Kosz was one of the greatest hopes of Polish Jazz and his suicide death at a ridiculously young age (his 20`s) was a true tragedy. He was a most lyrical and technically perfect pianist ever on the Polish scene and everybody compared his work with that of Bill Evans. Unfortunately this album from 1971 is the only proper recording of his superb playing (some more material does exists but the recording quality is not that great). On this album Kosz plays some of his interesting interpretations of classical music and some of his elegant compositions. For lovers of piano trios this is a true diamond!
Mieczyslaw Kosz
Reminiscence
Polish Jazz vol.25
Label: Muza-Polskie Nagrania, 2004/ 1971
Catalogue No: PNCD 925 (SX 0744)
Format: CD (24-bit re-mastered from original master tapes)
Condition: GENUINE, BRAND NEW
Tracks:
1. Polovtzian Dances - paraphrases (A. Borodin) 6:20
2. Prelude in C minor (F.Chopin) 5:22
3.Love Dream - praphrases (F.Liszt) 3:57
4. Yesterday - paraphrases (Lennon/McCartney) 5:04
5. Reminiscence (M.Kosz) 7:24
6. For You (M.Kosz) 6:02
7. Fulfillment (B.Suchanek) 7:30
Performed by:
Performed by:
Mieczyslaw Kosz - piano
Bronislaw Suchanek - bass
Janusz Stefanski - drums, flexaton
Liner notes:
This album has been long awaited by all Polish jazz fans. After the memorable
concert during the Jazz Jamboree '67 in Warsaw, when the 23 years old pianist
Mieczyslaw Kosz playing enchanted the fastidious audience, no one had any doubts
about his outstanding musical talent. The later years have confirmed this
opinion with several interesting radio and television appearances and live
performances in Poland and abroad (i a. the 1st prize at the 1968 Vienna
International Festival). However, there still was a lack of a phonographic
document illustrating the succession of the pianist's searching and development.
"Wspomnienie" (Reminiscence) is exactly such a document, on one hand, and on the
other a key to understanding of Mieczyslaw Kosz' artistic credo.
The record consists of two parts consciously arranged by the artist himself in a
sort of review of his work to date. That's where the title comes from.
Side A, featuring four paraphrases, illustrates his former interest in
functional music in general and in serious' in particular. Kosz favorite
composers include Beethoven, Chopin, Scriabin, Ravel, Szymanowski and Stravinsky
among others. The paraphrases are sort of introduction to the pianists' actual
work. Here, Kosz is concentrated and sensitive creator of a climate. In the
''Polovtzian Dances" rendered in Oscar Peterson - Bill Evans orientation, he
builds his own world of sounds, enveloped in a mist of melancholy, so typical of
Kosz' music. In the paraphrase of Chopin's C minor Prelude, the pianist attempts
to give a new shape of expression to this composition, so well-knit and
masterly, that the intention is seemingly sacrilegious. It takes a lot of
culture and intuition, to combine the respect for the superb original with
keeping the proper distance, particularly important with jazz, paraphrasing.
Kosz seems to be equal to this conditions The third paraphrase, on Liszt ''Love
Dream" kept in serene mood, is followed by Kosz' excursion in to the future into
completely deferent 20th century romanticism. The paraphrase of ''Yesterday" is
almost a synthesis of this part of the record. It contains Chopin rubatos,
Evans-like climate and Tatum-patterned ornamentation, but despite the various
influences, this music has its own, easily recognizable "Kosz" style.
The B, side presents two originals by Kosz and one by the bass player
Bronislaw Suchanek. On these tracks Kosz tries to actualize his conception of
free jazz, which he considers a stage of developing his means of expression
rather than the destination. For him free jazz means breaking out from the
scheme of the rhythm and phrase, but not from tonality. The ''Wspomnienie''
(Reminiscence) was conceived following the pianist's visit at the Montreux '68
festival, where he won the third prize in the contest. Besides the festival
appearances by Bill Evans and Jan Garbarek, vocalist Nina Simone's performance
impressed him deeply. "Wspomnienie'' is a minor key ballad with unexpected
modulations toward the end of both the introducing and the theme. As previously,
the bass has been recorded in the same channel with piano, to get a full
integration of timbre of both instruments. During the introduction, the drummer,
Janusz Stefanski plays, i. a., little known instrument, flexatone.
The central item on the record seems to be ''For You'', dedicated to Ewa L,
which the pianist performs solo. This composition consists of two different
parts. The first, highly expressive and impulsive, with free jazz suggestions,
evolves into the ballad-like, deeply sorrowful second one, whose intensity of
feeling is iridescent like reflections of light on a river on a windy, rainy
day, when suddenly the sun comes . "I wanted to express my pain, which is my
greatest happiness" said Kosz abut this piece. At the end, the mood of the first
part comes back again, and terminates in a vague harmonic hint, a question with
no answer. The last selection is full of restlessness. Most interesting in the
middle part, which features a dialogue, between the bassist and the drummer,
with the side drum snares released.
Four years ago, Kosz said about his credo: "I am particularly concerned about
expression and colour. I want to paint the mood, which sweeps over me''. This
involves his specific attitude to form in jazz. The sonata-like form, applied in
these compositions, defines the place and character of each chorus. The
improvisation subordinated to the logical construction of place as a whole.
Three of the selections are performed by the pianist without the rhythm
section. Solo playing is a form of expression that suits him very well.
Critics often claim that Kosz cannot free himself from a Bill Evans influence.
In the pieces featured on this record, however, the pianist clearly diverges
from the impressionistic treatment of the tone colour in jazz - towards lyrical
expression. One can rather scent his connection with Krzysztof Komeda,
especially in ''Reminiscence'' and ''For You". Kosz is similarly. Slavonic and
similarly he is torn between intellect and feeling, usually in favor of the
latter.
(courtesy of Krystian Brodacki from original (1971) liner notes from the
vinyl album's back cover)
About M. Kosz:
An extraordinary talented pianist Mieczyslaw Kosz, was another young Polish Jazz
artist, who defined the essence of the Polish Jazz art form. Kosz defined his
credo: "I am particularly concerned about expression and colour. I want to paint
the mood, which sweeps over me'. Mieczyslaw Kosz was born on January 10, 1994 in
small village Antoniowka in eastern Poland. He was blinded at a very early age
due to inherited illness and has lived his entire life sightless. He discovered
a love for music at a very early age - during his kindergarten years. He was
mostly self taught, the only formal music education he has ever obtained was a
diploma the high school music academy in Krakow. He worked as a professional
pianist in bars and restaurants of Tatry mountains resort town Zakopane in
southern Poland. In 1967 he debuted as a jazz pianist at Warsaw's Jazz Jamboree
Festival in 1967. He immediately achieved recognition on Polish Jazz scene and
critical acclaim. During the next several years he collaborated with some of the
most important Polish jazz musicians, including drummers: Czeslaw Bartkowski and
Janusz Stefanski; bass players: Jacek Ostaszewski and Bronislaw Suchanek, and
saxophone player Jan 'Ptaszyn' Wroblewski. He appeared at the most important
Polish jazz festivals, including Jazz Jamboree, Jazz nad Odra, and he traveled
and performed in Europe (Paris). He died tragically, probably due to suicide, on
May 31, 1973 in Warsaw. Kosz's piano stylistics are very similar to Bill Evans.
As Evans, Kosz's music always displayed a mastery of harmony, rhythm, and
interpretive jazz conception. He was well known for sensitivity of his sound,
sophisticated technique, artistic invention, lyricism, elegant composition, and
in the same time simplicity of expression and direct appeal to his listeners.
His work fused elements from jazz, European romantic music (Debussy, Chopin,
Schumann), and Polish ethnic folklore music. As Bill Evans and Lennie Tristano,
Mieczyslaw Kosz developed a unique conception of ensemble performance and a
classical sense of form and conceptual scale in unprecedented, in Polish jazz,
ways. Kosz, similarly to other masters of Polish jazz like Krzysztof Komeda and
Zbigniew Seifert, has never had a time to fully realized his talent, potential
and transplant them to international jazz scene. His suicidal death at a
ridiculously young age was a true tragedy. He still remains one the greatest
(and underappreciated) geniuses of Polish and European jazz.
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