Suspended Night

The spacious, flowing reveries of the opening "Song for Sarah", where Masilewski's lambent touch and dynamic sensitivity are as remarkable as the leader's soulful breadth and depth of tone and phrase, set the tone for the 10 diversely conceived "Suspended Variations" that follow. The variations constitute the bulk of this superbly recorded 70-minute work and some of them, such as variations 2, 5 and 8, project a fair amount of polyrhythmic heat.

Overall, however, the music is largely remarkable for its fruitful, complementary tempering of those flaring extremes of sound and rhythmic accent that have often characterised Stanko. The result is perhaps the most affecting example to date of the naked yet literate art of this utterly distinctive musician: certainly, the combination of Slavic soulfulness, melodic and rhythmic intelligence and--above all--poetic courage makes Suspended Night a release to treasure. --Michael Tucker

Suspended Night is an album of rare beauty, mood and texture. It begins with the meloncholic Song for Sarah and then goes into the Suspended Variations. The absense of titles for the variations allows you to project your memory onto the music. Marcin Wasilewski's piano playing, a revelation on Soul of Things, leads you through of some of the most memorable music passages in contemporary jazz. Wasilewski can express a breath of time and experience which belies his years and his rythm and dexteriety are even more confident than on Soul of Things. The double bass & drums really shine on this album though as the musicians explore and expand the variations. But it is Stanko's playing which is the real heart of this music. Understated, delicate & ephemeral it floats in and out of the variations in wispish contours often coming across as almost dream-like, conjuring vague inpressions of memories half forgotten or half remembered. A lesser musician would surely dominate but Stanko allows his fellow musicians to develop his themes freely. it seems an unlikely matching but it was surely meant to happen.

Anybody who has a chance to see the Stanko Quartet should embrace the opportunity. if you can't, get a copy of this album and listen to it in the still of the night and let the magic take you.


Introspective masterpiece   March 6, 2004
 16 out of 17 found this review helpful

Having been familiar with much of Stanko's recent output, I was intrigued to see how this line up of young and ,as yet, unknown Polish talent would compare with the all-star line up featured on "Matka Joanna", one of the best albums of the 1990's. Caught in concert in Southampton, the current Quartet produced music of exquisite beauty and the audience went home thoroughly pleased.
The album features the music played on the recent tour and, whilst it lacks the foreboding drama of the earlier disc, demonstrated that the current line up is particularly impressive. Under-pinned by some solid bass playing, Stanko's tone is somewhat lighter than usual, his phrasing fleeter, and the Bill Evan's influenced piano adds to this impression. Good as these other supporting members are, it is the drummer who steals the show. The group dynamic is set at a lower threshold with this latest group so that the impact of the increases in tempo and volume is magnified - a reflection of the total musicianship of the band. I would tend to disagree with the other reviewer with regard to his comments about the melodic content of this music. As ever with Stanko, the compositions are very haunting and saturated with melancholia. This disc has not left the CD player in my car for over a week and I can therefore testify that this is an album that improves upon repeated listening.
Listeners unfamiliar with Stanko's music would be recommended to try this album as it generally eschews the freer elements of some of his other work. Like many other contemporary composers such as Metheny, Frisell, Haden, etc, Stanko is able to impose a very personal touch to his music that is readily indentifiable. Anyone not familiar with this Polish maestro will find this lyrical and rewarding disc a fine introduction to his unique world. Needless to say, the recording quality from ECM is exemplary.


Excellent follow up to "Soul of Things"   March 1, 2004
 14 out of 14 found this review helpful

Tomasz Stanko is an exceptional trumpeter whose languid tone is discernible from barely a bar of music. "Suspended Nights" is his seventh original album for ECM and maintains the high creative and productive qualities of that great label. The album is similar in tone and structure to "Soul of Things" which was the first album to demonstrate Stanko's young quartet which is also on fine form here.

While there is nothing as gorgeously melodic or insistent as on Stanko's earlier "Litania" and "From the Green Hill" albums, some of the playing here is exceptional. The third track (ie the second variation) is possibly the standout track, culminating in a crescendo of sound.

Having seen the quartet perform at the Queen Elizabeth Hall last week, it is clear Stanko has recruited three first rate players in Masiekewski (a Harry Hill lookalike on piano whose feet rarely touch the ground as he bounces in rapture to the music), the impassive Kurkiewicz on bass and Miskiewicz on drums who stole the show for me. It is a regret that his rhythmic invention and accomplishment with all manner of sticks and brushes and ability to shift the beat seamlessly does not come over as well on the recording as live.

In fact, if there is a criticism of "Suspended Night" it is that some of the music is slightly underwhelming over the course of seventy minutes. That might not be too surprising and the highlights are sufficiently captivating to ensure that "Suspended Night" is a worthy addition to Stanko's canon and reputation.