MICHAL URBANIAK'S GROUP - Live Recording, Warsaw 1971

Label: Polskie Nagrania - Muza , 2004 (1971)
Catalogue No: PNCD 924 (SX 0733)
Format: CD (24-bit re-mastered from original master tapes)

Tracks:

1. Suite - Jazz Jamboree '70: North Ballad (Urbaniak) 6:35
2. Suite - Jazz Jamboree '70: Ej Blues (Urbaniak) 5:54
3. Suite - Jazz Jamboree '70: Spring (Urbaniak) 8:34
4. Crazy Girl (Komeda, arr. Urbaniak) 7:00
5. Body and Soul (Green, Heyman) 6:05
6. Jazz Moment No. 1 (Urbaniak) 4:43

Line-up:

Michal Urbaniak - violin, soprano and tenor saxophones
Adam Makowicz - piano
Pawel Jarzebski - electric bass
Czeslaw 'Maly' Bartkowski - drums

Recorded:

January 1971 at Warsaw Philharmonic Hall, Poland

About:

In 1970s and 1980's Michal Urbaniak was probably the best internationally known Polish Jazz musician. Prodigy of various Komeda's bands and leader on his own from the late 1960s, his worldwide career began in 1973, when Columbia published his groundbreaking album “Fusion”. Since that that, his passion has been continuing with varying fortune. But thought out the years of his artistic calling, all elements of his ingenious personality were always there: straight-ahead expression, paired with Slavic ingenuousness, musical eclectics, contemporary articulation and the influence of Polish folk music - all flawlessly incorporated into the vocabulary of American Jazz.

The beginning of the 1990's was the culminating point in Urbaniak's career: his name was then mentioned numerous times in various categories of important Jazz surveys, including of the prestigious 'Down Beat'. In his compositions, Urbaniak has always attempted to integrate the latest trends of world Jazz with elements of his personal style. He brings together the original, easily recognizable sound of his instrument with current musical conventions. Consequently, musicians representing the styles of fusion, soul-Jazz, funk or rap appear in his recordings in the next decades.

But Urbaniak's explorations have never - to quote critic Kazimierz Czyz - 'roamed outside of borders of art form'. Urbaniak has continued his hunt after cutting edge styles, sounds, genres and technologies from the Jazz-rock of 1970s to the fusion and funk of the 1980s to the hip-hop of the 1990s, and electronic sounds of 21st century - always founding inspiration in his own folk tradition, when at the same time, creating homogenous form of musical expression in a truly unique Jazz art form.

In his continues pursuit for new inspirations and new sounds, Michal Urbaniak is probably as close to Miles Davis' spirit as any Polish Jazz artist could be.

Review:

Excellent work by Polish jazz legend Michal Urbaniak -- a great live set with some wonderful elements! The recording features Urbaniak in one of his early 70s quartets -- working with Adam Makowicz on piano and keyboards, and playing in a mix of early fusion and more exploratory jazz. Urbaniak's playing a lot of sax on the set -- including soprano (which we always love him on), baritone, and tenor -- and tracks are long, with some of the adventurous energy he picked up during his years with Komeda. The set features a great version of Komeda's "Crazy Girl" -- plus a mellow ready of "Body & Soul", and an extended suite dedicated to Poland's famous jazz festival -- called "Suite Jazz Jamboree 70". (dustygroove)