‘Spirit To All’ is the latest record by Polish bassist and composer Wojtek Mazolewski and his famed Quintet (WMQ), Mazolewski’s distinctive voice and vision are highly lauded and widely recognised for his contribution to the resurgence in Polish jazz and improv music on a global, crossover scale.
Leading his long-time quintet of Joanna Duda, Marek Pospieszalski, Oskar Török and Qba Janicki, ‘Spirit To All’ is Mazolewski’s third Whirlwind Recordings release following ‘Polka – Worldwide Deluxe Edition’ and ‘When Angels Fall’.
Speaking to the spirit in which the album was recorded, Mazolewski says: “I love the abstract arrhythmic sonic backgrounds of Sun Ra and Art Ensemble of Chicago, but there weren’t any other musicians available, so I decided that we would record all percussion instruments ourselves. In the recording room, some of us had instruments, some of us sang, but only a few of us were wearing headphones hearing the music. This meant the others had to intuitively find and feel the pulse. The experiment made the WMQ sound even richer and we had such great fun doing it.”
Having played together for over 10 years, WMQ share a deep and innate connection that’s palpable throughout their music. ‘Spirit To All’ is a cathartic manifestation of Mazolewski’s inspiring intentions, “It made us come together again and reawaken the sense of adventure. We feel truly reborn as a band.”
- Wojtek Mazolewski: double bass, percussion
- Marek Pospieszalski: tenor saxophone, percussion
- Oskar Török: trumpet, percussion
- Joanna Duda: grand piano, percussion
- Qba Janicki: drums, percussion
Label: Whirlwind Recordings
UPC: 0655498298271 (CD)
Catalogue Number: WR4790 (CD)
Release Date: 16 December 2022