Search - Tomasz Stanko Quartet :: Soul of Things

Wake me when it's over

D. Lloyd | 06/25/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a fan of ECM for the most part - I love their identity

(album covers) and Manfred Eicher's overall vision and

how he runs the label), but when I see the most banal and

bland CDs of the ECM catalog get touted, while the most

interesting and somewhat original releases get panned,

I feel a futile need to toss my hat into the ring.



After plopping down the standard ECM price of $17.99

for this CD, and then later discovering it's not an

import... (Made in the United States! Why are we

still paying import prices for ECM CDs?), I was at least

hoping for a new thought-provoking journey with ECM,

but instead found myself lulled into boredom and a

stifling sense of déjà vu which made the $17.95 seem

all the more expensive for a domestic CD.

And the music industry wonders why it's losing money...

They really need to look in the mirror.



Had I known that "Soul Of Things" was going to be a

revisitation (or rehash) of previous work, I would have

gladly paid more money and tracked down an out of print

gem from a more interesting period of ECM's history,

which, to be sure, is where some of this revisited

material originally dates from, however, instead of

revisiting the more adventurous spirit that was more

abundant in previous decades (like Stanko's "Matka Joanna"),

Stanko returns to the banal safety of vapid urban melodies,

which for me were (and still are) the least interesting

aspects of his work. Forget about the Miles Davis comparison.

Banality is the main problem with this music and with a

portion of the ECM catalog. But ECM wouldn't likely be

as successful a "flavor vendor" if they didn't give the

people the "vanilla" that they crave.



"

Thirteen variations of exquisite melody

A.J.H. Woodcount | 11/26/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"With this ECM-album Stanko has decided to feature the young Polish rhythm section with whom he has played since 1994 - Marcin Wasilewski on piano, Slawomir Kurkiewicz on bass and Michal Miskiewicz on drums. The result is just anmazing.



Even now the band members are still only in their early thirties, but they play together with an ease and understanding of each other that make age irrelevant. They know Stanko's music intimately and their understated playing provides a sympathetic setting for him.



This band's music has a beautiful simplicity and economy about it. When one isolates the contributions of individuals, they can sound sparse and overly impressionistic; when one listens to the totality, all the pieces fit together and it makes perfect sense, with the whole being far greater than the sum of the parts.



The album takes the form of an extended composition in thirteen separate parts ("variations"), the longest lasting only just over eight minutes. The pieces have a consistency of tempo, sound and mood that gives the album an overarching unity. To be fully appreciated, the album needs to be heard in its entirety (but if you need to sample one piece, try "Variation VII"). Stanko's writing throughout is exquisite - full of melody, soul and allusions to past work.



Highly recommended.



FJB/O!-music 2006



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