Home » Jazz Articles » Wasilewski/Kurkiewicz/Miskiewicz: Trio

Wasilewski/Kurkiewicz/Miskiewicz: Trio

By Glenn Astarita
April 27, 2005
Sign in to view read count

This Polish piano trio has been backing the country's best-known jazz trumpeter, ECM Records solo artist Tomasz Stanko. With this release, the musicians get their day in the sun, so to speak. Falling in suit with the label's somewhat ethereal aesthetic—particularly when considering similar European piano trios—this band fuses melodic charm with probing structures and colorific insinuations.

Pianist Marcin Wasilewski often executes flotating chord progressions via delicately fabricated themes, whereas drummer Michal Miskiewicz occasionally provides soft cymbal swashes and accenting patterns in collaboration with Slawomir Kurkiewicz' supple bass lines. It's an atmospheric event; however, the trio picks up the momentum in spots via a slowly rising heat, awash with the pianist's lushly organized harmonics, owing to the Bill Evans school. Strong compositions abound amid the group's seemingly effortless flows and bouncy rhythmic structures. Nonetheless, the musicians' common musical bond prevails throughout!

On Tomasz Stanko's "Green Sky, Wasilewski transmits his penchant for enacting linearly expressed lyricism. Yet on Wasilewski's "Free-bop, one might think of pianist Keith Jarrett's Standards Trio by way of perky grooves and animated bop lines. In addition, Wasilewski and Kurkiewicz often engage in richly harmonic union choruses to coincide with contrapuntal maneuvers and much more. Either way, this superfine production reveals previously undetected niceties upon repeated listens.

Track Listing

1. Trio Coversation (introduction); 2. Hyperballad; 3. Roxana's Song; 4. K.T.C.; 5. Plaza Real; 6. Shine; 7. Green Sky; 8. Sister's Song; 9. Drum Kick; 10. Free-bop; 11. Free Combinations for Three Instruments; 12. Entropy; 13. Trio Coversation (the end).

Personnel

Marcin Wasilewski, piano; Slawomir Kurkiewicz, bass; Michal Miskiewicz, drums.

Album information

Title: Trio | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: ECM Records

Post a comment about this album

FOR THE LOVE OF JAZZ

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.

WE NEED YOUR 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.