In jazz, there is nothing better than collective improvisation played by experienced musicians who understand each other perfectly. This is precisely the case with this album. Even the pre-composed tracks leave each band member plenty of space for artistic expression. Ralph Alessi is a figure of such charisma that his presence is felt immediately—he plays wonderfully, dynamically, and with full commitment, possessing an excellent sense of the...
Album Review: Mechanics of Nature – The Beat Freaks & Ralph Alessi (2024) Although the album titled Mechanics of Nature by The Beat Freaks is an attempt to build a concept around nature, its resonance is more universal and is not directly tied to the central theme. It is also the band's most improvisation-forward record to date, leaving a distinctive mark by the world-class, outstanding trumpeter Ralph Alessi. Here, many artistic...
The Beat Freaks kept us waiting longer than usual for their new album. On this latest release, the quartet's special guest is the superb trumpeter and ECM Records star, Ralph Alessi. Mechanics of Nature features 13 tracks ("Lifeline" is formally split into two parts, with a separate intro). Eight of them are compositions by the group's leader, Michał Starkiewicz, while one is credited to Radek Wośko. The remaining four are the result of...
The Beat Freaks ble startet i 2014 av gitaristen Michael Starkiewicz, som inviterte Tomasz Licak (tenorsaksofon), Flavio Gullotta (bass) og Radek Wośko (trommer) med til å starte bandet. Musikere forsøker å flykte fra klisjéformene som de synes pregen jazzmusikken. I musikken deres kan vi finne inspirasjon og lån fra både slavisk musikk, folkemusikk, etnisk, blues, improvisert jazz og rock. Den amerikanske trompeteren Ralph Alessi vi...
Jim Morrison was once asked how he would describe The Doors’ album L.A. Woman. His answer was a single word: "blues." It seems to me that a similar shorthand could be used to describe the latest release from The Beat Freaks, titled Mechanics of Nature—this time featuring ECM star Ralph Alessi—with the sole difference being that instead of "blues," we are dealing with "free jazz" in its purest form. Listeners had to wait quite a while for...
Dynamically driving the Szczecin jazz scene, Michał Starkiewicz and Tomasz Licak were recently busy traversing the interplanetary worlds of Stanisław Lem’s literature with a new lineup co-formed with Ksawery Wójciński and Luis Mora Matus, which resulted in the album Solaris, released in autumn. This time, both have returned to their flagship band, The Beat Freaks, to record its fourth album. Mechanics of Nature, created in collaboration...
‘Stay Calm’ is the new album release by Polish jazz quartet, The Beat Freaks. Initially founded in 2014 by bandleader and guitarist Michał Starkiewicz who would go on to recruit members including bassist Paweł Grzesiuk, drummer Radek Wośko and tenor saxophonist Tomasz Licak, the band’s warmly received debut record followed in 2016. Finding its home on the Danish label and distribution company Gateway Music in October 2016, ‘Leon’...
Serious. Not serious. Fun. Invigorating. Funky. Abstract. All of the above can describe the thoughts that come to mind while listening to the sophomore effort from The Beat Freaks, Stay Calm. This is a journey that moves with distinct turns; leading you down some very intriguing pathways over the course of an hour. "Work at Heights" and "Breakwater" capture the fun and adventure of Stay Calm. With Starkiewicz chords shifting from...
Szczeciński zespół The Beat Freaks powstał w 2014 roku z inicjatywy gitarzysty Michała Starkiewicza. Wraz z liderem formację tworzą: Tomasz Licak (saksofon), Paweł Grzesiuk (gitara basowa) i doskonale znany z rozmaitych projektów perkusista Radek Wośko. W 2016 roku The Beat Freaks zadebiutowali albumem "Leon" wydanym przez duńską wytwórnię Gateway Music, która doczekała się szeregu znakomitych opinii w rozmaitych prestiżowych...
Оригинальная обложка альбома Stay Calm, на которой «Давид» Микеланджело представлен одновременно в двух ракурсах, неплохо иллюстрирует основную интригу музыки The Beat Freaks, где многое строится на контрапункте между двумя основными солирующими...
