Atlantic by Radek Wośko Atlantic Quartet with Gilad Hekselman

Modern Jazz / Indie Jazz
Jazz Series

Editor's Info:
After last year's tour in Scandinavia, the international quartet led by Polish drummer Radek Wośko entered the studio in Copenhagen to record material for the album, which has just been released.

The album, with the exception of the song "Man Of The Light" by Zbigniew Seifert, consists only of leader’s tunes. In his compositions Radek Wośko not only has the courage to go beyond the strict genre schemes, but also a rare ability to build structures that are open, in which emerging threads remain ajar. On his latest album he combines melancholy of Scandinavian jazz, emotionality of his Slavic roots with the bustling activity of downtown New York.

An Israeli native, living for several years in New York guitarist Gilad Hekselman combines his impeccable technique with being a sensitive improviser, who successfully uses his capacity for an impressive exploration of colors and textures, reaching areas seemingly reserved for other instruments. That's why he is frequently invited to collaborate by artists like Chris Potter, Mark Turner, John Scofield, Anat Cohen, Esperanza Spalding, Jeff Ballard, Gretchen Parlato, Avishai Cohen, Jeff 'Tain' Watts, Tigran Hamasyan or Aaron Parks.

Danish pianist Søren Gemmer and Polish bassist Mariusz Praśniewski also form the quartet. It’s worth mentioning that the album Zawadzki / Praśniewski / Wośko "Tage" has been included in HONORABLE MENTION for the year 2014 according to THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD among other records like:
Pharoah & The Underground ‘Spiral Mercury’ (Clean Feed)
Joshua Redman ‘Trios Live’ (Nonesuch)
Mary Halvorson/Michael Formanek/Tomas Fujiwara ‘Thumbscrew’ (Cuneiform)
Billy Hart Quartet ‘One Is The Other’ (ECM)
Wadada Leo Smith ‘Red Hill’ (RareNoise)
Branford Marsalis ‘In My Solitude’ (Live at Grace Cathedral) (OKeh)
Trio 3 + Vijay Iyer ‘Wiring’ (Intakt)

Musicians fully understand what they are doing and know the meaning of their music. While playing they seem not to name feelings, but tell them, and they do it masterfully!

Liner notes:
When I think about the imaginary place, where all my inspirations for
the past five years could meet, it would probably be in the middle of
Atlantic Ocean, since I come from Poland, live in Denmark and spent
almost a year of travelling in the United States and West Africa.
Musicians on this album come from three different countries, bringing
their own sensibility to the common picture. Some of the compositions
where finished right before the session, but others waited a couple of
years to find the perfect constellation to unfold. Although it’s rooted
in modern jazz context, this is a personal statement, documenting a
couple of years of my life. I hope you’ll enjoy listening as much as we
enjoyed working on this album.
- Radek Wośko

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