Soul Of Things

Some new releases come with the word "classic" stamped invisibly on every note or phrase. Soul of Things is just such a recording. Featuring 60-year-old Polish trumpet maestro Stanko in the company of a new, young, yet already well-honed trio of compatriots, this 75-minute, 13-part suite extends and distills the qualities of mellow swing, lyrical introspection, and flaring assertion that distinguish Stanko's previous two ECM releases, the excellent Litania and From the Green Hill. If "Part 3" contains some of the most directly swinging, finger-clicking group music to be released on ECM for many a month, the concluding "Part 13" commences with Stanko solo, in ultra-poetic rubato mode. In between these thematically integrated extremes lie all manner of delights, with the level of interaction between Stanko and Marcin Wasilewski (piano), Slawomir Kurkiewicz (double-bass), and Michal Miskiewicz (drums) at times reminiscent of some of the finest moments of Belonging, the ECM classic of the 1970s with Jarrett, Garbarek, Danielsson, and Christensen. This album shouldn't be missed. --Michael Tucker