This recording documents the galvanizing first-time meeting of saxophone and clarinet player Mikołaj Trzaska, acoustic bass player Rafał Mazur and drummer Balazs Pandi, which happened in Budapest on October 31st, 2012.
The venue, Club A38, is a ferry on the Danube river in the very center of the city, making one wonder if it was genius loci, the steady and strong current of the mighty European river, or the strong potential between the musicians that made the evening magical. Perhaps it was both.
This music is a unique fusion of free jazz and strong, though sophisticated rhythms that one associates more with metal or hardcore. Fortunately, the concert was recorded, while the night marked the beginning of further cooperation between the musicians.
Mikołaj Trzaska
Born in Gdańsk, saxophonist, bass clarinetist and composer, grew out of yass - a socio-artistic movement that in the 80-ties/ 90-ties opposed the rigidity of Polish jazz environment. Together with Tymon Tymański and a group of other musicians free from any doctrine they changed the image of Polish jazz music. Trzaska was the co-founder of the most important yass group - legendary Miłość and of as creative Łoskot. Although the impetus of yass faded away many years ago he became the leader of national improvisation scene. After the yass period he recorded a few concentrated and quiet albums with the section of Oleś brothers. He also accompanied poets - Świetlicki and Andrukhovych, he created muical - literary projects with Andrzej Stasiuk. Today he is a leader of the international jazz trio Volume and a member of such groups as Ken Vandermark's Resonance, Joe McPhee's Magic or Shofar - who perform Jewish music. He gains really comes into his own, however, in music rooted in radical free jazz and has cooperated with bastions of the international free improvisation scene, such as Peter Brötzmann, Joe McPhee, Ken Vandermark, Peter Friis-Nielsen and Mich....... more
31 października 2012, saksofonista i klarnecista Mikołaj Trzaska, akustyczny gitarzysta basowy Rafał Mazur i perkusista Balazs Pandi spotkali się po raz pierwszy na scenie. Klub A38, w którym miało miejsce to wydarzenie, to wielka łódź, barka dryfująca na falach Dunaju, zacumowana w samym centrum Budapesztu. I nie wiadomo czy duch, spokojnego i stanowczego nurtu, legendarnej środkowoeuropejskiej, rzeki odegrał tu ważną rolę, czy też silna polaryzacja pomiędzy trójką muzyków.
Być może oba fakty zadecydowały o niezwykłej mocy tego projektu. Mamy tu do czynienia z unikalną fuzją, połączeniem jazzu free z mocną acz wysmakowaną rytmiką przypisaną muzyce metalowej czy nawet hardcorowej. Szczęśliwie koncert został zarejestrowany. Ta noc stała się punktem startowym dla współpracy trójki znakomitych improwizatorów. Jesienią 2014 trio Trzaska/Mazur/Pandi ruszy w trasę koncertową