Perfect synthesis of modern music, going beyond jazz, integrating anything from classical over folk and traditional music, with jazz, free improvisation and avant-garde, but then pushing it all over the edge. ..
This is Satoko Fujii's 40th disc as a leader or co-leader and she continues to impress us all with each and every disc she puts out. Satoko is joined here by her most constant collaborator, trumpet great Natsuki Tamura. Her bassist, Norikatsu Koreyasi, has worked with her in small groups before and the drummer plays in one of Satoko's Japanese big bands.
In Krakow In November recorded live in November 2005 in Krakow, Poland is another extraordinary album on NotTwo Records from innovative Japanese pianist - this time in duet with trumpeter Natsuki Tamura. Unusual mix of contemporary chamber music, traditional Japanese compositions and free jazz convention.
First solo album of current Tomasz Stanko Trio. This is a tribute to music of Krzysztof Komeda - an extraordinary talented self-taught composer and pianist whose after his tragic, untimely death, became a legend and a cult hero of Polish jazz. All tracks on this CD were composed by Komeda. This CD includes extra track - live performance of Sleep Safe and Warm" from Roman Polanski's movie "Rosemary's Baby".
"Eight years ago we started; they were very young, 16. I had a gig with some rhythm section and they called to say they can't do this, so what can I do? They recommend this young guy, a drummer, and he recommended to me the bass player and the pianist and we have half hour beforehand to make program and they do it without any experience! They already had individuality; they were good from the beginning. I think it is the way with musicians-if there's promise you're going to hear it immediately." Tomasz Stanko Umbra
...after years of of incredible experiences, continue to develop and pursue the music regardless of the sine wave of fame or fortune. to a high degree, the latter could be said to describe the career of bassist Norris Jones, better known by the name of Sirone...
This young, talented artist undoubtedly brings a gust of his own originality in the Polish pianism. It's been a long time since someone was so consequent in overthrowing the existing pianistic, constructive patterns and sonoristic standards while still employing, let's face it, the quite traditional means: dense accordics, speeding motorics at times bordering on untamed sound aggression on the one hand and the noticeable dose of lyricism on the other.(Andrzej Winiszewski)
"Conversession" is an album of roots music, although the nationalities and ancestry of musicians are less important then their own artistic heritage. The spiritual legacy which every real artist poses (or at least should).
From the very beginning, Stodola was the big 'Jazz place' of Warsaw. The first three International Jazz Festivals "Jazz Jamboree" ('58, '59, '60) took place in Stodola. Appendix
It would be virtually impossible to find any important Polish jazz composer or soloist who at one time or another in their career had not been involved with the Studio. Musicians, composers and soloists had a chance to test their own ideas and have them confronted and discussed in a peer-group setting. Without the Studio and without its leader, Wroblewski, Polish jazz would not be the same. Audio Clip – Magma (Zbigniew Seifert, violin solo)
Sun Ship was one of the most interesting bands on the Polish Jazz scene of the late 70's and early 80's. The band combined young rhythm section of pianist Adzik Sendecki, bass player Vitold Rek, and drummer Marek Stach; with more matured saxophone players: Henryk Miskiewicz and Zbigniew Jaremko.
Szilárd Mezei is a contemporary European violinist, violist, double bass player, composer and leader of various formations; he is perhaps the greatest hope of European jazz violin since the tragic death of Polish violin master Zbigniew Seifert in 1979. Szilárd Mezei was born February 12th, 1974 in Senta, Serbia (then Yugoslavia) as a member of the Hungarian minority in the multiethnic region of Vojvodina. He completed his violin studies in Senta and Subotica and studied composition for four years at the University of Arts in Belograd under prof. Zoran Eric. He plays contemporary improvised music, mostly performing his own compositions. As a composer, Mezei is interested in exploring the relationship between improvisation and composition (similarly to Witold Lutoslawski's aleatoric and Anthony Braxton's creative music methods), incorporating elements of jazz and authentic folk music as well. As a young musician he followed the path of B.Bartók and Gy.Szabados. Mezei is also very actively involved in composing scenic music and plays authentic Hungarian folk music on genuine folk instruments (koboz and oud). He leads the Szilárd Mezei Trio, Szilárd Mezei Quintet (/ Sextet / Septet / Octet), and plays in many formations (duo, trio, etc.) for improvising music (among others, in duet with György Szabados, and with his own orchestra MAKUZ, The Fonda/Stevens Group. This CD presents live performance of his 2006 Piano Quartet captured at Magyarkanizsa.
