Review

THE REVIEWS OF ALBUM “FLASHBACK” – 2018:

LIZARD MAGAZINE – MERY ZIMNY

“Joy, vigor, melodiousness and superb compositions – that’s how I’d describe “Flashback”, Tubis Trio’s newest album.”

MAREK NIEDŹWIECKI – POLISH RADIO

 „Boys, you did an awesome job. You recorded incredibly beautiful sounds. I highly recommend this album… Congratulations on the cover photo idea!

LONGPLAY – ROBERT RATAJCZAK

“It’s about time we stopped comparing the band’s music to E.S.T. or Brad Mehldau. Today, Tubis Trio has their own unique sound and character, and “Flashback” proves it beyond any doubt.”

THE REVIEWS OF ALBUM “THE TRUTH” – 2017:

ALLABOUTJAZZ – GENO THACKARA:

Besides offering plenty of detail under the surface, The Truth can just as easily serve as jazz for people who don’t normally like jazz: a charming and genuinely buoyant listen for just about any taste. (…) Alongside the sophistication and interplay of a smooth-swinging combo, the leader’s songs are brightly melodic enough to brighten any day, Monday or otherwise.

Review justifying the selection of the album amongst the best albums of 2017.

TELEEXPRESS (NATIONAL TELEVISION DAILY NEWS PROGRAMME) – MAREK SIEROCKI:

It’s a brilliant record! Excellent compositions. It turns out again that music, jazz included, is all about melodies. This album is a fantastic piece of studio work. World-class!

JAZZISM (12/2017) – ANGELIQUE VAN OS:

Their music is a combination of catchy melodies and a contagious, brilliantly selected light pop rhythm filled with syncopation and elegiac solos, especially by Tubis. The compositions are ear-friendly without being dull. Their strength becomes evident in the energy and dynamic performance of the band, creating an impressive balance of which “Seven Heavens” is a perfect example.

JAZZFLITS – TIPS JAZZ CORNER:

This unknown Polish piano trio sounds similar to EST, Tingvall, Gogo Penguin and other modern trios. Yet, they have “something” that distinguishes them from the others. Promising debut!

“TRÓJKA”, A POLISH NATIONAL RADIO CHANNEL – MARIUSZ OWCZAREK:

Melodies on canvas – such is the new album by the Tubis Trio. I recommend without being too objective.

AUDIO MAGAZINE (ALBUM OF THE MONTH 10/2017) – MAREK DUSZA:

The most prominent emotion that oozes out of each piece is joy. This album holds your breath throughout. It has been a while since I was injected with such a positive dose of positive energy after listening to just one jazz album.

JAZZPRESS (10/2017) – KRZYSZTOF KOMOREK:

The band’s strength comes mainly from their authenticity and honesty. “This is our story, these are our emotions. Jazz or not, it doesn’t matter. What matters is the truth.” This motto, which can be found in the album’s insert, is something the band remains faithful to.

JAZZ AND BEYOND (12/2017) – MACIEJ LEWENSTEIN:

Maciek is the master of cantilena. He develops melodies in an incredibly easy and yet complex way. (…) At the very end, it is an ingenious, excellent record with very many absolutely outstanding fragments.

SOUNDTRACK OF MY LIFE – ADAM BARUCH:

Overall this is an excellent example of contemporary instrumental music, which is accessible to a wide audience without making any compromises as far as the music quality is concerned. This Polish trio proves again that Poland is a reliable source of great European music, which is on par with anything being created beyond its borders, usually quite ahead of the pack.

LIZARD MAGAZINE (09/2017) – RAFAŁ ZBRZESKI (9/10):

What we have here is a an unpretentiously melodic record filled with ever so perfectly balanced music. You couldn’t get bored listening to it if you tried. Full, contemporary sound meets imagination and sensitivity.

JAZZ FORUM – MONIKA OKRÓJ:

Simply said, you cannot dislike the music on this record. The melodiousness and moodiness of it finds its way to the hearts and ears of many a listener. Although the pianist’s strong debut a decade ago was full of spontaneity and the mere joy that comes from playing the instrument, this album is a demonstration of coherence, maturity and sophistication, especially when employing the broadly defined polyphony. Most of the pieces carry themes that are so expressive that when the trio replays them at the end, one cannot help but hum along, which goes to show that it is possible to create captivating melodies without resorting to platitude. Moreover, the harmonic nuances, especially in fragments less saturated with sound, add to the mystical aura of the compositions.

JAZZFORUM (09/2017) – RYSZARD BOROWSKI (4/5):

The compositions are formed in a carefully thought out and sophisticated way. They sometimes bring Jarrett to mind, but there are also some Latino rhythms on the album as well as some extraordinarily delicate tunes.

ETHERJAZZU – PIOTR BIELAWSKI:

It is then a genuine image of the artist displaying emotions to which he yields at a given moment. (…) Because “The Truth” is a true story of a man who’s not ashamed of his sensitive side in the world that is increasingly devoid of that truth…

LONGPLAY – ROBERT RATAJCZAK:

In the pianist’s original compositions of we come across a number of different emotions. They are, however, served in a very natural and approachable way and with winsome elegance. (…) The melodic vivacity of individual pieces is quite remarkable.

KALEJDOSKOP (10/2017) – ANNA WÓJCIKOWSKA:

“The Truth” is not just about good compositions, but also about great instrumentalists. Tubis writes music that is catchy and with melodics at its centre.

POLSKIERADIO.PL – PETAR PETROVIC:

Maciej Tubis presents ten sophisticated musical pieces which are often subdued and sometimes immersed in the aesthetics of E.S.T. The pianist himself does not force himself upon the other band members or the listeners. “The Truth” is a result of brilliant cooperation of the whole trio which shows itself as one healthy and vibrant organism. The piece that I found exceptionally appealing was the ballad called “It’s a Beautiful Winter Out There” – a stunning and emotion evoking work of art. However, this is not the only beautiful moment on this superb album.

WYSPA.FM – MACIEJ JANISZYN

“The Truth” is a tasty serving of contemporary, ambitious and mature jazz which does not confine itself to the rigid framework of the genre.

 

Tubis Trio – the Polish jazz sensation

The most promising young Polish band, Tubis Trio, has been receiving universally enthusiastic reviews. It is compared to the Swedish e.s.t. trio, not only because it constitutes an exceptionally harmonious combo which has been co-operating for years. The musicians have created a single organism and each of them is equal as a creator of the sound, surprising with references to various musical styles and dragging the listeners into a musical show.

The pianist Maciej Tubis said in his interview for Rzeczpospolita journal: “I used to draw inspiration from Esbjorn Svensson and his e.s.t. trio. When I heard their album “From Gagarin’s Point of View”, I thought that it was my vision of music and that someone forestalled me.”

The essence of Tubis Trio’s music are improvisations evolving around the tunes composed by trio members. You never know which way they will go as each of the musicians adds his ideas, develops the theme, sometimes directing it on other stylistic tracks, and the others take up his thought, thus creating a new, vivid form of the tune. This formula guarantees each of their concerts to be different and all of them to be equally fascinating. The associations with American bands, Brad Mehldau Trio and The Bad Plus, are not a coincidence – similar waves of artistic expression and creative passion experienced by the musicians flow from the stage during the concerts given by Tubis Trio. And most importantly, the audience feels that passion as well.

“The most important thing for me is conveying the emotions”, says Maciej Tubis. “Every concert is a very deep experience for me and I’m glad I’m able to play live. I totally concentrate on the music, I give myself absolute freedom, I capture the spontaneity of the moment.” The audience feels the magic of such encounters with the creator and always reacts vividly.

“I liked that! But it wasn’t jazz, was it? I don’t like jazz, you know!”, said an excited member of the audience after one of the concerts.

Since 2008, the group is composed of the pianist Maciej Tubis, the double-bassist Marcin Lamch and the drummer Przemek Pacan. The Trio performs tunes composed by its members, based on jazz improvisations combined with broad musical horizons.

“The term jazz is just a label and it imposes limits”, explains the pianist Maciej Tubis. “We create tunes with melodious themes but unforeseeable forms. Classical polyphonies transform into rock ostinatos. We draw inspiration from various musical styles and various periods, sometimes we reach for pop songs, but we rehash them using our best artistic skills.

The trio made its debut with a CD recorded in the famous Robert Krieps hall in Luxembourg, often played in by famous performers. “The acoustic conditions there were excellent and even though initially we just wanted to capture the concert to be able to listen to it ourselves, the recording was of such high technical quality that we decided to make it our CD debut.”

This album surprises the listeners with a clear vision of music evolving under the influence of the ambience of the moment. The improvisations are full of creative joy and of desire to share the new music with the audience.

“Live In Luxembourg” was considered one of the world’s best jazz albums of the year 2009 by the British Jazzwise magazine. After many other concerts, the band began the year 2012 with an enthusiastically received live performance on Programme Three of the Polish Radio, which gained the recommendation “Programme Three Quality Mark.
 In 2015 they played in the best jazz club in Europe „Porgy And Bess” in Vienna performing Krzysztof Komeda’s tunes with a great success.

The musicians of Tubis Trio experience pure joy during the concerts. When you listen to them, you know that they feel free as birds. They have no limits and thus they “fly away” to unknown lands. The trip with them, full of surprises and exciting experiences, is well worth taking.

 

Marek Dusza – 
Jazz critic working for the Rzeczpospolita journal, co-operating with Jazz Forum and AUDIO magazines, nominated thrice for the Jazz Oscar, the Grand Prix of Stowarzyszenie Melomani association, for the Journalist and Critic of the Year