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Adam Pieronczyk Quartet: A-Trane Nights
by Dan McClenaghan
When the subject of “Polish Jazz" comes up, the most likely name to get mentioned might be Krzysztof Komeda, the pioneering pianist who wrote the soundtrack music for several of Roman Polanski's films, most notably Rosemary's Baby (1968). Move up to current times and you'll find another Polish jazz artist of special note, saxophonist Adam Pieroncyzk, who crafted a marvelous tribute to Komeda in 2011, Komeda: The Innocent Sorcerer (Jazzwerkstatt). With A-Trane Nights, Pieronczyk offers something different. Replacing ...
Continue ReadingYells at Eels: In Quiet Waters
by Karl Ackermann
It would seem that trumpeter Dennis González could easily find a place among the better-known artists in jazz were it not for a deep commitment to making generally undefinable music and priorities that include putting his academic and literary responsibilities out front. From the time of his first release as a leader, Air Light (Sleep Sailor) (Daagnim, 1979), González began toying with unusual amalgams like free improvisation and quasi-big band augmented with global dynamics. Much of the way González communicates ...
Continue ReadingIrek Wojtczak & The Fonda-Stevens Group: Folk Five
by Budd Kopman
Polish jazz has a long history, and includes many more players than the widely known Tomasz Stanko or Krzysztof Komeda. A deeper, and much earlier influence than American jazz coming to Poland is that of the folk music indigenous to Poland itself. Reedman (saxophones and bass clarinet) Irek Wojtczak, arguably a free player, relates in the liner notes how, in his thirties (when else?), he wanted to reconnect to his musical roots. He found folk violinist Tadeusz Kubiak ...
Continue ReadingIrek Wojtczak & The Fonda-Stevens Group: Wojtczak NY Connection
by C. Michael Bailey
Jazz from the edge of Eastern Europe. Wojtczak NY Connection is very much and East meets West jazz endeavor. Irek Wojtczak is a Polish saxophonist, conservatory trained and stage proven. For the Wojtczak NY Connection, Wojtczak joins the New York City-based Fonda/Stevens Group (bassist Joe Fonda and pianist Michael Stevens) for an internationally-flavored eutectoid. The results are a driving brand of jazz seasoned with Polish folk music, hard bop, and adult contemporary styling. Drummer Harvey Sorgen is ...
Continue ReadingIrek Wojtczak & The Fonda-Stevens Group: Folk Five
by Karl Ackermann
The substantial music community in Eastern Europe has a particular affinity for incorporating elements of regional and ethnic music into modern jazz. Gypsy jazz, klezmer and various strains of ethno-fusion have often been combined so that regional influences and free jazz serve as a shared platform, at times addressing political and social causes. For Polish saxophonist and composer Irek Wojtczak, the motivation in combining these contrasting genres is in the dynamic it provides for conveying cultural context in a fresh ...
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