Polskie Nagrania

[Late]

Here's a series that likely deserves wider recognition.

The Bards are currently carrying a fair amount of Polskie Nagrania titles.

Favorites from this series? Which ones have you tried out?

[jazzbo]

I have these. . . I like them a lot. . .I wish I had MORE. . . I think for once the 'Stards get the description right!

Andrzej Trzaskowski Sextant with Ted Curson -- Seant -- Polish Jazz Vol 11

Andrzej Trzaskowski -- Polish Jazz Vol 2 (Andrzej Trzaskowski Quintet/Sextet)

Krzysztof Komeda -- Polish Jazz Vol 3 . . .

Andrzej Kurylewicz Quintet -- Go Right

Zbigniew Namyslowski -- Zbigniew Namyslowski Quartet -- Polish Jazz Vol 6

Krzysztof Komeda -- Polish Jazz Vol 5 -- Astigmatic (even though it's also on Vol 3! Came with the booklet for the Komeda box for the cost of a cd)

[rostasi]

Whole bunch of titles and a couple of boxsets from PN,

but they're the modern classical titles.

Does the Komeda box count?

[JSngry]

This one is a keeper, for sure:

One of "neither/nor" records in terms of being "European" or "American" in it's concepts (close enough to either, but not enoguh to stick). It is what it is, and Jan Ptaszyn Wroblewski on tenor has the kind of sound and feel that makes you want to hear more and more and more.

[couw]

http://www.polishjazz.com/ makes me believe the Wroblewski - Polish Jazz Quartet disk has recently been released in this "anex" digipac series as well. I'm having difficulties getting hold of it though and the older CD looks very crappy and I am told the sound isn't too spiffy either. As Jim mentions, Ptaszyn is a hell of a player that makes you want to hear more. If it can still be found, there is an older CD release of a Stan Getz 1960 live performance at the Jazz Jamboree that is paired with a Wroblewski/Milian EP -- four tunes of pure energy and with the awesome vibes of Jerzy Milian. The sound on that CD is not fantastic, apparantly it's a vinyl dub from an EP in the same deplorable state as my own...

For more Jerzy Milian there is the Bazaar compilation (also available from Dusty), but there are a lot of Novi Singers on that one as well and that's much of an acquired taste... Look here.

The Makowicz - Unit is an album with the typical Polish fusion feel of the early 70s. Good one for fans of the Fender Rhodes in a trio setting. On other things I heard of him, Makowicz sneeks in some nice folk influenced sounds, much like Namyslowski did actually. What I heard of the Kosz struck me as a bit too cocktail hour, frankly.

The 70s/80s sounds of Polish fusion can be pretty great as well. Not a fan of fusion in general and I haven't sprung on any of the Anex titles, but my Jazz Carriers - Carry On LP is one of the few fusion albums I play and return to often. Namyslowski did a lot of this fusion infested stuff from the early 70s on. Some of his 80s albums can be a bit annoying with their overly smooth sound. The Quartet disk now up for grabs at DustyGroove is from 1966 and gritty and fresh. Get it!

Maybe someone can weigh in on the Winobranie disk?

There is a LOT more fantastic music from this Polish Jazz series. The big band albums led by Kurylewicz or Wroblewski and those led by Jerzy Milian are filled with wackness for example. Let's hope this series is successful and more lies up ahead!

[couw]

and while your at it, get the Namyslowski - Lola album as well. It shows up as available at Dusty

[Late]

Are there any native Polish speakers here? I'd be interested in reading a phonetic spelling of some of these guys names. I think (from the incredibly little Polish I've been exposed to) that the alto player in question pronounces his name as such:

ZIG-BIN-YOO NAM-IZ-WOW-SKI

Didn't he sometimes (seriously) go by Ziggy?

[couw]

From what I have learned from our Polish exchange students, the B in Zbigniew is heard, the Z preceding it buzzes, the G is hard, the IE goes like Yeh, and the W comes out as -ff. The Y in Namyslowski is a short "i" (like in "it") and goes almost unpronounced. The L has a dash through it, making it sound like an extremely thick one that has in fact become a W.

Bluerein spent some time in Warsawa, I expect he has more experience.

I have ripped an mp3 of an announcement of a live performance of Wroblewski with following players announced: Zbigniew Wegehaupt, Marek Blizinski, Andrzej Dabrowski, and Jan Ptaszyn Wroblewski.

The N in Blizinski has a ´ on it that makes it sound like the "ng" in song.

The A in Dabrowski has a little accent at the bottom, making it sound like "am," so it's Dambrofskee.

mitglied.lycos.de/couw/announcement.mp3

[Late]

Thanks!

So it would be more like:

zBIG-NYEFF NAM-IZ-WOW-SKI

(I think)

I know that the poet Czeslaw Milosz (recently passed away) prounounces his name (something like):

CHESS-LAW MEE-WOESH

Time to learn Polish. I'm fascinated by it (for reasons still unknown to me).

[Bluerein]

Thanks Couw for reminding this to me......in fact my wife demanded to get a satelite dish to see some Polish television to keep up her language skills (she was fluent at it then).

The W isn't pronounced as we know it but more as a V (or a soft F). The C is always pronounced as TSH with a hard T.

The letters IEN are very hard to explain. It's like Dog in French (Chien) but different.......

Hope this helps a litte. Namislawski's first name always will be a tong breaker for me too.

Oh yeah the L (which has a dash through it in the Polish language) is pronounced as WAH (that's the best I can do).

[Alexander Hawkins]

Ah yes, Mr. Walesa..!

[couw]

Hope this helps a litte. Namislawski's first name always will be a tong breaker for me too.

besides the mp3 I posted above, this site has some pronunciation soundfiles with various Zbigniews throw in. Another tongue breaker is "Andrzej," where the RZ is pronounced as a combined sound that is impossible to describe (at least for me), so once you manage pronouncing Zbigniew Namyslowski you can have a go at Andrzej Trzaskowski

[Bluerein]

another thing what are these new reissued digipacks like? Newly remastered too? How many in these series? etc...... I have most of them in the older cd versions so should I upgrade?? Hope not.

[couw]

another thing what are these new reissued digipacks like? Newly remastered too? How many in these series? etc...... I have most of them in the older cd versions so should I upgrade?? Hope not.

They look very nice as they use the original cover art. The sound is pretty good. It says 24bit remastering from the original master tapes on the back, but those tapes are not the best then it seems to me, as there is quite some noise there. I have none of the older disks to compare though. If you go to http://www.polishjazz.com the cover reproductions on the right hand side of the screen show you the whole series.

Edited April 20, 2005 by couw

[brownie]

Any opinions on this 13 CDs box Genius of Krzysztof Komeda?

Good selection? How about the audio?

The box seems to be out here!

[Guest akanalog]

there is an early one that sounds interesting of michael urbaniak's constellation live w. mackiowicz and dudek and another guy on organ and another guy on drums (so mackowicz on e-piano and the organ for a two keyboard attack, i guess). anyone here this album?

[mikeweil]

I have a German CBS Michal Urbaniak Super Constellation with Adam Makovic on Rhodes, Wojcech Karolak on organ. They were good - that I still have it says it all.

[Dave James]

Brownie,

I've got a 19 CD Komeda package I got from da bastids several years ago. It's on the Polonia label. I found a copy of the set you're referring to on e-Bay, and while it looks like there are some duplications, the 13 CD set appears to be a bit less "soundtrack centric" than the one I have. Don't get me wrong, there's some solid jazz amongst the sides I have, but the soundtrack material can be something of an acquired taste. I really like Komeda. I'm very tempted by this new box.

In a more general sense, anyone who hasn't seriously looked into the European jazz scene is making a huge mistake. Lots of it is easily the equal of much of what was going on in the states during the '50's and '60's. Joe Bob says, "check it out."

Up over and out.

[brownie]

Brownie,

I've got a 19 CD Komeda package I got from da bastids several years ago. It's on the Polonia label. I found a copy of the set you're referring to on e-Bay, and while it looks like there are some duplications, the 13 CD set appears to be a bit less "soundtrack centric" than the one I have. Don't get me wrong, there's some solid jazz amongst the sides I have, but the soundtrack material can be something of an acquired taste. I really like Komeda. I'm very tempted by this new box.

In a more general sense, anyone who hasn't seriously looked into the European jazz scene is making a huge mistake. Lots of it is easily the equal of much of what was going on in the states during the '50's and '60's. Joe Bob says, "check it out."

Up over and out.

Thanks for the assessment.

[DatDere]

I only have Komeda's "Astigmatic", but I really like that album. What else should I get by him?

[Tom 1960]

On 4/19/2005 at 2:02 AM, JSngry said:

This one is a keeper, for sure:

 

 

One of "neither/nor" records in terms of being "European" or "American" in it's concepts (close enough to either, but not enoguh to stick). It is what it is, and Jan Ptaszyn Wroblewski on tenor has the kind of sound and feel that makes you want to hear more and more and more.

Got this off Amazon and arrived in the mail earlier today. I'm really happy with this. I can see myself playing this a few times over the coming days. I look forward to purchasing a few more Polish Jazz tittles if possible.