Polish bassist, composer and bandleader Wojtek Mazolewski is best known as the driving force behind the internationally acclaimed Wojtek Mazolewski Quintet. Mazolewski plays double bass, vocal, guitar, flute, and percussion on his new album Solo, with special guests harpist Marysia Osu, vocalist Matylda Soko?owska, percussionist Józef Rusinowski and electronics by Wojtek Urba?ski.
Solo was co-produced with platinum producer and film composer Wojtek Urbanski and mastered by Grammy-winner Ben Rawlins.?This album is profound in its lyricism and the placement of the double bass at the center, while also including other instruments, which add support and create atmospheres at times, into which the rich tones of the bass drop.
Tracks of note include the powerful menace of “Monada,” developed from the deep guttural body of the bass’s vibrating strings. The effective use of pizzicato at the same time as drawing the bow across the other strings creates a beautiful effect, while the throaty singing of the deep male voice after the middle half increases the darkness even more.
“La Canton De La Liberation” is a contrast to the opening track, with open, plucked, and warping strings across a melodic undercurrent. The bass sings with thoughtfully worked phrasing and delicate interlacing of additional strings in the background, which gives gentle support to the strong delivery of the bass. The repeated theme of 24 notes with the odd notes plucked glissando adds a warping, lilting lean-in. A gorgeous track.
“Rodeo Spirit” sees the harp and bass in conversation in a lyrical track with a lilting melody and a Western feel. It is the kind of gentle, walking pace music that brings a smile to your face. “Sylfy” is weird and wonderful with electronic additions and rhythmic changes, including stops and starts, which adds a sense of tripping, while ‘La Mar’ is sensual and atmospheric. In just over six minutes of exploration, it builds leisurely toward the middle section with the flute fluttering in melodic free fall across the top of the bass and background ambient sounds. Ethereal singing punctuates the last third, adding to the already multi-layered textures.
“Home of the Warrior – Sil Daw Ba Nyu Wa” is enchantingly atmospheric, with pastoral overtones and a rich entwining of harp and bass, while “Slavic Forest” is gently explorative, the music soft, like a caress. In “Dawn of Wolves” the musicality and connection between the musicians is palpable. The bass enters, with percussion slowly building, adding a sense of watching, waiting, stalking even, and the bass continues its melodic playing unaware, until suddenly, the regular rhythm of the percussion builds, conjuring up images of a chase.
Each track is different in subtle ways, and in some, additions such as the talking in “My Works of Art” and the rhythmic banters of “Dark Ecology” create atmospheres that are different and add interest. For this listener, the stand-out track is “Monada,” where the range bass is used to dramatic effect, its deep timbre slicing through the air directly to parts of the brain that react and desire more.
Wojtek Mazolewski’s Solo is a wonderful album, packed with contrast and also melodies. The music relaxes, inspires, excites, and above all, engages the listener. The double bass is given a place as the storytelling instrument. Its narrative is spirited and warm, interacting with other sounds and weaving works that tell of depths, reflection and rich emotions.
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