Can a recording be appreciated or understood without knowing the full history of the performer?
The answer is, of course, yes and no. In this case, yes, the music on Lontano creates a coherent sound world, has an artistic point of view and many levels, and thus is well worth repeated listens. But no, you'll be missing the full impact of the music made by these musicians if you haven't heard the last two albums by this band, Soul Of Things (2001) and Suspended Night (2003), and much more if you haven't heard the music Tomasz Stanko has made over the breadth of his career.
Among Stanko's key releases, of particular interest are Krzysztof Komeda's Astigmatic (1965), the first appearance of "Kattorna"; and his first release for ECM, Balladyna (1976), the source of "Tale." Stanko's six ECM albums recorded during the '90s included the mature masterpieces like Leosia (2000), Litania (1997) and From The Green Hill (2000).
The new millennium brought a new, very young band to the forefront, and Stanko seemingly took a conservative turn. Talking about the three albums with Marcin Wasilweski (piano), Slawomir Kurkiewicz (bass) and Michal Miskiewicz (drums), Stanko said, "Of the three albums recorded with the Polish quartet, this one is definitely the best. I treat them like a triptych. Soul of Things is childish; Suspended Night is mature and stable. Lontano is the quintessence of experience of sorts. It has some free playing, some reflection, and we also played Komeda's 'Kattorna.' Among my records this is the one I listened to the most after recording."
If there was a stylistic break from Green Hill to Soul Of Things, something similar has happened between Suspended Night and Lontano. This record feels like Stanko has come full circle and reintegrated his musical roots, also reflecting the shared influences between his bandmates and him. The new versions of "Kattorna" and "Tale" are no accident, and neither is the fact that the record is dominated by the three parts of the free "Lontano" series.
Stanko thinks the world of Wasilewski, and the pianist's playing is marvelous throughout. He seems to have subsumed some of the mannerisms of Bobo Stenson, who had a telepathic connection with Stanko. The contributions of Kurkiewicz and Miskiewicz are less overt but just as important, since the quartet now acts with one mind.
The music of Lontano is full of intensity and concentration; dark, wide spaces; and, of course, that mournful Stanko trumpet. He still has the knack of creating a line that feels totally logical yet also seems to meander and circle. With Lontano, Stanko has managed to distill forty years of experience, honing and polishing it in order to reach new heights with this quartet. - Budd Kopman (allaboutjazz.com)
This album was recorded at the end of a tour in which frequent collaborators Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko and the trio featuring gifted pianist Marcin Wasilewski had begun to investigate more improv-oriented methods, and it's freer and more organically generated than its predecessors. The title track appears in three long manifestations through the set, with the first part in particular sounding like an all-but-perfect contemporary jazz/improv ensemble piece, developing from slow musings through sputtery, 60s-Miles trumpet eruptions, a series of Hancock-meets-Jarrett surges from Wasilewski, and eventually a subtly insinuating groove. Wasilewski's flowing energy ideally complements Stanko's timing and sense of space, but the whole empathetic foursome sounds more of one mind than ever. - John Fordham (theguardian.com)
It’s a fine line between introspection and shoegazing, and trumpeter Tomasz Stanko straddles it well on his new disc, Lontano. Stanko is a difficult fellow to criticize. A Polish jazz leader for three and a half decades, Stanko has left an impressive body of work in his wake. On Lontano, his quartet continues the ideas that have served him well-airy constructions, pensive arrangements and a relaxed approach. Stanko’s is a patient kind of music, one that demands undivided attention. Yet the music is so quiet, so delicate, that at times it falls prey to its own preciousness.
The three-part title suite is spread among the album’s nine tracks, but really any of them could be included, as one tune can blend into the next. To be fair, there are moments of sheer beauty within these 77 minutes: Michal Miskiewicz gently tapping his stick on the side of the kit several minutes into “Lontano, I”; pianist Marcin Wasilewski crafting a dark, elegant passage over bassist’s Slawomir Kurkiewicz’s drone on “Cyrhla”; Stanko’s first mournful strains on “Song for Ania”; the juxtaposition of the piano’s high trills and the trumpet’s low growls on “Kattorna.” But there are too many prolonged stretches of ambient soundscape to sustain interest, especially in the disc’s latter half. It’s as though the band tired of the music midway through. I know the feeling. - Steve Greenlee (jazztimes.com)
Tracks
1. Lontano I (Stanko/Wasilewski/Miskiewicz/Kurkiewicz)
2. Cybthia (Tomasz Stanko)
3. Song For Ania (Tomasz Stanko)
4. Kattorna (Krzysztof Komeda)
5. Lontano II (Stanko/Wasilewski/Miskiewicz/Kurkiewicz)
6. Sweet Thing (Tomasz Stanko)
7. Triste (Tomasz Stanko)
8. Lontano III (Stanko/Wasilewski/Miskiewicz/Kurkiewicz)
9. Tale (Tomasz Stanko)
TOMASZ STANKO trumpet
SLAWOMIR KURKIEWICZ double bass
MICHAL MISKIEWICZ drums
MARCIN WASILEWSKI piano
Recorded November 2005 at Studios La Buissonne, Pernes-les-Fontaines
ECM 1980 / Universal Music Classics Group - B0007152-02