"Jazzdrummers lijken vaak te begeleiden met één lange drumsolo. Een verademing om ook eens de cyclische, simpele en dienende patronen te horen van Katché, vroeger actief in pop (Sting, Peter Gabriel). Met geraffineerde variaties houdt hij zijn dansante spel boeiend. Op zijn leider-debuut geven twee karakteristieke blazers der Europese jazz zijn luchtige composities gewicht: Stanko (t) met z'n schrijnende dramatiek, en de meester van het ingehouden smachten: Jan Garbarek (ts)." (F. van Herk, Volkskrant)
Four years after the landmark album "Wislawa", the great Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stankos New York Quartet returns with another masterful recording. Stanko here encourages spirited improvisation to flower around his characteristically melancholic and soulful themes, and all players are presented to best advantage. New band member Reuben Rogers best-known for his work with Charles Lloyd is a splendid addition, establishing a profound understanding with Cuban-born pianist David Virelles and drummer Gerald Cleaver. JazzTimes reflected on the strengths of the individual players: Stanko has never had a piano player like Virelles. When his moments came, he configured his own lyrical domain within the world of a Stanko song. For that matter, Stanko has never had a bassist and drummer like Rogers and Cleaver, with their hard edges and their volatile energy. Early reviews are suggesting that this may be his very best album to date. According to UK website Marlbank, it is Stankos "Kind of Blue". (bron: ECM)
"For most Swedes the island of Gotland is a synonym for freedom, and they "celebrate" their summer with no greater intensity elswhere. It is also, however, a place of meditative peace. Together with Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko, and organists Anders Eljas and Claus Bantzer, Nils Landgren created music of great "inner-strength". The session is recorded in church - the most peaceful concert hall one can find. "Gotland" is the other side of the Nordic trombone funk-master". (act.music.com).
"This is a relatively little known album recorded live by a large assembly of Jazz musicians from several countries situated around the Baltic Sea, called JazzBaltica Ensemble, directed by American saxophonist / composer David Murray. The ensemble included some of the absolutely top-notch Jazz players from the Baltic countries. Another American taking part in the ensemble is tuba player Howard Johnson. The music is a wonderful example of a Big Band setting, which allows for a series of expanded improvisations by all the participants, either individually or in small groups, accompanied by the entire ensemble. Although clear melodic themes are stated periodically, most of the music is freely improvised and allows for a large degree of individual expression. The solos are all exceptional, which is not surprising considering the incredible level of the musicians involved." (Polish-Jazz).
"Krzysztof Komeda (1931-1969) was a Polish film music composer and jazz pianist. Perhaps best-known for his work in film scores, Komeda wrote the scores for Roman Polanskis early films. Komeda's album "Astigmatic" (1965) is widely regarded as one of the most important European jazz albums; critic Stuart Nicholson describes the album as "marking a shift away from the dominant American approach with the emergence of a specific European aesthetic." In December 1968, in Los Angeles, Komeda had a tragic accident which led to a haematoma of the brain. As a jazz musician, he exerted crucial influence on creating an original style, often described as the Polish school of jazz, which subsequently influenced the Polish jazz scene's development after his death in 1969." (Wikipedia) In zijn kwintet vinden we de 11 jaar jongere Tomasz Stanko, die zelf (ook) uitgroeide tot icoon der Poolse jazz. Dat onderstreept het belang van dit album nog eens extra.
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