Tomasz Stańko - Wolność W Sierpniu - Freedom In August (2005)

POLIN (see links below) wasn't the first time that the late Tomasz Stańko had composed for the opening of a Polish museum.  The 27 minutes of music on this release were written for the Warsaw Uprising Museum's opening in 2004, which marked the 60th anniversary of the wartime event in question.

Quite unlike the POLIN release, which was effectively a conventional jazz album in its own right, Freedom In August is a much more soundtrack-like work.  Stańko's working group of the time are expanded with keyboards and percussion (Janusz Skowron and Apostolis Antymos, both of whom he'd worked with in the 80s) and backing from the Polish Symphony Orchestra.

This lush, widescreen sound can seem a little odd at first coming from someone like Stańko, but it works well in this context, and emphasises his melancholy forte as a composer.  Of course, as he still stars on trumpet on every track, Freedom In August is also well worth a listen for any fans of Stańko's signature sound.  He stretches out most on the plaintive, urgent Crash Song, and graces every other track with the charcoal streaks familiar to his conventional records.  A really beautiful mini-album that deservies recognition in the much-missed Stańko's catalogue.

link
pw: sgtg

Previously posted at SGTG:
Jazzmessage From Poland
Purple Sun
Freelectronic in Montreux
Bluish
Bosonossa And Other Ballads
Matka Joanna
Dark Eyes
Wisława
Polin