Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Skerebotte Fatta: Appaz

9

Skerebotte Fatta: Appaz

By

Sign in to view read count
Skerebotte Fatta: Appaz
Most AAJers, be they writers or readers, probably don't speak Polish. Reading over the composition titles listed on Appaz by the Polish duo Jan Malkowski and Dominik Mokrzewski one might think they are just more words from a foreign tongue. They are, but its language is semordnilap, in other words, names spelled backwards. The title track "Appaz" is for Frank Zappa. Opening with gentle phrases from Małkowski's tenor saxophone and brief scraping cymbals, the music builds from its quiet genesis into a ferocious storm fueled by the heavy pulse laid down by Mokrzewski. If you want, you can play connect-the-dots here. "Appaz" has a sound coming very much from that of the Peter Brötzmann school which is recognized with "Retep Brö." Here, Brötzmann's lung-bursting sound is heard alongside what can best be described as a Hamid Drake-like pulse.

Captured in studio November 2020 during the pandemic, Appaz is the duo's second release, and it follows Riders from the Ra (Creative Sources Recordings, 2018). The pair can also be heard on the excellent New Ghosts (Fortune, 2014) by the Infant Joy Quintet.

Yes, this duo has the holy spirit of 1960s' fire music burning in their souls. "Relya," of course for Albert Ayler, splutters notes with that chest thumping, paint peeling sound associated with jazz's holy ghost.

"Dyar," draws deeply from the blues, much like John Coltrane favored with Elvin Jones's pulse on the tubs. Małkowski draws lengthy and patient lines here and on "Not Xarb" (Anthony Braxton). The Charles Lloyd inspired "Dyoll" is an exalted prayer that reaches for higher and higher altitudes. The duo concludes with a tribute to Han Bennink with "Kinneb." Jan Małkowski opens on alto and finishes with soprano saxophone, but mostly lays out for Mokrzewski's animated and barely contained solo. In any language, backwards or forwards, fire music lives.

Track Listing

Retep Brö; Dyar; Relya; Appaz; Not Xarb; Dyoll; Kinneb.

Personnel

Album information

Title: Appaz | Year Released: 2021 | Record Label: Fortune Productions

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.