapid flute, rushed tune and possibly the most feverish sax solo of the cd (Kruglov's hot tone reminds often of Rahsaan Roland Kirk).

Half of the 14 pieces are composed by Evgeny Masloboev and they emphasize the "russian folksongs" aspect of the recording. The other half (and mostly instrumental) are group improvisations, given the changes in the line-up there's less consistency but the effects are worthwhile nonetheless. Especially the "Siberian Song" with circular sax line (inc, insisted cymbalo figure, some more agressive singing by Anastasia and dense, forward-pushing drumming by Evgeny. The cd ends with a spare, romantic piano tones. The pauses filled by the resonating sound of a metal gong.

"Russian Folksongs in teh Key of New Jazz" is a definitely happy and successful marriage of ethno, folk, free jazz and just a hint of electronica. Highly original sound, with love from Moscow courtesy of Leo Feign.

Kraków Concert Schedule 10-17.02.2014

If you're single, instead of chasing for a date on 14th, you might invest your time better in some live music. If you're not single, enjoy live music together.

11.02 Happy Jawbone Family Band at Klub RE

For something completely different. I've no idea what is psych-pop but it does seem bit weird. And weird is good as far as I'm concerned.

Russian music in the key of New Jazz on Leo Records part 3 - Goat's Notes - Fuzzy Wonder

Goat's Notes:
Grigory Sandomirsky - piano, melodica
Vladimir Kudryavtsev - bass
Maria Logovet - violin
Piotr Talalay - drums
Andrey Bessonov - clarinet
Ilya Vilkov - trombone



Leo Records 2013

Goat's Notes (name created when Grigory Sandomirky was filling his notebook "Goals & Notes") is quite a peculiar bunch. Grigory and Vladimir made a commitment to play music together after Anthony Braxton's Quartet performance in Moscow in 2008 (the concert, if you're interested, is released by Leo Records). And so the pianist and the bass player (also an architect and experimental theatre founder) joined their forces and soon found partners in crime - a classically educated violinist involved with both jazz and rock groups, a jazz drummer who flirts with electronica, a linguist-rock music historian-clarinetist and a big band trombone player. Let's meet Goat's Notes.

Russian music in the key of New Jazz on Leo Records part 2 - Kruglov / Lapin / Sooaar / Yudanov - Military Space

Kruglov / Lapin / Sooaar / Yudanov - Military Space
Alexey Kruglov - alto and tenor saxes, bassethorn, block-flute, tenor sax with trombone mouthpiece, prepared saxes
Jaak Sooar - electric guitar, live electronics
Alexey Lapin - piano, prepared piano
Oleg Yudanov - drums, percussion

Leo Records 2013



The part 1 of this mini-cycle features "Impulse" recorded by Kruglov / Lapin / Yudanov, here the trio is augmented by the Jaak Sooar from Estonia on guitar (check "Karate" recorded with his trio and Kruglov for previous references).

Krakow Concert Schedule 02-09.02.2014

Some reasons to leave the comfort of the warm apartment in the next week of evenings.


03.02 Jazz James Session at Harris Piano Jazz Bar
A nice way to start off your week with Krakow's talented Bartek Prucnal, Kuba Pluzek, Alan Wykpisz and Grzegorz Maslowski.


03-04.02 Our Standars with Jacek Kochan / Dominik Wania and Mauro Schiavone at Piec'ART
Kochan keeps exploring the collisions of acoustic jazz and electronic sounds. Within the particular group the pairing of acoustic piano and fender rhodes might prove to be particularly interesting.