Tomasz Dabrowski and the Individual Beings: Better (digital outlets)

 |   |  <1 min read

Upright
Tomasz Dabrowski and the Individual Beings: Better (digital outlets)

Two years ago Elsewhere drew attention to this Polish trumpeter and his innovative ensemble.

In part a tribute to the late Tomasz Stanko (an Elsewhere favourite), the album was impressive for the confident diversity of the material and playing which ran from cool blue Miles Davis stylings to the outer reaches of free jazz.

But is was the more restrained and contained material which left the greatest impression.

This new album confirms our assessment (“well worth exploring”) on an album of similar reach but again pulling the listener in with the more measured material and through Dabrowski's pure and unwavering tone.

With touches of electronics, two saxophonists, piano, bass and two percussion players on acoustic and electronic drums, the group has a lot of armoury to explore material like the ambitious layers of Bataty.

Unicorns is a beautiful, almost a solo lament, by Dabrowski; Upright has a mysterious and unsettling quality from the keyboards, electronics and urgent drums; Bonzer has a futuristic film noir quality; Skinny Griffin is a lot of clever jigsaw melodic fun atop a disturbing soundwave of electronics . . .

As before, we recommend Tomasz Dabrowski and his band if you are looking for intense, enjoyable European art music-cum-jazz.

They really deliver.

.

You can hear and buy this album at bandcamp here


Share It

Your Comments

post a comment

More from this section   Jazz at Elsewhere articles index

THELONIOUS MONK AND JOHN COLTRANE IN 1957: Genius loves company

THELONIOUS MONK AND JOHN COLTRANE IN 1957: Genius loves company

Thelonious Sphere Monk was one of the most gifted -- and eccentric -- of all jazz musicians. The memorably named pianist/composer, who died in 1982 aged 64, helped define the bebop movement and... > Read more

TAL FARLOW (1921- 1998): Fading, like notes in the breeze

TAL FARLOW (1921- 1998): Fading, like notes in the breeze

It is a very curious thing that as pop and rock music -- which never used to argue for longevity -- are constantly excavating their pasts and delivering collections of their most minor or ephemeral... > Read more

Elsewhere at Elsewhere

THE VEILS, REVIEWED (2023): Upon this rock music I will build my church

THE VEILS, REVIEWED (2023): Upon this rock music I will build my church

Should anyone doubt the capacity of popular music to achieve the spiritual, they only needed to have been in an audience when Leonard Cohen sang Hallelujah. Or when an audience sang a hymnal... > Read more

STEVE REICH'S CAREER CONSIDERED: From taxi driver to concert master

STEVE REICH'S CAREER CONSIDERED: From taxi driver to concert master

It’s a rare composer who can simultaneously alienate and enthral distinct sections of an audience:  Igor Stravinsky unintentionally managed it in 1913 when he premiered The Rite of... > Read more