Polish composer and trumpeter
Tomasz Stanko's career has been long and varied -- from working with the legendary
Krzysztof Komeda in the 1950s and '60s, to his own work that ranges form
hard bop to
electronic improvisation. A wonderful illustration of that principle is his association with
Manfred Eicher's
ECM label. This volume, in the excellent
Rarum series, begins with
Stanko's first date as a leader for
ECM in 1975 on the album
Balladyna. There are two selections from the set highlighting what was well-known at the time as his radical "predatory lyricism" method of composition and soloing. These stand in subtle contrast with his solo on
"Together," from
Edward Vesala's
Stau from a year later, where his soloing style was already in transition, and he moved even further afield when he played on
Gary Peacock's beautiful album
Voice From the Past, from which the selection
"Moor" is taken.
Stanko's harmonic interplay with saxophonist
Jan Garbarek is nothing short of breathtaking.
Stanko didn't record for
ECM again until the mid-1990s, on his own
Matka Joanna, by which time his longer, loping lines and more open method of composition, which left much room for silence, and his reliance on a languid yet rich and beautiful counterpoint, was coming to fruition. The majority of this fine set is taken from
Matka Joanna, as well as from the titles
Litania: The Music of Krzysztof Komeda,
Leosia, and
From the Green Hill. This is a welcome addition to the
Stanko catalog in that it represents an artist who stands outside not only most
jazz classification systems, but also apart from
ECM's "classic" sound. Highly recommended. ~ Thom Jurek
