Marcin Wasilewski Trio

“Faithful”

(ECM 2208 275 9105)

This long running trio led by the Polish pianist and composer Marcin Wasilewski first came to the attention of the wider jazz audience through their recordings and live appearances with the veteran Polish trumpet star Tomasz Stanko. Wasilewski, Slawomir Kurkiewicz (double bass) and Michal Miskiewicz (drums) appeared on a series of Stanko’s ECM albums during the period 2001 to 2005 (“Soul Of Things”, “Suspended Night” and “Lontano”) and this exposure enabled the trio to garner an international following of their own.

Already a regular working unit the trio were well established in their native Poland where they were sometimes known as the Simple Acoustic Trio. The trio’s tenure with Stanko also saw them release an ECM album simply entitled “Trio” (2004) and this was followed by their first post-Stanko album “January” (2007). Wasilewski and Kurkiewicz have also worked extensively with another ECM artist, French drummer and composer Manu Katche, and both appear on Katche’s acclaimed “Neighbourhood” and “Playground” albums.

I was lucky enough to see the trio perform as members of Stanko’s group in a double bill with Charles Lloyd at the 2005 London Jazz Festival but have yet to see them as a self contained unit. I have, however, enjoyed both of their previous ECM trio releases and “Faithful” builds on the strengths of these with a well programmed selection divided equally between Wasilewski originals and an inspired collection of covers. The title track is an Ornette Coleman tune that first appeared on Coleman’s 1966 album “The Empty Foxhole” and its inclusion suggests that the trio is becoming increasingly interested in widening its reach beyond the very European lyricism of its earlier recordings. 

The album opens with the atmospheric sounds of Hanns Eisler’s 1942 tune “An den kleinen Raioapparat”, a piece written from the point of view of a German exile who is still haunted by the voices of his persecutors through the medium of the radio. Wasilewski and his colleagues invest the piece with both a quiet beauty and a delicate inner strength. The lyricism of the leader’s piano is superbly augmented by Miskiewicz’s cymbal shimmers and subtle drum accents.

The first Wasilewski original, “Night Train To You” approximates the rhythms of the wheels on the rails of the locomotive in the title. Wasilewski describes it as “a motoric piece, a process” as a simple melody is juxtaposed with complex time signatures of 6/8 and 11/8. The piece has a cinematic quality but there’s also plenty of room for soloing with Wasilewski stretching out joyously and almost funkily. There’s also a feature for Miskiewicz’s drums as he combines colourfully with Wasilewski’s piano chording. Although primarily a highly energetic piece the tune contains a gentle coda intended to represent the slowing down of the train as it comes into a station.
This is an attention grabbing composition and in some ways I’m surprised that this wasn’t scheduled as the album opener, live shows may of course be different. But this is the world of ECM, they do things differently there.

“Faithful” is a gentle, often lyrical exploration of the Coleman tune with purity of sound and line the essence. It offers us the first opportunity to hear Kurkiewicz’s bass being used as a solo instrument. His fully rounded tones are delightfully woody and resonant.

Wasilewski’s ten minute piece “Mosaic” is fittingly named, with simple melodic motifs combining to create a fuller overall picture. The interaction between the members of this long running trio is excellent throughout and a typically immaculate ECM mix captures every nuance superbly. Miskiewicz’s subtle but colourful percussive details are a delight and there’s also another chance to enjoy Kurkiewicz’s ability as a soloist.

The Tommy Wolf/Fran Landesmann piece “Ballad For The Sad Young Men” dates back to 1959 and hymns the Beat Generation. Here it features Wasilewski at his most lyrical and reflective, his gentle piano ruminations sympathetically supported by Kurkiewicz’s low register bass purr and Miskiewicz’s exquisite brush work.

The choice of Hermeto Pascoal’s tune “Oz Guizos” (“The Bells”) reflects bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz’s love of Brazilian music. Apparently he brought several Pascoal tunes to rehearsals and the trio settled on this one. Despite it’s South American origins the final version sounds thoroughly European and is another fine example of the trio’s lyrical abilities and of their attention to detail.

The hymnal “Song For Swirek” is Wasilewski’s beautiful dedication to the late Marek Swierkowski, a close friend of the trio. The piece begins by emphasising the trio’s core lyrical qualities but Wasilewski’s increasingly expansive and flowing solo ensures that this heartfelt tribute is a celebration as well as a lament.

Another original, “Woke Up In The Desert” was given its title by the Polish rock singer/songwriter Edyta Barosiewcz, a frequent confidante of the pianist. The combination of lucid piano, sonorous bass and filigree drum work is hard to resist.

Paul Bley’s composition “Big Foot” originally appeared on one of ECM’s earliest releases, the pianist’s eponymous collaboration with bassist Gary Peacock dating back to 1970. It’s a piece that has worn well with age and Wasilewski and his colleagues more than do it justice, negotiating its tricky twists and turns with energy and gusto with Kurkiewicz’s bass often coming to the fore.

The closing “Lugano Lake” is a homage to the town of Lugano where the album was recorded. There’s a serenity about the piece that encapsulates the trio’s satisfaction with this recording, but also sufficient energy to prevent things from coming becalmed. It’s an approach that colours most of the music on this CD, lyrical and painstaking at their core the Wasilewski Trio counter any allegations of feyness or lack of dynamics (the fabled “ECM sound”) with their choice of interesting and varied outside material and inspired original compositions. “Faithful” enhances the trio’s already impressive reputation and confirms their place as one of Europe’s premier piano trios.

Read more about the Marcin Wasilewski Trio at Culture.pl
http://www.culture.pl/web/english/music-full-page/-/eo_event_asset_publisher/Ny17/content/marcin-wasilewski-trio

 

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