Customer Reviews

Suspended Night

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's entirely marvelous--and almost always unexpected--to encounter a first-class jazz performer moving from a position of prominence to one of absolute top rank. Without a doubt, that is what trumpeter Thomasz Stanko has accomplished on his latest release from ECM. Here he plays with a confidence and presence often glimpsed in his previous recordings but come fully to the fore on this transcendent disc.

As impressive as Stanko is (and he's mighty impressive!), the real heroes here are, perhaps, his Polish quintet. Especially standout are Marcin Wasilewski on piano and Slawomir Kurkiewicz on bass. Not far behind is Michal Miskiewicz on drums. These players consistently set the table for the exact right moods and atmospheres for Stanko, be it elegy ("Song for Sarah"), acquiescence ("Suspended Variation I"), friskiness ("Suspended Variation II," a spirited tango), romance ("Suspended Variation III," a gorgeous ballad), hope ("Suspended Variation IV," another gorgeous ballad), joi de vivre ("Suspended Variation V," the closest thing these guys come to an up-tempo number), mystery ("Suspended Variation VI," a meditation of the vagaries and vicissitudes of life), and so on. This proves, as much as any recent recording, the magic that comes from playing with a working jazz band

Once again, as we have come to expect from engineer Jon Erik Konshaug and producer Manfred Eicher, the sound is ravishingly beautiful--with exquisite detail, presence, and warmth. ECM at the absolute top of its game. Hard to beat.

Surely one of the most purely stunningly beautiful jazz discs ever recorded, Suspended Night instantly vaults trumpeter Stanko to the very front ranks of trumpeters in the history of jazz.

Ignore at your peril.

I saw this band last night in their opening concert of a North American tour. Fantastic. They performed here in Seattle last two years ago in support of 'Soul of Things' and that remains a most memorable event. The most recent concert was divided into two one hour sets drawing on material from both 'Soul of Things' and 'Suspended Night'.

Gorgeous, sinuous melodies performed by an absolutely top flight quartet. 'Suspended Night' demonstrates the power and empathy of this remarkable group. The blend of the sixty-fivish Stanko with the his early thirties bandmates has been good for all concerned. A wonderful ensemble equally at ease playing fairly straight and taking things out.

I'd love their next release to be a live recording. My preferences aside 'Suspended Night' and 'Soul of Things' are essential recordings which generously reward the listener.

Highly recommended.

Diversity is one great tool that jazz keeps handy. If you want something hard hitting, you can find almost any 1957or 1956 Blue Note recording and you are all set. If you want something soft, find some George Shearing plus String Choir recordings to satisfy that need. If you want something to dance to; Monk, Basie, and Ellington are among great choices.

Tomasz Stanko's music has always been `calm and meditative'. From his work on the soundtrack to Rosemary's Baby (that calm enough?) to Soul of Things, he has always worked in music that is `after 2am music'. Suspended Night is no exception to that rule.

Suspended Night is composed of 1 Song (Song for Sarah) and 10 Variations (Suspended Variations). The overall mood of this recording is meditative. The band plays with a united approach to thematic movement and a centric direction of harmony. One player will cast the harmonic progression for another all over this album. This is not hard bop, but minimalism meets modality.

Song for Sarah is a ballad full of longing and reverence. I get the impression someone in the band lost a loved one named Sarah, and they are musically looking back on the good times and the love they shared. A real treat.

Suspended Variations is a set of 10 variations groups together. After having this album for a while, I don't see the common thread in these pieces. Each one is Stanko (i.e.--- calm and meditative), but the buck stops there. Overall, they all are great and add perfectly to the atmosphere hinted at in Song For Sarah.

This is a great album. I don't see why any KOB (Kind of Blue) fan wouldn't like it or some of it. It would be best suited for a fan of Miles, for Tomasz has a very similar approach.

This album is a thirty-year later extension of the Second Great Quintet (E.S.P. and Sorcerer by Miles Davis) and I think it will do well in the years to come.

If you like Miles Davis Kind of Blue, ESP, Sorcerer; Ryan Kisor (when with Peter Zak on piano); you will love this album.

A fascinating album. New Cool. Imagine that Miles Davis took a different path, starting in, say, 1962. The hype is that this is the new "Kind of Blue". I think that is an overstatement, there are similarities and there are differences. Stanko approach is quite thoughtful, perhaps "mindful" is a better term. His tone is often similar to early Miles. There is

much
space
between
notes.

The music is often modal, like "Kind of Blue" but darker and a tad more abstract. I don't hear another "Blue in Green" here. The backup band as is said elsewhere is quite talented, especially in their ability to intuitively follow Stanko's lead. They rival Brad Mehldau's or even Tierney Sutton's backup group in this respect. Drummer with brushes Miskiewicz is quite good at establishing, following, an anticipating the atmospheric mood, but they all are.

Beautiful.

I listened to this, put it aside for months, listened to "Trio" another album by the backup band, and came back to rediscover the depth in this one.

Very late night music, way past midnight. Like making a stew, Stanko and the guys cook, simmer, but never boil over. Always in control. Often Melancholy, like KofB. Music from a place of inner peace and poise. Minimalist. Casts a spell.

A minor quibble: with all the craft that went into this album, there could be more variation in song titles, titles seem as if they are a "theme and variations", but the songs aren't, as far as I can tell. But this is a very minor point. I kinda prefer 2,3,4,5,9 & the elegaic 10 but the whole album is a consistent quality piece, none of the cuts send me rushing for the remote control to bypass.

I could see Stanko behind the Iron Curtain listening to the Voice of America and polishing his craft in secret for thirty years.

Highly recommended.

Another State of the Art recording, as I have come to expect from ECM. Spectacular width, height and depth to the soundstage. Precision instrument placement and clarity.

(I recently saw Stanko and the Trio at Blues Alley. I have new respect for the bass player Kurkiewicz. But this CD is NOT representative of their work. In person they are just as tight but less mysterious and much more intense and loud.)

Tomasz Stanko totally suprised me with this and the previous "The Soul of Things" recordings. I am fascinated by his music of recent years. And I have not discovered him recently. I have known the sound of his trumpet since his recordings with Krzysztof Komeda in the 60s. He is a veteran on the Polish jazz scene. Yet, he is blowing a new wind into his horn. He has never been that good, so sensual, so meanigful. Is it the chemistry between him and the trio of youngsters that support him? I wondered quite often how was it possible for such young musicians to play like that. Don't they need to live longer to be able to say so much? As a side note, if you injoy this CD, the "Trio" recording is equally essential. This is a late night music. One of the best in ECM's catalogue.

superbly played and recorded, this is as intimate a sound as i've ever heard on ECM. this mix is perfect, and through headphones, you can almost imagine yourself sitting admist the musicians, their sounds enveloping you. playing "free" ballads is in immense challenge, and this is one of the finer examples i've come across. some have compared this to "kind of blue," but while stanko's trumpet has a melancholic timbre similar to the prince of darkness, he is his own man, a veteran, and should be respected a such. his young group is brilliant, especially the impressionistic wasielewski, who seems to calculate each note as if it could be his last. the music is incredibly free, yet everything is in it's place. the mood is nocturnal, but this is no background music. it's meant to be absorbed. it's a stunning follow up to the wonderful "soul of things," and is required listening for anyone who considers themselves to be a fan of improvised music. say, maybe in that sense, it is a bit like kind of blue.

It's always nice to listen to an artist whom you have never heard of, and be completely knocked off your feet. That's what happened to me when I found this album by Tomasz Stanko. First I thought to myself, what an interesting name, and, wow, all of the other guys on this album have names that I can barely pronounce. Then, I saw that it was on ECM, one of my favorite labels to find new, cutting edge jazz. Well, these soon became afterthoughts, because I popped the album in my CD player and was immediatetly struck by the beauty of the music being created by the Tomasz Stanko quartet.
Tomasz Stanko, who I have since done some research on (and have already started looking at other albums of his), is from Poland, and decided to work with some younger teenagers from his homeland. Stanko began working with Marcin Wasilewski, Slawomir Kurkiewicz, and Michal Miskiewicz on film work back in the mid 1990s, and the relationship has blossomed into an amazing jazz quartet. One of the most stunning things about this album how the beauty has not faded after multiple listenings; I am still struck by the openess and breathing room that these musicians work with and create. Stanko, who wrote all of the songs, has chosen to work with an intelligent performers who are shaping how jazz can, and will be conceived. Wasilewski's piano playing is one of my favorite attributes of the album (and this group), his harmonizations are interesting and push jazz forward; and it reminds me of Bill Evans most of all. Stanko's trumpet playing floats effortlessly above the wash of colors that his rhythm section offers him; he creates a dark, mysterious tone with his horn which interweaves with the sparceness of the ensemble.
The opening ballad, "Song for Sarah," is a beautiful song which rises out of the myst and is driven by compelling harmonies. The Suspend Night Variations, which fill out the rest of the album, are a canvas of laid-back, flowing, sometimes mysterious, and always beautiful jazz work. The interplay between these musicians is of a high caliber and the music seems to just flow out of everyone to create a wonderful collage of sounds that are extremely pleasing to listen to. This music moves in slow arcs and subtleties, which ultimately gives meaning to the title of the album and can leave the listener feeling slightly "suspended." I recommend this album to any Jazz listener, but especially to those who are seeking where jazz is headed, and the artists who have their finger on the pulse of modern music.

Tomasz Stanko has recorded a masterpiece with this recording. I'm not going to talk too much about the music, because it speaks for itself. All I can say is listen to the sound clips on Amazon and decide if this is something that you're going to like. Having said that, I love this kind of moody jazz. It's very accessible, but it's also dark and haunting, which are words that have descibed Tomasz Stanko's work on ECM for years now. This particular trio he's playing with are all astonishing. The pianist, Marcin Wasilewski, is truly a young master. He is fantastic in a supporting role and he's also a great soloist - very subtle and if you don't listen closely you'll miss those beautiful cascades of notes. I found myself listening to Marcin more than anybody else. As another reviewer has said, I think Wasilewski made this album. If you love piano like I do, then this is a good album. Having said about Wasilewski, I have tremendous respect for Stanko. For him to step aside and let these other musicians take the music to another level, says alot about Stanko and his character.

This is truly a classic jazz album in my opinion. Anyone who enjoys listening to jazz and is serious about it should own this album.

In this age of super musicians playing super humanly and writing songs designed to show us mortal just how superly they can play, comes The Thomas Stanko Quartet! This quartet plays incredibly beautiful jazz as if they have nothing to prove. Suspended Night reminds us that at the bottom line, it is about the music after all. Superior musicianship which carries the day by being musical. Michael Miskiewicz is one of today's most musical drummers! His service to the music which surrounds him champions the idea that the drums are a musical instrument as much as the piano, bass, or any other instrument upon which a melody can be played. The entire band proves that you don't have to be loud in order to convey powerful emotion (listen to Suspended Variations III in which the left hand bass part on the piano serves as hero of the day). It has been said that this band plays as one mind and I who have just discovered Thomas Stanko's Quartet can wholeheartedly testify to that statement. Much can be written about the technical mastery of The Thomas Stanko Quartet but I believe much more can be gained by grabbing your favorite beverage (coffee, tea, brandy, cognac, etc.) with which to relax, lower the lights and just sit back to listen. Suspended Night is a master class in jazz chords,arrangement, and progression but for me....well, I just like the way it makes me feel! Strangely beautiful jazz played beautifully!

I find it most reassuring to discover that new music of this quality is being created. I have not heard a piece of music so different and so satisfying for a long time, if ever. To listen to this music is to be transported ..... into a suspended night.