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

Rafal Mazur / Marek Pospieszalski / Qba Janicki at Alchemia (22.06)

I praised all three members of this trio on numerous occasions. Yesterday's concert is yet another occasion to do that so here it goes:

I never can really tell what makes the free improvised music performance successfull. There's so many variables, so many factors, so many elements to be balanced. If writing about any kind of music is difficult, it is even more so in a case of music performance that comes from willing to escape any kind of musical barriers, stylistic norms and confines.

With fragile textures woven in the air (ostinato walks on the bass, melodic clouds of percussion sounds, circular labirynths of lines on the saxophone) or heavy and slow drones. Hard and edgy or soft and barely audibly. This music escapes any kind of generalisation, any kind of catchy 'one-line' summary. 

I always admired Janicki's killer punk-rock instincts but he shows himself to be not only a very versatile drummer but also a creative geek, using a laptop and some kind of touchpad device to create drones, loops, process the live sound. Sometimes he adds a completely different sound (piano clusters, thumb piano, gongs), sometimes his loops add a rhythmic structure, otherwise they provide meditative background. With Qba Janicki splitting in half his duties between the laptop and the drums set the group shifts swiftly through  the series of close interactions, to the point in which is hard to say that the electronic transformations are just the bridging interludes and they become equally important part of the performance.

Marek Pospieszalski is a very promising saxophone player, his sound indebted to Coltrane, but also influenced by Evan Parker, very keen to use extended techniques (especially agile with the circular breathing technique) creating myriads of sounds, intervowen lines, following the partners closely. I look forward to see him develop more personal attitude towards the instrument, maybe take also more commanding lead on the stage, not only to follow graciously, but to push the others out of their comfort zone. Nonetheless it's a pleasure to see him playing and I expect a lot more coming our way from this young player soon.

Rafal Mazur, due to his busy schedule in Krakow, is probably the most popular musician on this blog. Wise Man among the youngsters, never pushing himself to the front, rather trying to push his partners into the new regions (be it with a heavy walking line, delay effects, or bowing the strings to create a resonating sound that slowly dies in the air).

Focused performance, bringing the listeners into an outer space - not only because of some humorous sci-fi or game-boy sounds coming from the laptop - but rather becuase of the ethereal quality of the music, that bends the space and makes the time go in circles instead of a straight line. In fact a illusive repetition helps this group control the flow in a natural and semless way. The spontaneous creation was being enjoyed to the point that the musicians got lost near the end, not sure how (not wanting?) to end the track - possibly the only moment where they wandered to far and crossed the line between transcendent and monotonous (but it all ends well with a nice drumrolling crescendo).

I'm trying hard here with all this writing above to disprove the initial point of being there no sense in writing about freely improvised music. Not sure which way it went, all I know, and I recommend this solution to you with all the might of my hear and mind - there's all sense in seeing performances like this live. If those guys are playing near you - make sure to be there. If they're not, maybe they're others who do. Improvised music is always best served live.

photos by Krzysztof Penarski

Rafal Mazur - acoustic bass guitar
Marek Pospieszalski - tenor saxophone
Qba Janicki - drums, electronics

Alchemia. Krakow. 22.06.2011

Trio Brain + Bartlomiej Chmara at Alchemia (11.02)

Brain Trio
Mateusz Walerian - alto sax
Sławomir Janicki - double bass
Qba Janicki - drums and percussion, no valve trumpet

Bartlomiej Chmara - guitar

Alchemia, Kraków; 11.02.2011

I've been concert hungry for a while and this concert I was looking forward to. Qba (Kuba) Janicki made a great impression playing with Rafal Mazur Electro-Acoustic Quartet, Slawomir Janicki is a strong presence of Bydgoszcz and Tri-city scene since the yass revolution. Mateusz and Bartlomiej I did not know before. 

The concert was dedicated to Andrzej Przybielski who passed away two days before and it started with an array of small bells, introducing the meditative atmosphere, joined by drones and ambient, blurried background noises by guitar, and lots of small repetitions by sax and bass. Long notes, slow lines, somehow esoteric, and the sonic palette is augmented with the brass sound, reinforcing the Przybielski reference. The concert is divided into two extended improvisations, changing often between otherwordly mood and energetic drive. 

Janicki is towering over the group, both with his huge posture behing the double bass and musical experience, his tone is deep, raw, his playing powerfull, whether it's a simple repetitive three-notes base or speedy free walking. His solo, played with both hands clapping all over the strings as much as on the body of the instrument, somehow reminded me of the passion of flamenco music, probably the most impressive singular statement of the night. Qba Janicki has a very rebelious look and attitude, his playing subtle and impressionistic during the slower parts, but his direct, energetic and punk-driven beats moves the group through most captivating ensemble playing of the night. Mateusz Walerian is a new name for me, his tone is light and sweet, his playing warm, very melodic, while not being afraid of some tone and timbre explorations. Fresh and inspiring is the contrast between the free-jazz boiling section behind him and his cool, thoughtfull lines and very jazz phraseology, moving from blues, bebop, free-bop up to some not too extreme free improv. Bartlomiej Chmara's presence is the most problematic, his playing, mostly experimental, provides interesting ambient textures to more pensive moments, his full of noise effects solo intriguing, yet the electronic effects often disturb the cohesity of the ensemble's sound. I'm surprised myself to say this but I'd like less experimental attitude, more punk-rock kick with the guitar.

Overall, really good performance, and very promising talents, which makes me proud of young polish improvising scene, and I hope to hear more from these musicians soon.