VARIOUS ARTISTS
Maiden Voyage
[Compost Records, www.compost-records.com]
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Protest
Feet
[Ellipsis Arts, www.therelaxationcompany.com]
ASSORTED PERFORMERS
Ghos Busters III
[Record Label Records, www.recordlabelrecords.org]
VARIOUS ARTISTS
The Best of Polish Jazz 2005
[Polish Jazz, www.polishjazz.com]
It all started in 1993 in Munich when Into Somethin' crew began a club night
called "Maiden Voyage". The crew wanted to share their deep knowledge for
soul, jazz, Brazilian music, boogie and disco with the rest of the dance
fanatics. Throughout the years, the regular night became somewhat of a
national addiction for German DJs. Taking its cue from Herbie Hancock's
classic 1965 Blue Note classic, "Maiden Voyage" is a compilation of thirteen
choice cuts that have become favourites at these club nights. Ranging from
Norman Connors' soulful "She's Gone", to Roy Ayers disco-funk on
"(Sometimes) Believe in Yourself", through to the sunny shores of Alicia
Myers and her "I Want to Thank You", the compilation is a winner through and
through. One of my favourite tracks here is the slow jam laid down by James
Mason "I Want Your Love". Her sultry vocals are to die for [or to strip by,
whichever you prefer]. Without a weak track in the bunch, this is one
compilation that no doubt will provide many hours of pure, bright sunshine
to filter through on the rainiest days of the year to come.
Ever since the beginning of time, people have risen up to protest what they
felt was unfair treatment of the fellow men. People have joined others in
protest to gain strength, to gain power and ultimately to get to the
ultimate goal which is always victory. "Protest" compilation which is
appropriately subtitled "Songs of Struggle and Resistance from Around the
World" presents fifteen of the so-called protest tunes. These are tunes
that have woken people up to recognize the importance of the struggle for
particular causes. Some of these tunes were written during protests, while
others are a reflection on protests that have occurred in the past.
Algerian singer Baaziz pleads for non-violence on the feet-stomping flamenco
beats of "God Bless(s) America", while Larry Kirwan (Black 47) in his
spitefully bitter but honest "Bobby Sands, MP" honours that IRA operative,
hunger striker, Member of Parliament and ultimately a martyr. Lebanese
composer Marcel Khalife urges positive dissent [as in non-violence] in his
strikingly beautiful "Speak Up", while the "Joan Baez of Israel" Chava
Alberstein sings a gorgeously haunting ballad on "Chad Gadya", in which she
openly sympathizes with Palestine's right to be a fully sovereign nation.
American legend Barbara Dane pays homage to those fallen more than three
decades ago on "The Kent State Massacre". Papa Wemba gives a gorgeous
rendition of "Esclave", a tune meant to point out the evils of slavery.
With so many tunes coming from every corner of the world, "Protest" has
enough gut and grit for any banner-waving street rally.
Carrying the subtitle of "A Global Dance Party", the self explanatory "Feet"
is meant to rouse the most stubborn non-dancers straight to the dance floor.
 Gone is the political subtext, which is replaced by crazy beats, sunny
flavours and joyful vocals of people from the entire globe. Starting off
with Cuban ĂŠmigrĂŠs who are based in Miami, Tiempo Libre and their salsa
rendition of "El Guanajo Relleno", to the bhangra flavours of Shabaz and
their "Lagian (Joyful Bhangra Dance), through to Natacha Atlas & Transglobal
Underground's down-tempo take of "Amulet" [as remixed by TJ Rehmi], this
collection has a little bit of something for just about every musical taste.
 Salsa returns with Senegalese group Africando's take of "Yaye Boy" [Baron
Lopez Remix]. Mystic Middle Eastern trance is best felt during Turkish
Delight's "Oh De". You can just envision a slow belly dance coming down the
tubes as the tune slowly caresses your mind and body. Zydeco music is
represented by American outfit Beau Jocque & The Zydeco Hi-Rollers and their
funky-bone-shaking "Give Him Cornbread". It's hard to imagine a better mix
of dance music that is so well suited variety-wise and from a straight
musical standpoint. A+ all around!
Record Label Records has been a strange little operation. Featuring odd
bunch of candidates such as the bhangra heavy Kush Arora and the snippet
touches of Fluorescent Grey, they've been slowly redefining the
possibilities of plunderphonic electronic music. Featuring a funky
plunderphonized movie poster of original Ghostbusters movie, "Ghos Busters
III" is nothing short of a label showcase for their budding artists.
Wobbly's wicked percussive glitches and radio static on "Limited Party"
works quite well as does Mike Dunkley's faux rapping on "Dirty Birdie".
Fluorescent Grey's "I am a Photograph of My Old Driveway?" does wonders with
processing and a quaky sense of editing, while Kossak's beats on
"Bassturbation" are lot more straight-forward, to the point of an actual
rhythm being firmly established. Kush Arora gets top marks as usual for his
bhangra craziness on "Ending Times". Each new track opens up a whole new
door into the world of the crazed edit, a sharp mind and a brilliant
insatiable beat.
As much as I love Polish jazz - Stanko, Bem, Milian, Komeda, Seifert could
never do anyone any wrong - I tend to look on a jazz compilation with a
certain amount of disdain. I suspect the 2 CD "The Best of Polish Jazz
2005" was put together in order to introduce non-Polish audiences to the
flavours of music that is enjoying a fair amount of popularity in Poland
[though in this world of pop standards, that popularity is a very relative
term]. Having said that, at least from a commercial and mainstream point of
view, it accomplishes its mission. Pianist Mikolaj Tokaj and his trio churn
out a lovely rendition of "Skyline", while jmTrio, under the leadership of
pianist Joachim Mencel do a fine, straight-forward take of "That Mountain
(for David Friedman)". Simple Acoustic Trio's "Simple Jungle" is another
example of the piano-bass-drum trio at work. One of the better numbers is
one by the trio of bassist Marcin Oles, drummer Bartlomiej Oles and
saxophonist David Murray called "Fair Play". For just over thirteen
minutes, they stretch their chops and deliver a fully satisfying number in
every imaginable aspect. This is what I'd call harmonious communication.
Vocalist Grzegorz Karnas improvises flawlessly on the extended "Dreams",
while Janusz Zdunek 5 Syfon ensemble delivers a nicely flowing number
entitled "Waltz 4 Clown". One of the more satisfying numbers are the two
offered by the Gdansk-based sextet Pink Freud. While "Jazz is Cool" sounds
initially like a throw-back to Herbie Hancock's "Sextant" project from early
70's, "Conversations with a Life Jacket" is a more contemporary piece that
features a good deal of squelchy samples and warm trumpet playing from
Tomasz Zietek. As the liner notes appropriately point out "Polish jazz
could make "jazz" popular music again in America, if only Americans had the
chance to hear it." Amen to that!
- Tom Sekowski
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RECENZJE
+ Tatsuya Yoshida/ Piotr Zabrodzki - Karakany
+ Pharaoh Overload - Live in Suomi Finland
+ Andromelos - Andromelos
+ Fresh Maggots - Fresh Maggots
+ Unfolding - Freak Out Party: How to Blow Your Mind
+ Susan Christie - Paint a Lady
+ Jan Jelinek - Kosmischer Pitch
+ Carl Craig - The Album Formerly known As ...
+ Funkstörung - Appendix
+ Skinny Puppy - Mythmaker
+ Boogy Bytes Vol.3 - Mixer By Modeselektor
+ Adult. - Why Bother?
+ Stewart Walker - Concentricity
+ Sleep Well - Chapter III
+ Anthony Rother - Moderntronic
+ 5YR: Five Years Of Regularity - Mixed By Jaumetic
+ Dr. J present 1 Love - Neophilia
+ LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver
+ International Deejay Gigolos 10 - Presented By DJ Hell
+ The Field - From Here We Go Sublime
+ Electronicat - Chez Toi
+ Dirty Doering - Saubermann
+ Matthew Dear - Deserter
+ Computer Incarnations For World Peace
- - - - - - - - -
+ HAL RAMMEL - Like Water Tightly Wound
+ MARTYN BATES - Your Jewled Footsteps
+ TERMINAL SOUND SYSTEM - Compressor
+ ROBERTO OPALIO - The Last Night of the Angel of Glass, Vol. I & II
+ THE STRANGLERS - Anthology
+ DAX PIERSON / ROBERT HORTON - Pablo Feldman Sun Riley
+ KOMMANDO RAUMSCHIFF ZITRONE - First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
+ ZU & NOBUKAZU TAKEMURA - Identifications with the Enemy, A Key to the Underworld
+ YELLOW 6 - Painted Sky
+ CHRIS WATSON / BJ NILSEN - Storm
+ FENNESZ - Endless Summer
+ NINE HORSES - Money For All
+ VARIOUS ARTISTS - HEAVYBreathing - The Sounds of Sex - Vol. 3 - Stop It! - HEAVYBreathing - The Sounds of Sex - Vol. 4 - Touch Me!
+ WADADA LEO SMITH - GÜNTER BABY SOMMER - Wisdom in Time
+ KATHY DIAMOND - Miss Diamond To You
+ FRED LONBERG-HOLM TRIO - Terminal Valentine
+ JASPER LEYLAND - Fieldstone
+ KILO - Kilo / POLE - Steingarten / TELESEEN - War / HECKER - Recordings for Rephlex
+ AURAH - Etherea Borealis
+ THE STYLE COUNCIL - Live at the Full House Rock Show DVD / BIG AUDIO DYNAMITE - Live E=MC2 DVD
+ DANIEL MENCHE - Animality
+ ANDREA CENTAZZO MITTELEUROPA ORCHESTRA - The Complete Recordings 1980 - 1981 - The Complete Recordings 1982 - 1983
+ DAVID TOOP - Sound Body
+ ASTRO & SUZUKI JUNZO - Cosmic Blues Experience / SUZUKI JUNZO - November.10.2001
+ DOCTOR BOB - Dark Times
+ THE BAMBOOS - Rawville
+ VARIOUS ARTISTS - Strictly Drum and Bass - The Roots of Sly and Robbie / VARIOUS ARTISTS - The Historic Roots of Ska
+ FRED ANDERSON & HAMID DRAKE - From the River to the Ocean
+ TG MAUSS - Gravity Will Keep Us All Together
+ POEM ROCKET - Invasion!
+ JENNIFER GENTLE - A New Astronomy
+ MIRA CALIX - Eyes Set Against the Sun / !!! - Myth Takes / LONDON SINFONIETTA - Warp Works & Twentieth Century Masters
+ ISRAEL QUELLET - Oppressum
+ EINSTUERZENDE NEUBAUTEN - Palast Der Republik DVD
>> VARIOUS ARTISTS - Maiden Voyage / VARIOUS ARTISTS - Protest - Feet / ASSORTED PERFORMERS - Ghos Busters III / VARIOUS ARTISTS - The Best of Polish Jazz 2005
+ SOFTWAR - Softwar
+ THE ETERNALS - Heavy International
- - - - - - - - -
WYWIADY / RELACJE
+ Writing rhythms is easy - rozmowa z Stewart'em Walker'em
+ Regularity is the secret - wywiad z Jaumetic'em [Regular label]
+ Szybsze bicie serca - rozmowa z Patrycją Hefczyńską aka DJ Patrisią [Husky]
+ My fire is burning - wywiad z Hell'em [Gigolo Records]
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