Joe Lovano featuring the Marcin Wasilewski Trio
Joe Lovano- tenor saxophone
Marcin Wasilewski- piano
SĹawomir Kurkiewicz- double-bass
MichaĹ MiĹkiewicz- drums
American saxophonist Joe Lovano and Poland's Marcin Wasilewski Trio teamed up on the 2020 ECM release Arctic Riff. Polandâs dynamic Marcin Wasilewski Trio and Grammy Award winning US tenorist Joe Lovano bring forth special music of concentrated, deep feeling, in which lyricism and strength seem ideally balanced.
Before Lovano first met the Marcin Wasilewski Trio in 2006 at Bielska Zdymka Jazzowa festival in Poland, pianist Marcin Wasilewski and bassist SĹawomir Kurkiewicz drummer Michal Miskiewicz had also been members of the Tomasz Stanko Quartet, and toured and recorded with the renowned Polish trumpeter's ECM releases Soul of Things (2002), Suspended Night (2004) and Lontano (2006). In September 2022, Marcin Wasilewski Trio was a part of the Remembering Tomasz Stanko concert at Roulette in Brooklyn.
Lovano and Wasilewski's trio crossed paths many times at international festivals over the years until they eventually met at Studios La Buissonne in the south of France in August 2019 to record Arctic Riff, which was produced by ECM founder Manfred Eicher.
Arctic Riff marked the first-time creative teaming of Marcin Wasilewski Trio and Lovano, and it brought forth special music of concentrated, deep feeling, in which lyricism and strength seem ideally balanced. The alliance plays tunes by Wasilewski and by Lovano, as well as Carla Bleyâs classic âVashkar,â plus collective improvisations with strong input from all four players.
The album opens with Wasilewskiâs rubato ballad âGlimmer of Hopeâ which, the composer explains, is âbased mainly on one motive moving through some tonalities. I was very curious to hear how it would sound with Joeâs tone.â The piano gently prepares for the saxophoneâs entry, and Lovanoâs very first phrase â underpinned by Michal Miskiewiczâs soulful brushwork â establishes the sensitive atmosphere of intense listening that characterizes the session.
Carla Bleyâs âVashkarâ follows, a tune interpreted in many different ways over the last half-century. Wasilewski, who first heard it on the album Footloose by the Paul Bley Trio with Steve Swallow and Pete LaRoca, finds new possibilities inside the world that Carla Bley's theme opens up: âI really like Carlaâs compositions, and I wanted to play 'Vashkar'âs beautiful melody with Joe.â Lovano bears down authoritatively on that melody before the Polish trio unravel some of its implications. The tenorist had performed Carla Bleyâs music as a member of her band in 1983 and, in 1986, with Charlie Hadenâs Liberation Music Orchestra, but the present recording marks a first encounter as player with âVashkar.â
âCadenzaâ is the first, and at nine minutes the longest, of the collective pieces shaped in the moment on Arctic Riff. âOn each of our recordings weâve tried to explore musical areas that we havenât documented before. There was no preconceived plan at all for the improvised pieces, but just as we were concluding a musical statement together on âCadenza,â I had the feeling that it might be good to take it a little further. In that second, I heard Manfred saying through the headphones, âMarcin, please continue.â That was a special moment, and helped to make the whole thing, spontaneously, a better piece of art.â
Wasilewskiâs elegant ballad âFading Sorrowâ finds ways to keep the music fresh inside the song format. Slawomir Kurkiewiczâs bass feature here, soloing against Wasilewski's subtle chording and discreet drums, is a highlight. Kurkiewicz is also to the fore in the free piece âArcoâ which, as its title implies, takes off from his bowed bass entry. âFree improvisation is a very rewarding experience based on mutual trust and openness,â says Kurkiewicz. âAs a working trio weâve played freely many times and It was so touching to see Joe jumping right in there with such directness and clarity. It is great to hear his voice in such a context.â Lovanoâs strengths as a player include his enthusiastic capacity to embrace all the things that jazz has been, including its traditional, modern and experimental expressions.
Lovano's sly, jaunty tenor sets up âStray Cat Walk,â soon joined on its nocturnal prowl by Kurkiewicz's bass and Miskiewiczâs drums. Miskiewicz: âThe beauty of Joeâs melodies and his amazing rhythmical flow encourage you as a musician to be more creative and spontaneous.â
âLâamour fouâ is a piece Wasilewski wrote to showcase Lovanoâs skills in a fast tempo context; the working title was âCrazy for Lovo.â The tuneâs author has a bright sparkling solo here, too, after which Lovano takes flight, buoyed by the spirited rhythm section, and Miskiewicz also has a brief, adroit solo.
âA Glimpseâ is a kaleidoscopic free miniature of shifting focus, highly alert throughout. Miskiewicz: âFrom my point of view it's necessary to be deeply concentrated on each single note, and to predict somehow what may happen in the next second, few seconds or sometimes imagine the whole sequence.â
A second version of âVashkarâ grants more of the solo space to Lovano. Lovano: ââVashkarâ is a beautiful, expressive piece of music. Each of the two versions has its own feeling, structure and exploration. Iâm glad Manfred decided to include both takes. Carlaâs music is inspired and inspiring â and I would say the same for the music we created on Arctic Riff.â
Lovano wrote âOn the Other Sideâ for the session, âas a contrast to Marcinâs compositions.â Itâs a swinging free flowing piece with a specific sequence of events to be followed: âThe drums set up the theme which is a question-and-answer exchange between the tenor and drums and the piano trio. A piano and drums duo follows, then adding bass into a trio moment without piano. Piano then re-enters, leading to the final theme with embellishments. The outcome was just what I was hoping for. â
And, finally, there is Wasilewski's âOld Hat,â a moving ballad in classic jazz style, with tender solos from both Wasilewski and Lovano, its title referencing both the nostalgic flair of the piece and Joeâs penchant for vintage headgear.
* * *
The Wasilewski Trioâs members have been playing together since high school days in Koszalin, Poland; the present line-up was established in 1993. Marcin Wasilewski, Slawomir Kurkiewicz and Michal Miskiewicz first recorded for ECM as members of Tomasz Stankoâs quartet on the album Soul of Things in 2001, soon followed by Suspended Night and Lontano. Previous ECM albums in trio format are Trio (2004), January (2007), Faithful (2011), and Live (recorded 2016, released in 2018). For Spark of Life (2014), the trio was joined by Swedish saxophonist Joakim Milder. Wasilewski, Kurkiewicz and Miskiewicz also appear on Norwegian guitarist Jacob Youngâs album Forever Young (2013).
Joe Lovano made his ECM debut in 1981 with Paul Motianâs Psalm. Further recordings with the Motian/Lovano/Frisell are It Should have Happened A Long Time Ago, I Have The Room Above Her, and Time And Time Again. Lovano has also recorded for ECM with John Abercrombie (Open Land, Within A Song), Marc Johnson (Shades of Jade, Swept Away), and Steve Kuhn (Mostly Coltrane). 2019 saw the release of two critically-acclaimed recordings with Lovano â Trio Tapestry, introducing Joeâs trio with Marilyn Crispell and Carmen Castaldi, and Roma, a live album with Enrico Rava, Giovanni Guidi, Dezron Douglas and Gerald Cleaver.
For more information on ECM, please visit:
ECMRecords.com | Facebook | Instagram | X
For more information on Joe Lovano, please visit:
www.joelovano.com | Facebook | Instagram | X
For more information on Marcin Wasilewski, please visit:
MarcinWasilewskiTrio.com | Facebook | Instagram
show less
