Andrzej Przybielski & Oles Brothers - De Profundis

Andrzej Przybielski & Oles Brothers
De Profundis

Label: Fenomedia, 2011
Catalogue No: FM
Format: CD

Tracks:

1. Afroblue
2. Epitaphium for Jacek
3. De Profundis
4. Guru
5. De Profundis

Recorded live April 26, 2010

Line-up:

Andrzej Przybielski - trumpet, flugelhorn, cornet, pocket trumpet
Marcin Oles: double - bass
Bartlomiej Brat Oles - drums

Recently deceased Polish trumpeter / composer Andrzej Przybielski was without a doubt one of the greatest Polish Jazz musicians of all times. This fact is known only to a very small group of "insiders", familiar with his playing and his role in history of Polish Jazz, mostly on the avant-garde scene, but nevertheless is an undeniable fact. Przybielski was a genius in every respect. His eccentric personality, erratic behavior, alcohol and drug abuse, lack of basic life and organizational skills have placed him on the outskirts of society and only when on stage or in a recording studio his figure would be surrounded by a divine aura and his trumpet would utter some of the most profound sounds ever produced by a human. It's hardly surprising that his recorded legacy is truly pitiful and a "career" spanning over 50 years did not produce even one proper recording as a leader. I feel especially lucky in this case, as Przybielski did play on my "The Book Of Job" production, contributing another small document of his amazing talents. 

In the last decade of his life Przybielski was associated with the Oles Brothers: bassist Marcin Oles and drummer Barlomiej Brat Oles, Poland's most formidable Free Jazz rhythm section. This album features a live trio performance by Przybielski with the Oles Brothers, recorded in April 2010 (10 months before his death). They perform five pieces, three of which are credited to Przybielski and the other two to the trio. The music is perfectly suited for the extended improvisations by all the participants, which are the basis of this music. The recording and sound qualities are very good, which adds greatly to the overall effect. The level of musicianship is of course phenomenal and this album ranks among the best Free Jazz albums recently recorded that I happened to listen to. Every moment is simply breathtaking, every sound just right, every note magnificent. Having said that, the fact that Przybielski is no longer with us makes me franticly regret the fact that more such music was not recorded. This is an absolute must and all those Tomasz Stanko fans out there, please listen to this music and discover his unknown soul brother. Brilliant!

(Adam Baruch, www.jazzis.com)

***

When trumpeter Andrzej Przybielski passed on in February 2011, he left behind a rich legacy in music. His name may not be widely known outside his native Poland, but he was nevertheless a stylist who carved a nook in several genres. He could play a melody with warmth, and then dart into trajectories that broke the skein but did not sacrifice logic. His harmonic concepts were drawn from several streams and he used them most skillfully.

Przybielski's association with bassist Marcin Olés and drummer Bartlomiej Brat Olés was a fruitful one. Together, they found the chord of invention, unraveling it in imaginative ways on recordings that included Free-bop (Polonia Records, 2000) and Abstract (NotTwo Records, 2005). De Profundis is another endearing collaboration for the trio, as it once again sets out on a journey that encompasses the blues, bop and plenty of free assimilations.

Improvisation is at the heart of jazz, and Przybielski's and the Olés brothers prove it on the two takes of the title track, each a testament to collective empathy as they instill distinct moods into the composition. The first version rips open on the yowl of the trumpet before it finds hard bop. Przybielski lays his notes wide open, as space embraces linearity as well as fragmentations. The Oleś brothers make up one of the hardest-driving, swinging and expressive rhythm sections with their sense of time, pulse and adventure. Here, as well, they are the arteries through which the music flows, both when they are the bedrock for Przybielski as much as when they are engaged in a conversation of their own.

The second version is almost three minutes longer and finds a quieter clime. The approach is freer, one that grows gradually and is enveloped in percussion, arco and the trumpet's soft waves. Przybielski soon turns trenchant, and even as he indulges in unfettered freedom, bassist Olés finds the cove of a hauntingly beautiful melody. It's a potent brew that drinks deeply from rumination as it does from torrid pitch.

If these tunes make the soul surge. then "Afroblue" makes the soul sing in exultation as the trio turns it into the cusp that nestles its eloquence. The impression is memorable as they ride time and tempo, infiltrating mood shifts seamlessly while picking up on funk, bop and a slab of blues.

The interaction between Przybielski and the Oleś brothers is stunning, sprightly and rich in its devolution of concept and innovation. 

(Jerry D'Souza, AllAboutJazz)