Jerzy Mazzoll Quartet with Zdzislaw Piernik at Warsaw Summer Jazz Days 2013 (19.07)

The last "big event" day of the festival presented at Soho Factory three radically diffrent groups and visions of jazz. 

I admit I missed most of the Andrea Marcelli Trio performance, as it's definitely not my sort of jazz - too light, too smooth, too pleasant. Music that would fit into a small club, as you're having beer and conversation with friends, not apt for a big festival scene. 

As for Antonio Sanchez Quartet who finished the night - it was a solid post-bop, some sparks flew especially during the David Binney - Antonio Sanchez duo. But, having still in mind the beatifull Wayne Shorter Quartet and talented Maciej Obara International Quartet, the concert's impact was substantially diminished.

Inbetween the two performances played Jerzy Mazzoll, in the company of three young associates and one veteran of  contemporary music Zdzislaw Piernik - a virtuoso tuba player, musician chosen by Krzysztof Penderecki, Boguslaw Schaefer and many others to perform their original pieces, responsible for introducing to the tuba repertoire new techniques and original preparations of the instrument.

Jazz Alchemist Radio 11.03.13 with High Wire, Minimalover, Martin Kuchen and Leroy Jenkins

Hello again, this week listen to mostly minimalistic music, solos, duos and trios included. The cds featured are:
Martin Kuchen - Hellstorm
Coat Cooke & Rainer Wiens - High Wire
Mazzoll / Janicki / Janicki - Minimalover
The birthday mention goes to Leroy Jenkins.

Enjoy and stay tuned

The tracklist:

Martin Kuchen - 10 000 Jahre
Coat Cooke & Rainer Wiens - Space Landing
Coat Cooke & Rainer Wiens - Storm Eye
Mazzoll / Janicki / Janicki - love has no limits
Mazzoll / Janicki / Janicki - extremely one ... truth
Mazzoll with Marcin Swietlicki - Pan Bog
Leory Jenkins - Folk Song
Leroy Jenkins, Anthony Davis, Andrew Cyrille - Albert Ayler (his life was too short)

Jazz Alchemist Radio 11.03.13 with Minimalower, Vancouver Jazz, Martin Kuchen and Leroy Jenkins by Jazzowy Alchemik on Mixcloud

Mazzoll / Janicki / Janicki - Minimalover [Mozg]

Minimalover :
Jerzy Mazzoll - bass clarinet & a, b, c clarinets
Slawek Janicki - double bass
Qba Janicki - drums, percussion, electronics


Stowarzyszenie Artystyczne Mozg 2012

I've written about this trio on the occasion of their concert in Krakow few months back and it's due time to get back and remind you about the cd/dvd they've released as I reckon it's one of the most important events of the year on polish creative music scene. Jarzy Mazzoll shaked jazz status quo back in the 90s (polish yass revolution) and, after few years absence he's back with new group and same unrelentless, rebellious spirit, in the company of old cohort Slawek Janicki (muscular tone yet light on his feet as a good boxer) and Qba Janicki (infusion of fresh blood straight from the new generation of improvising musicians).

Mazzoll / Janicki / Janicki - Minimalover at Harris Piano Jazz Bar (09.03)

Jerzy Mazzoll was one of the main protagonists of polish jazz revolution of the 90's known as yass. Yet he sort of disappeared from the scene in the recent years, after the deat of Jacek Majewski - the drummer in his Arhythmic Perfection band whose last cd is now almost a decade old. And now his back with a new project, with his fellow cohort of creative journeys - Slawek Janicki and Qba (Kuba) Janicki - a drummer who represents the new generation of polish musicians, the ones that owes their musical education and inspiration to yass rebels.

The first set consists of two long pieces, the first titled "One sound of siren (for "a" clarinet)" - long suspended notes of the noble instrument, rounded, circled by eerie percussive shades, bent strings, long arco bows filled with colourfull timbres of aliquotes. A long meditation on sound, space, air. Dense, mysterious and constantly creative.

The second one opens with strong bass drive piece, powerfull groove, potent sound of bass riff, strong rhythmic drive. A beautifull, surprising interpretation of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman" was my favorite moment of the evening. Gentle intro, dynamic, mad speedy drums solo (Qba sure did listen to some punk rock in the past), surprising electronic accents (ambient soundscapes, quirky clicks and cracks), main theme mixed surprisingly with polish rap song by Kazik (who recorded once with Mazzoll in the 90s) and finally tinged with some klezmer touch. The adventorous trio was constantly creative, unorthodox in their approach to the instrument (clarinet shrieks and tongue-slapping, arco on the double bass body etc) and the structure (complex textures integrally created by the trio together, clarinet often laying the rhythm structure of the piece instead of taking the lead). Which didn't stop them from playing a couple of melodic and irresistible rhythmic pieces where it was impossible to keep your foot still.

Great musicianship, unlimited immagination, impressive focus - as I'm going through the first listen of their new cd all I can think of is - it's great to have Jerzy Mazzoll back on the jazz stage (or, as it is in my case, to be able to finally hear him live for the first time).

Here's a piece from their concert and legendary Mozg club in Bydgoszcz (a focal point for the yass scene in 90 and to this day one of the most important scenes of the creative music in Poland):



Minimalover:
Jerzy Mazzoll - clarinet, bass clarinet
Slawek Janicki - double bass
Qba Janicki - drums, electronics


Harris Piano Jazz Bar. Krakow. 09.03.2012