|
The songs of Nick Drake get under your skin, insinuating their way into your consciousness through the gentle contours of their melody lines and the expressive urgency of their lyrics. And though Drake died in 1974, at age 26, with a slender discography to his credit, his work has been savored by contemporary audiences and reinterpreted by new generations of artists, among them the genre-breaking jazz pianist Brad Mehldau and, now, the Polish-born, Chicago-based jazz singer Grazyna Auguscik. If
Mehldau has captured listeners' attention by recording select Drake
songs on stylistically far-flung releases, Auguscik has dug deeply into
this work, devoting an entire album to Drake's oeuvre. This weekend,
she'll be singing music from "Man Behind the Sun: Songs of Nick Drake"
at the Green Mill, an atmospheric room uniquely suited to Drake's moody, introspective
art.
That a jazz singer of Auguscik's rising international stature should devote so much of her interest to compositions by a long-gone, decidedly idiosyncratic songwriter may come as a surprise to some. But anyone who has savored the darkly Eastern European tone of much of Auguscik's work will see the progression as perfectly natural for her. "His music is haunting music," Auguscik says. "It stays in your brain for a long time. The lyrics — they're poetry. The melodies are simple, but you can't get away from them. They stick with you, and when you perform them, you have to stick with them." What Auguscik means is that the free-flying improvisations that she has brought to various musical settings, including, most recently, to bassist-composer Matt Ulery's "By a Little Light" recording, are not exactly what was called for in Drake's music. Instead, she says, she has aspired toward something subtler. "It's hard to say (if) this is jazz," explains Auguscik, referring to her recorded and concert performances of Drake's work. "We adapt his music to our style. But the songs are the songs. The lyrics are beautiful. It's a different adaptation. … The songs are melancholic. Most of his tunes are dark. But that's part of me, actually. I really like melancholic music. I feel very comfortable singing it, and it doesn't bring me down. I think this music doesn't sound melancholic when we play it." We'll hear what she means this weekend, but surely the deep-amber quality of Auguscik's vocal tone and the long-lined lyricism of her phrasing have something to do with it. Or, to put it in other terms, the fervent, smoldering expressiveness of her singing — so deeply rooted in the music of her native Poland – can explore dark realms without sacrificing tonal beauty. Whether she's singing jazz standards, original songs, transformations of music by Chopin or repertoire by the instrumentalists in her band, Auguscik gives it all a warmly melodic glow, which could offer an unusual perspective on Drake's songs. For this weekend's engagement, she'll by joined by a top-flight ensemble: pianist Rob Clearfield, bassist Ulery, drummer Jon Deitemyer trumpeter James Davis and guitarist John Kregor (the latter sitting in for John McLean, who's on the album). It was these musicians, in fact, who introduced Auguscik to Drake's songs several years ago, and she hasn't been able to resist it since. "I fell in love with this music immediately … and adapted one or two tunes in my regular gigs," Auguscik says. "Two years ago, I thought maybe I could do a whole album, but I wasn't sure: It's different music than what I was doing. But I'm doing it now with a great band, a younger generation, the best people in Chicago, so they inspired me to do this project. "I'm so glad we could extend (the life of) this music, which was made 40 years ago, and introduce it for the next generation," Auguscik adds. "And I'm sure a lot of people will buy the original (recordings) of Nick Drake, because I think this music is unique."
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"For the most part, Auguscik clung closely to Drake's melody lines as he wrote them, generally bypassing the improvisations and transformations that are at the heart of a jazz musician's art. This relatively straightforward approach gave Drake's songs an opportunity to be heard in full cry, his sinuous melodies rendered all the more effective by Auguscik's opaque, nearly vibrato-less alto. Add to the mix some deftly atmospheric jazz instrumentals, and Drake's music sounded fully preserved, though cast in a singular, contemporary light. — " Chicago Tribune"
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"In Drake's "River Man," Auguscik's ethereal long-held notes and floating, occasionally wordless vocal lines gave this music an other-worldly dimension. She turned to a slightly brighter tone and achieved translucent sounds, with soft vocal support from her colleagues, in "From the Morning," which benefited from Rob Clearfield's poetic pianism. And in "Time Has Told Me," John Kregor's twangy guitar and drummer Jon Deitemyer's gently shuffling backbeats evoked a country-music flavor – with a twist of jazz." — Howard Reich > " Chicago Tribune"
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"The
arrangements can roam far afield of the usual “classical-with-jazz”
hybrid. As if the instrumentation itself were not radical enough, Ms.
Auguscik makes considerable use of the iconoclastic timbres available
to jazz vocalists and instrumentalists. Chopin’s pieces remain
recognizable, but often as catalysts for other musical interaction." —<> By NEIL TESSER
Published: July 22, 2010 The New York Times
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"No singer today
brings as much melodic invention and rhythmic exuberance to these
scores, Auguscik applying a vast array of jazz techniques to a
harmonically ultra-sophisticated music. Auguscik's imaginative
reworking of the Chopin's Prelude in C Minor – replete with high-flying
scat singing and ebullient swing rhythm ..." — Howard Reich > " Chicago Tribune"
"The two leaders on this date are
hardly
newcomers to the Chicago Jazz scene. Paulinho Garcia is well known for
his
solo work and for his playing with Greg Fishman in Two For Brazil.
Grazyna
Auguscik has put out some wonderful albums on her own, as well as being
featured
on the CDs of various Chicago heavyweights. 'Andança'
finds
these two together for an album of mostly Brazilian songs with a
fantastic backing band and some very tasty string arrangements.
When I first got this album, I have to admit that I didn't know what to think about it. Granted, both Paulinho Garcia and Grazyna Auguscik are top-notch vocalists, and Garcia's guitar skills are amply evident throughout a growing catalog featuring his work. However, one could be left to wonder how two such singular artists would work together. Well, I had no need for worry. These two blend together wonderfully as singers, and the instrumental backdrop that they sing against is supportive, grooving and sensitive to the intimate setting which makes this album such a success. To put it frankly, this is one of the best executed albums that I've heard in a long time. The pacing, song choice and timbres of this album are breathtaking. Even the string section here is more than mere window dressing. The arrangements actively add to the proceedings, giving these songs added weight and momentum, and making this group sound entirely unique. While this album is listenable from the first track to the last, there are a few real standout tracks here which help this CD to cross the line between "great" and "really, really great." "Andança," the title track from this CD, is a beautiful mid-tempo tune that is as gorgeous for the melody as it is for the way that Paulinho and Grazyna interpret it. "O Boto" boasts a grooving bass line that propels it nicely. "Nothing Will Be As It Was" is practically the textbook definition of pretty. The strings provide the perfect backdrop for this song, leaving the spotlight firmly on Auguscik and Garcia for a beautiful effort. This is the kind of album that I really look forward to hearing: a bit off the beaten path, beautifully executed, great tunes that haven't been done to death, played with elan and grace by great musicians. 'Andança' has all of that, and more, in spades". ©
Copyright 2008, WDCB
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Grazyna Auguscik & The Andrzej Jagodzinski
Trio in NYC Venue/ This program of jazzy
extrapolations on Frederick Chopin’s music brought together two potent
musical forces and kindred spirits in Chicago-based jazz singer Grazyna
Auguscik and Poland’s acclaimed jazz pianist Andrzej Jagodzinski.
The Polish-born Auguscik, a marvelous vocalist, adventurous improviser and world-class scat singer, follows in the free-spirited footsteps of her fellow countrywoman, Urszula Dudziak. A 1992 graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, she has made her home in Chicago since 1994, performing regularly at the Green Mill while also making appearances at the annual Chicago Jazz Festival each summer. With 10 albums to her credit, including six under her own record label, GMA Records, she is a perennial nominee in the annual Chicago Music Awards and has been named Best Jazz Vocalist three years in a row (2002, 2003 and 2004) by Poland’s Jazz Forum magazine. Composer-arranger Jagodzinski is regarded as one of the best pianists on the Polish jazz scene. A graduate of the prestigious Frederick Chopin Conservatory in Warsaw, he has played with most of the best jazz groups in Poland, including the Zbigniew Namyslowski Quartet, The Jan Ptaszyn WroblewskiSmietana's Polish All Stars. His first recording by the Andrzej Jagodzinski Trio, Chopin, was named Best Record of 1994 by Jazz Forum and won the Fryderyk Award (the Polish Grammy) as best jazz record of the year. Jagodzinski’s organically swinging and highly interactive trio continued to explore jazz interpretations of Chopin on 1997’s Live at the National PhilharmonicOnce More Chopin, helping to launch a “Chopin stream” in Polish jazz. The largely Polish audience at this rare encounter, co-presented by the Polish Cultural Institute and the Embassy of Poland in Washington, responded to the familiar Chopin themes with nationalistic pride and a certain amount of awe at what Jagodzinski did to them. The pianist-arranger reharmonized and radically re-examined Chopin’s works through a jazzy prism, accompanied by his empathetic and interactive rhythm tandem of drummer Czeslaw Bartkowski and upright bassist Adam Cegielski. On a hip, syncopated rendition of Chopin’s “Nocturne in E-flat Major, Opus 9, No. 2,” drummer Bartkowski tapped into a loose, swinging Art Taylor-Roy Haynes vibe, while bassist Cegielski anchored the proceedings with deep tones, flawless time and impeccable intonation. Together, the trio burned through Chopin’s “Prelude in E Minor, Opus 28, No. 4” at hyper speed as chopsmeister Jagodzinski nonchalantly tossed off a brief quote from “All Blues” along the way. While Poland’s elder statesman of jazz piano, Adam Makowicz, may still be regarded as “the Polish Art Tatum,” Jagodzinski reveals touches of a more modernist strain in his playing, represented by such obvious influences as Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett. There’s a tinge of melancholy in the Polish soul, which was apparent in the trio’s rendition of Chopin’s “Prelude in C Minor, Opus 28, No. 20,” based on a Polish folk melody. As Auguscik announced from the Joe’s Pub stage, “Chopin wrote a lot of his stuff based on Polish folk tunes and it’s our inspiration as well.” And with that, she wove a spell on the audience with an evocative interpretation of the folk tune “Matulu Moja (My Mother),” extrapolating on the form with improvisational abandon. They tackled two other Polish folk tunes—“Krywan” and “Wolszynie”—with a swinging sensibility, using the simple melodies as vehicles for stretching. The playful call-and-response between Grazyna’s rhythmically assured wordless vocals and Jagodzinski’s mercurial keyboard statements on the exuberant “Oberek” (a familiar piece associated with the Polish National Dance Company) provided some real sparks. Auguscik also showcased some wild scatting abandon in a daring voice-drums breakdown with Bartkowski near the end of this explosive set-closer. For an encore, Auguscik joined with the Jagodzinski trio for a stirring rendition of Krzysztof Komeda’s haunting theme from Roman Polanski's film Rosemary’s Baby, with Grazyna delivering the plaintive melody with just the right touch of melancholy as she sang: “I will remember you when I feel myself smiling. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Polish
singer Auguscik and her ensemble are out of this world.
At first glance, the
music of
In fact, if Auguscik's upcoming show Saturday night at the Green Mill Jazz Club proves half as inventive as the world premiere she offered at For Auguscik, who was born in And though the two-hour suite she performed with her fledgling Orkestar Universale needs considerable tightening, its best songs and instrumental pieces sound like nothing else in this world. Inspired by the now-dormant Chicago Immigrant Orchestra, which also made historic performances at the Pritzker Pavilion, Auguscik's Orkestar Universale similarly enlists Add to the mix longtime Auguscik collaborator Jarek Bester, a profound Polish accordionist who ventured here for the singer's shows at the Pritzker Pavilion and the Green Mill, and you had the makings of a possibly visionary, possibly disastrous musical hybrid. Any fears that cultures might clash quickly melted away, however, once Auguscik began to sing, the sound of her creamy alto floating above a rhythmically restless instrumental accompaniment. When Auguscik unspooled the long, sinuous, wordless vocals that are at the core of her art, even skeptics must have been seduced. As Auguscik and Garcia whispered fast-flying vocal lines in unison, to a bossa nova beat, it was impossible not to envision By cutting some instrumental numbers and working on the pacing of these musical vignettes, Auguscik will enhance the chances that Orkestar Universale flourishes long after this concert. Grazyna Auguscik performs with accordionist Jarek Bester and others at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Green Mill Jazz Club, 4802 N. Broadway; $12; 773-878-5552. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(GMA Records
1724-6 As broadcast on WVIA-FM For me, some
of the most interesting and enjoyable music arises when disparate
styles or
cultures mix in unexpectedly successful ways. This review series has
certainly
featured more than its share of such musical confluences. This week, we
have
yet another, though the music's interest comes as much from the
artist's
originality as from the mixture of cultures. It's the newest CD from
Polish-born vocalist Ms. Auguscik's
music has always been on the edge of jazz,
though she does perform more the straight-ahead varieties of the genre.
But on
this CD, she spans a very wide range, both in terms of the material and
the
stylistic and instrumental elements that went into the recording. In
fact, she
includes a note in the CD's packaging addressing herself to her jazz
fans
saying "I stay true to myself and follow my heart when I work, but at
the
same time, I hope the music clicks for you," obviously realizing that
those looking for a recording by a classic-style jazz singer are not
going to
find it here. Instead, the CD is a very creative blend of sonic
atmospherics,
with ethereal string arrangements, emphasizing cellos, with
contemporary-sounding percussion loops, in performances of material
ranging
from an old Donny Hathaway hit, to Brazilian pieces, a song from Ms. Auguscik
is a versatile singer, who like fellow Polish fusion vocalist Urszula Dudziak, is a skilled improviser and can do
impressive wordless
vocals. But this CD is dominated by songs with lyrics in English,
Polish and a
little Portuguese. There is a fair amount of Brazilian influence, with
songs by
Brazilian composers Edu Lobo, Baden Powell
and Egberto Gismonti.
But the
performance of those songs is quite distinctive. Ms. Auguscik's
principal collaborator on the CD is Swedish
keyboard man Stefan Pettersson who largely helped sculpt the
arrangements and
sonic treatment. The players on the CD also include John McLean and
David Onderdonk on guitars, plus a pair of
Swedish cellists who
are apparently overdubbed some to create the brooding string
arrangements. They
are a nice supplement to Ms. Auguscik's
airy, but
contemplative alto vocals. The CD at times can be reminiscent of the
work of
another Chicago-based jazz singer who has ventured into musically
eclectic
territory, Patricia Barber, and indeed Ms. Auguscik includes one of Ms.
Barber's compositions. But the CD
opens with the Buffy Saint-Marie song Until It's Time for You to Go,
which was also recorded by By origin,
the most jazz-oriented song ought to be the track Don't
Explain, co-written by the great jazz singer Billie Holiday. But
again, Ms.
Auguscik explores an entirely different musical realm, combining the
strings
with the techno-sounding rhythmic figure, to create a fascinating,
unusual and
ultimately satisfying performance. One of two
pieces with wordless vocals is Chorado,
which
hints at Brazilian influence while continuing the engagingly
contemplative
atmosphere. Ms. Auguscik
writes in her CD notes about hearing soul singer Donny Hathaway while
growing
up in One can draw
a parallel between Ms. Auguscik and her fellow Ms. Auguscik
shares vocal duties with Brazilian guitarist and singer Paulinho Garcia
on the
track Apelo, by Baden Powell, which
Ms.
Auguscik says has become a popular song in Also in
Polish is the closing piece Pray, or Molitwa.
The lyrics were written by a Polish film director, Magdalena Piekorz, and set to music by Ms. Auguscik.
Lyrically, it's
basically a lament, and musically vaguely unsettling in sound, with Ms.
Auguscik's plaintive vocals,
the atmospheric musical
setting, and the creepy sound of whispered voices in the background.
<<>> On her CD The
Light, Our grade
for sound quality is a definite "A." The sonic atmospheres that give
the CD its distinctive quality are deftly executed. On a good stereo
system,
one can be enveloped by the auditory pastels of the recording, and
there is
also a decent dynamic range. Keyboard man and arranger Stefan
Pettersson also
did the mix together with Ms. Auguscik. Sometimes
combining unrelated styles can be little more than a novelty. This review may not be copied to another Web site without written permission.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“ Auguscik has assembled a
dream band … taking charge of the band she has created, — Howard Reich > " Chicago Tribune"
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Cracow Klezmer Band,
"Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass" (Tzadik Record) —
Eyal
Hareuveni © AllAboutJazz.com
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Grazyna Auguscik is the
musical equivalent of a distance runner, — Neil Tesser > Playboy jazz critic
— Christopher Loudon > “Jazz Times” _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
...
Chicago singer Grazyna Auguscik showing where music may be headed
... _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Past Forward
- This music is just fantastic! ...
— Dr. Brad Stone >
Music Director KSJS-FM San Jose, CA
... coolly sensuous
voice, ... infectious music ... _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Grazyna Auguscik, the
terrific Polish born singer is the one _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Now that "convergence," the
darling of late '90 corporate speak, has
— Christopher
Loudon > JazzTimes / VOXcd reviews ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Born in Poland and
currently residing and gigging in Chicago, singer
— Bill
Milkowski >JAZZIZ / Vocals /A WAY WITH WORDS / ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Grazyna Auguscik, "River" (GMA
Records). — DON
HECKMAN > L.A. TIMES / 05/ 2002 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The first "suprise" release of
2002 for me - Grazyna Auguscik. Her
new — Dr. Brad
Stone > Music Director /Jazz, Blues/ and Faculty
AdvisorKSJS-FM /02/02/ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The artist you are referring to
is Grazyna Auguscik. She released
this — KATE SMITH >
President of Radio Promotion/Artist Relations ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Grazyna Auguscik
River (GMA) — Michael Wojcik
> ILLINOIS ENTERTAINMENT /05/2002/ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Her name is Grazyna Auguscik and She is one of the hottest jazz talents in the country. — Voice on
American Jazz Scene ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ .... Grazyna really is coooooooool ! — Jeff Brown
> Co-Program Director KTOO-FM ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ah one day the muse will strike
me so you'll yearn to be quoting us in
your — Elaine C.
Erb > Music Director KGNU - 88.5 fm ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
With Grazyna Auguscik next with
her newest RIVER . — Voice on American Jazz
Scene ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Where did we get this sleeper? ... — Kevin O'Connor
> KBEM ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Chicago Jazz innovator Singer
Grazyna Auguscik a fresh voice on jazz scene,
— Mark Guarino > Daily
Herald ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Grazyna Auguscik Polish-born
Chicago vocalist is an excellent —
http://centerstage.net/music/whoswho/GrazynaAuguscik.html ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Grazyna has the vocal ability to
handle any song well, — Lee Prosser >
jazzreview.com ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ "Auguscik's evocative alto stands
at the center of all sound, — Howard Reich
> Chicago Tribune ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Auguscik is a jazz rarity
-- a vocalist who, by dint of temperament and training,
— Neil
Tesser > Playboy jazz critic ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Her music is like
fireworks—warm, dynamic colors exploding
— Doug Collier
> Rockford RAM ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Grazyna Auguscik displays
a strong and affectless voice, — Neil Tesser >
Chicago Reader ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Auguscik is a terrific
vocalist who does not use theatrics,
— Doug Collier
> RAM Arts & Entertainment Guide ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Pastels” by vocalist
Grazyna Auguscik and Bogdan Holownia — Frank Mantooth ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“ ‘Primordial Passage’,
this 10-track, multitextured affair is
— Straight no
Chaser interplanetary sounds: ancient to future > London
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Primordial Passage"
is a fitting title for this Chicago-based
— Kuri Kondrak > Resonance
Magazine ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“The Sacred Spaces Ep”
— Hobey Echlin
> Mixer Magazine /05/00/ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Primordial Passage....
— Chris
Duckenfield > 7 Magazine ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“The truly otherworldly Polish
jazz — Darren Keast
> Skinny Entertainment Network ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“...Sublime vocalist
— Hobey Echlin
> Mixer Magazine /12/99/ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The centerpiece of Primordial
Passage is Polish jazz vocalist — Lola Odiaga >
Alternative Press Magazine /04/00/ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Primordial Passage relies on
cavernous soundscapes and
— Rudy Dominguez
> Urb Magazine /04/00/ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This is not a “put the needle on
the record and rock the — Jon Wesley >
BPM Culture Magazine ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Grazyna Auguscik is one of the
most unique and — Robert Grillo
> Sepia > Underground Evolution Productions
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Corners“ Gephart Long
Quartrt — Jon Janoviak
> Chicagogigs.com ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
|