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Very enjoyable, but needed to listen to this CD with headphones as there were some quiet pieces and any background noise tended to detract from the listening experience.
This is a desert island CD for sure. One song flows effortlessly into the other but holds your attention. Some other reviewer commented "beauty beyond description" and all I can do is echo this sentiment. This is a very cohesive recording. I also find that I just feel better during and after I listen to this record.
If you only buy one piano-trio jazz album this year, buy this one. Definitely one of the my favorite albums of 2008. The arrangement of "Diamonds and Pearls" is a master class in jazz and truly beautiful.
If those four cuts were the whole release, it would still be recommendable, but there's more, much more. This is music that will take your mind and your heart to a beautiful place. The first four cuts on January, "The First Touch" (Marcin Wasilewski), "Vignette" (Gary Peacock), "Cinema Paradiso" (Enrico and Andrea Morricone), and "Diamonds and Pearls" (Prince Rogers Nelson--yes, he of the unpronounceable symbol and buttless jeans) form a string of musical pearls that shimmer in the dark with brooding beauty. Pianist Wasilewski, bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz, and drummer Michal Miskiewicz play with great beauty and refinement.
"January" is more inviting and presents itself to the listener in a more relaxed format. Pianist Marcin Wasilewski, bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz and drummer Michal Miskiewicz have been playing together since their school days. Both are excellent but "January" is a little more polished. When comparing the two CDs, "January" is more laid-back, less challenging to the listener. I find it much more enjoyable as well. At their best they sound like 3 players playing the same chess game.
These musicians know each other's playing very well. The recording is engineered to the usual impeccable ECM standards. Playing such subtle material with a high level of sophistication, enough to keep the listener immersed in the music, requires extremely talented musicians. The inevitable comparison to the Keith Jarrett Trio comes to mind so I listened to the live recording from London, "Inside Out" before writing this review.
Pianist Marcin Wasilewski is a superb musician but Keith Jarrett is such a genius. In 2001, they played as a group with Tomaz Stanko and even later, with Jan Gabarek, another legend. It's evident that Wasilewski is a step behind Jarrett in speed technique. Although I love Kurkiewicz on bass, Gary Peacock is really at another level as well. The trio is a more cohesive unit and the song selection more to my liking in "January".
My first impression was that this group seems a touch slower than the Keith Jarrett Trio, a little less confident, a tiny bit more hesitant and certainly less challenging to the listener. "Inside Out" unapologetically challenges the listener into concentrated, focused listening. Keep in mind that there is no really complex improvisional material on "January" as in "Inside Out".Keith Jarrett`s play on "Riot" from "Inside Out" is amazing. This is quiet-moody jazz in the European ECM tradition. He may be the equal of Jack DeJohnette, an evaluation which may upset some of you. I find myself coming back to "January" frequently; always find something new and interesting.
There is complex interplay here but not nearly as demanding."January" is a wonderful CD. Pianist Marcin Wasilewski doesn't take off into complex avant-garde improvisations as does Jarrett. Pianist Marcin Wasilewski wrote some of the material and proves himself to be quite a good composer. The group plays off one another very well with an especially nice touch from percussionist, Miskiewicz. I like them even more on their own.
I hope ECM continues to develop this group because they will get even better with time. So is their first release, "Trio". I have two CDs by this group, "Trio", their first, and "January", their second CD. Although they've obviously been influenced by the Keith Jarrett Trio, Wasilewski, Kurkiewicz and Miskiewicz have an unique and excellent style all their own. The surprise is the drummer, Miskiewicz.
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