Bazaar

Jerzy Milian "Ashkhabad Bazaar"

Zbigniew Namyslowski "Five Four Bars"

DUSTY GROOVE AMERICA
Brilliant stuff -- 10 rare jazz tracks from the Polish scene of the 60s, one of the unsung hotbeds of modern jazz in the postwar years! For some odd reason, Poland was head and shoulders above most of its Eastern European contemporaries when it came to jazz -- and as you'll hear in this extremely well-compiled set, the music of the country was easily on a par with the best jazz work coming out of the US or other European nations at the time! The focus of the package is on some of the more groove-oriented tunes of the time -- ranging from hard-driving big band numbers through modal small group sides, and even including a few vocal numbers with a slightly edgy quality.

STRAIGHT NO CHASER (Spring 2002, page 75, by CT)
More Astonishing spiritual sounds from this wonderful underground label run by the knowledgeable Zeljko Kerleta. This Polish edition is fifth in line of 'Discoveries From The East' having so far covered Russia, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia - jazz has no boundaries these days. The richness hits you immediately with the spell binding sticks of vibraphonist Jerzy Milian opening track 'Ashkabad', only to further devastated by his neoteric, jazz breakebat groove 'Rewelacyjny Luciano' (translations welcome). 'Katorna' by Jan Wroblewski is likely to prove a new favourite for dancers at the Jazz Cafe - intense, fast, ferocious steam train of a track that suggests straight ahead jazz could work the rock world of pyrotechnics. There's a funky vocal inclusion of the blissfully harmonious Novi Singers and a heart Lifting bossa by Zbigniew Namyslowski for too rare to mention, so I have. This collection as those before it is remarkably hot and brilliant introduction to the renound Polish scene. If you call yourself a music lover don't miss this (DJs this is available on vinyl). My album of this issue easy. (CT)