HOLDINGS HANDS - Rare Jazz/Fusion Gems From Polish Vaults vol. 2

ANDREW MASON (waxpoetics)
Cosmic Sounds is a fascinating London-based label founded in 1999 by Yugoslavian expatriate Zeljko Kerleta. Dedicated to bringing the deepest jazz of Eastern Europe to a Western audience, Kerleta’s efforts have been tireless. The seventh in a series of compilations, Holding Hands is Kerleta’s second attempt at corralling the weird and wild world of Polish jazz. His first concentrated on the decade of the 60’s and was justly weighted toward the works of Jerzy Milian, the famed Polish vibraphonist who was a ubiquitous presence on recordings of that era. Milian is a present on this new collection, which moves a decade ahead to cover the 70’s and beyond but takes a backseat to a pleasingly varied group of artists. There is a distinct jazz-fusion flavour to the proceedings, no surprise considering the dates of the recordings, but that shouldn't scare anyone away, as there are elastic bass lines, inspired percussion, and a paucity of aimless soloing, the bane of many a good groove. An intense live cut from Julius Mazur and the group Crash typifies the airy and energetic feel that moves jazz-loving feet. Fans of dance-floor jazz will also be happy that Crash’s 1979 uptempo “prostachny Gestach”, bootlegged as a 12-inch in the ’90, is also present.

Poland has a rich history of vocal jazz, and we are treated to several prime examples of that legacy here. The Novi Singers, perhaps the best-known proponents of the sound, are represented by the rare 45-only beauty “Fiesta”, and Bemibem, a connoisseur's favorite, drop two Latiny cuts from their 1974 Bemowe Frazy LP. Reaching all the way to the brink of the ‘90s, Kerleta has the brilliant audacity to plunk the effervescent “Sky’s the Limit” from lead Novi singer Bernard Kawka’s 1989 Metamorphosis LP. It’s a soaring 130 BMP cut that will overlooked by the heavy drum and funk seekers but will raise the spirits of the open-minded. Kerleta hasn’t neglected the beat brigade, however. Two tracks from Lodz radio and TV Big Band’s highly sought-after Srting Beat LP, a puls-raising 1975 slab of non-stop heavy grooves that trades hands for three figures, bookend the B-side. Any hard funk aficionado wirth their weight will start saving after hearing the monster version of Herbie Hancock’s “Chameleon” and the wicked fuzz funk of “Bez Metlau”.

Available on CD and LP (though the LP is significantly quieter than usual), this compilation is a fascinating introduction to Polish jazz-funk fusion and should be sought out. Fortunately it is only the tip of the iceberg, intrigued listeners should be sure to delve into the rest of Cosmic Sound’s catalog.

FESTY (musicaltaste.com)
SKY IS THE LIMIT. Bernard Kawka, one time vocalist for the Novi Singers, recorded this little dancefloor filler in 1989. It has a slight Steely Dan/Donald Fagen sound and feel to it, which doesn't usually grab my attention in this way, but this really is a fantastic track. Great arrangements by Bernard too. He's joined by Polish female vocalist Ewa Bem who was in a Novi-esque vocal group in the 70's named Bemibem. I'd never heard of this group before buying the compilation that "Sky's the Limit" is found on. The comp is titled "Holding Hands - Rare Jazz/Fusion Gems From Polish Vaults Vol. 2". It's on the English label "Cosmic Sounds", which must've passed me by because they've been releasing compilations for at least the past 4 years and I hadn't come across them before. The "Holding Hands" comp is really suprisingly good. Every track is a winner.