Norstebo / Myhr / Jarmyr at PIEC'Art (19.10)

Tomas, Adrian, Henrik. from the band's archive

This is going to be a somewhat sweet-sour post. I've had been to PIEC'Art a number of times already and most recent visits had to do with Adrian Myhr's returning to Krakow (first concert with Trabant trio was a surprise, the second one with Vojtech Prochazka trio even more so). While focused on more mainstream jazz, there's a spot or two every now and then in PIEC'Art for something more unconventional. And that's a good thing, obviously.

The music was great, the playing creative, musicians in tune with each other and their instruments, in constant dialogue, interraeaction. While the presence of trombone brings sometimes a jazz-rooted sound, but a whole other world of sonic realities is right there - hushed and semi-audible, filled with details, micro-textures, timbral explorations. The last track strikingly meditative, Tomas playing with bare hands on plates to achieve a zen, sustained, echoing gong sounds. An aura taken immediately upon by Adrian and Henrik. Music that vibrates with positive energy within the soul.

Profesjonalizm - Chopin Chopin Chopin [Lado ABC]

Marcin Masecki - pianino, compositions

Kamil Szuszkiewicz - trumpet

Michał Górczyński - clarinet, tenor saxophone

Tomasz Duda - baritone saxophone

Piotr Domagalski - double bass

Jerzy Rogiewicz - drums

Lado ABC 2011

Marcin Masecki's name resonates well in ears of any polish jazz/music fan but he's yet to gain international recognition and he most certainly deserves it. Masecki's talent, refined through years of classical education (graduated from Berklee College of Music) is undeniable. He's sound conception and style of playing is easily recognizable (he prefers, whenever it's possible, to play his own pianino instead of a grand concert piano, all in order to be able to create a personal rapport with his own instrument - something that comes more easily to musicians playing virtually any other instrument). The vast ground he covers with his activity is impressive - equally adept in mainstream jazz (with Zbigniew Wegehaupt Quratet), fully improvised concerts (solo, in duo with Ziv Ravitz, in power trio with Macio Moretti and Raphael Roginski), avant pop (Paristetris) or classical (fascinated with Bach's music). In any of those contexts Masecki remains unmistakenably Masecki, unique, idiosyncratic. Which brings us (well, sort of) to Profesjonalizm sextet, his latest release on Lado ABC (an alternative label he's been working with for quite a while now).

Bezdroża - improvised music at Alchemia (18.10)

Before the summer the "Muzykoterapia" series ended but there's new hope for experimental, avant-guarde, improvised and interdisciplinar music art in Krakow. "Bezdroża" project (quite a poetic word that looses its charm in litteral translation - "Roadlessness") aims to create a platform of communication, a gathering space for performers, composers, improvisers and (definitely not least) the audience.

Free Improvisation is a kind of music that one can try to describe in so many theoretical ways and yet it lives by the extremities and any theory whatsoever will fail to describe it. It's not about technique but it hardly can be played without posessing some sort of technique. Anything is possible, acceptable (traditional aesthetics are suspended) but it doesn't mean everything works. Everything is apparent, chaos mimics structure, structure mimics chaos. It's a performance that loves a strong personality yet hates any kind of musical egoism or showmanship. It can take any shape, like water, but needs some kind of support, a form to be filled to achieve that. It can be extremely emotional or intellectual or somehow neither - pure zen emptyiness. It can be intimate, minimalistic and fragile, can be violent and expansive. Finally it's a natural phenomenon that only happens once, is a kind of art totally immersed in the moment and space, and whatever (genius or mediocre) result came out - it's never to be achieved again, lost forever in the memory. 

The EDGE (J. Kao Hwang / T. Ho Bynum / K. Filiano / A. Drury) at Alchemia (16.10)

Jason Kao Hwang

After a rock warm-up with Kazutoki Umezu KIKI band and almost a month-long break finally the Krakowska Jesien Jazzowa (Autumn Jazz Festival) is really on! And it starts with a real blast. The Edge played their last concert of of a small tour (concerts in Poznan and in Katowice on previous days) - their first ever visit to Poland. And they were very happy to finish that tour on Alchemia's stage, which, apparently, is more famous overseas than in Krakow.

And from the very first moments you know you're in for a treat - a strong bass pulse, freewheeling drumming with a slight latin tinge (cowbell) and furious soloing in between the tricky, intricate themes. Music whose complexity doesn't alternate it's live, vibrant, dynamic and passionate character.

The Second Approach Trio - Pandora's Pitcher [Leo]

The Second Approach Trio :
Andrei Razin - piano, keayboards, percussion, voice (on track 4)
Tatiana Komova - voice, percussion
Igor Ivanushkin - acoustic bass, percussion

Leo Records 2011

Leo Feign continues his crusade to explore and present the depths of creative music scene in Russia and this disc is yet another reason to be thankfull and wishfull that he'd continue to do so. As a result the Leo Records keeps proving my ignorance, and keeps surprising me with a great music from artists whom I never heard before, which I love by the way. The Second Approach Trio's discography , printed on the inlay, sports 7 titles including a last year release on Leo or a session with Roswell Rudd, which obviously means that the trio is a long-term working band and it achieved already some exposure.

Tim Daisy & Ken Vandermark - Conversation [Multikulti]

Tim Daiy - drums

Ken Vandermark - Bb and bass clarinet, tenor sax

Multikulti 2011

Tim Daisy and Ken Vandermark has played together a countless number of gigs in a numerous (but definitely easier to count) Vandermark's project, starting with the duo, through The Vandermark 5 up to the large ensembles like Resonance. "The Conversation" is their third duo release after the self-released "August Music" (2007) and the double lp on Laurence Family "Light on the Wall" (2010).

Aram Bajakian's Kef - Kef [Tzadik]

Kef:
Aram Bajakian - acoustic and electric guitars
Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz - acoustic bass
Tom Swafford - violin

Tzadik 2011

Although he's been playing with the likes of Yusef Lateef, Mike Pride, Darius Jomes, Mat Maneri and others "Kef" is Aram Bajakian's debut official recording as a leader, and the 3rd installment of new Tzadik's Spotlight Series that aims to present young and promising talents (and a blessing from label's owner and avant-guarde's guru John Zorn is definitely a strong encouragament to get to know those bands). "Kef" surprises with it's unusual line-up of a string trio and the fresh and authentic blend of armenian folk heritage, rock expression and jazz improvisation.

Marcin Masecki's Profesjonalizm will play at Alchemia

Not a part of the Krakowska Jesień Jazzowa festival but you can treat this as an extra surprise. Marcin Masecki is easily among the most creative  and versatile piano players today - from classical music, mainstream jazz, avant improvisation to alternative rock. His band Profesjonalizm gathers six representants of talented young generation and already gained a lot of recognition for their recent debut cd. The concert in Alchemia (this thursday - 13.10) is bound to be welcomed surprise and I heartily recommend it to you. 

Hope to see you there!

Masecki's Profesjonalizm Band was presented last monday in BBC Radio 3 feature called Warsaw Special. You can listen to it on-line for the next week only so don't miss it!

ps (The band will also play soon in Tarnów, Poznań and Elbląg).

ps 2 (I'll write about the concert afterwards or about the cd, or both :) 

Szilard Mezei Wind Quartet - Innen [Ayler]

Szilard Mezei - viola
Bogdan Rankovic - alto sax, bass clarinet, clarinet
Branislaw Aksin - trombone
Kornel Papista - tuba

Ayler Records 2011

Szilard Mezei has been tremendously active in recent years, dividing his time between small ensembles, and large groups (among his bands' most recent releases you will find a trio and a 10-piece orchestra on Not Two, Szabad Quartet on NoBusiness, an octet on Slam Productions, plus two solo albums). Not only he's a terrific performer and improviser on an instrument that's rarely to be found in jazz music, nonetheless it yelds tremendous expressive possiblities, but he's composing (whether for a trio or the orchestra) gives an unique,  personal stamp to the music as he's draws inspiration from modern improvised music, jazz, folk melodies and both historic and avant-guarde strategies of (for lack of a better term) classical music.

Splatter - Sraffiti [Citystream]

Splatter:
Anna Kaluza - alto saxophone
Noel Taylor - clarinets
Pedro Velasco - guitar
Michael Caratti - drums

Citystream 2011

As you can read in the liner notes: scrafitto is a decorative technique in which, after applying a number of layers, one stratches through the outer surface to reveal the different surfaces hidden underneath. It's a sort of a negative drawing, where the artist instead of adding the marks removes material in order to reveal the possibilities. Since most often used in ceramics and pottery it's an art that demands swiftness and allows no mistakes - there are no do-overs, and the smallest one can ruin the whole success. All that makes it not only a perfect metaphor of an audio recording (immagine the needle etching the music onto the vinyl or a wax cylinder) but also of the nature of improvisation.

Jim Baker / Kyle Bruckmann / Michael Zerang - Psychotic Redaction [Multikulti]

Jim Baker - electronics

Kyle Bruckmann - reeds, electronics

Michael Zerang - drums

Multikulti 2011

When I see two guys playing 'electronics' on one album I'm usually quite reserved. Take that into the account when I say:

From the very first seconds of a fuzzy electronic scratch, a wailing ancient horn and tribal rhythm this album is truly a blast! 

So without a further ado let me get right into saying that it's absolutely fascinating. A feast of ethnic grooves, fat, fuzzied bass, distorted and bent noises and (ocassionally) an ancient reed soaring over, but more often than not additionally transformed through electronic filters, looped or sampled and resampled.

Samuel Blaser. Russ Lossing, Thomas Morgan, Paul Motian - Consort in Motion [Kind of Blue]

Samuel Blaser - trombone
Russ Lossing - piano
Thomas Morgan - bass
Paul Motian - drums

Kind of Blue Records 2011

Samuel Blaser's name already resonates on jazz scene thanks to his quartet's releases and he has proven himself to be among the most accomplished trombone players of young generation in jazz music. "Consort in Motion" is another step in his career and it is a step in quite a different direction.

Blaser embarks on a difficult and ambitious project as he tries to merge two distant musical traditions - Jazz and Baroque music. He selected and re-arranged for this jazz ensemble compositions by Claudio Monteverdi, Biagio Marini and Girolamo Frescobaldi (or wrote his own compositions - using their music as an inspiration). Now I'm hardly to be called classical music afficionado and that robs me plenty of the intellectual pleasure one might find in deciphering the ways Blaser adapted the original material, but I still find here much to appreciate.

Mark Lotz & Islak Kopek - Istanbul Improv Sessions May 4th [Evil Rabbit]

Mark Alban Lotz - piccolo, c-, alto, bass flutes, prepared flute
Islak Kopek:
Sevket Akinci - guitar
Kevin W. Davis - cello
Korhan Erel - laptop, controllers
Robert Reigle - tenor saxophone
Volkan Terzioglu - tenor saxophone

Evil Rabbit Records 2011

Improvisation is a language that doesn't care for cultural differences. Improvised music could be well the most democratic, universal form of communication and expression there is. And what you can hear on this cd is a strong argument for that thesis as german flute player joins the musicians from Istanbul group Islak Kopek (two of them amercian expats) for a series short musical conversations. 4 pieces are played by the entire crew while the other 11 present a different configurations of duos and trios. 

Mikolaj Trzaska Ircha Clarinet Quartet at Cheder Cafer (30.09)

photo by Krzysztof Penarski

I've written about Ircha's debut cd "Larks Uprising" (with Joe McPhee) that was recorded during the Tzadik Festival in Poznan. While the music on the cd had close to none elements of jewish tradition to it, Ircha's connection to this heritage was strong from the very beginning, as they seamlessly forge improvisation, modern composition and some of the oldest jewish melodies. The concert in Krakow took time during the jewish New Year period. 

The clarinet quartet (with occasional duduk or fujara in the mix) sounds full and complete and quite unique. And the sense of structure and direction is absolutely compelling, they pass the fragrant melodies between each other as they form a soloist - choir roles, or a double duo (as they assume different roles they walk and set the formations on the stage), creating on the spot almost transparent arrangements in the way a 4-voice vocal ensemble or a string quartet would be set. With a rhythmic line in the bass clarinet, a repetitive chord structures, a clear line of ancient melody soaring over, transforming into an succession of everchanging minimalistic melodic and harmonic patterns.

Lisa Mezzacappa & Nightshade - Cosmic Rift [Leo]

Cory Wright - Bb and bass clarinet
John Finkbeiner - electric guitar
Tim Perkis - electronics
Lisa Mezzacappa - acoustic bass
Kjell Nordeson - vibraphone and percussion

Leo Records 2011

Autumn comes lurking around and this album fits great this kind of weather (quite aptly named group indeed). And while Lisa Mezzacappa cites various inspirations on some pieces, her personal compositional stamp and the group's cohesive sound make this work whether you're familiar or not with the source of inspiration (which you can read about in the liner notes).

The instrumentation of this band is crucial to the resulting music - the brooding, dark and melancholy and somehow elegant sound, while the smooth velvety-heavy textures are fractured with subtle electronics accents.