21st December 2018: Wojtek Mazolewski’s ‘Polka Deluxe Worldwide Edition’ makes DownBeat Magazine’s Album of the Year list (★★★★★) + further worldwide acclaim + 2xLP now sold out
With Polka (Worldwide Deluxe Edition) the dynamic Polish bassist Wojtek Mazolewski and his band have broken well beyond the jazz genre’s usual boundaries.
In recent times they have gained international recognition, effortlessly inspiring audiences at some of the world’s biggest rock and indie music festivals as well as appearing in jazz and dance clubs, with some 200 concerts across 21 countries in the last few years alone.
Vigorously combining tradition and modernity, the analog sound of the quintet harks back to the jazz masters (also reflecting the vibrant Polish jazz scene of the ‘60s and ‘70s), yet is infused with electronica and other contemporary influences. Echoes of Miles Davis, Eric Dolphy, Led Zeppelin, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Nirvana and Aphex Twin are, therefore, all interwoven by the bassist and his dream team of pianist Joanna Duda, tenor saxophonist Marek Pospieszalski, trumpeter Oskar Torok and drummers Qba Janicki and Michat Bryndal. It‘s like listening to history being sonically reworked, with a uniquely contemporary twist.
RECENT PRESS FOR POLKA (WORLDWIDE DELUXE EDITION)
“A musical travelogue of sorts – all but one of the 12 originals on the new collection bear the name of a place. Hearing these city-inspired compositions side by side, listeners can appreciate just how gifted Mazolewski is at capturing place through sound.”
★★★★★ DownBeat Magazine “Masterpiece”
“From the melodicism of ‘Paris’ and ‘Bangkok’, through the throbbing, techno-referenced ‘Berlin’, and on to the dirty rocking funk/free improv collision of the ‘London; suite and the James Brown’s horn section-meets-Albert Ayler and Donald Ayler ‘Theme De Yoyo’, Polka (Worldwide Deluxe Edition) is pure pleasure. And not to forget ‘Sunday’ either, a masterclass in how to build drama and tension with just five musicians.”
★★★★1/2 All About Jazz
“Mazolewski pulls diverse influences together to quite stunning effect, helped by his skilled, enthusiastic and infectious band… A quite wonderful musical journey.”
★★★★★ Kind of Jazz
“An ingenious combination of traditional and modern forms of jazz… The quintet get fully involved in the nostalgic, often crazy and absurd experiments of their bandleader.”
Concerto Magazine
“A dynamic journey through different soundscapesSometimes experimental, then straightahead,sometimes dominated by wind instruments then piano however, always strikingly supported drums and bass.”
Hörspiegel
“Wojtek Mazolewski is a bandleader and bassist of taste and talent, and a sense of music that the rest of the world needs to hear.”
Nextbop
“Poland has a rich jazz heritage… Wojtek Mazolewski Quintet are spearheading the latest wave, fusing the influence of electronic music with their organic, acoustic sound.”
Clash Music
“A churning, hard blend of jazz and funk.”
Stereogum
“Reaches the heights of emotional expression… Spiritual, playful and romantic… A new star is born.”
Musik an Sich
“The album is a total stonking blinder… Stunningly beautiful… Utterly sublime. There is not a dud moment during the entire 52 minute playing time”.
★★★★1/2 All About Jazz
“Enormously diverse, from gentle ballads through dizzying excitement, homage to bebop to filling the dance floor glow with a high-energy ska number.”
Jazzthing
“A combination of compositional brilliance and improvisation, this music blends generations and styles with unbelievable power and vibrancy… Music for the heart and brain.”
Jazz Podium
“Mazolewski’s acquired and expanded experience is paying off… Listen to this outstanding Polish export without delay.”
Jazzthetik
“Great tunes, infectious beats and rhythms, concise solos… striking ostinatos, lots of call and response and counterpoint in the arrangements, an atmosphere of passion and joie de vivre, and respect for tradition combined with a future-facing vibe. What more could you ask for? An outstanding band? You have one.”
★★★★1/2 All About Jazz
“Proudly fuses established jazz traditions with more contemporary themes and ideas throughout its duration… The writing, performances and ideas are exceptionally crafted.”
UK Vibe 5/5
“It’s melodic brilliance within the context of a very graphic city concept. You actually travel alternately into a sublime Paris, an exotic Bangkok, an almost electronically pulsating Berlin and experience London within a sprawling suite as a metropolis shaped by the music of many cultures.”
Musikreviews Magazine
“Elements of the vibrant Polish jazz scene of the sixties and seventies interwoven with influences ranging from Miles Davis and Eric Dolphy to Led Zeppelin, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Nirvana and Aphex Twin.”
Rhein Main Magazine
And a massive thank you for everyone who picked up the 2xLP from Wojtek, this is now sold out.
