Adam Pieronczyk, Ed Schuller, Jacek Kochan - Plastinated Black Sheep

Adam Pieronczyk, Ed Schuller, Jacek Kochan
Plastinated Black Sheep

Label: NotTwo, 1999
Catalogue No: MW 709
Format: CD

Tracks:

1. Plastinated Black Sheep [07:49]
2. Solo Divers [07:09]
3. Sparrow Dance [06:22]
4. For Walter [10:22]
5. Volkstrot [05:29]
6. Sooner Then Before (In memory of Jakie Byard) [10:01]
7. Sparven [04:53]
8. Ohadi [07:06]

Line-up:

Adam Pieronczyk - tenor & soprano sax
Ed Schuller - bass
Jacek Kochan - drums

Recorded:

1999 in Krakow, Poland

Review:

PBS is a 1999’s trio led by drummer Jacek Kochan. The dominant style here is an Ornette-ish kind of free blues feel, with material contributed by all three men. Kochan, who directs the musical flow from the traps, studied in the U.S. back in the Eighties, and he combines the melodic drumming of a master like Max Roach with the polyrhythmic approach to Elvin Jones. His beat is infectious, and so is the lift he brings to a band. Considering that you can feel that kind of energy through your home stereo, imagine how inspiring it must be to be sharing a bandstand with Kochan. Saxophonist Pieronczyk has an attractively gruff sound on tenor, loose and facile with hints of Sixties-era Rollins and Coltrane. His soprano is a pleasant surprise, controlled and tuneful. Kochan’s “Sparrow Dance” is his soprano feature, as he races bassist Ed Schuller’s busy throb and the composer’s pounding drums to the end. Schuller is in his element here, with a lot of space to fill with his massive sound and an active rhythm partner in Kochan. He also contributes two compositions. His “Sooner Then Before” is a dedication to the late Jaki Byard, with Pieronczyk on tenor charging through the melody urged on by Kochan and the composr’s probing bass. It’s a long track, but they prove time and again on the CD that they can grab and hold the listener’s interest without strain, even on original tunes that run as long as ten minutes. The other long piece, “For Walter” by Pieronczyk, is a tender song that evokes a relaxed performance and a spirited tenor solo. All told, an ispired first-time encounter among three musicians with limitless imaginations and big ears. Very hip, and recommended. (Stuart Kremsky, Cadence)