Flowers by Grzegorz Tarwid Trio

One of the most captivatingly versatile pianists to emerge from Polish
music academia in recent years, Grzegorz Tarwid is as influenced by
Brian Eno’s earliest ambient adventures and the eclectic rhythmic
hustle of the ultra-hip Ugandan Nyege Nyege scene as he is rich in
traditions of East European and Scandinavian jazz.

Initially honing his chops under the tutelage of Polish piano maestros
such as Wojciech Kamiński, Andrzej Jagodziński and Michał Tokaj,
Tarwid later embarked on a formative sojourn to Copenhagen where
he immersed himself in Denmark’s free improv school, a move which
also saw him begin to enrich his uncompromising creations with
elements drawing on everything from classical minimalism and
Brazilian bossa to clubland beats and non-idiomatic experimentation.
All these disparate influences sensitively pervade the delicious
melodies and painterly abstracts heard on Flowers, a deeply poignant,
absorbing, and occasionally playful album – inspired by the delicacy
of blossoming plants and the changeability of surrounding nature –
which partners Tarwid with his fellow countrymen, double-bassist
Max Mucha and drummer Albert Karch (who has previously played
alongside Tarwid in Sundial Trio).

The trio is caught here in fullest bloom across two Warsaw studio
sessions, moving seamlessly between the skittering runs of ‘Baiao B’
and the tender Latin-tinged, low-end arco hum of the spellbinding
‘Oberek’, the ensemble proving themselves maestros of many moods.
‘Kirchen Madchen’ is an insistent punch to the solar plexus, rowdy in
the company it keeps, while the droopy-lidded pulse of ‘Sleep’ is a
sumptuous lullaby to a dream-weaving sweetheart.

Tarwid’s lyrical pointillism throughout recalls the expressiveness of
Paul Bley, while the graceful contributions of Mucha and Karch
subtly revitalize old piano-trio conventions, their artful
embellishments complementing their leader’s chiaroscuro, rendering
Flowers a future classic, a landmark set to elevate Tarwid’s already
burgeoning rep.

Warsaw-based pianist and composer. Inspired by classical music and footwork. Co-creates projects: Sundial (with Wojciech Jachna), Diomede (with Tomasz Markanicz), Alfons Slik (with Szymon Gąsiorek), Sprzedam (with Macio Moretti and Jędrzej Łagodziński).

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