Tomasz Stanko Quartet

During my stay here in Poland I was often asked what my opinion was of Tomasz Stanko. Although I was not able to see a live performance, I thought it important to give the reader a critique of one of Poland's most respected jazz musicians through one of his recordings. The recording for this review is titled Suspended Night (2004) by the Tomasz Stanko Quartet (ECM Records, 1868-961-1244).

Suspended chords, unpredictable chord resolutions, varied tempi, interesting dissonant and consonant chord structures, individual instrument linearity, are all illustrative of a sense of "on the edge" or perha[ps more aptly, a poised performance. The opening piece titled "Song for Sarah" introduces the listener to these and other sonorities that refect the album's title, Suspended Night.

The quartet consists of Tomasz Stanko (trumpet), Marcin Wasilewski (piano), Slawomir Kurkiewicz (double bass), and Michael Miskiewicz (drums).

The music is presented with two titles: "Song for Sarah," and "Suspended Variations." The first track is a stand-alone piece while the second can be perceived as a suite of ten variations on the theme "Suspended." Following the initial listening of the album I was left with the emotion of space that far exceeds the idea of infinite boundaries. An endless arrary of sonorites that allow the listener to dwell in his own space while sharing the many colors presented by the musicians is, to many, the beauty of jazz. Delivered in an acoustic manner, the listener is also driven to consider the essence of acousticism to this genre.

With the absence of special effects and too much reverberation the listener must consider the beauty of each instrument on its own terms. Indeed, every instrument has its own character that can be heard more clearly with the absence of less intrusive sounds, no matter how pleasant. The beginning of the first variation of "Suspended Variations" offers this in a democratic manner as each instrument provides its character that allows the listener to hear its individuality in a rather expressive way. Stanko enters with the main theme and quickly colors it with characteristics not only indicative of the trumpet, such as bending notes and chromatic passages, but also with his staple clear tone with minimal tremelo. The pianist, then bassist follows with their solos before Stanko re-enters with the main theme.

When a piece begins with chordal harmonies that do not necessarily relate to a tonal center, or to each other for that matter, such as what is heard in "X" (the final variation of "Suspended Variations"), it often incites a sensation of infinite space. As space is an area where nothing within it is the same, so to is what is sensed by the ear when a piece progresses with unrelated chordal harmonies. With rhythm as another important element, the avoidance of predictable rhythmic gestures as heard in "X" further widens the listener's spacial sphere.

With rhythm as a useful musical element for creating contrasting ideas - - which is often the goal of musicians, tempo as a component of rhythm can also be used to distinguish moods and ideas as well as to incite them. For example, the first track "Song for Sarah" is played rubato, while the second track (Variation I) begins rubato but transitions to a distinct tempo, The thrid track (Variation II) is played allegretto (moderately fast) thoughout.

Stanko's trumpet style is presented in a manner that, in my opinion, shows extreme care for each note with respect to when and how it is played. As is the case with a true professional, Stanko, as illustrated by his phraseology, has no desire to overwhelm his listener with a virtuoso performance of 64th notes in an effort to prove himself. The jazz cliche "less is best" cannot be overstated here. If however one needs to be assured of Stanko's rightful place as a great jazz artist by his ability to play chromatically in an allegro (fast) manner, then track six (Variation V) will not leave you unsatisfied. I highly recommend Suspended Night by the Tomasz Stanko Quartet for a pleasurable performance of jazz.