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Andrzej Przybielski with Oles Brothers: De Profundis
by Jerry D'Souza
When trumpeter Andrzej Przybielski passed on in February 2011, he left behind a rich legacy in music. His name may not be widely known outside his native Poland, but he was nevertheless a stylist who carved a nook in several genres. He could play a melody with warmth, and then dart into trajectories that broke the skein but did not sacrifice logic. His harmonic concepts were drawn from several streams and he used them most skillfully.Przybielski's association with ...
read moreOles Brothers with Rob Brown: Live at SJC
by Jerry D'Souza
Bartlomiej Brat Oleś (drums) and Marcin Oleś (double bass) have a simple adage when it comes to their music: to remain faithful to their convictions and create music that is open and requires both technical mastery and individual artistry. They have remained true to that whether playing as a Duo (Fenommedia, 2008) or with other musicians like Herb Robertson on Live at Alchemia (Not Two Records, 2007). Interaction and empathy are the twin factors that open the door and capture ...
read moreOles Brothers with Rob Brown: Live At SJC
by Mark Corroto
It's funny how certain jazz players find other kindred spirits to play with. Where would Ornette Coleman have been if he hadn't found Charlie Haden? Or McCoy Tyner without John Coltrane? Like minds always seem to find and sometimes track down each other. Such is the case with the Polish brothers Marcin Oles (bass) and Bartlomiej Brat Oles (drums) recording with American saxophonist Rob Brown.
The brothers' previous outings have included collaborations with Kenny Werner Shadows (Fenomedia, 2006), ...
read moreMarcin and Bartlomiej Brat Oles: Duo
by John Sharpe
Faced with any bass and drums duo, the question is always going to be: does it pass the music minus one test? It is a brave and unforgiving furrow which not too many choose to plough. Of those that do, they often stretch the parameters by using tuned percussion or additional wind instruments like William Parker and Hamid Drake in their celebrated duets, or double-up on another string instrument like Henry Grimes and Rashied Ali(Porter Records, 2008), where recitations also ...
read moreMarcin & Bartlomeij Brat Oles: Duo
by Raul d'Gama Rose
The unexpected should be expected at the very visual that heralds the package of Duo by the twin brothers, Marcin Oles (bass) and Bartlomeij Brat Oles (drums). It suggests complete and utter deconstruction--from destruction to reconstruction--in the strongest possible way. The prospect of rippling water, suggesting the infinite, together with the circles within circles harking to the finite, suggests a musical experience like none ever before. And if this sounds like the advent of something revolutionary, that is because it ...
read moreMarcin & Bartlomiej Oles: Duo
by Jerry D'Souza
Twin brothers Marcin and Bartlomiej Brat Oles have lent a unique perspective to several jazz recordings. Both play instruments that provide the rhythm and impetus to front line musicians; but each has his own sense of dynamics and harmony that often gives the music an unexpected dimension.
The Oles brothers have developed their approach and honed their art both as leaders and sidemen, playing with artists including Theo Jorgensmann, David Murray, Simon Nabotov, Herb Robertson and Kenny Werner. ...
read moreBartlomiej "Brat" Oles / Kenny Werner / Marcin Oles: Shadows
by Brad Glanden
According to psychologist Carl Jung, certain aspects of the personality are rarely acknowledged by the conscious mind, but make themselves known symbolically through dreams. One such manifestation, the Shadow, represents attributes that are instinctive and have been repressed. Recognizing the Shadow's presence may help bridge the gap between the Ego and the Self, leading to a greater awareness of one's creative impulses.
Pianist Kenny Werner, whose influential book Effortless Mastery is widely used as a textbook in music pedagogy, has ...
read moreMarcin Oles/Mikolaj Trzaska/Bratolmeiej Oles/Jean Luc-Cappozzo: Suite for Trio +
by Michael McCaw
Many times people come across a free jazz improvisation album and assume they know what it's going to sound like, but here is something that belies those preconceptions. Comprised of trumpet, alto saxophone or bass clarinet, acoustic bass, and drums, Suite for Trio + seamlessly fuses composed sections with free improvisation to yield a haunting, understated sound that utilizes space as much as the notes played.Opening with a short free improvisation supported by sounds resembling rocks in a ...
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