Perfect Polish polish
The Marcin Wasilewski Trio’s gorgeous album is played with consummate artistry
Marcin Wasilewski Trio Live
Marcin Wasilewski (piano),
S¯awomir Kurkiewicz (double bass),
Micha¯ Mi kiewicz (drums)
ECM Records ECM 2592
There’s a galaxy of piano trios in today’s jazz universe but few shine as bright as Marcin Wasilewski’s. Although they had performed and recorded together in their native Poland since they were teenagers, the trio shot to stardom in the late ’90s when they were recruited by the great trumpeter Tomasz Stan´ko who died this year. After three acclaimed records with Stan´ko and a further three studio albums as a trio, they’ve finally released a live recording, and it’s been worth the wait. Recorded at Jazz Middelheim in Antwerp in August 2016, this live set draws from the group’s Spark of
Life studio album. Wasilewski feels his way noncommittally into ‘Three Reflections’, gradually gaining purchase with scampering trills that grow in intensity. The Sting tune ‘Message in a Bottle’ has a gently delirious quality, Wasilewski drifting from the theme only to be drawn back by Kurkiewicz reiterating the melody on bass; the urgent ‘Night Train To You’ rattles off the leader’s right hand, stoked by a surging rhythm. Another original piece, ‘Austin’ is a perfect palimpsest of Polish melancholy combined with the blue poetry of American jazz. It’s a gorgeous album. ★★★★★