Marcin Wasilewski Trio - En Attendant

September 29, 2021

Label: ECM Records, 2021

Personnel - Marcin Wasilewski: piano; Slawomir Kurkiewicz: bass; Michal Miskiewicz: drums.

This accomplished Polish trio led by Marcin Wasilewski, a sensitive pianist who favors clarity of touch, got known for its improvisational facility and strong sense of resolution. Their new album, En Attendant (the seventh on the ECM Records) comprises a tripartite improvised piece, one original by the pianist, and personal renditions of disparate compositions by Carla Bley, The Doors and J.S. Bach.

Lasting between six and seven minutes, the three parts of “In Motion” are lyrically conceived. The first part is shaped with pulchritudinous melodic and harmonic contours, whereas the second, more percussive and peacefully atmospheric, reveals lovely timbral shades as a result of the communication between the pianist and the two excellent players at the foundation - the bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz and the drummer Michal Miskiewicz. The Part III, enhancing the charms of the piano and bass deliveries, allows the delicate cymbal washes of the drummer to become salient before the trio sports its more explorative side.

Both Wasilewski’s “Glimmer of Hope” and Carla Bley’s “Vashkar” are revisited here, appearing as heartfelt horn-less manifestations after having been included on last year’s album Arctic Riff with Joe Lovano. If the former is initially guided by the vaunted brushwork of Miskiewicz, the latter piece includes a transparent bass solo and a more eloquent piano statement that never spins out of control.

The versatility of the trio allows them to cull songs from different genres in order to enrich their repertoire. The classical minor-tinged ideals of Bach are heard on “Goldberg Variation no. 25”, a ballad carrying a deep sense of sadness and loss that the trio navigates with a feel of their own. There’s also The Doors’ pop/rock classic “Riders on the Storm”, a serious candidate to the best track on the album, in which an elegant jazzistic approach and warmly burnished groove give it a special note.

En Attendant attests Wasilewski’s ability to make honest, breathy music that is a balm for the ears.

Favorite Tracks:
04 - In Motion (Part II) ► 05 - Glimmer of Hope ► 06 - Riders on the Storm

Marcin Wasilewski Trio with Joe Lovano - Arctic Riff

June 22, 2020

Label: ECM Records, 2020

Personnel - Marcin Wasilewski: piano; Joe Lovano: tenor saxophone; Slawomir Kurkiewicz: bass; Michal Miskiewicz: drums.

Polish pianist Marcin Wasilewski augments his crisply articulate piano trio - featuring bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz and drummer Michal Miskiewicz - with the addition of great American saxophonist Joe Lovano, who populates Arctic Riff with his burnished saxophone literacy. The album comprises 11 pieces - four by Wasilewski, one by Lovano, four collective improvisations, and one by pianist Carla Bley, which makes a double appearance with the inclusion of an alternate take. The composition in question is “Vashkar”, which first saw the light of day in 1963, when it was included on Paul Bley’s trio album Footloose. The quartet’s reading admits conspicuous turbulence by the time that Wasilewski speaks and also exposes great saxophone work over a logical bass-drums association. The tune’s variation is cooked with the same passion and subtly atmospheric tones, but relatively different flavors.

“Glimmer of Hope”, a Wasilewski ballad, kicks off the record by sailing in shimmering, streamlined, slow-moving waters. Everything is brought into a collective harmony, yet the saxophone melodies bring an exceptional lyrical warmth to the music of the trio. The pianist also penned two other ballads: “Old Hat”, which closes out the album, and “Fading Sorrow”, which showcases his taste for beautiful and relaxing melodies over functional, sensitive chords. Impossible not to notice the deeply felt bass solo that comes as lucid in the phraseology as it sounds rich in tone.

Kurkiewicz also has the spotlight for a limited period of time on “Arco”, an enigmatic collective improvisation where Lovano steals the show by employing impressive multiphonics. However, “Cadenza” is my first choice among the extemporaneous pieces. Clocking in at nine minutes, this number emerges with brushed drums, wandering bass itineraries and ruminative saxophone. Departing from the lower registers, nimble piano movements expand, integrating with the other instruments to form cohesive sonic landscapes whose topographies range from meditative to avant-garde.

Wasilewski’s “L’Amour Fou” and Lovano’s “On the Other Side” stand out as the most unreserved selections in the program. The former, boasting a dancing quality in the head that exceeds the conventional swinging flow, thrive with ingenious solos from piano, sax and drums; the latter piece, on its side, denotes clever communicative exchanges and passes through different configurations, with Lovano citing Monk’s “Played Twice” in a sweeping solo that crosses the hard-swinging accompaniment provided by bass and drums.

Even when exploring boundlessly, the quartet embraces a fluid style leavened by a wonderful sense of space. As a key to our contentment, the sounds are not just meticulous but also consistently surprising.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - Cadenza ► 04 - Fading Sorrow ► 07 - L’Amour Fou

Marcin Wasilewski Trio - Live

September 11, 2018

Label: ECM Records, 2018

Personnel - Marcin Wasilewski: piano; Slawomir Kurkiewicz: double bass; Michal Miskiewicz: drums.

Polish pianist Marcin Wasilewski showcases his first-time live album, recorded two years ago at the Jazz Middelheim Festival in Belgium, in the company of his pace-setting partners: Slawomir Kurkiewicz on double bass and Michal Miskiewicz on drums. On Live, Wasilewski follows the same methodology that hailed him as a spellbinding pianist whose charming jazz propagates warmness and comfort. The three musicians, all former members of the Tomasz Stanko Quartet, thank the late trumpeter on the CD booklet for ‘the inspiration as well as precious and unique experiences in music’.

Wasileswki’s collage of “Sparkle of Life” and “Sudovian Dance” opens the session with delicate reserve but diffusing light in abundance. The refined integration of breathable yet vigorous bass plucks, scintillating brushwork, and tearful pianism promotes an emotional splendor that morphs into a dance of freedom set at an unobvious tempo. The pianist's fully developed technique stands out through beautiful details, dazzling swirls, and precise chordal movements successfully anchored in low notes.

“Night Train To You” is another highlight where the pianist assembles several influences. He evokes the intimacy of Bill Evans, the effervescence of Keith Jarrett and the out-of-the-box groove/tempo of Esbjorn Svensson. Here, each phrase is delivered with assertiveness and eloquence, filling an extended vamp whose spiritual tones get close to John Coltrane or Sonny Rollins. Before the epic finale, one can enjoy Miskiewicz’s exteriorization in a rich rhythmic confluence with his co-workers.

The two remaining originals are “Three Reflections”, poured out with lush delicacy, even when the melodic and rhythmic densities escalate; and “Austin”, a ballad that flows in rubato mode before holding on to a sober 4/4 tempo.

Invigorating pleasures stem from a pair of exciting covers. One of Sting’s most familiar pop songs, “Message in a Bottle”, is taken to new heights through a fluid, cool-tempered post-bop drive. The song had been included in the 2013 album Spark of Life, but here is re-contextualized and pushed forward with freeing determination and thirst for groove, featuring a jaunty bass solo with interesting rhythmic figures; a stellar excursion by the bandleader, who flies and soars with inside/outside rides; and a mature drum work that closes out the improvisations.

The album comes to an end with Herbie Hancock’s “Actual Proof”, which, brought by an imaginative interpolation of bass and drums, becomes a perfect vehicle for Wasilewski’s fluttering, disorienting curls of notes, a component of his articulated commanding prowess.

The material speaks to me gracefully and the trio roses to the occasion with inventive interpretations of an excellent set of songs.