Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Leszek Mozdzer: Komeda

223

Leszek Mozdzer: Komeda

By

View read count
Krzysztof Komeda, the Polish musician and composer who died, age 38, in 1969, was a key figure in the emergence of European jazz, and remains a major source of inspiration for musicians across the continent. On Komeda, his ACT solo album debut, pianist Leszek Możdżer pays his own beautifully crafted tribute to his fellow countryman.

Despite his early death, Komeda's body of work is extensive and influential—showing that it was possible to take the ideas and themes of American jazz and create something that had its own uniquely Old World atmosphere. In the 21st century trumpeter Tomasz Stańko is probably the best-known exponent of Komeda's work, while the New York based Komeda Project, led by expat Polish musicians Andrzej Winnicki and Krzysztof Medyna, flies the flag for Komeda in the New World.

Możdżer is a classically-trained pianist, born in Gdansk, who discovered jazz as an 18 year-old and now moves comfortably between the classical concert stage and jazz performance, garnering numerous awards along the way. He's played with Stańko and has recorded with bassist Lars Danielsson. His classical background strongly influences the sound of Komeda—especially on the opening bars of "Svantetic," where he introduces the tune with some sparklingly delicate upper register flourishes.

Many of Komeda's best-known compositions were written for Roman Polanski movies such as Rosemary's Baby (1968) or Knife In The Water (1962), films whose air of suspense and fear was heightened by the tension and darkness in Komeda's music. While Możdżer's choice of compositions includes some of this music, he focuses firmly on the more lyrical and romantic side of Komeda's work. Still, "Sleep Safe And Warm," the lullaby from Rosemary's Baby, still retains some of that darkness—however beautiful the melody may be—while"Cherry" finds Możdżer developing a funkier, more aggressive, groove, and "Crazy Girl" and "Moja Ballada" both have an edgier tone.

Komeda's cover art is a piece by German artist Martin Noël. Its soft pastel tones are perhaps a little more restrained than the usual ACT cover images, but its calm and gentle beauty perfectly reflects the restrained loveliness of Możdżer's playing and Komeda's writing. ACT's selection of solo piano albums has another excellent addition in Komeda.

Track Listing

Svantetic; Sleep Safe And Warm; Ballad for Dernt; The Law And The Fist; Nighttime, Daytime Requiem; Cherry; Crazy Girl; Moja Ballada.

Personnel

Leszek Możdżer: piano.

Album information

Title: Komeda | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: ACT Music

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About 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 make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

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

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.