widmowolnosci
15.02.05, 21:16
Nowa plyta: Wasilewski,Kurkiewicz,Miskiewicz Trio:
Review by Thom Jurek
Jazz fans the world over have become familiar with pianist Marcin Wasilewski,
bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz, and drummer Michal Miskiewicz because they make
up three quarters of the Tomasz Stanko Quartet. Working with Stanko live since
1993 when they were in their teens, they are now his studio band as well, and
perform on his two recent, widely acclaimed ECM outings, The Soul of Things
(2002) and Suspended Night (2004). This rhythm section is a prime reason for
the success of those stellar recordings. Trio marks the debut of Wasilewski,
Kurkiewicz, and Miskiewicz apart from their leader. The deep, unhurried
lyricism that lies at the heart of the group's interplay is everywhere present
in this set. There are four originals by Wasilewski, some cover versions
including beautiful readings of Björk's "Hyberballad," Stanko's classic "Green
Eyes," and a fine acoustic version of Wayne Shorter's "Plaza Real" (originally
performed by Weather Report), and the deeply moving "Roxana's Song," by Karol
Szymanowski. To round out the package, there are four collective
improvisations. In other words, the many facets of this enterprising,
adventurous band are showcased here in abundance over 13 tunes. The Shorter
tune and Wasilewski's "Shine" are real standouts; they showcase the deep
listening these cats do to one another in different ways. The former takes the
tune's inherent melody and gently, softly stretches it in chromatic shadows,
gradually painting the lyric into the foreground. The latter uses rhythm
