Jazz Articles about Tomasz Stańko

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Tomasz Stanko

by Budd Kopman
October 31, 2005

Trumpeter and composer Tomasz Stanko (b. 1942 Rzeszow, Poland) was present at the birth of modern European jazz. He's most closely associated with the man who was at the center of seemingly all art forms in Poland in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Krzysztof Komeda. Although his early work has been described, even by himself, as “free" or “avant-garde," one can always hear a melodic lyricism in Stanko's lines which softens the overall effect. An example of ...

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Tomasz Stanko In Ann Arbor

by C. Andrew Hovan
August 13, 2004

One of Europe's most renowned individualists, Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko has experienced somewhat of a comeback since releasing his ECM album The Soul Of Things about two years ago. His first US tour in support of the disc brought rave reviews, both in terms of the further solidification of Stanko's unique style and for the discovery of the trumpeter's group of amazing youngsters who played with a fire and cohesion that could rival many a New York rhythm section. Not ...

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Tomasz Stanko: Suspended Night

by Jeff Stockton
July 1, 2004

If you’re reading this review, there’s little doubt that you consider yourself a jazz fan. And as such, you’ve probably heard a person say to you with all conviction: “I don’t like jazz.” Miles in the ‘50s? Coltrane on Atlantic? What’s not to like? But when I hear this, I usually just let it go, frustrated by past attempts at persuasion, overwhelmed by my own disbelief. Now when this situation arises, however, I can hand them Suspended Night, jazz of ...

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Tomasz Stanko: A Mix of Two Extremes

by Cezary L. Lerski
June 14, 2004

I've always been a mix of two extremes... The conversation with Tomasz Stanko.

This interview was conducted via phone on May 18th, 2004 by Cezary Lerski from Polish Jazz Network one month before Tomasz Stanko Quartet tour in the United States and Canada.

All About Jazz: Dear Tomasz, your music has always been for many, myself included, an extreme of musical sophistication, the art form that requires special effort to comprehend, the art form accessible only to few ...

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Tomasz Stanko: Lyricism and Liberation

by John Kelman
May 19, 2004

Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stańko has finally been enjoying the kind of international acclaim that he has deserved his entire forty-year career. After a lengthy hiatus from the ECM label, he returned in '95 with Matka Joanna, the first of a string of recordings that were increasingly successful, both musically and in terms of broadening his exposure on the international stage. With the release of '02's The Soul of Things, Stańko and his quartet of young Polish proteges took things to ...

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Tomasz Stanko: Suspended Night

by AAJ Staff
May 17, 2004

It won't come as a surprise to listeners attuned to trumpeter Tomasz Stanko's personal style, but Suspended Night is an incredibly soft and gentle record. Of course, the danger with toning things down is that they sometimes expire, but Stanko knows how to move along simply without running out of gas. The sheer elegance of the disc, recorded last July in Oslo, ends up a tour-de-force of the highest order.

Some listeners may equate the contained, measured tone ...

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Tomasz Stanko: Suspended Night

by John Kelman
May 7, 2004

No matter how much you like a record, after repeat listenings it runs the risk of becoming almost too familiar. As adventurous as it may be, the very nature of the recording process, where every note and texture is given permanency, can cause even the best albums to lose their sense of adventure and immediacy. Not so with Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stańko, whose catalogue since returning to ECM in the mid-'90s has been characterized by daring imagination and a distinctive ...