Review: Tomasz Stanko - Suspended Night

Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko has been going from strength to strength in his traditionally referred-to as ‘autumn years’ with his return to ECM records in the mid-nineties. Having lost his teeth and had to completely start afresh with his technique, his work since has been characterised by a distinctive sound all his own, and with a daring and imaginative approach that players half his age would give their left arm for.

Playing with his hugely talented group of Polish teenagers through to their mid-twenties, his ‘The Soul Of Things’ was a great success in every way, and garnering the backing trio in particular especially good notices. Reconvening pianist Marci Masilewski, bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz and drummer Michael Miszkiewicz, two years of extensive touring between the two records having honed them further into arguably the strongest support Stanko has ever had, ‘Suspended Night’ is a work of art that perhaps betters his earlier album.

Opening piece ‘Song For Sarah’ showcases Wasilewski’s lyrical and cautiously longing piano to great effect. When Stanko’s rough-hued trumpet enters, they compliment each other perfectly, as they do throughout the recording over and over again. With the sole exception of ‘Song For Sarah’ the rest of the album follows the same path as the previous ‘The Soul Of Things’ with ten numbered ‘Suspended Variations’ on a theme.

Again, as before, most of the variations are of a slow-to-medium tempo, with rare exception. There is though perhaps a greater fieriness to the proceedings, with both parts 2 and 5 being of a faster pace, but still keeping with the dark hue and tone of the suite. A balancing act of tone variety comes in the positively optimistic – for Stanko – part 8, and the bleak sounding eulogy of the ending part 10, with many highlights coming along the way; Part 2 has an infectious melody and part 5 possesses a groove propelled by a surprisingly bouncy bass.

The players are of course all peak performance players here, with Stanko leading in his own unique brooding way. Interestingly the drums here aren’t used in their usual role to keep time at all, but more add colour and flourishes here and there, with the piano and trumpet dominating the atmospheric sound

An undeniably Tomasz Stanko record, ‘Suspended Night’ is a gentle and elegant record, displaying the best qualities of what has been called the ‘ECM aesthetic’ or ‘ECM sound’. Brooding, beautiful and haunting, it is another in a long line of triumphs for the Polish master.

****

Review: Tomasz Stanko - The Soul Of Things

Tomasz Stanko is the greatest living trumpet player of the moment. Fact.

Tomasz Stanko is a stand-out example of the artist, jazz or otherwise, who gets better with age. At sixty-years old and having had to re-learn the playing of the trumpet due to the loss of his natural teeth, Stanko developed a new darker yet rich tone that has drawn inevitable comparisons with the great masters, including the often (over) referenced Miles Davis. Like Davis, he is not one to rest on his past accomplishments and he continues to drive forward and progress with a passionate yet graceful fire in his playing.

‘The Soul Of Things’, featuring a young backing trio that Stanko has chosen to play with for many years – since they were teenagers in fact – truly is a work of both skill and art. Taking a single theme, Stanko and his extremely gifted musicians play out thirteen variations, creating a kind of jazz ‘suite’. Musically it is largely unhurried and sparse, but full of soulful variety, boasting broodiness one minute, sereness the next, we also get genuine power and bop as well.

As with all Stanko albums we get some free improvisation, but not at the expense of melody, most of which here has a languid and yearning feel to it. The trumpets tone too perfectly suits the the other instruments and the music laid down by the backing group. But what really strikes you is the perfection in the recording of this album – every cymbal brush, subtle piano chord, rumble of the bass and breath of the trumpet comes across with crystal clear clarity, almost as if you are in the same room as the quartet.

Nothing truly groundbreaking exists about the album, but the compositions and the variations are all done with such style, and restrained passion, that it has a charm all its own. A true album recording that needs to be played in its entirety to be fully-appreciated, this is complex music played with soul by exceptional and young musicians, the cohesive playing of the band evident everywhere throughout. Full of melody and soul, this is timeless, mood filled music that simply comes highly recommended.

****

Review: Tomasz Stanko - Dark Eyes

Tomasz Stanko is a highly impressive and richly expressive jazz trumpet player, with an equally richly varied discography. His trumpet tone is dark and husky, and yet everything he records is just gorgeous. For me personally he improves with age - not even letting new dentures and having to re-learn playing the trumpet slow him down. His absolute peak, for me, is 2009's haunting 'Dark Eyes'.

Sixty-seven years young and Polish trumpet master Tomasz Stanko, with itchy feet after a trio of outstanding releases, has chosen to debut a new quintet. As ever with his new release ‘Dark Eyes, he is still moving forward as he continues with his interest in the simmering tension between composed and improvised music. A moody and smoky set, it smoulders with a hazy and dark blend of beauty and mystery.

Known more recently for playing with his trio of strong and fiery younger Polish players (who on the strength of playing with Stanko have now formed their own trio), here Stanko revels in his new quintet – a mixture of Danish and Finnish musicians. Both guitarist Jakob Bro and bassist Anders Christensen choose to amp-up and bring their own style and some sharp bite to the use of electric instrumentation. Drummer Olavi Louhivuori and pianist Alexi Tuomarila sensibly here though both stay resolutely acoustic.

From the opening track ‘So Nice’ we are in firm film-noir territory, with Stanko’s darkness-hued tone perfectly suited to the soaring melody line. The drums here are subtle, while the main rhythm is laid down by the piano with the bass shadowing with Bro’s restrained guitar adding a tasteful and lyrical texture.

The pace on ‘Dark Eyes’ rarely goes above the one set on the opening number, choosing to be all about mood and atmosphere, where subtlety is key. ‘Terminal 7’ displays some highly inventive rhythms, while ‘Grand Central’ with its faster and pulsating tempo almost gives us a bop, albeit a noir-filled one. ‘Amsterdam Avenue’ chooses to take a break from the program by going for a warmer sound, and yet still fits in perfectly.

‘The Dark Eyes Of Martha Hirsch’, the longest piece here at just over ten minutes long, runs languorously over the variety of styles presented on the whole record. Starting as a thickly-hued slow burn, Stanko heads the melody, letting it gradually rise and fall, before Christensen’s bass comes in and leads the band on a full swing, with Stanko roaring out a surprising flurry of notes. As the melody mellows, the piece concludes, aided by some gentle yet dramatic swells from the dynamic group.

What really makes this such an impressive entry in Stanko’s discography is the variety on offer, but even more is that their playing manages to maintain a consistently strong thread throughout the whole recording, with atmospheric enhancing pieces like ‘Dirge For Europe’. The music breathes in a way so as to give plenty of room for each musician to shine, no matter how subtle and refined their playing, and creates a superbly cinematic feel. Stanko himself gives a brilliant performance, and the extra edge he brings to certain pieces only serves to increase the listenability. His previous groups were well-deserving of the good press they received, but the prospect of this quintet’s next step is an exciting and tantalising one. Whatever and wherever they choose, ‘Dark Eyes’, be it the start of something greater or a one-off, is enchanting, entrancing and out-standing.

*****